Pro cornhole tournament coming to Sandpoint
(Photo by ERIC PLUMMER) Amos Walkington is one of a host of Sandpoint residents who have enjoyed playing the sport of cornhole. A pro stop will be coming to Sandpoint in September, with some of the top players in the U.S. on hand.
SANDPOINT — Regular channel surfers of ESPN have no doubt noticed the recent broadcasts of professional cornhole, as the back yard bean bag tossing game continues to grow in popularity around the U.S.
There is even a professional league, called the American Cornhole League, with 14 regional conferences located around the United States all vying for prize money.
So it was understandable when James Mize, manager of A&P’s Bar and Grill, was excited upon recently learning that he will play host to a professional event when the first-ever Sandpoint Cornhole Classic hits town on Saturday, Sept. 15.
“It’s a sweeping the nation type deal,” described Mize of the niche leisure sport, excited to host a pro tourney. “It’s going to be a pretty major event. We’re basically putting on a pro event. The goal is to be successful enough to be on TV next year.”
The ACL consists of 14 conferences across the country, with players in each looking to finish top 16 in their conference, qualifying for the Conference Crew Championship and big time stakes. Idaho is located in the Mountain North, along with Montana and Wyoming.
Mize is anticipating as many as 150 competitors, who will wage battle on between 16-20 courts in downtown Sandpoint. While players must be at least 21 years-old to enter the tournament, there will be courts set up for kids to play on as well.
“Anybody in the U.S is welcome to play. We’ll have mostly players from Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon and Idaho trying to earn sanctioned points,” said Mize, noting there is some serious prize money involved. “We’re guaranteeing $1,000 for first place in singles and doubles, and will pay places based on how many people are entered. The more people who sign up, the more is in the prize pool.”
Cornhole is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation, played everywhere from college campuses, to bars, to parks and beaches, to celebrity fundraising tournaments. Seeing the sport on the likes of ESPN shows there is a loyal following.
Mize is among the many getting swept up in the fun of tossing bean bags into a small hole, similar in many ways to pitching horse shoes.
“I’m a newbie, but once you start playing it’s highly addictive. I started in the back yard, and just recently saw it on ESPN,” said Mize, noting there will be some ringers in the Sandpoint tourney. “We’ll have three of the top 50 ranked players in the world.”
The Sandpoint tournament has a $30 entry fee for singles, and a $50 entry fee for singles and doubles. Mize says anyone is welcome to pre-register at A&P’s.