I want to start this week’s blog with a welcome to the Weyburn Cornhole League and the Honey Pot Cornhole League out of Moose Jaw to our SCA family. Weyburn League will start on Feb 5, 2024, with two different venues every Monday and Thursday, playing strictly doubles. Cornhole in Canada has taken off in the past few years, and there is always a debate about which is the best organization to lead the growth of Cornhole in Canada. Every organization feels they are the best and tries to entice players to play in their league. I am not going to debate which organization is better or who has the best players because, for me, it is about growing Cornhole in Saskatchewan and what is the best situation for us to achieve that goal. I do, however, think it is essential to explain why we have stayed with Cornhole Canada and not made the switch to ACL.
When I joined the board of the SCA, I did not intend to work every day at the BackYard for the rest of my life. The Mission Statement, the goals and objectives of the Saskatchewan Cornhole Association did, however, pique my interest. The BackYard is a costly place to run, requiring many volunteer hours to keep the doors open and to ensure the prices to play Cornhole are affordable.
Part of the SCA Mission Statement is to provide a safe, inclusive place to play cornhole and to achieve this goal; we must ensure our players can afford to play. Government funding can help us, but there are many requirements to qualify for Saskatchewan Sport funding, and we are working hard to meet their criteria. The SCA is a not-for-profit organization, which is one of the essential requirements to apply for funding through this program. Sask. Sport funding would go a long way in helping us build cornhole in Saskatchewan and is a crucial element to keeping the doors open to the BackYard.
The SCA is positioning itself with our programs and is doing a fantastic job growing the game for the next generation with our youth initiative. We are also doing a great job at achieving our goal by giving back to our communities and helping organizations raise money for their projects. I know it is a lot of work, and if we can accomplish our goals of the SCA, not only will the cornhole community be better off, but I feel we will have improved our community in general as well. I think all this work is setting us on the right path, and being a part of Cornhole Canada and Canada Cornhole League (CCL) is the best place to be to achieve our purpose. They are aligned with our principles, and they are Canadian. They are the only Cornhole organization that gives us a chance of getting funding which will allow us to grow the game and keep it affordable for everyone in our community as well as not require people to volunteer their time to keep the Backyard open.
This week was enjoyable, and it may have been cold in Regina, but the play in the BackYard was hot. Week two of Tier 5 and week one of Doubles play were on tap for league play, but the actual test was on Sunday as the first Regional of 2024 was on the agenda.
Ladies’ Night saw ten players battle it in singles on Monday night. Kim L beat GMAJO in the final to win the Night. I am unsure if you remember last week’s blog, but I mentioned Kim’s husband’s outstanding play in the Friday Night Switch; Kim did not wait any time, stealing his time in the spotlight. Kim went undefeated on the night.
Tuesday night at the BackYard was like a Friday night as we saw 50 people out to play Tier 4 and 3 Doubles, and Tier 5 battled it out in singles play. If you add the dart players to the mix, we were 70 people enjoying the night in the BackYard.
Tier 5 had Pink Genie building on a Friday night sit-and-go win to win the singles event. Sam (Pink Genie) beat Brian as he went undefeated in the bracket play.
Tier 4 has seen some great battles once again. Thirteen teams were in the mix, but Wishkey Time, after finishing 2-2 in the round-robin, beat Just BS to go undefeated and win the first Double Night of Season Two. This season, Wishkey Time is a new Team consisting of B-RAD and Greg. I look forward to the next seven weeks of doubles play because this season has four new teams, making for some exciting nights.
Tier 3 had the Backdoor Bandits again winning the Tuesday night by beating Patches Throwing with the Ghost. The throwing from the Hawks was a little off on Tuesday, with the highest PPR logged at 8.09. Spilly and Louie only lost one game all night and are, at this point in the season (week one, LOL), the team to beat.
Wednesday, the Seniors were back at it in the BackYard. Fresh off his win in the United States, Dean and Del took down Timmy V and Michelle the Robot to win the Wednesday throwdown.
The Friday night FunHolio saw 62 players come out for the week’s most fun night. The players were shooting well, and the entire event was done by midnight, which was good for adding a couple of Sit N Go’s. In the main event, Jonathon and FredEx, who had just enough aiming fluid in him, beat Presley and Kurt to win the Friday night title.
Sunday was the January Regional, and all three Tiers were battling it out for the CCL points. Tier four was another great event, as Bonnie P made it through to sit in the Queen seat, where she awaited the B-side final between Bonnie Day and Oopsidacey. Bonnie and Oopsidacey, playing each other for the fourth time of the day, battled it out to see who would go and play the Queen. It was tight all game, but Oopsidacey was victorious and moved on to the finals. In the final, Oopsidacey handed Bonnie P her first loss in Game One of the final. In game two, Bonnie meant business by shooting a 7.23 PPR to take the title.
In Tier 5, Devin entered the bracket to sit in the King seat. Wendy edged out Joe 22-19 to head to the finals to see if she could double-dip Devin. The game was closer than the score suggested, but in the end, Devin was too much for Wendy. The Tier 5 event is so much fun to watch because the more the players play, they get a level of confidence that makes the game so much more fun to play. Every player in this tier shot over a 4 PPR, which shows how quickly your play can improve if you throw.
