This week, the Backyard had some disappointing news from the SLGA. I am not sure you are aware, but we have been working with the city to come up to code. Long story short, we have a path, but the SLGA has denied our request for a temporary extension of our permanent liquor permit until the work gets done. The city, however, has granted us an extension to get the work completed.
This is why we cancelled the Friday night Funholio last week: We did not want to burn one of our Special Occasion permits, knowing we had the Backyard Cup on Saturday.
Tuesday, however, we saw some next-level throwing in both the Hawk and Pigeon divisions. I am not sure what the limit is for throwing but it sure makes things difficult. It seems like whenever you think you have made a step in improving your game, it is met with everyone else also improving. At this point, on any given night in the Hawk division, the statement “tens don’t score” is heard regularly.
I want to start in the Hawk (Tier 3), where we had eleven players participate in a Tuesday night Regional that the play did not disappoint. The lowest PPR was 7.34, and five players were over 8.25, including the winner, Jonathan, firing a 9.3 PPR for the entire night. Caesar had the highest PPR in the round-robin at 8.81, but Jonathan and his 10.14 was too much for anyone to overcome once we hit the bracket. Having this many players shooting this well is pushing everyone to new levels, and with two and a half months to go before Nationals, it is exciting to see if this will bring home a Championship.
The Pigeon division was just as impressive as we saw 14 players come out to compete, and at the end of the night, over half were firing over the upper limit of Tier 4 of 6.5 PPR. The winner, Bonnie P, beat Bonnie D in the final for the win, but the true tale was that Bonnie D lost with a crazy 7.63 PPR. So what did Bonnie P shoot? The answer is 8.73 PPR. That PPR would have been second in the Hawk division. I understand Tier 4 and 3 are different games, but it is still impressive to see that number in any tier. I said it in last week’s blog, but tier 4 is going to be a lot of fun next year. It will also open up Tier 4 to some new faces that will be able to strive with the rest.
Fast forward to Saturday, when the Backyard hosted the second Backyard Cup. 45 players signed up to compete against each other on one of the three teams. With a new squad, defending champion, Newson, and the Throwaholics were looking to take down the Cornadoes, captained
by Bobber and Throwbocops and captained by Caesar. This was my first Backyard Cup, and it was awesome. You cannot miss the next one if you have never played one because it is so much fun. The dynamic of this format is unique because you play with a bunch of people you would never get the opportunity to play with in normal events, and the camaraderie among team members is unbelievable. I feel an event like this one brings us even closer together as a cornhole family and brings a level of fun back into the game.
The Cup started with singles, with some epic battles right out of the gate. Playing as part of a team is interesting because people are watching and cheering on their teammates, and you do not get that during a regular league night. We then moved on to mixed-tier doubles. This is good because the Hawks, Pigeons and Penguins play together in a doubles format. Then we moved to the most interesting format, the walking doubles. This is where you and your partner play on the same end but only throw two bags each and then walk to the other end and do it again. The competition ended with the same-tier doubles to determine the winner. It was tight all day, but the Throwaholics ran away with it in the last event to defend their championship title. I cannot wait for the next one because the SCA will work to adjust some of the lessons we learned during this one and ensure it gets bigger and better every time we run one. So stay tuned for the next one, probably in the fall.
POWER RANKING
TIER 3 Power Ranking – The top five has been fairly fluid over the last year, and Cornhole Saskatchewan probably has a group of seven or eight that could be the winner any given night, but this is this week’s picks for the top five.
- Jonathan – After an impressive Regional on Tuesday, Jonathan proved he belongs in the number one spot.
- Spilly – Did not play this week, but his yearly PPR suggests he will be a force when push comes to shove.
- Newson – Kevin’s game is coming around and it comes down to if he is firing he is tough to beat.
- Caesar—I’m not sure if Darren has found the right back cocktail, but he has been really firing in the last few months. With an impressive second on Tuesday, Darren jumps into the fourth spot.
- Patches—Andrew is getting better every week, and if you look at his PPR in certain games, if he starts to make these games the norm, others will be in trouble.
TIER 4 Power Ranking. –
- Bonnie Day – with an impressive second place on Tuesday, Bonnie stays at the number one spot. Bonnie shot a 7.63 PPR.
- Kim—Kim only lost three games on Tuesday, all to some fellow ladies named Bonnie. Kim has skyrocketed from Tier 5 and is now climbing the Tier 4 rankings.
- Oopsidacey—Mike moves up the rankings once again. It was close between him and Collins, but Mike’s more podium finishes gave him the edge.
- Shawn – Sometimes Shawn struggles with consistency, but when he is on, he is in the mix in every game. It would be awesome to see if Shawn could get more consistent play where his game would go.
- Jax – Jax had an OK night on Tuesday but still managed a 6.31 PPR.
