#aclpro

[sunsetspeaks]

Moments from ACL Pro: Day 2

On the way to the venue for the second day of ACL Pro, I’m checking Twitter on my phone. I turn to Petraeus. “People are asking what dedication means.” “Dedication just is,” he says. I nod. *** When we arrive at the venue, Rogue, Livi and I are outside having a cigarette. KingKong walks up to us. “Going to win, mate?” “Yes!” KingKong replies, nodding quickly, smiling broadly. “You get a trophy!” I say. “Yes! “Are you going to kiss it? Like GSL?” KingKong dissolves into giggles, blushing. *** A whole bunch of us are sitting behind Deth as he loses a really close game to PiG in the championship bracket. Deth takes his headphones off and turns to us. “Muta good unit,” he says. PiG trots past us to the bathroom. “I really like Thors, though,” Deth says, leaning back in his chair. “Really like MINES!” Rossi replies. *** Livi and I are sitting on the ground next to each other, watching the second game. “Do you want a lolly?” she asks, passing me the bag, “They’re sour bears.” I take a red one. Red ones of things are always good. “Do you want a lolly?” Livi asks Rossi, who’s sitting behind us. “No. I only eat Italian lollies.” *** “If I was good at StarCraft, I would hate playing you,” I tell Deth, “It’s very…” “Obnoxious?” “Yes. Suits you.” “It does.” “You can tell a lot about a person from the way they play StarCraft.” *** There’s something about sitting cross-legged on the ground behind your mates while they play. The downside, of course, is that your field of vision is rather limited. So when Rossi threw his headset across the table and yelped, I was ready for Rage Town – population: Rossi. Deth, in the middle of a game, took one side of his headphones off . “Rossi, did you win?” “Yeah.” So it’s like a happy rage. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen that. *** We’re watching PiG vs Iaguz and PiG is flying mutas around like hell, being relentless. Rogue mutters “Mutas…”, then turns to PJ from Blizzard ANZ. “Thanks.” *** I’m lining up to get a burger with every other nerd. After I place my order and pay, I turn to my right. Standing there is a man who is probably about 50 years old, wearing several League of Legends lanyards, staring right at me. My eyes widen questioningly. Do I know him? He just keeps staring – an old man wearing an excessive amount of LoL swag. Maybe he wants to kill me. Wouldn’t surprise me. I shuffle away. *** When Pet is down 2-1 in his semifinal - a best of 5 - I head off from watching the stream in the bar to downstairs, to see it in person. I spot Rogue outside having a smoke, so I shuffle on out there. “I just can’t watch,” she said. “I get too emotional.” I feel sorry for her, and steal a cigarette filter. It’s weird how all the females in the local scene roll their own cigarettes. And convenient. *** Kezz is lying on a sofa in the bar with a beer in his hand during the finals. “WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT THE FUCK?! HOW DID ROACH JUST BEAT ROACH HYDRA?! WHAT THE FUCK?!” he yells, rolling around on the couch, giggling to himself. *** The bartender calls last drinks, so I order two whiskey and cokes. For myself. Zorine judges me. Lovingly. *** Maynarde comes out after the final is over but the bar’s already closed. I offer him some of my second whiskey and coke, and he glares at it, but sips it anyway. He does not enjoy it. He’s a purist. My drinking habits will never be good enough in his eyes. *** After StarCraft is over and they kick us out of the licensed area, I head down to watch the final game of the finals of League of Legends. Down there is my mate Mirko. He heads up the Oceanic Riot office. I haven’t really spoken to him yet, and he’s not sitting with anybody. I sit with him and we talk about my writing – I’m writing this League of Legends thing but I hate it and the LoL community is so passionate, I’m worried I’ll offend them. When he asked me why I hate it and why I’m afraid, I have no answer besides “I don’t know,” which is stupid and not a good enough answer. I tell him I’ll finish it and send it to him, and if he likes it, I’ll release it. I’m not sure when I became afraid. So we’re sitting watching the last game. He’s explaining the compositions to me and we’re talking about games and it’s lovely. I like Mirko very much. He has a friendly aura and he’s easy to talk to. My StarCraft friends keep coming up to me asking me if I’m coming out for dinner, what I’m doing now, and I have to keep politely letting them know I’m watching this last game and they kind of don’t get it, which I understand. Me a year ago probably wouldn’t have got it either. *** After the game, my ride is ready to leave. I say goodbye to Mirko and make my way through the rows of chairs, clutching a Teemo hat which was handed to me by a friendly ACL staff member who decided that because I was talking to Mirko for so long, I should have one. I just like talking to people. I don’t need things. But it’s a fucking Teemo hat. When I get past all the chairs, I look up, and Pet is standing there with the most forceful glare I have ever seen on a human. “Don’t fucking judge me, Pet,” I hiss, “This is eSports too.” “I hate League of Legends,” he replies. *** Back at Casa Del Rogue tonight, Dippa’s made me some fucking vodka + lime concoction x 2. Pet’s been watching Jaedong’s VODs from WCS today. Just before he begins practicing for the night, he reaches into his bag. “I have some oranges, if anyone wants one.” I laugh too hard.

[nozerglingleftbehind]

So the best thing ever is happening...

Additional info can be found here. TL:DR version is it's an Australian qualifier for an international tournament created by Blizzard! (If I were to get top 2 in a statewide and top 2 again in a national tourney I would be flown somewhere in South Asia to compete in the oceanic tournament... and then if I do well there... flown somewhere else for the full international tournament).

But first things first... I have to get top 2 in a tournament in Sydney to get into the Australian qualifiers. The competition compared to my current skill level, is way better than me.

________________

There have been a few comparatively small tournaments in Australia, I never really got into the scene till now so I don't know a whole lot.

