Most of us have tossed a horseshoe at some time in our lives.

Take aim at the pole sticking up in the middle of the pit and let it fly.

Of course, trying to get a horseshoe to wrap itself around that pole and stay there is a different story. There is an art to doing that, a true technique.

If I get one or two ringers in a game, I feel like that’s pretty good.

Members of the Butler County Horseshoe League would laugh at such a notion.

That league has been around for 63 years and houses some of the top horseshoe pitchers in this region. I’m happy with one or two ringers a game? Bob McKee is averaging better than one ringer every other shot over the past three weeks.

McKee, who pitches for league-leading O’Donnell’s, has tossed a ringer 101 times out of 198 shots in his team’s last three matches.

That blows my mind.

And he’s not alone on that team.

Chuck Young Jr. has 90 ringers in the past three weeks while Ron Jack has 83, Butch Neff 76, Ed Cypher Jr. 67.

This team lost the league championship match to Peter B’s, 9-8, last season. Those two teams are on top of the standings by a wide margin again this year.

O’Donnell’s is 54-18 on the season, Peter B’s is 52-20. No other team in the circuit has more than 30 wins.

For Peter B’s, Ken Turley has tossed 94 ringers in the past three weeks, Nancy Rankin has tossed 90 and John Lefevre Jr. 86.

These people take this sport seriously. It requires skill, precision and plenty of practice to get as good as they have been for a number of years.

The sad part about this league is that its numbers seem to be dwindling a bit. There aren’t as many teams as there used to be — just seven this year — and the league has been trying to encourage younger people to join up for quite some time now.

Each team has its home horseshoe pits and league play takes place one night each week. Rained out one night, play the next.

My hat is off to those who excel at this endeavor, along with those who excel at disc golf, pool, darts, ping-pong and other stuff I’m no good at.

Going pro?

Best wishes to a number of local athletes who may soon become professional in their respective sports.

Slippery Rock University graduate Cory Tucker will try to make the Green Bay Packers’ roster as an offensive guard this summer.

Later this week, Butler grads Colin McKee and Mick Fennell hope to get their names called in baseball’s amateur draft.

Butler wrestler Donovan Malovich, also a Butler Cubs boxer, plans to become a pro boxer early next year, once he turns 18.

Succeeding at the highest level in any sport is so rare. Butler County has had its share of representation that way through the years.

Here’s hoping these guys join the list.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle