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ACO News (from the ACO)

ACO Season XI Begins in Charleston, WV

By ACO News (from the ACO)

Charleston, West Virginia to Host American Cornhole Organization® West Virginia Major #1 – ACO Season XI – September 11th & 12th, 2015

Charleston, WV – The American Cornhole Organization is excited to be back in Charleston, WV for the ACO WV Major – Season XI. The event will be held Friday & Saturday, September 11th & 12th, 2015 at the Charleston Civic Center and will feature Championship title tournaments for Singles, Doubles, Women, Juniors, and Seniors. A new event will also be featured; the ACO Slyder Cup, which is a 5 player team tournament. The Slyder Cup is open to the public for walk-up registration at 10:30am Friday September 11th. The tournament will kick off at 12:00pm.

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Jordan Langworthy will be defending his title in Charleston this weekend – GAME ON!

Samantha Carney, Executive Director of Sports for the Charleston CVB, commented, “Over the years it has been exciting to see the ACO continue to grow the sport of cornhole and promote the cornhole movement.” The cornhole tournament in Charleston, West Virginia is one of several ACO Major tournaments that will take place in 2015-16 and will feature the top PRO players in the sport.

 

ACO officials expect over 300 players from 14 to 16 states to be in attendance Friday night and all day Saturday. Gates open at 4:00 pm on Friday and 8:30 am on Saturday.  Pay-as-you play “Luck of the draw” will be available Friday and Saturday for the general public. There will be food, beer and music to enjoy and the is no gate fee for the public to come out and spectate on either day.

“The city of Charleston has been a great partner with the ACO and we are more excited than ever to continue building on this relationship. The ACO feels right at home when coming into Charleston. We are extremely excited to keep the tradition alive and recognize Charleston as the ACO Capitol of Cornhole for the state of West Virginia,” says Frank Geers, President of American Cornhole, LLC.

Live from the World Championships of Cornhole X

By ACO News (from the ACO)

KichlineThe big surprise of the day was Cody Kichline from Florida. Coming into the Worlds ranked ‪#‎125th‬, Cody worked his way up to beat #2 ranked Jordan Langworthy and was finally knocked out by #1 ranked Matt Guy. Congrats Cody!

Finalists for Tonight’s championship games:

SINGLES: James Baldwin vs Matt Guy
WOMEN: Christine Papcke vs Stacia Pugh
SENIORS: Trellis Cisco vs (tbd)
JUNIORS: Jamie Graham vs Caleb Avery

Congratulations to Doubles Winners:

Frank Modlin & Jordan Langworthy

The ACO is back in Charleston, WV for the State Championships of Cornhole!

By ACO News (from the ACO)

Announcing the ACO West Virginia State Championships of Cornhole

June 3rd, 2015

Samantha Carney
Special Events/Sports Sales Manager
Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau
601 Morris Street
Suite 204
Charleston, WV 25301
samantha.carney@charlestonwv.com
(304) 344-5075 (Office)

 

Charleston, West Virginia to Host American Cornhole Organization® West Virginia State Championships of Cornhole

June 12th & 13th, 2015

     Charleston, WV – The American Cornhole Organization is excited to be back in the “Pitchin’ City” of Charleston, WV for the ACO State Championships of Cornhole. The event will be held Friday & Saturday, June 12th & 13th, 2015 at the Charleston Civic Center and will feature Championship title tournaments for Singles, Doubles, Women, Juniors, and Seniors. In recent years Charleston has laid it’s claim in the state of West Virginia as the place for championship cornhole, and next weekend, the trend will continue.

Samantha Carney, Executive Director of Sports for the Charleston CVB, commented, “Over the years it has been exciting to see the ACO continue to grow the sport of cornhole and promote the cornhole movement.” The cornhole tournament in Charleston, West Virginia is one of several State Championship tournaments in which players can win the opportunity to compete in the ACO World Championships of Cornhole to be held July 7th – 11th, 2015 in Knoxville, TN.

