Christmas has come and gone. The break was excellent as we head into the last week of 2023. The week leading up to Christmas was pretty quiet, but this week things will heat up with a whole week of events ending with a New Year’s Bash that will set the tone for 2024. The cornhole scene in Saskatchewan is buzzing, and 2024 will be exciting to watch.
It is essential to recognize the Board members and their spouses or partners who put up with the day-to-day operation of the SCA. The Board comprises Caesar, Newson, Stich, Damara, Parker, Ritzy, Bobber, and myself. Everyone is essential in their roles and brings a unique skill set to the Board discussions. It is not always easy, but we aim to provide and ensure everyone has the best experience every time they come to the Backyard.
Operating the Backyard is not easy, especially when we are all volunteering, but many things fall apart without Dawn Newson. Dawn works endless hours to ensure the kitchen is ready to go, whether it be a catered night or the kitchen being open. We have been averaging 4 or 5 events a week for a few months, and Dawn has been instrumental in ensuring the Backyard at the SCA is ready to go.
I want to bring up some players in this blog who may not be regulars in the power rankings but are important to building our game and club. Many participate in the bigger picture to ensure we grow and develop our great sport in Saskatchewan. Damara and Crystal’s work in setting up our Youth initiative is excellent, and I want to thank them for their commitment to the program. They also are a great ambassador for our game, our Ladies’ Night, and represent the SCL Ladies well on the National stage. Many people have helped Damara and Crystal with our youth initiative by volunteering their time to help us at schools and ensure we showcase the SCA with our Youth Program. Bobber, Bonnie Day, Glen, Patches (Andrew), Parker, and Newson have all freed-up time from work to help out. Thank you.
The SCL players are the face of our league, and they never disappoint in representing Cornhole Saskatchewan to the best of their abilities. Everyone is the best promoter of our club and often can be found promoting the SCA wherever they can. The players are crucial to our success. But we can also have the ability to brag about players like Presley Boehme, who fires an average of 7.25 PPR at 14 years old, and Lucas Bradley, who, at the age of 12, fires a 6.25 PPR,
We also can brag about our seniors and the excitement they bring from an age over 60. They can be found not only every Wednesday afternoon during the Senior Throwdown but also hitting the podium in regular SCL events. The players, no matter the demographic, make the SCA an exciting venture to be a part of, but it is the cornhole that makes it all worthwhile, and this week was no different.
Monday night, the Ladies had their Christmas Party and windup for Season One. What a great night of eating and drinking. They also handed out their Spotlight Awards as voted on by the ladies who played on Monday night. The winners were as follows:
Spotlight Awards:
– Coaching Dynamo: Amber K! Your mentorship throughout the season was the game-changer!
– Glow Girl: Glenda W! Radiant in every way, uplifting the entire group with that infectious smile!
– Sportsmanship Star: GMA JO! The embodiment of grace, respect, and having the true spirit for the game!
– Most Improved: Karen F! Your consistency from week to week has really shown; you’ve stunned us all with your progress!
Tuesday night was the last Doubles League Night of 2023, and it showed as we only had 5 teams in each event. Everyone must have been trying to get ready for Christmas.
In Tier 4, we saw Bonnie and Sarah, (Just BS), continue their hot streak as they went undefeated on the night to win the last week of the season. They beat Ringo and Ritzy (R&R Incorporated). When I looked at the numbers on the night, we may see a surge from a couple of players battling it out for the fifth spot in the power rankings. Bonnie still had the best PPR, but Oopsidacey and Sarah were two and three for best PPR’s of the night.
Tier 3 – I looked at the winners, Spilly and Louie (Backdoor Bandits) and the PPR standings in the Hawk division. Something did not add up. Newson and Caesar (Dreamcrushers) were the dominant throwers when looking at the PPRs, but they did not win. I looked at the three games they played against each other, and it was very evident that Spilly and Louie took advantage of Newson and Caesar when they had their worst games of the night. That is how it works sometimes, but season two will be very interesting with the PPR our Hawks are throwing.
Wednesday afternoon had 14 Seniors come out and throw. For the most part, Dean has been in most finals this season, but I have noticed GMA JO has been a regular in the finals lately. This week, Brendalina and GMA JO were paired together for the second week in a row, and they battled hard to try and take down Dean and Darlene but came up short.
Friday night’s FUNholio was our annual ugly sweater night. We had over 50 players come out and get one last event in before Christmas. GMA JO and Gary teamed up to roll through the field before they beat Bonnie D and Deadly to take the title.
POWER RANKING
The TIER 3 power ranking.
1st – Krentzy – Parker stays at number one.
2nd – Spilly – Even though he had a win with Louie on Tuesday, I will wait until singles to see where he ends the year.
3rd – Newson – Kevin stays at number 3 because I want to see how next week’s regional weekend goes.
4TH – Jonathan – Jonathan did not throw this week, but Spilly showed enough Tuesday to move past him in the rankings.
5TH – Louie – Back in the number five spot, and we will see how he does when more pressure is on.
The Tier 4 power ranking – next week will be an important week with Regional’s, but I still moved some people around this week with the doubles play.
1st – Bonnie – firmly planted in one spot; let us see if she can stay there.
2nd – Stich – stays in two
3RD – Ritzy – stays in three
4Th – Ringo – stays in four
5 Th – Sarah – climbs back into the power ranking with a win in doubles and some great throwing.
