We’re just connecting the dots
WINTER TEXAN Volume 10 • Issue 13 January 15, 2025
Your Connection to the Rio Grande Valley
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Those of you who know me realize I’m not afraid to look in the review mirror. I need to know what’s behind me in order to celebrate the things that turned out great and learn from what didn’t necessarily go as planned. Of course I spend more time looking ahead, which includes planning, creating, and developing. That part is always fun because we get to have all of you in mind while we’re doing it. Living in the present is especially great for me this time of year because I get to hang out with you and see how all of that planning and creating after last season looks in action. I can hardly wait to see how combining the Winter Texan Expo with the Entertainer Showcase at the McAllen Convention Center next Tuesday and Wednesday turns out. I have a feeling it’s going to be just like the team imagined. (And maybe even better!) Next Thursday, we’ll be in Brownsville for our Winter Texan Expo in the Lower Valley. This was the result of our “creating and developing” sessions, and it is definitely a keeper. 2025 is already well underway, and Welcome Home RGV is leading the way to lots of fun for all of you. After all, we want you to keep coming back—and bringing your family and friends! See you next week!
Thank You
SEASON SPONSORS 2024-2025
The Tropic Star Horseshoe Court during the 2023 Golden Age Olympics Horseshoe Tournament.* Photo by Eryn Reddell Wingert
Champion Horseshoe Pitcher in Our Midst by Eryn Reddell Wingert Photos by Eryn Reddell Wingert and courtesy of Tom Routh
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itching horseshoes is a game of warriors. The sport dates back to the Roman Empire, according to the National Horseshoe Pitching Association’s (NHPA) website, horseshoepitching.com, which references “soldiers pitched horseshoes discarded from the horses used to drive their chariots.” There’s a warrior right here in the Rio Grande Valley-at Tip O’ Texas in Pharr. Tom Routh, who spends seven months a year here with his wife, Patricia, is a state, national, and world horseshoe pitcher champion. Routh played casually and even organized company picnic games before taking part in his first tournament; he placed second and was hooked. Routh won his first world trophy in 1997, and at 81, he’s still pitching. “I just like to do it,” he says explaining how,
Tom Routh lines up a pitch.. Photo courtesy: Tom Routh
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