The White House horseshoe pit is a horseshoe pit on the South Lawn of the White House, the official residence of the president of the United States. It was established by President Harry Truman and later rebuilt by George H. W. Bush.[1]
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Transcription
It's been a rough week for Barney He was rumored to have been a top contender for Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Secretary of Education But Barney has yet to be tapped for any senior level position. Barney, I know you wanted to be in my cabinet but I've already given you an important job your job is to take care of Miss Beazley your job is to welcome her into our family make sure that Miss Beazley gets along with Willie and I don't want you chasing Willie around the house anymore, do you understand that? I'm counting on you Barney, don't take it personally you're not a lawyer. Barney, you're a dog Besides, Barney, we heard you just got a very important job taking care of the new puppy You've got to show Miss Beazley the ropes Where is she anyway? Don't look at me, Barney, I'm trying to leave no child behind. You better find her before Mrs. Bush finds out No Barney, I haven't seen Miss Beazley but is this your horseshoe? Barney, I don't know where Miss Beasley is and I'm way too busy getting ready for Christmas And with that I will be glad to go to your questions Barney, I'm trying to have a press briefing up here, what's your question? Miss Beazley? I don't know where Miss Beazley is. Miss Beazley is your responsibility next question We interrupt our regularly scheduled program for the following special report A major development today at the White House. Barney has apparently lost Miss Beazley the new puppy Barney refuses to confirm this report saying only that when he has something to announce he will announce it. Blue ornaments? Who decorated this tree with blue ornaments? I haven't seen her, Barney Why don't you go check Ohio? We went there a lot of times Red ornaments! I need red ornaments! Red ornaments for the tree! Hey, Barney! Want to help me decorate the tree? (Barney barking) No, I haven't seen Miss Beazley. You better go find her really, really fast. Thanks for coming by. Seventy nine cents for a box of tinsel? And you bought three. That's almost two dollars and forty cents. You know, money doesn't grow on trees. Not even Christmas trees. Sorry, Josh. Barney, this is the really good part of the movie. this is where Greg loses Mister Jinx but then he finds a replacement cat that can take Mister Jinx's place until they can find the real one. (music playing) Barney, what are you doing? Barney, you're such a responsible dog and I know you've been practicing on how to take care of Miss Beazley but don't worry you've got plenty time to practice. Miss Beazley won't be here until January Want to see some pictures of Miss Beazley? Barney, look at this picture of Miss Beazley Look, Barney there's your new little sister Barney, look! You will make a great big brother to Miss Beazley. Isn't she tiny and cute? President Bush and I wish everyone a very happy holiday.
History
The first horseshoe pit at the White House was built by President Harry Truman; it is now the site of the putting green laid out by Dwight D. Eisenhower. The horseshoe champion Jimmy Risk demonstrated his skills at the pit for Truman and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz in 1946.[1]
A new 40 ft (12 m) pit was built by President George H. W. Bush on the South Lawn and unveiled on 1 April 1989 with 150 guests in attendance. The men's horseshoe champion, Jim Knisley, and the women's champion, Diane Lopez, were present.[2]
George H. W. Bush
Bush appointed Brian Yablonski, a young staffer, as his "Horseshoe Commissioner". Yablonski wrote that Bush played horseshoes to "...unwind, break the ice, do casual business, or just get the competitive juices flowing." Bush would regularly summon Yablonski to officiate a horseshoe match or pass judgments on the final placing of shoes. Bush nicknamed Yablonski "The Commissioner" and himself the "Horseshoe Czar".[3] Bush presented Yablonski with a pair of horseshoe calipers mounted on wood with the inscription "White House Horseshoe Commissioner 1989–1990: His rulings have never been reversed" in the Oval Office on Yablonski's last day at work.[3]
Bush invented a unique nomenclature for horseshoes; a win was a "Vic Damone", and he dubbed himself "Mr. Smooth" when he threw a good shoe. A shoe that failed to reach the clay would cause Bush to exclaim, "Power Outage". A bad throw was an "Ugly Shoe".[3]
Bush held two annual month-long tournaments of horseshoes for his staff: The Fall Classic and the Sweet Sixteen Invitational. Teams would comprise domestic and maintenance staff and teams led by Bush himself and his son, Marvin. Barbara Bush would randomly draw the teams for the tournaments out of a baseball cap.[3] Bush would request scouting reports on future horseshoe opponents; at one point asking about teams while waiting for the arrival of Mikhail Gorbachev on the South Lawn.[3] One renowned player at the White House was Ron Jones, leader of the Housemen team. Bush was frustrated by trash talking leading up to a semi-final, and so took Jones on in a duel to establish who was the "King of the Pit".[3] Bush won the game against Jones 21–0 in five minutes.[3] The Washington Redskins played a long game of horseshoes against Bush after they visited the White House to celebrate their win in Super Bowl XXVI. The game finished with Bush throwing a ringer to win. The general manager of the Redskins, Charley Casserly, said that Bush "threw a ringer to win the tournament ... No one believes the story, but I was there. It happened."[4]
Colin Powell who was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Bush administration, said, "If you tried to play horseshoes with [Bush], you'll see how competitive he can be."[4] Bush demonstrated horseshoes at the pit for foreign dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth II and the Russian President Boris Yeltsin.[1] Bush played horseshoes with the Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke at Camp David in June 1990.[5] Queen Elizabeth II gifted Bush a silver-plated pair of horseshoes on her state visit to the United States in May 1991.[6]
References
- ^ a b c "The White House Museum: Horseshoe Pitch". White House Museum. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ Art Pine (2 April 1989). "White House Party Is the Pits: Bush Pitches In on a Cold Day". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Brian Yablonski (11 December 2018). "Farewell to Our Horseshoe President". National Review. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ a b Jason Breslow (2 April 1989). "Remembering George H.W. Bush's Lighter Sides". NPR. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ Newsweek. Newsweek, Incorporated. 1990. p. 196.
- ^ Karen DeWitt (15 May 1991). "A Royal Couple Receives a Presidential Welcome". New York Times. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
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This page was last edited on 1 November 2023, at 04:15