ACO officials expect players from across the state to be in attendance Friday night and all day Saturday. Gates open at 4:00 pm on Friday and 8:30 am on Saturday. Pay-as-you play “Luck of the draw” will be available Friday and Saturday for amateur players. There will be food, beer and music to enjoy. All of Friday night’s festivities and Saturday’s Championship tournaments are open to the public. No Memberships are required to participate, players must only be a resident of the state of West Virginia and provide a current state ID. Participants can learn more about American Cornhole by visiting their website at www.AmericanCornhole.com .

“The city of Charleston has been a great partner with the ACO and we are more excited than ever to continue building on this relationship. The ACO feels right at home when coming into Charleston. We are extremely excited to keep the tradition alive and recognize Charleston as the ACO Capitol of Cornhole for the state of West Virginia,” says Frank Geers, President of American Cornhole, LLC.

# # #
About the American Cornhole Organization (ACO):
Established in 2005 and headquartered in Milford, Ohio, the American Cornhole Organization, ACO, is the governing body for the sport of Cornhole. The ACO offers official cornhole rules, sanctioned products, tournament listings, and comprehensive information about cornhole events. The ACO is in its tenth year of State, Regional, and World Championships. Cornhole is simple and can be fun for the entire family – if you can aim and toss a cornbag 30 feet, you can master the game of Cornhole! More information and registration can be found at: http://americancornhole.com
Contact Information:
Frank Geers, President
American Cornhole Organization (ACO)
208 Locust Street
Milford, OH 45150
Tel: (513) 965 – 8687
play@americancornhole.com

Largest ACO Cornhole Major of Season X held in Peachtree City, GA

By ACO News (from the ACO)

Peachtree City, GA – In the weeks and days leading up to the ACO GA Major, waves of registrants kept rolling in until the final number of 284 singles players was reached. Not only was it the most entrants ever at an ACO Major, but was twice as many as the largest Major last season, and more than the number of participants at the ACO World Championships of Cornhole VIII.

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When the doors to the Peachtree City Tennis Center opened on Friday afternoon, players began flowing in and filling in the courts almost immediately. It was a great set-up that allowed plenty of space for players and their groups to set-up, chill out, and greet old friends. After getting some music playing and cold suds flowing in the beer garden outside, a great party was in action!

When tourneys got started, one Blind Draw after another kept players of all skills levels entertained while the Seniors, Women, and Juniors divisions got underway.

To this point, Caleb Avery has been a seemingly unstoppable force in the Juniors division. He had won every ACO Juniors tournament that he had entered, including the first three ACO Majors of Season X. But in GA, with our largest Juniors field to date, a couple new contenders stepped up and it was Brandon Jones ousting Matthew Stout in the finals. Congratulations to Brandon Jones on your first Juniors Major Championship! Even though he’s young, Brandon has been a top-notch Singles and Doubles player in the ACO for years and he is looking to make things very interesting when it comes time to award our first ACO Juniors World Champion in July. The Juniors division has continued to grow in numbers and talent and we look forward to a good turnout next month at the ACO VA Major. There are still plenty of other top Juniors like Tanner Dinges, Matt Stout, and Kenzie Beach who will be trying to put their stamp on the division as well. We’ll see how it all goes down in VA!

Brandon Jones, SC (green) beats Matthew Stout, VA (red cap) to claim his first ever ACO Junior Title.

 

In Womens, the Cleveland duo of Christine Papcke and Stacia Pugh continued their stranglehold on the division. Christine took first place and Stacia took second in a field that boasted over 30 female players. This was Christine’s fourth Womens Major championship title of the season and she’s only picking up steam as we head toward the Worlds. Next month in VA will be quite a challenge though as home state favorites Sara Davis and Stephanie Morgan try to hold their turf. Everyone also needs to keep an eye on Melissa Adams, who has shot up the Womens rankings, finished third in GA, and will surely be looking to make a move in VA . Congrats, ladies!

Almost 40 players took to the courts in the Seniors division and it was a dogfight from the onset, but at the end of the day a new champion outlast the experienced field to win his first ACO Seniors Major Championship. Congratulations to Brian Lynn on your victory! Brian has been finishing at or near the top in all of his North Carolina Seniors Regionals, and had a top five finish at the SC Major, but he finally leaped to the top with a win over Haseeb Habiban in the finals. Rounding out the top 4 was Jim Frantz from OH and Joe Tadder from NC. Great shooting, everyone! Will our current Seniors World Champion, Tom Bobo, try to set the pecking order straight in VA? We look forward to finding out!

