Wow, what a year. 2023 was a monumental year for cornhole in Regina. Opening the Backyard at the SCA has changed the game for cornhole in Saskatchewan. The club officially opened in September, and the Backyard has been buzzing ever since. The Backyard’s vision started early in 2023 when a building was found. It was perfect, but did the numbers work? Everyone knew there would be a lot of work to make this full-time venue fly, but the decision was to give it a go. Once we took possession, we had walls to demo, walls to build, electrical work, a kitchen to build, and flooring to install, and that did not include getting the playing area ready to go. We installed carpet, painted the floors green, installed the boards, erected a pergola, and many finishing touches. Once the renovations were done, the real work began.
The club is busy five or six nights a week and all run on a volunteer basis. I want to thank everyone who has given up their free time to ensure the players have a venue to play in.
We ended 2023 with a great New Year’s Party, but not before we had a great Regional event to finish the year.
Thursday night was a chance to return after all the Christmas turkey and throw some bags with the Mixed Doubles event. Mixed is an event that does not come with a lot of Cornhole Canada points but is very popular with the players. Twelve teams battled it out, and in the end, Presley and Glen double-dipped the November regional champions, Crystal and Newson to win the year-end title. It really was a great opening event for a great weekend.
Friday’s FUNholio was great as players came from Calgary and Strathmore to play. In the end, 52 players battled it out, and Foukare (Roger) and Stettner beat the Kid and Daysey to win the money. It was great to see Stettner back after a while away, and he ended up with a pretty good partner in Foukare from Alberta.
Saturday came early, as play started at 10 in the morning. Players competed in three tiers, with 43 people competing in the singles events.
I will start with Tier 5 because this event excites me most about the future of our game in Saskatchewan. When people start out throwing cornhole bags, most people want to have fun and enjoy the game. It is essential to find space for new players to learn and grow without playing players out of their skill level. This event does precisely that. Saturday, we had eleven players battling it out for the title. The PPR averages were right on target, which showed that the level of competition was exactly what we were looking for in an event. In the end, Javan beat Tony V to win the Tier 5 Regional points. The best part about being a part of the Cornhole Canada points system is events like this goes towards representing your club in the Tier 5 division at the National Championship. I want to thank all the Tier 5 players for coming out and hope to see you again.
I also want to remind Tier 5 players about an exciting new night just for you. Tuesday Night will be the Tier 5 beginners’ night. It will run for eight weeks for $100 or $15 per drop-in. It will begin at 630 PM. We will run singles and doubles throughout the eight weeks and then re-evaluate the league for the next eight weeks.
The Hawks division was primed for a great event as most great throwers were playing. Presley led the round-robin with a 3-0 record, tied with Spilly and Foukare. As play began, it was evident something special was happening. Someone was on a heater, and the question was, could anyone stop Bobber from going all the way? He was on a roll and played for the King Seat against Jonathan. Jonathan made short work of Chad as he sent him to the B side. The B side did not get any easier as Foukare stood in his way to get another shot at Jonathan. Chad’s wheels were officially off, and the dream ended as Roger thumped Chad 22-0, shooting a 9.33 PPR, setting up a battle with Jonathan for the title. Both are premier players in the country and Roger, coming off a big win in the ACL Alberta Open, was looking to continue his winning ways in Saskatchewan. Jonathan, however, was not intimidated and came out with the victory 22-12, shooting a very impressive 10 PPR. Great job, Jonathan.
The Doubles Hawk event was a Blind Draw, where everyone would be randomly paired with another Hawk to see who would take down the Regional points and money. Jonathan completed the Saturday sweep as he and Dean S from Alberta, beat Glenny and Aaron (also from Alberta) to win the Doubles Tier 3 event. These two events showcased the talent we have in Regina and Western Canada. I can not wait to see the competition in August when we head to BC for Nationals.
If the excitement of Tier 3 was not enough, the Tier 4 events gave me fits. I will explain more when I get to my power rankings. Sixteen players came out to battle for the Tier 4 regional title. A couple of last week’s top five did not compete, but some players showed up that could make things interesting. The round-robin had one of those faces in Bonnie Day, sitting undefeated after the round-robin. Dean from Alberta joined her and Oopsidacey, who led the pack and shot an unbelievable PPR of over 7. The bracket saw a familiar player, Bonnie P, and Jennifer playing for the Queen Seat. Jennifer has not been able to come out and play Tier 4 league night, but she is always on the radar of players in this division. Jennifer bested Bonnie P, knocking her down to the B side to face Oopsidacey in the B final. Oopsidacey continued his great throwing and beat Bonnie P to set up the title match-up with Jennifer. Ultimately, Jennifer proved too much, taking down Mike for the title. Great throwing.
In the Tier 4 Blind draw, we saw a different familiar face in Stich teaming up with Bonnie D to come up through the B side to double-dip Bonnie P and Sarah to win the Doubles Tier 4 Regional Title.
POWER RANKING
The TIER 3 power ranking.
1st – Jonathan – This guy moves back to number one with a masterful piece of throwing this weekend. Many people have questioned me about how Jonathan stayed in my top five, and this weekend proved that I made the right decision. I know Jonathan does not play a lot, but he wins every time he comes out.
2ND – Newson – Maintains his spot at number two. Kevin played well this weekend and will hold onto the number two spot with a fourth in Singles.
3RD – Parker – last week’s number one, I think, still belongs in the top three. I know his 9th-place finish Saturday was not what he was hoping for, but he still is one of the top players in our club.
4TH – Spilly – with a fifth-place finish, he drops from second to fourth. I struggled with third and fourth, but Parker was number one, so I could not move Spilly above him without a podium finish.
5TH – I am struggling with who my fifth spot would go to, so I will explain why this spot has no name. So many people had outstanding performances this weekend. Damara finished with the top PPR in Doubles. Bobber had a great run in Singles. At 14 years old, Presley shot over an 8 PPR for the singles event. I promise I will not do this again, but there will be no number 5 this week.
After this week’s Regional events, the Tier 4 power ranking is quite the mess. Jennifer winning and Oopsidacey coming in second makes things very interesting.
1ST – Ringo – Could not play this weekend, and because number two or three did not get a win in Singles this weekend, I am going to leave him at number one.
2ND – Bonnie – Moving this person down the power ranking is very tough. She has dominated Tier 4 this year, and with a third in singles, she will stay put.
3RD – Stich – Jason did get a win in Doubles, so he will also stay in the third spot.
4TH – Jennifer – With her massive win Saturday, she jumps right into my fourth spot. I toyed with the thought of moving her higher, but I will need to see her come out and win in this division more regularly.
5Th – Oopsidacey, Mike would have been in the fourth spot if not for Jennifer being the one that beat him in the final. Mike has been on my radar, and his game is moving to the next level right before our eyes. The work is paying off.
