Adilaide Ohms knows a few things about horseshoes.
The 18-year-old from Cedar City, Utah, is a fourth-generation horseshoe pitcher whose grandfather and great-grandfather are National Horseshoe Pitchers Association Hall of Fame members. In May, she was part of the Canyon View High School horseshoe team that won its ninth Utah High School Horseshoe state championship, where she was awarded state MVP, All-State honors and a scholarship.
And on July 18, she went undefeated 7-0 to win first place in the Junior Girls Division at the 2026 NHPA World Horseshoe Tournament.
The sport has taught her discipline, resilience and courage — traits she’ll draw on when she sets aside her horseshoes to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She recalled reading 1 Nephi 2:4, which describes how Lehi “left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness.”
In that moment, she realized “that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to leave and go to a foreign land.”
Adilaide Ohms begins her missionary service at home on July 29. She’ll serve Spanish-speaking in the New Mexico Albuquerque Mission — following in the footsteps of ancestors who were some of the first-ever missionaries in New Mexico. “I feel like they’ll be right there along with me while I’m serving.”
Her father, Seth Ohms, said it’s gratifying and fulfilling to watch his daughter excel both in her sport and in her mission preparation.
He recounted how, last year, Adilaide competed in the horseshoe pitching world championship tournament but came in second place. Though it was disappointing, she responded by working harder than ever to hone her skills and win this year’s tournament.
“Maybe that’s what determines what makes the champion, [that] they rise to the top when things get harder rather than crumble under the pressure,” Seth Ohms said.
Bishop Danon Hulet of the Midvalley 1st Ward, Enoch Utah West Stake, is the Ohms family’s bishop. He said Adilaide Ohms is driven, responsible and has “a heart of gold.” The young women in the community look up to her, Bishop Hulet said, especially now as she sets an example of missionary service.
“She’s kind and hard-working,” Bishop Hulet said. “She’s always willing — when something needs to be done, she never shies away.”
A ‘lifetime sport’
Adilaide Ohms was born and raised in Cedar City, the youngest of four children who all played horseshoes. However, she’s the only one to ever win the world tournament.
Seth Ohms described horseshoe pitching as a “traditional American sport” with roots in ancient Rome. Later, when mule horseshoes became common during the American Civil War, soldiers made a game of throwing them, he said.
Today, the game involves throwing horseshoes at stakes from various distances, with points awarded for coming close to the stake or encircling it entirely.
For Adilaide Ohms, horseshoe pitching is more than a sport — it’s a tangible connection to her family.
“My family’s been pitching for so long and they’ve all pitched in world horseshoe tournaments and they’ve sold horseshoes. It’s been a big part of their lives,” she said, adding, “It’s awesome to kind of be part of the family legacy.”
She’s also found some life lessons in the game, such as working hard, managing stress and practicing consistently.
It’s a game that’s particularly well-suited to families, too, Seth Ohms said.
“It’s what they call a ‘lifetime sport,’” he said, adding that the horseshoe pitching community as a whole is “like one big family. … It’s fun to be around in the sport to see that connection with people.”
