Greetings cornhole family,
This week I am both excited and honored to write the first-ever guest blog as Kevin is away, and to share my thoughts with you.
In the spirit of continuity, I’d like to extend my gratitude to Kevin for inviting me to contribute to this space. It’s not easy to entrust your platform to someone else, and I am truly grateful for the chance to connect with you all.
Hello I am Mike Dacey and I was first introduced to the game we all love around 2010. I went with Fred to a friend’s place to watch a football game and after the game was over we went into the backyard to play this game he had. The game of course was cornhole and we played it late into the evening and I remember we were literally throwing bags in the dark because it was so much fun and we didn’t want to stop playing.
I didn’t realize that would also be the last time I would play this game until about 2019 when I decided to build a set of cornhole boards to take to Country Thunder Craven. We played it all week long and had a great time using bags filled with corn which were nothing like the bags we are using today. We would play this game on and off each summer over the next few years until as luck would have it and we met Amber, Tammy & Garnie while camping at Rowan’s Ravine during the year Craven was canceled due to covid. They saw Fred, Jason I playing cornhole and pulled over to talk with us and play a few games.
After a while it was too dark to play and they hung out for quite awhile at our campsite. They told us all about the newly formed “Regina Cornhole League” as that’s what it was called at the time and told us we need to come check it out. This was in July and it took the three of us until the end of October before we came out to our first switcholio. What an awesome experience this was and the fun we all had kept us coming back each week. After a few weeks I went by myself and my wife was like, “why are you going by yourself?” I said “I don’t need Fred & Jason to be there as everyone I have met has been so friendly.” I feel this community as much as the game itself is a reason I consider that cornhole in Regina is growing and helping to make this new club successful. The people that attend regularly are so supportive of each other and will cheer you on regardless of who’s playing. Everyone just wants to see you play your best, have fun and improve.
So enough about me and let’s recap this week’s events.
Monday night is “Ladies’s Night” at “The Backyard” and guys, this is not the night to come out and meet other single people as this night is all about the women who enjoy our game so much and to enjoy the camaraderie and laughter of each other. This week they played a switcholio format and there were 8 ladies who were able to make it out on this night. Lynette, Kim & Marla each finished the round robin with a 5 & 1 record.
In the bracket GMA JO & Glenda earned their way to the Queen seat by defeating Kim & Dana. Kim & Dana made their way back to the final and got on a roll and double dipped. GMA JO & Glenda to win this week’s event. Kim held the night’s highest PPR throwing a 6.21 PPR.
Tuesday night was Tier 3 & 4 singles night and Tier 5 Doubles. Tier 5 was a doubles blind draw and there were 14 players/7 teams who were playing. The night belonged to Joey & Preston who went 4 & 0 in the round robin and also were undefeated in the bracket as they defeated GMA JO and Jaden to win this week’s event.
Tier 5 top three PPR’s of the night:
- Kim L 6.31
- Brian L. 5.27
- Glenda W. 5.2
Tier 4 singles had eight players out on this night and oopsidacey went 4 and 0 in the round robin. As I play in this division my recap of the night’s events will be a bit more detailed. The road to the King/Queen seat set up a match between Bonnie D. & oopsidacey to see who will get the honour of residing in the big chair. Bonnie jumped out to a quick 9 to 0 lead eventually taking me down 24 to 7 and sending me to the B side.
I had to eventually play Shawn who lost a very close match that put him in the B side bracket. Shawn was catching fire at this point and was quickly advancing game by game to our match-up. Seeing Shawn’s play on this night and the PPR he was maintaining did cause me to be a bit nervous as he appeared to be almost unstoppable. Fortunately I too was playing very well and was able to cool Shawn off enough to beat him and advance to the final and play Bonnie D again. I had to double dip Bonnie and took game 1 which set up game 2 and also the fourth match of the night (Bonnie we have to stop meeting like this) between us. Bonnie was down 15 to 7 in game 2. I had one in the hole and a bag I think on each side of the hole. Bonnie had 3 bags sitting almost wedged into the hole and I needed to throw a blocker in front to keep her from draining all her bags. I threw a muffin on the floor in front and she made a great shot to send her final bag straight up the middle to collect all 4. It was a 12 on 5 and now the score was 15 to 14 still in my favour. The game went back and forth another 5 rounds with Bonnie winning this week’s events. Great playing tonight Bonnie, you truly deserved it.
Tier 4 top three PPR’s of the night:
- oopsidacey 7.12
- Bonnie D. 6.94
- Shawn C. 6.39
Tier 3 was also singles with nine registered players. Four players went 3 & 1 in the round robin with Caesar getting the edge for top seed based on points for on this night. In the Bracket play SureFire 1 (Franco) made it look almost too easy as he quickly worked his way through the field to sit in the “King Seat”. Caesar, who lost his first match up to Crystal, had to work his way through the B side to take on Franco in the finals. Looking at the match ups it looked like Caesar also had an easy time advancing but I think he would tell you there was nothing easy about it. I took a quick look at the head to heads with each player and judging by the number of rounds played in most games it appears there were quite a few good battles.