In Tier 3, Newson led the pack with a 9 PPR as we headed into the bracket. All the Hawks were on the struggle bus, but everyone lined themselves out as the bracket play started. Newson and Spilly made it through the bracket to battle it out for the King seat. Spilly, once again after the A final, was sitting on his throne, and Newson was off to the B side, where he played Presley, who was on fire and looking unstoppable. Presley jumped out to a 15-0 lead before Kevin battled back to get within two points, 19-17, only to lose it 24-17. Presley was off to the final to face Spilly. Spilly got his chance to seek revenge against Presley after she thumped Spilly 24-2 in the round-robin, and he did get his revenge, as he beat Presley to win the Regional.
The Doubles Regional was once again a blind draw and did not disappoint. In Tier 5, the singles finalists wound up being partners. Wendy and Devin did not disappoint as they went undefeated in the event. They did have some great matches along the way, including the final against Courtney and Joe.
In Tier 4, the names were randomized, and it looked like the powerhouse duo of Bonnie P and Stich would be the team to beat. They finished the round-robin 3-0 and did not waste any time getting onto the throne, but a team was gaining momentum in the B-side. Bonnie D and Collins were on a roll and were looking to double-dip Bonnie and Stich. Game one was close, but Bonnie and Collins won 25-18. Game two was not as close as Bonnie and Collins completed the comeback to win the championship board.
Tier 3 was our biggest doubles event as seven teams battled for the Freezholio Regional Board. Jonathon and Glen came out firing, throwing the highest two PPRs in the event. That is not a good sign when the top throwers are on the same team. Jonathon shooting a 9.15 and Glen an 8.65 was too much for the rest of the field. They went undefeated in the event and beat Franco and me in the final to win the doubles Blind draw.
What a fantastic week of events that showcases some of the best throwers in the country in what I suggest is the best club in the country. I am incredibly proud of what we are accomplishing at the SCA, and, with the best cornhole community, the sky is the limit for what we can achieve—stayed tuned in upcoming blogs for an announcement on what the SCA is doing for the players that want to go to Nationals in Langley, BC.
POWER RANKING
The TIER 3 power ranking. The Top 5 are the same names, just in different order. Unlike Tier 4, this Power Ranking stays pretty consistent.
1ST – Jonathon– shooting a 9.15 in doubles, Jonathon wins every event he plays in. He stays in the number one position with a win on Friday and Sunday.
2ND – Spilly – Dylan won the Singles Regional event and will stay firmly planted in the Number two spot.
3RD – Presley – Presley took down a lot of great competitors in the Singles event. She only lost two matches, one to Crystal in the A-side of the bracket and one in the final against Spilly. Presley is improving weekly and will be someone to watch as we lead up to Aug in Langley, BC.
4TH – Newson – with a solid third finish in Singles, she stays in fourth spot.
5TH – Krentzy – Parker did not play this week.
Tier 4 power ranking. This was tough because the League play was doubles, but there was a Regional, and some League players could not make it out to the Regional. I am going to go with who is throwing the best.
1ST – Oopsidacey – Mike has been lights out for several weeks. I did not know if he could sustain the level of throwing, but I think I am ready to add the pressure of being number one. His solid performance in Singles Regional has him sitting on the top of the Pigeon Coop.
2ND –Bonnie Day – Bonnie played well this Sunday, and with a win, shooting a plus 7 PPR in the doubles event, she moves into the number two spot.
3RD – Jennifer – Jen sits in my third spot. She struggled a bit on Sunday, but watching her throw Friday, I must keep her in the top three. She is steady, and now that she is throwing more often, it will be fun to see how far she can take her game.
4Th – B-RAD – With a solid Doubles win, B-RAD will sit in the fourth spot. It would have been nice to see him play in the Regional, to see if B-RAD is the real deal in Tier 4. There will be many events to watch him in action, including this week’s league.
5 TH – Ringo – Regan did not play this week’s regional, but I am not ready to move him out of my Power ranking yet. Some new players in Tier 4 are throwing well, and I think it will be a good challenge for Ringo. I believe he will rise to that challenge.
NEW to the BLOG
TIER 5 Power ranking – I thought that now that our Tier 5 is firing on all cylinders, it is time to add a top five for the Tier 5 division. This Tier is challenging because the players are spread out between Ladies Fun Night and the League on Tuesday. The Regional had some new players that do not play on Tuesday, and then we have some players playing in Tier 4 doubles because they want to practice as a team.
1ST – Devin – I’m not sure this is the right Tier for him, but this bowler is learning the game fast. In his first Regional, he took down the championship Board. I hope that as Devin plays more and gets better, we see him move up to Tier 4 and see what kind of waves he can make up there with the Pigeons.
2ND – Wendy – Wendy is a steady thrower whenever she comes out. Wendy played well on Sunday, and she got the number two spot.
3RD – Joe P – One of the nicest guys you will meet is in my third spot. Joe loves to throw and is getting better every week.
4TH – Pink Genie – Sam is another one who wants to get better and is willing to work to make it happen. Sam saw his name on the TV for the first time in a Sit N Go and then saw it again on Tuesday in League play.
5TH – Dana – Dana does not throw a lot but like her doubles partner Wendy, when she does come out she is always a threat to win Tier 5. I have seen Dana throw some really good games and I have no doubt the more she throws the better she will get and move up the rankings.
