ACO PITCHIN’ PLAYER
Stacia “Queen” Pugh
– ACO PRO
– Resides in Lakewood, OH
– Currently ranked #3 in Women’s Singles and #24 in World Rankings
– Reigning ACO Queen of Cornhole IX
- What region of the country do you play in? Cleveland / North East Ohio
- Do you like to step or stand when pitching? Stand / Right Handed
- Who is your favorite player besides yourself or your partner you like to watch play cornhole or follow in the ACO system? Caleb Avery. In my opinion he throws the perfect bag and I think he is a class act. I believe he is the real deal and has a legitimate shot to win the World Singles title this year and be crowned King of Cornhole®.
- What is your favorite beverage while playing? Cabernet Savignon – Barefoot
- Do you have a routine you like to follow before going into a big match? Yes. Stay warmed up, stay positive, stay calm, mentally prepare myself. I want to step onto the court completely prepared. I make sure I’ve eaten and hit the restroom so I have no distractions while in match play.
- What is your favorite quote or inspirational thought? It is a state of mind thing for me. My thought is: “Always try my best and what happens, happens. I can’t be upset if I try my best.”
- Do you practice? If so how often? How do you practice? Where? Yes. I hate to play alone, it bores me. I love to hit up blind draws in Cleveland, three four time a week. Dave Weiser of Cleveland Cornhole is my favorite tournament director. He runs great tournaments and leagues in the Cleveland market. My favorite practice night is the weekly Monday night luck of the draw events that Dave Weiser runs. I almost never can be found playing cornhole without one of my best friends Christine Papcke, my cornhole partner and rival.
- If you could give one tip or advice to another player or novice to the game what would it be? Learn to throw a flat bag.
- 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? Doing pretty good, could tell Christine was nervous, had to focus on not letting guard down. Christine was off but my focus was to stay calm and focused on closing the event. Keeping bags in front of hole or in hole was my goal. STAYING FOCUSED AND FINISHING WAS KEY. I know how good Christinte is and didn’t want to let her get back into lead.
- Has it changed your life as a cornhole player? Yes. Sometimes people I don’t know say they saw me on ESPN. I think it has helped bring pride to the Cleveland area as we have won several major titles this past season. It lets us know we belong and are amongst the best cornhole players on the planet.
- Do you feel you’re now sporting a bulls eye on your back? Yes. It seems to put a little extra pressure on me, especially when I go into a new area that is new and might not know me personally or have seen me in person. Yet they have seen me on ESPN or read about me in an ACO story or post. It definitely puts a bulls eye on me. I feel the need to perform at a high level to show these people that I am good at this sport.