Sudbury’s first cornhole league is about to be launched this week, and with the right trajectory, its founders are aiming for success.
It may have a funny name, but Cornhole is becoming a popular activity here in Greater Sudbury, said Geoff Waterman, who is helping to organize the league here on behalf of the Canadian Cornhole League.
The Sudbury Cornhole League kicks off Wednesday night at the Italian Club in Copper Cliff, and if he had his way, everyone in the city would be playing it.
“I just think that everyone should play cornhole,” he said. “It’s super fun and inexpensive. It’s also a very nice social game.”
Cornhole is a game where players throw four beanbags 27 feet into a hole in a slanted board.
It’s a sport that is now played seriously all over the world, and airs on sports networks.
Each bean bag weighs 16 ounces, and you throw them 27 feet into a hole in a slanted board at the other end. The name comes from the fact the bean bags used to be filled with corn feed, Waterman said.
A tournament was held recently, and while the turnout wasn’t near what Waterman was hoping for, it’s a beginning, he said.
“Part of me thought that maybe more people would come because it has been so long since anyone could get out and do something,” Waterman said. “I think it's still maybe a lot of people are hesitant right now. That's just that's the situation.”
Waterman said he’s like to have upwards of 20 people coming out each week to play corn hole. If he gets those numbers, he said he will start organizing more tournaments.
Players from the Sudbury Corn Hole League can also travel to play in tournaments, he said.
Registration is $100 for 10 weeks, or players can pay $15 each week.
While the league is intended for fun, it can become serious, Waterman said. In fact, the local league is affiliated with the Canadian Cornhole League, and players can earn points towards their national rankings. There’s a national event every year, where the top cornhole players compete.
Waterman is currently ranked No. 191 with 80 points. There are more than 1,000 entries on the national ranking list.
Anyone anxious about not being good enough need not worry, said Waterman. New players will be matched up with seasoned players to even out the games.
“A lot of people already play cornhole, but once they see we have an organized league now, maybe that will help us get more members,” he said. “We are very beginner friendly. If there's 20 people that come out, they play four round-robin games, and you get a random partner. All those four times they'll have a different partner every time.”
If you're interested in entering a team into the Sudbury Cornhole League, visit canadiancornholeleagues.com/sudbury.
