A T-shirt reads “Play Cornhole — It’s Not What You Think,” referring to the time-honored game reminiscent of horseshoes or childhood beanbag tossing. Despite a moniker that induces giggles, disbelief or discomfort, the game has legions of fans, even if the chosen name doesn’t. The equipment for the game is minimal: Instead of horseshoes and metal stakes, cornhole uses two four-by-two-foot wooden platforms, each with a single six-inch-in-diameter hole, and 16-ounce canvas bags filled with corn feed. Participants (whether individuals or teams) rotate pitching their bags at a platform, earning one point for bags that land on the board and three for bags that pass through the hole, till one person or team scores 21 points.
Highlands resident Holly Freeland was introduced to the game at a friend’s house party two years ago. “With one set of boards and so many people interested, everyone had to wait two hours to play,” she says. “Then everyone got their own boards.” She now plays at least twice a week, typically on one of the two sets she owns — one outdoor and one indoor.
Rumored to have originated in the Cincinnati-area in the 19th century, the game has recently spread locally to tailgating, barbecues and even a regular cornhole night at the Lyndon bar Joe’s Older Than Dirt. Joe’s has hosted the informal weekly tournament for a year and a half. According to owner Gary Gish, the tourney attracts 30 to 50 participants. While Joe’s uses plastic platforms for its cornhole tournament, they wouldn’t hold up to regulation play as set forth by the American Cornhole Association, which requires boards to be wooden. Such details don’t seem to deter players, most of whom play with a bag of corn in one hand and a beer in the other.
One Wednesday last month Freeland and her partner for the evening, Jennifer St. Peter, made it to the final round. As the intensity of the match increased, Freeland at one point gave a pep talk — not to St. Peter but to the corn-feed bag. “You’re going in and you’re going to knock your buddy in, too,” she said. Then she tossed the bag approximately 30 feet, hitting a “hanging” bag from a previous toss, taking them both through the hole. During a break between rounds the friends compared notes on what the most important skill is to be a cornhole champion. St. Peter suggested the ability to knock opponents’ bags from the board; Freeland claimed the power and speed of the toss is the key. Their fri/files/storyimages/Daniel Click offered, “It’s really about drinking skill,” as the others laughed and agreed.
Whether you play to win or to socialize, mark your calendars for two upcoming tournaments. Boys’ Haven is sponsoring its first Corn Toss Tournament on Saturday, June 10. On Sept. 9, the Kentuckiana Kids’ Foundation will host its second annual Cornhole Cup, this year benefiting the Systematic Treatment of Autism and Related Disorders (STAR) program.
Should you be interested, more information on cornhole is available at www.playcornhole.com. Details on the upcoming tournaments can be found at www.boyshaven.org and www.cornholecup.com (registration available after July 1).
— Beth Newberry