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Haseeb Habiban of Florida was the runner up in the Senior Division in Peachtree City, GA Friday night March 20, 2015. Pictured here with his wife who paid him a much welcomed surprise visit during the weekend festivities.

 

By 9:00am Saturday the room was full of colorful jerseys and bags were flying in all directions. Close to 300 Singles players were on the courts as pool play started. There were no easy pools. There were no easy roads to advance. Only the best players of that day would make it to the main bracket and the brutal competition left many players headed back to the Blind Draw courts. When the field had been narrowed down to 64 players, the level of talent remaining was almost ridiculous. After battling through six hard matches, our first two-time ACO Singles Major winner of the season had been crowned. Congratulations to Jordan Langworthy on your second win of the season! It was a rough path, but Jordan iced the cake with an impressive and decisive win over the 5-time King of Cornhole, Matt Guy, in the finals. Rounding out our top five was Trellis Cisco in third, Greg Vajda in fourth, and Darrell Palama and Daymon Dennis in a tie for fifth. Now, the question is if anyone else can step up and join Jordan as a two-time Singles winner this year, or will Jordan take over the points lead and be named as ACO Singles Player of Season? Something tells us that Matt Guy and a few others may have something to say about that!

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Jordan Langworthy wins his second ACO Major of the Season in Peachtree City. Seen here being congratulated by players and fans alike.

 

As Saturday evening approached, over 140 teams were back on the courts and ready to throw down in the Doubles.  It was long day and only the most focused teams withstood the pools and advanced to the main bracket. When it was all said and done it was the flat and straight bags of Caleb Avery and Derek Fateiger that took down the Doubles championship. To nobody’s surprise they faced off in the finals against none other than Stacia Pugh and Christine Papcke. Derek is already a multiple time Major Singles champion, and of course, Caleb is the Juniors top dog, but congrats on your first ACO Doubles Majors win as a team! The rest of our top five was Keith Blair and Eric Zocklein in third, Derrick King and Jimmy McGuffin in fourth, and in a tie for fifth was Frank Modlin and Jordan Langworthy and Rocky Rockwell and Matt Stout. Congratulation to all the players on your awesome performances. The drama will only build as we move to VA Beach!

 

Our sport is continuing to grow and the ACO would like to thank the Certified Officials, players, and attendees for helping us to take another monumental step. As we move forward, the ACO will continually strive to enhance the player experience, and to make our events bigger and better, but most importantly, more fun!

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The crowd was over 300 to watch the finals of Jordan Langworthy vs. Matt Guy in the Singles in Peachtree City, GA. The excitement for our sport grows daily. GAME ON!

 

Register now for the ACO Virginia Major #7 – Virginia Beach, VA – April 17th-18th, 2015

CLICK HERE FOR VIRGINIA BEACH PARTY!

King EZ ties King Guy record at ACO Major #5

By ACO News (from the ACO)

Lebanon, MO – In its quest to expand to new regions and add great people, the ACO hit pay dirt in the town of Lebanon, Mo. On very short notice, new Certified Officials Marsha Kimrey and Deryl Wilson, and State Director, Brian Jones, jumped into action and secured the Cowan Civic Center as the venue for ACO MO Major #5. And as soon as the ACO rolled into town on Thursday night, it was apparent that it was a job well done. The Cowan Center was a perfect venue to play and the set-up was seamless as Certified Officials, residents, and Cowan staff contributed to the effort.

By Friday evening, players from 13 different states had made their way to Lebanon and the Major got underway with the Seniors, Womens, and Juniors Divisions.

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Great Venue. Great Times at Major #5 in Lebanon, MO. Richard Stone (Ohio) gives Jacob Davidson (Tennessee) a “Datta Boy!” hug.

