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One weekend back in 2020, Mark Evans decided to invite friends over to play cornhole in his yard.
“Seemed like the next week we had, like, six people. And the week after that we had 12,” Evans recalled.
“I had like 16 guys in my yard playing cornhole, and they’re like, we need to start a league."
Fast forward to today, and Top City Cornhole is averaging about 100 players over its eight weeks of play at Happy Basset Barrel House.
The sounds of bags smacking wood has become the norm on Tuesdays and is growing as the sport, like the bags, take off.
Seeing people play cornhole is a common sight during football season and outdoor gatherings in the summer as the game doesn’t require much besides two boards and four bags per team.
For Kathy Graham, it’s the competitiveness and accessibility for anyone to play that got her and her husband, Jerry, to start throwing.
“Females can be just as competitive as males, it all depends on how often you play and how much you practice” Kathy Graham said.
The couple has taken to the sport with Jerry Graham crafting his own custom boards.
Even though they might look like a simple board with a hole in it, there’s a good amount of thought and design.
“Multiple supports, rounded corners, rounded edges and all that,” Jerry said. “A lot of the homemade boards are made out of two-by-fours with the straight edge.”
Jerry uses digital prints on vinyl for the top layer rather than painting a piece of wood. Having less resistance for bags to slide is key.
Carbondale resident Aaron Cole says the type of bag you use matters as well.
"My go-to's are either like some frictions or like some typhoons,” Cole said. “They’re both like a slower bag."
"I kind of throw a little bit lower and harder. So if I were to throw a faster bag, it'll fly off the back so I use a little bit slower ones, so they don’t go off the back."
Competitive bags are constructed using fabric, often duck cloth and microfiber, with a fast side and a slow side and use a speed scale of 1-10 for a rating of slowest to fastest. They are usually filled with resin pellets.
Some noncompetitive bags are still filled with corn kernels. Some players prefer those because as the kernels break down, they will leave dust on boards helping with the slide.
Top City Cornhole hosts a eight-week league play two to three times a year in Topeka. It also has gained a following through outreach hosting fundraisers in smaller towns and school gyms.
On April 18-20, Top City Cornhole will host the Flyover Open Cornhole Tournament at the Stormont Vail Events Center with $20,000 in cash prizes.
"It'll attract people from all over the U.S. that'll fly in to play in this thing," Evans said. "We'll have probably 70 boards set up."
He recommends following along to its Facebook page and using the Scoreholio app, which tracks scores and connects other leagues with information on upcoming tournaments and information.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka cornhole league gives players opportunity to learn the game
Continue reading...
“Seemed like the next week we had, like, six people. And the week after that we had 12,” Evans recalled.
“I had like 16 guys in my yard playing cornhole, and they’re like, we need to start a league."
Fast forward to today, and Top City Cornhole is averaging about 100 players over its eight weeks of play at Happy Basset Barrel House.
The sounds of bags smacking wood has become the norm on Tuesdays and is growing as the sport, like the bags, take off.
From tailgates to competitive play
Seeing people play cornhole is a common sight during football season and outdoor gatherings in the summer as the game doesn’t require much besides two boards and four bags per team.
For Kathy Graham, it’s the competitiveness and accessibility for anyone to play that got her and her husband, Jerry, to start throwing.
You must be registered for see images
“Females can be just as competitive as males, it all depends on how often you play and how much you practice” Kathy Graham said.
The couple has taken to the sport with Jerry Graham crafting his own custom boards.
Even though they might look like a simple board with a hole in it, there’s a good amount of thought and design.
“Multiple supports, rounded corners, rounded edges and all that,” Jerry said. “A lot of the homemade boards are made out of two-by-fours with the straight edge.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Jerry uses digital prints on vinyl for the top layer rather than painting a piece of wood. Having less resistance for bags to slide is key.
Carbondale resident Aaron Cole says the type of bag you use matters as well.
"My go-to's are either like some frictions or like some typhoons,” Cole said. “They’re both like a slower bag."
"I kind of throw a little bit lower and harder. So if I were to throw a faster bag, it'll fly off the back so I use a little bit slower ones, so they don’t go off the back."
You must be registered for see images attach
Competitive bags are constructed using fabric, often duck cloth and microfiber, with a fast side and a slow side and use a speed scale of 1-10 for a rating of slowest to fastest. They are usually filled with resin pellets.
Some noncompetitive bags are still filled with corn kernels. Some players prefer those because as the kernels break down, they will leave dust on boards helping with the slide.
Community of baggers
Top City Cornhole hosts a eight-week league play two to three times a year in Topeka. It also has gained a following through outreach hosting fundraisers in smaller towns and school gyms.
On April 18-20, Top City Cornhole will host the Flyover Open Cornhole Tournament at the Stormont Vail Events Center with $20,000 in cash prizes.
You must be registered for see images attach
"It'll attract people from all over the U.S. that'll fly in to play in this thing," Evans said. "We'll have probably 70 boards set up."
He recommends following along to its Facebook page and using the Scoreholio app, which tracks scores and connects other leagues with information on upcoming tournaments and information.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka cornhole league gives players opportunity to learn the game
Continue reading...
