The coo is from the pigeon coop, Kevin Bittman, an OG PIGEON. This blog is how I see things; my comments are my opinion. It is meant to be a way to keep people engaged in what is going on at the Backyard and the SCA. I hope to continue growing the game in Regina and Saskatchewan.
The BackYard at the SCA is located at 2363 2nd Avenue in Regina. The venue has eight regulation cornhole lanes and a bar and kitchen. Each week, the BackYard hosts events for all skill levels, and I will attempt to highlight some of these events and give my perspective on the club and the players in Saskatchewan.
Explaining the reference to pigeons and the Pigeon coop is important. You will notice a group of players with blue pigeon jerseys when you come to the club. This group came together because we were not quite at the top tier of players (which we refer to as the Hawk division). We are okay with it and refer to ourselves as the pigeon tier in the club. Granted, we are getting better and would like nothing more than to flee the coop, but reality has proven that most of us are not quite there yet. Even the ones that have made it to the Hawks division, it comes down to once a pigeon, always a pigeon, lol. In the words of a fellow Pigeon, Mike Day, “We are about as likely to fly as we are to run.”
What a jam-packed week of Saskatchewan Cornhole Events. Like all great weeks, it started with Ladies’ Night and ended with our first Regional of the New Cornhole Season.
Monday – Ladies Night – Once again, our SCA Ladies are setting the pace of building our players in Saskatchewan. Sixteen players came out for a Switcholio format. For those who do not know, a Switcholio is a tourney format. Players will play with different partners for a set amount of games. The ladies played three rounders (games in the round robin) and then were paired into partners, according to their record, and played a double elimination bracket to determine a winner.
After the round-robin games, Jennifer Neudorf and Debbie West became partners and went undefeated to take down the Monday title. GMA JO and Diamond Dianne battled hard but, in the end, could not dethrone the Queen seat and had to settle for second came in second.
Tuesday – Doubles – Tier 3 – Hawk Division, seen the return of Spilly. Spilly’s partner could not make it, so he used his one allowed Ghosting night to Play in Open doubles. Spilly held the King seat until he ran into the 2023 Provincial doubles champs. Game one went to the Champs, but Spilly regrouped to take the second game for the Local Tournament win.
Tier 4/5 – Pigeon Division – Tier 4/5 Doubles had “Aint my Fault” Jason Stich and Mike Dacey take down the weekly winner circle. Bonnie and Sarah Polsom captured second with great play all night but could not keep it going against the King/Queen seat.
Thursday – Mixed Regional –11 teams battle it in the September Regional weekend opening event. Damara and Krentzy found themselves in the King/Queen seat. In game one, Newson and Crystal ended Pamara’s bid to go undefeated. In game 2, Pamara edged Newbit to take down the Victory.
Friday – Switcholio – it was a night with great energy. There were a lot of Newbies out, and it was an excellent bracket split. In the end, Newson and Joel S double dipped Caesar and Kim to will the Let Er Rip switcholio.
Saturday – Regional – Tier 4/5 had 15 players compete for the single social title. The original intent was to split the tier between 4 and 5, but looking at the numbers of the players registered and their PPR, the decision was made to keep everyone in one group. Ringo found his game as he went undefeated to dethrone Stich as the Social champion. In Doubles, we saw a mother and daughter duo in Amber and Jennifer crush Ritzy and Ringo in the final 21-0 to walk away with the victory and the trophy.
In the Hawk division, Krentzy marked his return from injury by completing the Region sweep. He started with beating Caesar 22-16 to win the tier 3 open singles. Caesar was up to the task, shooting a PPR of 8.67 over 15 rounds, which, on most occasions, would be enough. The problem was that Krentzy’s 9.07 was a bit better.
The doubles tier 3 event had the return of the Ladies Doubles National Champions. Crystal and Damara beat Krentzy and Rick, sitting in the King/Queen seat in game one, but did not have enough gas to win game 2, allowing Rick and Krentzy to win the Doubles title.
Power Ranking –
TIER 3
1ST – Spilly (Dylan Grane): Dylan took the week off, and with the wins from Krentzy, this was a tough decision. I did not move Dylan out of the top spot because I felt he should have to lose the spot.
2ND – Krentzy – Winning all 3 Regional titles has moved Parker into the second spot. He averaged a PPR of 8.82, 2.12 DPR in the entire mixed event, and a 9 PPR in the singles.
3RD – Caesar had a great week with average PPR in every event he played. Second, in singles, shooting an 8.67 PPR has piqued my interest in this SCL OG and moved him into the top 5
4TH – Newson – Kevin is a premier thrower and is always around the podium. His double dip Friday night and his awesome average PPR over the weekend have him holding in on the top 5 but dropped a bit with the better play of the other Hawks.
5TH – Rick West – Anyone who has been paying attention or playing in Tier 3 events has seen the elevation of Rick’s game. Rick came out of the weekend with a Doubles title and fourth in singles. Good job, Rick.
Notable Players: Patches – 7.73 PPR in mixed, Dean always steady, and of course, Crystal and Damara continue to play well every week. With playing more, Bobber is on the edge of finding his game.
Tier 4/5 power ranking
1ST – Stich – Jason constituency is proving too much for the other Pigeons in Tier 4/5. Jason and Mike had a big win Tuesday Night in Doubles league, and Jason finished second behind Ringo in singles.
2ND – Ringo – We all knew Ringo was on the edge of this type of play. Ringo catapults him into the second spot with a first and a second this weekend.
3RD – Bonnie Polsom – Bonnie continued her outstanding play with the highest PPR on Tuesday Night. She would be in the top spot if she could get over the hurdle and beat her Mixed double partner. She is an adamant opponent with an average nightly PPR of 6.79, 6.7.
4TH – Ritzy – Notice I spelled it with a Z, not an S, lol – His game is getting more consistent, and I still believe he is in the top 5 even though he did not get any titles this weekend.
5TH – Bonnie Day – Bonnie had another great Monday Night Fun Ladies Night. She went 3-0 in the rounders, only giving up 3 points in the three games. She did not play much this weekend, so she dropped in the rankings.
Players to watch Sarah Polsom – on Tuesday Night with her mom as a partner, Sarah rattled off some games with a PPR over 6.5 and one with a PPR of 10.67. Look for Sarah to continue to improve and move up the rankings.
Jennifer is always throwing well and had a big win in Doubles.
Amber, when she is on, is an excellent thrower.
Lucas Bradley’s game is on a steady incline; it has not come with many titles, but watch out, it will. Courtney Polsom continues to improve, and I think she is on the edge of some wins.
Stay tuned every Sunday for a rundown of the week’s activities.
