Herbert Adams, Dean Henry, Ryan Henry and David Wilson enjoy a game of cornhole at Westlake’s Clague Park. (Photo by Larry Bennet)

College campus favorite moves into mainstream
By Katie Leimkuehler
Sports
Published August 9, 2006

The newest phenomenon has struck. The game of cornhole is slowly spreading across the U.S. The basic concept of this odd-named game consists of tossing corn bags into wooden platforms with a hole in the middle of them.

So what's the attraction? Cornhole offers a friendly game with a comfortable environment.

The American Cornhole Association was established by a small group of dedicated cornholers from the west side of Cincinnati. Their mission is "To introduce our friends and neighbors to the game of cornhole and to establish more standardized rules for cornhole play around the country."

The set up of cornhole consists of a cornhole court that must be a rectangular area of 10 feet wide and a minimum of 45 feet long. Each player must remain in the pitchers’ box, a particular area to the one side of the platform, while throwing the corn bag.

According to the ACA, cornhole is similar to horseshoes except you use wooden boxes called cornhole platforms and corn bags instead of horseshoes and metal stakes.

A corn bag that goes in the hole is worth three points, while one on the platform is only worth one point. Bags that hit the ground before landing on the board or going in the hole do not count. Corn bags that land on the ground are worth no points. After each round, both teams add up the corn bag points with the winning team adding the difference to their score. The game is played to 21 points.

Jenny Lowe, a Westlake resident and senior at Dayton University, loves the game.

"I play cornhole every week,” she said. “It's really hard, but I like it a lot."

Lowe said that the game is very popular at Dayton; they have cornhole tournaments and there are even bars that have cornhole sets. Other schools such as Miami and Ohio State are also experiencing this trend.

"I think the appeal of the game is the convenience and its laid back atmosphere,” Lowe said. “Plus it's easy to make your own cornhole set and is not an expensive game to play.”

One of the biggest reasons cornhole is so great to play is because it can be played anywhere, from backyards, to drive ways, parks and even inside. It is becoming a popular game for tailgating, especially at Ohio colleges.

"I like to play because it's challenging, fun and a good way to meet other people and socialize," Lowe said.

Jack Miller, also known as "QB Jack," is the event chairman for the charity "Punt, Pass and Give," that raises money for local charities including the Domestic Violence Center, the Cleveland Food Bank and Joe Duffy's Foundation.

This charity event consisted of touch football, a silent auction and its first ever cornhole tournament. The tournament was held July 20 at the Treehouse in Tremont.

Miller said he wanted to give new people a chance to participate in the charity event, and cornhole was the answer.

"I started last year with 'Punt, Pass and Give,' which is a football charity, and I wanted to do something more than just a one-day event," Miller said.

"I wanted an opportunity to get different people involved and have it during the week, kind of like a happy hour."

The ease of cornhole and the social aspect seem to be the main reasons it's becoming so popular.

"I thought cornhole would be perfect because anybody can play it. You don't need any ability at all and can be a total rookie," said Miller.

Another reason Miller added cornhole to this year's "Punt, Pass and Give" was because it allowed people who didn't play football to partake.

"I also wanted another opportunity to raise money because if people couldn't make it to the event on Sunday or didn't want to play football, maybe they could still come and toss a bean bag," he said.

Cornhole is a game for all ages and all skill levels. It brings people together to have a friendly time with some easy-going entertainment.

"It seemed simple to me to pick cornhole where I could include more people and still raise a little bit of money and at the same time people could have fun," Miller said. "It just seemed like a no-brainer."

The tournament ended up with over 20 teams of two, which Miller said was a pretty good turnout. It was held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Treehouse on the back patio with four games going at once.

It was overall a successful event; it raised almost $1,000 for charity. There was also an auction for the cornhole boards that were custom designed by Jessica Gedrich.

"She created custom boards for me with logos of my own event and made them by hand," Miller said. "Then we auctioned off some of those boards and the money went to charity."

"It worked out really well," Miller said. "The weather was excellent; we had pizza and drink specials and had a good time."

This was the first year they had cornhole at "Punt, Pass and Give." If the charity continues next year, it will make it bigger and find a larger location to accommodate more people.

Miller admitted that he has seen the trend spread and that it is the newest game to play.

"It's really starting to be a new thing; people are having it at parties and it just seemed kind of like a hot thing right now," he said

This is also the first year for Mitchell's Tavern in Westlake to include cornhole at their bar.

The owner, Gus Gall, decided to give cornhole a try because he wanted to increase business and give the people who play volleyball more of a reason to come.

"The younger people now in this area are playing cornhole,” Gall said. “And it has been very successful so far."

Cornhole is available to be played anytime and is often played four or five nights a week.

"The cornhole sets are open to be used by anybody at anytime, and the courts are used all night long," Gall said.

However, on Thursday nights there are free cornhole tournaments and  prizes. For tournaments there are a total of eight sets used for the game and during the week there are two sets that are used.

"It's just out there for people to drink and enjoy themselves. It brings small groups of people in that want to do something," Gall said. "Cornhole is like a substitute for people who don't want to dance."

Gall acknowledged the simplicity of the game and the relaxed tone that it brings.

"It's a fun game, not too much strain on your body, and a good social game. And if you have any luck, you cannot be that good and still win a game," Gall said.