 

In the Womens Division, with no past Major champions in the field, it was up to another of our seasoned players to step up and claim the title. In the end, Jessie Hempy from Sidney, OH became a first time Major champion as she defeated Kim Howard from Cedartown, GA in the finals. Great shooting, Jessie! And you can be sure that Kim will be hungry to get back to a finals match when next month’s Major comes to her home turf in Georgia.

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Jessie Hempy in pink claims Womens Singles Title at Major #5. Certified Official Marsha Kimrey from Lebanon, MO in black.

 

Many of the World’s top ranked Seniors players made the trip, and the field was as strong as ever. Among the players was reigning ACO Seniors World Champion, Tom Bobo, who rightfully made his way to the finals. But in a tough match against another top player and ACO Las Vegas Major Seniors Champion, Richard Stone, Tom’s bid to win his second Major of the season fell short. Instead, Richard claimed his second title and tightened the points race to a thin line. Nice work, Richard! A special congrats goes out to Carl “The Truth” Stenger, a local player from Lebanon who showed many of the top Seniors to the door and finished 4th in his first Major!

boboandSTONEseniors

World Senior Champion, Tom Bobo (left) placed second to Richard Stone (right) at Major #5 in Lebanon, MO.

 

In the Juniors Division, it was a family affair as local players and twins, Payton and Parker Wehner, faced off in the finals. After a hard fought match, Payton was at the top of the podium, but both brothers wrote themselves into the ACO history books. Great pitching, Payton and Parker!

PaytonJUNIORSwinner

Payton Wehner is riding high on the shoulders of his Grandfather Deryl Wilson after claiming Juniors Championship at Major #5 in Lebanon, MO. King of Cornhole IX Jeff Reynolds (blue far left) was on hand to see the victory and future King in action.

 

When the Saturday morning World Singles Division began, one look around the room and anyone could see that the eventual winner would have to overcome some major obstacles. The field was stacked with talent and golden crowns as many top Pros and four Kings were on the premises.

It’s surprising to know that, of the ACO’s five King of Cornhole winners, until Saturday, Matt Guy was the only one to have also been a Major Singles winner. Now, there are two– Congrats to Eric Zocklein  on your return to the winner’s circle and on your first Major Singles Championship! It was not an easy road and it eventually lead him to a finals match against another of Louisville’s big dogs, Terry Mathis. Terry shot great all day and has been a high finisher before, but he finally made the jump to a title match. Congrats, Terry and King EZ! Also, nice work to Certified Official, Keith Blair, whose players took many of the top spots. We all want to know what you put in the water down there, Keith!

By 4 o’clock the World Doubles Divisions had started, and once again, it was quite an accomplishment to even advance from the mini-bracket. It was great to see a few of the local Lebanon teams advance, and now that they know the drill, we all better look out at the next Lebanon Major!

Well, Louisville’s day only got better as Eric Zocklein and Keith Blair outlasted the vicious field and took down the Doubles title. In the finals match, it was Seniors team Richard Stone and James Frantz who challenged. These two may be ole’ codgers, but they’ll accept a challenge from the young punks any day! Great shooting and congrats to EZ, Keith, James, and Richard!

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Keith Blair (left) and Eric “King EZ” Zocklein on the right hold up their Case Knives supplied by Shepherd Hills after claiming the Doubles Championships at Major #5 in Lebnanon, MO. Note: King EZ also claimed the Singles Championship.

 

The ACO would like to thank the city of Lebanon, the Cowan Civic Center, all the sponsors, and especially Marsha Kimrey and Deryl Wilson for their hard work and hospitality. We hope to have many more tourneys in the city of Lebanon. Thanks to Brian Jones, Randy Jones, Stephanie Frazier, and Kevin Goss for all your help with the event. And thank you to all the other Certified Officials and players who made the tourney a great success.

NEXT UP:  Peachtree City, GA March 20th-21st, 2015. In what we believe could be one of the biggest Majors of ACO Season X, the drama will only build. Over the past couple of seasons, the ACO has grown significantly in Georgia, so let’s see how the visiting states match-up and if GA is ready to hold turf. Sign-up now for ACO GA Major #6 PURCHASE TICKET NOW CLICK HERE!

