SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23, 2015
THE COURIER-TIMES | ROXBORO, NC A9
Members of the 36 teams in the Person County Cornhole League come together on the opening night of the 2015 Fall season at Palace Pointe.
KELLY SNOW | COURIER-TIMES
‘A competitive backyard game’ BY KELLY SNOW
T
COURIER-TIMES SPORTS EDITOR kellysnow@roxboro-courier.com
he genesis of the Person County Cornhole League began, pretty much where the popular activity started — in the backyard. After a few backyard cornhole tournaments that probably included more fun and hi-
jinks than expert tossing, the simple, yet awesome idea was born. Why not start a league and do this every week?
KELLY SNOW | COURIER-TIMES
Kevin Dew (left) lets a cornhole bag fly, while teammate David Pope looks on.
grew to 16, then 22, then 26 and has since ballooned to 36 teams for the Fall 2015 season. The goal is to eventually grow to 50 teams in the near future. The growing popularity of the sport and the explosion of the interest in the league forced it to find a new, roomier home despite the wonderful memories made at V2’s “We made the decision that if we were going to grow, we had to move,” PCCL director Chris Clark said. “We loved going to V2’s and playing, but we’re looking to get bigger.” At Palace Pointe, the league found a new home with countless boards stretched across the skating rink, with each “court” sponsored by businesses. The league includes a 14week regular season with six games a night, all lead-
ing up to a one-night tournament. It takes place during the fall and winter months, with the summers off, but Wilborn believes that he could get a game together with league members anytime by simply posting on the Person County Cornholers Facebook page. League members are just that passionate about the sport. Players come from as far as High Point, Greensboro and even Wilson to play each Wednesday — and the talent level is high. According to Clark, there are three professional cornhole players in the league, as sanctioned by the American Cornhole Organization (ACO) and countless others who certainly have the ability to reach professional status. But the league is also
ideal for the novice players looking to learn the game and have a blast while doing so. “It’s from one extreme to the other,” Clark said of the skill level of the players. “We’ve got some who are just starting out and others who are professionals. That’s a mix in our league. There are no ‘looks’ in cornhole. There’s a 10year old who’s a pro and 60-and-70 year olds who are pros.” Palace Pointe will be playing host to an ACO Regional World Singles Tournament Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. “It’s a competitive, backyard game that just took off,” Wilborn said. “You can’t go to a football, a concert or a race without seeing a set of cornhole boards, a cooler and a grill.”
Five years later, Person County is the home to one of, if not the largest cornhole leagues in the state. Every Wednesday night, 36 teams of two players each converge upon the skating rink at Palace Pointe to compete against each other — but mostly just to have a great time with an activity they all enjoy. “I really think it’s the people who play who really enjoy each other,” Jason Wilborn, one of the Person County Cornhole League founders said. “Every week I have people come up to me that I’m not even related to and they tell me they love me like family. They’re actually upset when we’re not playing. When they wake up Thursday morning, they’re looking forward to Wednesday night.” The Person County Cornhole League has steadily grown in its five years of existence. The league that began with just KELLY SNOW | COURIER-TIMES 14 teams playing at Vesu- Jason Wilborn (foreground) tosses a bag during a game in the first week of the reguvio’s 2 in Uptown Roxboro, lar season.