Cornhole
isn't
just
for
picnics;
two
BW
athletes
show
how
on
ESPN.
Is cornhole truly a competitive sport? For two BW students, it is. In the waning days of 2018, Anthony Kissel '21 and Timmy Jonas '19 traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to compete in the National College Cornhole Championship.
The duo was featured on ESPN and took home the second-place prize.
Kissel, a finance major, and Jonas, a marketing and management major, did not know each other until October of last year when Jonas asked Kissel to join him in competing for the national title. Both started playing cornhole simply for fun with their fathers. Then it became competitive.
Baldwin Wallace doesn't have an official cornhole team, but Kissel and Jonas aligned themselves with their university to fulfill competition requirements.
The American Cornhole League presents the championship with an open format allowing "for any size college to participate." The league encourages colleges to create intramural cornhole teams to gain the skills needed to compete at the national level.
After Jonas and Kissel's achievement, there is talk of beginning an intramural cornhole club on the BW campus.
Both
athletes
plan
to
compete
in
professional
tournaments
in
the
future.
Jonas
notes
there
is
good
money
to
be
made
if
you
are
crowned
the
champion.
The
current
cornhole
season
is
offering
a
quarter
of
a
million
dollars
in
prizes.
He
also
says
this
sport
offers
a
great
community
of
players.
Kissel recalls the nationally televised championship experience as "truly amazing." He met people from all over the United States and even played with professional player Jay Dotson.
To learn more about cornhole or to get involved, visit playcornhole.org.