ACO Player – Stacia “Queen” Pugh

By ACO News (from the ACO)

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

queenPITCHING

 

  1. What region of the country do you play in? Cleveland / North East Ohio
  2. Do you like to step or stand when pitching? Stand / Right Handed
  3. 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®.
  4. What is your favorite beverage while playing? Cabernet Savignon – Barefoot
  5. 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.
  6. 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.”
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.

ACO Player – Jeff “KING” Reynolds

By ACO News (from the ACO)

ACO PITCHIN’ PLAYER

JEFF “KING” REYNOLDS 

– ACO PRO
– Resides in Hiram, OH
– Currently #6 in the World Singles Rankings
– Reigning KING OF CORNHOLE IX

kingandHISSNERonemanleftstanding

 

  1. What region of the country do you play in?  North East Ohio
  2. Do you like to step or stand when pitching? Stand / Right Handed
  3. Who is your favorite player besides yourself or your partner you like to watch play cornhole or follow in the ACO system? Not really. There are a lot of great people and players out there. Can’t think of anyone I specifically follow.
  4. What is your favorite beverage while playing? Gatorade
  5. Do you have a routine you like to follow before going into a big match? Yes. Likes to stay warmed up by playing in some blind draws. Likes to get a good night sleep before the big events.
  6. Do you practice? If so how often? How do you practice? Where? Yes. I generally am practicing in the winter in a maintenance building my family owns, in the summer I practice outdoors while on the road for work. In winter I like to practice every day for an hour. If there is a big event coming up like an ACO Major I like to practice two to three hours a day during the week or two leading up to that event.
  7. If you could give one tip or advice to another player or novice to the game what would it be? Put the bag in the hole. Simple game, just focus on the hole.
  8. 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? Thing I remember the most while we were warming up at the Worlds for the Championship match for King of Cornhole was this. I’m friends with Adam Hissner who was my competition in the finals. We are both from North East Ohio and are often competing against each other in tournaments in that area of the country.  Well, while I was warming up along-side him for the main event, as I finished I walked over to Adam and said “Win or Lose I hope we put on a good show.” Adam quickly turned and responded, “The heck with that I’m going to kick your ass.” I just kind of smiled and walked away. This was the little bit of extra fuel I think that inspired me to focus that much harder on winning. I became so focused on winning the match that I really don’t remember any specific shots. Although there was one big moment in game two I do remember.  The score was 18 to 17, I was up. I had already won game one and was trying to finish him off in game two. I remember making the choice to try an airmail, instead of playing the safe shot. Had I decided to play it safe I would have boarded it an only given up two points to make it 19 to 18 favor of Adam, but still very much in the game.  Instead I gambled on an airmail shot to try dragging a couple of my bags in hopes of pushing on the frame. I missed the shot and gave up 5 points, Game Over! Now we are headed into game three and all the momentum has shifted to Adam.  If I had to do it again I would definitely play it smart and lay it up.
  9. Has it changed your life as a cornhole player? Yes definitely has, every tournament I go to people give me respect now as a professional cornhole player that I feel was lacking before my big  victory. For example I was up in Detroit at a Pistons Cornhole tournament at the Palace in January 2015. I guy Michigan I didn’t know was talking about how the King was in the house and posting it on his facebook page. It was kind of cool for me.
  10. Do you feel you’re now sporting a bulls eye on your back? Yes. I’ve noticed that my
  11. Do you have a theme song you like to use in the big events? Carry On by Manowar

ACO Player – Jessie Caleb Avery

By ACO News (from the ACO)

ACO PITCHIN’ PLAYER

JESSIE CALEB AVERY

– ACO PRO
– Resides in Ayden,  North Carolina
– Currently ranked #1 in ACO Juniors division and #40 in the World Singles

