Mark Burns of Belleville is World Champion Horseshoe Pitcher 2015

Mark Burns II of Belleville recently competed in Topeka, Kansas among about 1,500 of the best horseshoe pitchers from across the U.S., Canada, and other countries, and won the title of Men’s World Champion Horseshoe Pitcher 2015.
Burns is a former employee of Brown Funeral Home in Belleville and now works at the University of Michigan.
The two-week world tournament is held each summer to crown class champions and the overall World Champion horseshoe pitcher in each of eight divisions: Men, Women, Senior Men (60+), Senior Women (60+), Elder Men (70+), Junior Boys and Girls (13-18), and Junior Cadets (12 and under).
This year’s tournament was held July 13-25 on 50 indoor portable clay courts at the Kansas Expocentre. ESPN broadcast the tournament live on July 18.
To qualify for the world championships, individuals must have competed in at least four sanctioned tournaments before May 15, 2015. They competed for $200,000 in prizes.
Mark Burns and Mark Burns II were among the 31 members of the Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association who attended the competition in Topeka.