Unorthodox pitch helped Cedar Rapids land national horseshoe tourney

The method may have been unorthodox, but it was effective.

Mary Lee Malmberg, director of sports tourism for the Cedar Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, donned a snorkel, goggles and flippers. Then she walked onstage to make her sales pitch.

A mere month after the disastrous flood of June 2008, Malmberg was attempting to convince the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association in York, Pa., that Cedar

Rapids was the place to hold its biggest annual event.

It worked, and Cedar Rapids landed the 2010 National Horseshoe Pitchers Association World Tournament, to be held today through Aug. 7 at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

“I thought it came off very professional in the fact that no matter what kind of disaster that a community faces, the people will pick up and still move forward and do business,” association President Stuart Sipma said. “I thought Mary Lee and the other two did a very good job of displaying a skit to sell the delegates for the right to host this world tournament.”

The “other two” were Ralph Palmer of Cedar Rapids, who will serve as the host tournament director, and Iowa Hawkeye Horseshoe Pitchers Association President LeRoy Law of Des Moines, whose organization is co-host of the tournament with the Cedar Rapids Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Both were sold on Malmberg's plan for letting delegates know the venue and other resources were relatively unaffected by the flood and would be fine for 2010.

“If you don't make yourself a little different, there's no way you can stand out in the crowd,” said Palmer, who is known for an outgoing personality and a starring role in local commercials for his business, the Ar-Jay Center.

Each bidding city was allowed 20 minutes for a presentation, and Cedar Rapids was last. Cedar Rapids had to overcome not only competition from Little Rock, Ark.; Pocatello, Idaho; and Lebanon, Ohio, for this year's rights, but also the images of a devastated city that had reached a national audience.

Malmberg wasn't sure if those images would create doubt or sympathy.

“Realistically, images like that can really make people decide not to have this event here,” she said.

The lasting impression was favorable. After failing in bids the two previous years, Cedar Rapids won the rights, which requires a two-thirds majority vote, on the first ballot.

“We did well,” said Palmer, who recalled being the first eliminated site in bids in 1988 and 2007. “We had our eyes on the prize and stayed after it.”

The group's determination didn't buckle and impressed association members.

“That's another message to the delegates,” Sipma said. “Anyone who wants to try three years in a row, that's just telling the delegates they want you here. They want you to come here.”

Choosing Cedar Rapids gave the association an opportunity to help the city rebound.

“The good news in the story was that, when they came to town, their spending would be great for the community and they could be part of our recovery,” Malmberg said.

The tournament is expected to inject almost $1.2 million into the local economy. Cedar Rapids will benefit from players and their families paying for entertainment, food and lodging while they are in town.

“We have done past research on what groups will spend when they come to town,” Malmberg said. “Kind of the daily expenditures for food, shopping, gas, what they might have that way and then the hotel room portion of it, too.”

Malmberg said organizers expect results similar to the 2009 event hosted by Springfield, Ill.

The goal is much broader than cashing in one time, though. A positive experience can boost the Convention & Visitors Bureau's credibility when lobbying for other events, help bring businesses to the area or encourage visitors to return.

More than 1,260 competitors from all over the world, including Canada, Norway and possibly Mexico, will attend the tournament.

The tournament also will provide some much needed attention for the sport, said Palmer. Horseshoes enthusiasts and event organizers hope to generate interest, especially with the younger generation.

“A lot of people don't know there is organized horseshoe pitching,” Law said. “They walk by a horseshoe court and don't even know what it is. It's going to help promote it.”