Cornhole Fri Sep 16 2011
Chicago Way Ahead of the "Cornhole" Curve
The popularity of "cornhole" may just now be reaching the east coast but the Midwest -- or "flyover states" as so nicely put in the New York Times -- has been playing bags (as we like to call it in Chicago) for quite some time. In fact while they may now just be discovering the fun to be had throwing around some beanbags, we Midwesterners have already mastered the game with a beer in our hand and producing homemade boards. New York was introduced to the popular sport when FOX News anchor Bill Hemmer was introduced to the backyard game on a trip back to Cincinnati. One could say Hemmer brought the cultural phenomenon of cornhole to the East Coast.
Hemmer even brought several sets of cornhole back with him for his cowokers at FOX News.
So when the cool weather finally clears and the evenings grow longer, Chicago bars all around the area and into the suburbs open their outdoor areas and offer complimentary bag sets for patrons to use. Some bars even have regular bag tournaments.
In fact, the area has its own Chicago Cornhole league that plays on a year-round basis.
The game itself is very simple to learn and most people play the same rules or variations of them. The most difficult part of the game is figuring out your form when tossing the bag. People have all different ways of tossing such as the arc, or the slide but the most important thing to do when tossing bags is to keep your form, and stay consistent.
For the Midwest, playing bags usually goes hand in hand with drinking. Most of the time people play games where keeping a beer in hand at all times is required. Others just drink constantly while playing to "help" their game.
It seems safe to say that even though some people may consider the Midwest nothing more than flyover states, we know how to have some good ol' fashioned fun in the backyard tossing around some beanbags.
— Breeann Tuch
