LAKEPORT—It has long been a popular sport at barbecues, rib cookoff competitions or just summertime backyard fun and now the cornhole toss has come to the Lake County Fair.
The Corn Hole Finals was held Sunday Sept. 3, 2023 at the Family Oasis in Fiesta Park. Mike Wilkinson, organizer helped draw 10 teams for a total of 20 individuals tossing for the pot of gold. Following fierce competition, the final round came down to the two teams of the Tanner Team and the Homers’.
It was Tanner and Giana Westmorland (from the Bay Area) who racked up the most game wins to cop the top prize of $ 230.
The Westmorlands defeated Second Place earners, $140 to Jeremy Burgoyne and Rick S. Burgoyne explained it was his boss who invited him to a game at a barbecue and he was soon hooked on the game. “It’s just fun, it’s addicting, and the Corn Hole family is good company,” said Burgoyne. “That’s why we keep doing it.”
Most Wednesday nights will find Burgoyne at Drinks Bar & Grill that not only pays a cash prize for the first three places but includes an “airmail” challenge. In scoring the cornhole toss, any corn bag that lands on the board earn one point. A
toss that lands through the Corn Hole board earns three points. Yet, frequently corn bags lean partially into the board’s corn without hole without dropping completely into the board hole. If the next player knocks one of the leaners through
the board hole, that player earns not only three points for the bag tossed but three points for all leaners, airmail dragged through the board hole.
Organizer Mike Wilkinson, Wilky, said he hopes to bring the tournament to the Fair in 2024. He noted his group, the North Lake Baggers competes at the the Konocti Vista Casino every Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. banquet room. There is a $15 entry fee. The tournament consists of a four-round robin with single elimination and is split into two divisions based on a player’s points per round.
The North Lake Baggers were created on February 1 of this year and now includes 123 members and its website received 52 posts in the last month. Wilkinson advises the North Lake baggers maintains group rules to keep harmony among players. He explained, they are all in this together to create a welcoming environment. And he added, we treat everyone with respect.
Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required. The intent is to make everyone feel safe. Bullying of any kind will not be allowed. Also, disparaging comments about race, religion, culture, sexual orientation and gender will not be tolerated.
History has traced the game of Corn Hole back to the 14th century cabinet maker Matthias Kupermann when he first saw them tossing rocks into a groundhog’s hole. Concern for the safety of his children led him to create a safer game for them to play.
So, relying on his carpentry skills he devised a board for them to use and replaced the stones with bags of corn. More recently, Corn Hole became a popular past time in the Cincinnati area and spread across the Midwest and eventually across the country. The American Cornhole Organization’s World Championships of Cornhole X have even received airtime on ESPN. Hosted at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina, players from around the country came to the Championships of Bags (COBS 2017) to compete for five days of Cornhole with a $50,000 prize and ESPN was on board to broadcast the action.
