Mesquite Senior Games hosts Cornhole tourney at Rec Center

ByJIM LUKSIC

The Progress

Mesquite Recreation Center was the site of the latest Mesquite Senior Games (MSG) Cornhole tournament on Saturday, April 20.

There were 10 teams – each consisting of a pair of participants older than 50. The youngest comprised two ladies aged 57; the oldest participant in the tournament was an 80-year-old gentleman.

Cornhole is a traditional lawn game wherein small bags filled with dry corn are tossed at a slanted wooden platform with a target hole at one edge.

MSG primarily uses American Cornhole Association (ACA) and American Cornhole Organization (ACO) rules and procedures for tournaments, according to Shaun Edwards, who served as event director. The April 20 competition was non-sanctioned.

They got underway as a six-game round-robin variety, followed by a single-elimination playoff – among a quartet of duos – to determine gold, silver, and bronze medal winners.

Electrical tape on the gym floor served as fault lines; players had to release the bag before stepping over the lines.
“Many players toe the line and throw without stepping, which eliminates the possibility of a foot fault,” explained Edwards, who organized most of the activities.

Gary Steele and Monty Dibble were a pair of Mesquite residents who took part – for the fourth time – in the MSG tournament on Saturday morning.

Dibble said he enjoys the “competition and meeting people,” while Steele added that cornhole is “a lot of fun that gets us off the couch.”

Elsewhere in the gym, supporting her husband Mike from the sideline, was Elaine Hall of Beaver Dam.
“We come to this event every year for the camaraderie,” she said.

Sandy Tudor, MSG president, said the number of cornhole registrants was typical – perhaps a tad less than usual because some local residents are heading to cooler climates. “It’s gotten to the point of snowbirds going back north,” she said.

There were official scorers at the end of each lane. As each game finished, the assigned scorers wrote final tallies on a scorecard, which were ultimately entered into a computer.
“I rely on other board members for their help, as we all work pretty well together,” Edwards said.