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  1. What region of the country do you play in? Eastern North Carolina
  2. Do you like to step or stand when pitching? Stand / Right Handed
  3. Who is your favorite player besides yourself or your partner you like to watch play cornhole or follow in the ACO system? I really like to follow two players. My favorite players are Stacia Pugh and Teresa Forsee.
  4. What is your favorite beverage while playing? I don’t normally drink anything while playing.
  5. Do you have a routine you like to follow before going into a big match? Yes. I usually go talk to Frank Modlin, Matt Young and Derek Fateiger. They are all players from my area and I use them to get me pumped up before a big match.
  6. What is your favorite quote or inspirational thought? “Take it one bag at a time”
  7. Do you practice? If so how often? How do you practice? Where? Yes. I try practice every day and I usually practice in my backyard with my three brothers and father who all play cornhole as well. I’ll practice in all temperatures usually but will not practice if it is snowing or raining. I find myself practicing a couple hours a day and on weekends sometimes as much as five to six if I’m not playing in a tournament somewhere around the country.
  8. If you could give one tip or advice to another player or novice to the game what would it be? Just have fun.
  9. You’ve had a lot of big matches recently on all levels of ACO Cornhole but what about the Juniors? Do you have any matches that you really remember at one of your Major victories in Season X? Was there a shot you remember in the match that was maybe a key turning point for you? Monroeville, PA played against Matthew Stout from Virginia. First game I struggled and lost but during the second game I started focusing more than ever. It was weird because I actually found myself starting to talk to myself more than I’d ever done before. I don’t have a specific shot I remember from the match but I do recall it was absolutely the most pressure put on me in any of my previous Junior Majors. I was pumped to have pulled the match out. Matthew Stout is a really good pitcher.
  10. How has it changed your life as a cornhole player? It is cool because people often recognize me when I come into tournaments now. It’s sort of a good feeling coming into a big tournament like an ACO Major with over 200 players and people now your name. I like it.
  11. Do you feel you’re now sporting a bulls eye on your back? I do feel a little target is on me now. People seem to step up their game when playing me more now than before. But I live for good competition.
  12. Who’s your nemesis? Ken Allen. He beat me up at the Players Championships pretty good and I believe I had him down 17 to 2 at the West Virginia Major in September 2014 only to have him come back and win. So at this time he kind of has my number. I know I can beat him but for whatever reason I’ve let him crawl in my head for the time being.
  13. Who’s your biggest rival? I really feel it’s myself.
  14. Who’s a player or team that you would love to play and beat? I’d love to beat Adam Hissner in a match. He’s a great player and taking him out would be very satisfying.
  15. Which match that you lost are you looking forward to avenging?  Ken Allen. As I stated before he beat me pretty good in both the Players Championships and the West Virginia Major in 2014. I’d love to get one of those back at the Worlds X in Knoxville, TN.

ACO Player – Tom Bobo

By ACO News (from the ACO)

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

tomboboSOUTHcarolinaMAJOR#2

  1. What region of the country do you play in? Southeast Ohio and Point Pleasant, WV area
  2. Do you like to step or stand when pitching? Step / Left Handed
  3. 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.
  4. What is your favorite beverage while playing? Bud Light but I try to limit my consumption when participating in bigger matches.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Who’s your nemesis? Cody Henderson seems to always have my number
  12. 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
  13. 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.
  14. 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.

 

Certified Officials make the ACO World go-round!

By ACO News (from the ACO)

Certified Officials make the ACO World go-round!

The ACO’s mission is to take this great sport to every corner of the US, the World, and beyond! We’re steadily gaining ground and it’s all due to the efforts of our network of Certified Officials (CO).

Certified Officials

COs are the men and women out in the field spreading the word, running great tournaments, and growing the family! As more and more Certified Official groups are added, our Membership base grows and so does the potential for bigger and better events.

The ACO would like to thank all of our great ACO Certified Officials and would like to extend an invitation to anyone who would like to help grow the sport in your area– Click here to learn more about becoming an ACO Certified Official

New CO groups and States are being added all the time. Welcome, to a few of our newest additions:

Tim Griffith – ACO Alaska – Anchorage, AK

Marsha Kimrey and Deryl Wilson – ACO Lebanon – Lebanon, MO

Jason Williams and Jake Kelcher – Sweet Onion Cornhole (SOC) – Vidalia, GA

Junior and Tammy Williams – ACO Stanley – Stanley, VA

Chris Green and Chris Meacham – Coastal Cornhole ACO – Wilmington, NC

Find a Certified Official in your area and get in the game!

Here’s the full list of our ACO Certified Officials