Cornhole: Popular backyard recreation catching on at MTA Sports Center

PALMER — Cornhole is catching on in the Mat-Su Valley.

About 60 people have participated in the Valley’s first cornhole league hosted by the MTA Sports Center. During the last day of the first season of league play Tuesday night, Steve Imoe, league and courts administrator for the MTA Sports Center, said that this was a, “great start.”

“There’s definitely an interest out there,” Imoe said.

Cornhole is typically seen as a lawn game but Imoe is striving to make this game popular year-round, particularly in the winter months. In cornhole, players take turns tossing bags filled with corn (hence the name) towards elevated boards (often made of wood) with a hole at the top. Bags landing in the hole scores three points, and just landing the platform scores one point. Like horseshoes, these bags can be canceled out by other players. The first team to land 21 points wins.

“Everybody here in incredibly friendly,” Imoe said. “And who doesn’t like cornhole?”

Imoe said that he’s considering adding a money league if this sport continues to catch on. He said that no matter how big this gets, there will always be a place for casual players and families to play together.

“We’re always going to keep doing that as long as there’s an interest,” Imoe said.

Imoe said that he and his wife Mindy play together. He said that he enjoys the low stress environment that isn’t as competitive as other sports.

“We’re terrible but we have fun,” Imoe said with a laugh.

Imoe said that he anticipates lower cornhole league attendance during the summer because more people will be recreating outside.

“The best part about it is that it’s affordable,” Imoe said.

Eric DuBois will surely play cornhole this summer, especially if he’s camping or at a barbeque with his friends and family. That’s where he discovered the game.

DuBois started talking to Imoe about starting cornhole at the MTA Sports Center last December. They started organizing the first league shortly after, then DuBois and his family got to work crafting 20 official league boards.

“Next thing I knew, I was building these boards and all these people showed up,” DuBois said.

DuBois said that he worked with his mother Marsha for three weeks to get the league boards ready.

At least 60 players of all ages have signed up for cornhole, according to DuBois.

“Anybody can play it,” DuBois said.

DuBois said that cornhole is an all season sport that can be enjoyed year round, be it during a camping trip or inside beating the cold during the winter.

“You can play corn hole anytime,” DuBois said.

DuBois said that cornhole is very similar to horseshoes, only it’s safer and it’s easier to play. He said it’s also much more portable because there doesn’t need to be a sand pit, poles and all those heavy, metal horse shoes.

“You’re not gonna lose a toe on a corn bag,” DuBois said with a laugh.

DuBois said that he wants cornhole to grow at the MTA Sports Center and in the Valley. He said that this was the first time it’s been done in the Valley. He said that he wants to see all the MTA basketball courts filled up with multiple games going on.

“It’s even on ESPN now so it’s starting to blow up,” DuBois said.

Marsha said that corn hole is very popular in the Lower 48 and it’s only just now starting to catch on in Alaska. She said that she used to play horseshoes but switched to corn hole because it’s less strenuous.

“This is a great substitute for horse shoe,” Marsha said.

Marsha said that she started making cornhole boards for friends and family a few years ago. She said that by word of mouth, she started getting request after request. Now, she regularly makes customized boards for all kinds of individuals, groups and businesses.

She’s crafted boards for places like the Alaska's Heritage Lodge in Willow. She said that she made 46 boards last year. She said cornhole is a perfect way to play with her grandkids and spend time with her family during the winter.

“It’s kind of boring if you don’t want to get out in the cold,” Marsha said.

Twenty-one teams spent the last eight weeks competing to get to the final, double elimination round inside one of basketball courts within the MTA Sports Center. Nick Methven and Ryan Leaders on Team 13 took first place, granting them free admission to the next league. Bruce and Adam Chandler on Team 7 lost to Team 13 21-18.

Chandler is friends with DuBois and his family. Chandler also started playing cornhole in a similar way. He said that he first played at backyard barbeque four years ago. He said that he’s played with the DuBois family a lot since then and their families have a lot of mutual friends. He said that in the last two years, he’s really started getting into it.

“It’s a fun game. It’s not very exhausting,” Chandler said. “I appreciate the simplicity of it.”

Chandler said that he’s still getting used to playing it indoors but he thinks it’s a great way to get out of the house and move around during the wintertime.

“It’s a weird game to play without a beer in your hand,” Chandler said with a laugh.

He said that it’s also a great way to spend time with your family and meet new people, giving you something to do every week. He said that people who live in Alaska can have a tendency to get “cabin fever” during the long colder winter so an easy, indoor sport like this ideal.

“It’s just something else you can do in the winter time,” Chandler said.

The next cornhole league begins March 26 and it will cost $89 for each team. Leagues last eight weeks. Anyone interested in joining the MTA Corn Hole email list can contact Imoe at simoe@mtasportscenter.com.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com