This set up the final with Franco needing to be double dipped to win the night. In the final game I was able to watch the final few rounds. The game was 17 to 9 at one point for Franco with Caesar pressing and tying the game 17 to 17. The game ended with Franco who was ahead 19 to 17 sitting at 8 on 5 on the board and Caesar having to throw his last bag up the middle with bags at the back of the board forming a wall. Caesar’s final bag was on target but skipped over the hole stopping at the back. Franco took an 8 on 6 and won the match 21 to 17 to win this week’s event.
Tier 3 top three PPR’s of the night:
- Caesar8.09
- Kevin N. 8.01
- SureFire 1 7.96
Wednesday afternoons are dedicated to the seniors aged 60 and above at “Funholio.” It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to enjoy a fun-filled afternoon together and socialize in a welcoming environment. I can tell you that the vibe on Wednesday is a little bit different than what you see on a Tuesday or Friday. I know this as I have been at the club over my lunch hour practicing while they are preparing to begin the afternoon. The first thing I noticed is the music played at the club is more of the classic rock and oldies from the 60 & 70’s playing. There were 10 players out on Wednesday afternoon and it was Chuck N at the top as he went undefeated in the round robin at 4 & 0. The bracket had Dean & Delgado as partners and they went undefeated in the bracket to win the afternoon by taking down Chuck & Dianne in the final.
Friday Night was our weekly “Funholio” which had 59 players registered and 54 sticking around to play in the bracket. We had three players undefeated after the round robin, The Kid, Burgy & Glenny. After the bracket was generated only one team could win the night and we saw Devin M and Ringo winning their way to the “King Seat”. While they waited to see who they would play in the final Jonathan & JEFFAFA were making their way through the bracket coming up from a short ride on the B side. In the end Jonathon & Jeff doubled dipped Ringo & Devin to win the night’s main event. The evening was a lot of fun as always and a good time was had by all who attended.
POWER RANKINGS
When Kevin asked me if I’d like to write this week’s blog one of the first things I enquired about was the power rankings. He said that I didn’t have to do them and could write anything I wanted while recapping the week. A couple of people heard that I was writing this week and one of the first things they each said to me was; “You are going to do the power rankings right?”
So to evaluate this weeks power rankings I am going use the following criteria as a guide:
- Tournament/League Results
- Head to head match-ups between players
- Statistical Analysis such as PPR
- Consistency over time
- Upsets & Surprises
- Who’s hot right now?
TIER 5 (They need a name)
I won’t be ranking this division because I don’t have enough information about each player. They’re all relatively new to cornhole, and I don’t want to unintentionally pressure anyone. Many players in this division are still learning, while others are ready to progress. I will say that keep an eye on a few players who might soon move into Tier 4.
TIER 4 – PIGEONS
Our top two pigeons Bonnie P. and Jason recently flew the COUP to take their game to TIER 3 and compete with the Hawks. While this move wasn’t easy for them it will give them a chance to try and take their game up a notch while still being able to compete in monthly Tier 4 regionals as that’s where their PPR placed them at the beginning of the CCL season.
With their recent move to tier 3 you are already starting to see the emergence of some other players with their game and it will be fun in the coming months to see where it all shakes out. My rankings are based a lot on who has played most recently and how active they have been in events.
- Bonnie D. – Bonnie gets the top spot this week as she is probably the hottest player in our division right now. A fierce competitor who is shooting a high PPR very consistently.
- oopsidacey (Mike) – Would it be biased of me to place myself in this spot? I would say recent finishes in league nights and regionals show my game is on the right track.
- Brad S. – Is likely the top player in this division who throws among the highest PPR’s consistently whenever he plays. I placed him third as I am also ranking somewhat based on who is hot right now.
- Ritzy – With the 4th best PPR this past Tuesday and a 4th place finish puts Ritzy in the 4th ranking position.
- Shawn C. – Shawn enters the top 5 and if you have watched him lately he is starting to find his game and most recently finished top 3 in a league night. His PPR in recent weeks indicates that his game is moving in the right direction.
Honourable mentions: It’s important to recognize that Jennifer, Stewie, The Kid, and Ringo have the potential to be included in these rankings at any time. This division is becoming increasingly competitive, as each of these players can excel on any given day and are among the top contenders.
TIER 3 – HAWKS
I found this division very difficult to rank as I do not play in it. Each player in this division is a force to be reckoned with and on any given day can beat anyone. I ended up using top 3 podium finishes combined with the past 30 day play to determine who is hot right now.
- Jonathan – Though he does not come out to play in league nights or all the regionals I think it is safe to say that Jonathon who is averaging a 9.15 PPR combined with a 1.07 DPR deserves to sit in this position.
- Kevin N. – 8 podium finishes and a past 30 day PPR of 8.18 places Kevin in the second spot.
- Spilly (Dylan) – Also with 8 podium finishes and a past 30 day PPR of 7.97 places Dylan firmly in 3rd.
- Caesar – He has 4 top 3 finishes in the past month as well as a second place finish last Tuesday and is shooting a stellar 30 day average of 7.98.
- Franco – Finishing strong in this past Tuesday’s league night places Franco in the 5th spot with a couple of podium finishes and a past 30 day PPR of 7.75.
Honourable mentions: Crystal, Damara, Presley, Glenn and Bitsy are each throwing above a 7.60 past 30 day PPR and are definitely bringing it each event they are in.
