Jadyn Carter picked himself a ringer of a senior project when he decided to revamp YLP’s run-down horseshoe pits.
The Yosemite High student worked every day for a week, aided and coached by YLOA Director Doug Dorsey, to renovate the pits on the northeast corner of Blue Heron Lake, near the picnic tables and volleyball court.
“It was all tore up, the backboards, the sand was all dug up with squirrel holes,” Jadyn explained as he showed off the two pairs of pits, now filled with sand underlaid with concrete to keep out ground squirrels.
“He mixed up 30-35 bags right here,” Doug added.
The rotting wood backboards were replaced with pressure treated lumber and plans are being made for new rubber sheeting on the boards.
How did Jadyn and Doug meet?
“He knows my aunt and I know his aunt, they’ve been close friends for quite a few years,” Jadyn said.
What plans do they have to get folks back to pitching shoes?
Jadyn remarked, “Since we’ve been doing this, watched by people walking their dogs…. they’ve all been like, oh, I can’t wait to come out here and throw.”
The two would like to see someone start a pitching league. Doug said anyone interested should contact Marie Touitou and the Trails and Recreation Committee.
YLOA General Manager Jonathan Penrose “is going to get a couple sets of shoes and we’re just going to hang them on the backboards and they’ll just stay out here all the time and hopefully they’ll stay out here and people won’t take them,” Doug said. “But if they do come up missing, then we’ll have to do like a checkout system at the clubhouse.”
After high school, Jadyn said he plans to go to a junior college.
“My grandpa builds light fixtures and sends them out like a lighting business. He wants me to take it over, so I’ll probably start working with him soon.”
Meanwhile, Jadyn — who played football and baseball in school — also enjoys riding dirt bikes. “My grandpa has 80 acres on 406, so I go out there as much as I can.”
And, once in a while, you may see him and Doug pitching shoes at YLP.