A fun camp game is going professional in Sudbury: enter the rise of Cornhole

Geoff Waterman got hooked playing cornhole, or bean bag toss, at camp. He bought himself the bags and the boards and realised it was something he enjoyed doing for hours.

"And then, you know, you start to watch YouTube videos of professional cornhole players playing. And then from there it just snowballed."

Waterman decided to start his own league in Sudbury in October of 2022.

Cornhole is a simple game. The boards are 27 feet apart, you try and get the four one pound bags into the hole. You get a point for a bag on the board and three for a bag in the hole.  The game goes to 21.

But then there is the strategy.

Waterman says the mental part of the game is a lot like golf. "Anyone can throw a bean bag 27 feet, but it's you know, throwing the bag flat and keeping that same exact same motion every single time and not letting that get into your head." He says that is what can mean the difference between recreational and professional cornhole.

The league is affiliated with the American Cornhole League Canada. All of the player's points show up on the ACL standings worldwide. They have players who travel across Ontario to play tournaments, at all different level tournaments, said Waterman.  He's run events in Sudbury and Sault Saint Marie. 

And when Waterman last checked, he was ranked 39th in Canada.

But not everyone is in it for the competition. Melodie Tilander had never played before, not even at camp. She says she use to pitch softball, so the concept of throwing a distance and hitting the spot made sense to her. She likes the fact that people can play at any age.

"You go to competitions and and it's not even graded necessarily as seniors versus the youngins. It's just everybody."

Rob Caputo says his wife came across the league while scrolling through Facebook.  They've since gone to a couple of tournaments. "So it's definitely growing and it's gaining in popularity, that's for sure."

Caputo says he's a competitive person, you can ask anyone in the league, but he likes the social aspect of it. "Throwing bags, having fun, just, you know, taking a break from our grueling work week."

And for those who want to take it further than the school gym in Sudbury, there are opportunities. The ACL Canada Open happened in April in Niagara Falls and the worlds are being held in Rock Hills, South Carolina at the end of July.

There is also a Sudbury Cornhole league with plans to start recruiting for their fall session this summer. It is affiliated with the Canadian Cornhole League.