Cornhole Tournament Brings the Heat to the State Fair

[Hayley Schaefer] You might think of Cornhole or Bags as something you do for fun while tailgating before the big game. But it's something the competitors at the Iowa State Fair take very seriously, or at least some of them do.

(Music)

What are we doing here today at the fair?

[Cody Kinna, Paton] So we've got the bring your own partner doubles Cornhole Tournament. They've done it a few years past and they invited us to come host it this year. So, very excited about that.

[Hayley] How many people are competing here today?

[Cody] Somewhere around 50 teams registered.

[Hayley] Talk me through. How does this tournament work once we get going?

[Cody] It's round robin style. So you'll play four rounders games and then from there we're going to put you in your own bracket based on your performance and rounder. Makes it a little nicer for your novice players to be able to come in and play more novice players. And then the big guys get to fight the big guys.

We've got everything from Charlie Barr that's gonna be showing up. He's our ACL house pro. We sponsor him every year. He's great, Something to watch. But we also have our guys, what we call social. They might show up and drink a little more beer than the other guys, but they have a lot of fun. And we've got a lot of guys in that gap in between.

[Hayley] What do you enjoy about competing here at the Iowa State Fair?

[Charlie Barr, Boone] Be honest. The people, the competition, it's crazy. I mean, you get locals and you have ACL pros here. It's just a competition, really. I mean that and it's just a good time here.

[Hayley] And what's your strategy for today?

[Charlie] Today, mainly just have fun. I mean, the wind's always great, but having fun's the most important part. To me, the atmosphere is awesome. I mean, there's a lot of people here who probably don't play as competitive as us. And they sit and watch and the whole tournament. To me, hopefully they grow their game.

[Hayley] Tell me about the rules and scoring of Cornhole.

[Cody] You get four bags. One bag in the hole is 3 points. One bag on the board is 1 point. You're gonna throw alternate of your competitors. So they're gonna throw one, you're gonna throw one, and then it's cancellation scoring. So if you both have one in the hole, it's gonna cancel out to a zero score.

[Hayley] Awesome. And how have you seen this sport continue to grow over the years?

[Cody] It's gotten to be quite huge. Now they're giving out scholarships for all that stuff. It's not that little backyard game you play around the campfire anymore.

[Hayley] I've decided that I'm gonna give it a try.

Today I am here with Zach, and he is gonna be teaching me some tips and tricks on how to properly throw a beanbag. I do not know how. So I'm coming to you for advice. Do you think you can help me?

[Zach Burns, Norwalk] Maybe a little bit?

[Hayley] Maybe. So if I have a bag, what do you suggest? So how do you do it?

[Zach] This is what's called a butterfly grip. This is how I grip it. So you wanna, like, put your thumb up top like this.

[Hayley] Okay.

[Zach] Kind of scrunch it down. It makes, like, those butterfly wings.

[Hayley] Okay.

[Zach] And then I always grab the pellets or the resin in here.

[Hayley] Okay.

[Zach] And then that's how I grip it. Kind of the most important part. But it's really however you feel comfortable.

[Hayley] Should I give it a try?

[Zach] Oh, there you go.

[Hayley] Okay. There we go.

[Zach] What I try to do is get the bag to spin like this in the air.

[Hayley] In the air.

[Zach] And so how I do that, I just turn my wrist, and as I get past my leg, I let go and flick my fingers towards the board.

[Hayley] So kind of like that?

[Zach] Yes, just like this.

[Hayley] Okay, we'll see if I can do that.

(Bag goes in the hole)