ACO PITCHIN’ PLAYER
TOM BOBO
– ACO PRO
– Resides in Albany, OH
– Currently the #1 Senior Player in the World and #10 in the World Singles Rankings
– Reigning World Seniors Champion IX
- What region of the country do you play in? Southeast Ohio and Point Pleasant, WV area
- Do you like to step or stand when pitching? Step / Left Handed
- Who is your favorite player besides yourself or your partner you like to watch play cornhole or follow in the ACO system? Frank Modlin & Jordan Lanworthy are my two favorite players watch. Great players and first class individuals all the way around.
- What is your favorite beverage while playing? Bud Light but I try to limit my consumption when participating in bigger matches.
- Do you have a routine you like to follow before going into a big match? Yes. Focus. Focus and Focus some more. Focus is so important. I also like to eat light and do anything I can to keep my mind clear of anything but my match. I can’t say it enough FOCUS.
- What is your favorite quote or inspirational thought? As far as playing I love to live by the quote “It’s not over until it’s over” because I have been in many a game where I have either come back from a large deficit or had someone come back on me with a large deficit. That’s why focus is so important.
- Do you practice? If so how often? How do you practice? Where? Yes. In my pole barn, no heat so I like it to be at least 35 degrees outside before I go out and start pitching. I found myself practicing a couple hours a day approximately two to three times a week. However I’ve cut back to only practicing and hour at a time because I found in that second hour I was getting away from my core mechanics which translates into practicing bad technique.
- If you could give one tip or advice to another player or novice to the game what would it be? Keeping your arm straight, work on pitching that bag straight and try to keep that bag flying flat.
- You had a big match at this past Worlds in Charleston, WV – what was your key to winning that match besides scoring more points than the other person? Was there a shot you remember in the match that was maybe a key turning point for you? Columbus Cisco from West Virginia is a great player, he had me down one to nothing in game count during the World Seniors IX. In game one he and I went head to head primarily using the slider shot to go to the hole. Unfortunately he out pitched me in that game. However in game two I changed things up a bit and started throwing a few blockers on him, then followed with numerous airmails. That seemed to give me just the edge I needed because unlike usual Columbus wasn’t hitting his airmails as well as he normally does and I was absolutely firing my airmails. I think that was the turning point for our match.
- How has it changed your life as a cornhole player? It’s giving me more confidence as a cornhole player. It really has helped me elevate my game to a new level.
- Who’s your nemesis? Cody Henderson seems to always have my number
- Who’s your biggest rival? Rex Uhrig. He told me at the beginning of the season that he was taking the title away from me in Season X
- Who’s a player or team that you would love to play and beat? I’d love to beat Cody Henderson and Adam Hissner in doubles, as well as Gary Lewis and Jeff Reynolds. Both teams are just so good.
- Which match that you lost are you looking forward to avenging? It was in Fort Mill, SC at ACO Major #2 in Season X. I had made the cut for the main bracket and drew a first round match against Stephen “Smoky” Bolen. At the time I was ranked #5 in the World and drew this player that I had no clue who he was. However, I would soon find out he was the real deal. We were battling in our game and the score was 19 to 18, my lead. I’d just dropped four bags in the hole, he has two in the hole and one on the left side of the hole, far enough to the left that you could see an inch or two of the wood between the hold and his bag. I’m think to myself, sweet this is my game. There isn’t anything he can do at this point. GAME OVER! Wrong. Smoky calls his time out, walks down assesses the situation, comes back and pitches a bag that somehow causes the bag on the board to jump up and into the hole along with the bag he pitched, both drop into the hole. Are you kidding me? I’ve been playing cornhole for years and seen great players like Cody Henderson and Matt Guy making amazing shots over the course of that time but never in my life have I seen a shot so clutch, creative and perfect as this one. It was the greatest single shot I have ever seen any player at any level make in tournament play or out of tournament play. And there had to be fifty or more people watching this particular game because it was a good one. This took the wind out of my sail. We went back and forth a few times before he finally won and pushed me into the loser’s bracket. I did manage to advance to finish 9th overall in the Major so I felt good about myself. However, in the back of my mind I’m saying one of these days I owe my good friend Smoky some payback.