What I do know though is that this man:

(pic is a link to his liquipedia page)

Generally turns up to these Aussie tournaments, picks up the cheque and/or prizes and then goes back to wrestling wombats and meditating on top of an Australian mountain (the rest of the world knows of our mountains as smallish hills).

This is Moonglade! From team Invidia. He's the only Aussie I know of who has made serious waves in sc2 tourneys overseas. Definitely a nerding god.

... So I just have to get better than this guy! Till I get to the oceania tourney at least! ^^

I feel excited and frenzied thinking of this competition. I love this game and seeing a serious competition happening like this in my country... FUCK MY LIFE I WANT THIS!!!

I'll crush this tournament and take top spot plz! Brb practicing 8+ hours a day! ^^

(Though, I'm stupidly below the skill I'll need to win even the Aussie tournament at the moment, can't claim otherwise. FUUUUUUUUUUUUU SOMEONE GET ME A MONTAGE!!!!!)

[cornholeaddicts]

2021 ACL World Championship

The 2021 ACL World Championships are right around the corner. As this season of cornhole comes to an end, it's almost time to name the best players in the American Cornhole League and find out who will be your new 2022 ACL Pros! The World Championships will be August 2-8 at the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center located at 326 Technology Center Way, Rock Hill, SC 29730. This event is open to the public and has a player capacity of 1024 players. There will be 4 divisions of skill level: Pro, Advanced, Competitive, and Intermediate. Players are required to play in the skill division listed in their player profile, unlike Regional and Conference events where players can play in skill division events above their player profile skill level. If you are trying to become a Pro for the 21/22 season, here is how to qualify: - The top 100 ranked ACL Pros via ACL Pro Singles from the 2020-2021 season will automatically requalify for the 2021-2022 ACL Pro Division - The top 50 ranked ACL Pro teams via ACL Pro Doubles from the 2020-2021 season will automatically requalify for the 2021-2022 ACL Pro Division - Finish in the top 32 at the ACL Pro Qualifier at the 2021 ACL World Championships - Finish in the top 24 in ACL Open standings in 2020-2021 - Win a certified ACL Pro Conference Qualifier event (1 per ACL Conference) - All remaining spots will be filled via an ACL Pro Application, which can be found here  The ACL will carry a maximum of 256 Pros for the 2021-2022 season. Applications for the 2021-2022 Pro Division will remain open through September 1st, 2021. All qualifying Pros and accepted applicants will be sent an ACL Pro Contract no later than September 15, 2021. All contracts must be returned no later than September 30, 2021. Scroll to the bottom of the page for all the 2021 ACL World Championship results. They will be updated as winners are announced.

2021 ACL World Championship Schedule

DAY #1 - MONDAY - AUGUST 2, 2021 9 am - Intermediate Crew Cup Shootout - 64 teams max 9 am - Competitive Crew Cup Shootout - 64 teams max 2:30 pm - Intermediate Singles - 256 players max 4 pm - Competitive Doubles - 128 teams max DAY #2 - TUESDAY - AUGUST 3, 2021 9 am - Intermediate Doubles - 128 teams max 9 am - Competitive Blind Draw - 256 players max 3 pm - Competitive Singles - 256 players max 5 pm - Intermediate Blind Draw - 256 players max 6 pm - ACL Director Blind Draw - 256 players max DAY #3 - WEDNESDAY - AUGUST 4, 2021 9 am - Women’s Singles - 128 players max 9 am - Senior Singles - 128 players max 3:30 pm - Co-Ed Doubles - 128 teams max 3:30 pm - Big Blind Draw #1 - 128 teams max 5:30 pm - 70+ Senior Singles - 64 players max DAY #4 - THURSDAY - AUGUST 5, 2021 9 am - Women’s Doubles - 64 teams max 9 am - Senior Doubles - 64 teams max 9 am - Big Blind Draw #2 - 128 teams max 3 pm - Pro Singles 3 pm - Advanced Blind Draw - 256 players max DAY #5 - FRIDAY - AUGUST 6, 2021 9 am - Pro Doubles 9 am - Advanced Crew Cup Shootout - 64 teams max 3 pm - Advanced Singles - 256 players max 3 pm - Pro Blind Draw DAY #6 - SATURDAY - AUGUST 7, 2021 9 am - Pro Crew Cup Shootout - 64 teams max 9 am - Advanced Doubles - 128 teams max 4:30 pm - WCO World Cup - 14 players/conference 4:30 pm - Big Blind Draw #3 - 128 teams max DAY #7 - SUNDAY - AUGUST 8, 2021 9 am - ACL Pro Qualifier - 512 players max Additional Info - SCHEDULE: Schedule is always subject to change. Start times of events may be delayed if prior tournaments run longer than scheduled. - PLAYER FIELD: A maximum of 256 ACL Pro, 256 Advanced, 256 Competitive, and 256 Intermediate will be able to compete at this event (total 1024 players). - PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Pre-registration will close 7/31/21. - PLAYER CHECK-IN: All players must be checked in 1 hour prior to start time of event to confirm your place in your bracket. - PLAYER CONDUCT: All Players and Fans must abide by the ACL Player and Fan Code of Conduct. Read the Player and Fan Code of Conduct. HOTEL/LODGING: for the 2021 ACL World Championship event: Cambria Hotel Rock Hill located at 354 Technology Center Way, Rock Hill, SC 29730 Phone: (803) 324-0004 More hotels available here

2021 ACL World Championship Results:

2021 Pro World Champions Pro Singles – Pro Doubles – Pro Crew Cup – Pro Blind Draw – 2021 Advanced World Champions Advanced Singles – Advanced Doubles – Advanced Crew Cup – Advanced Blind Draw – 2021 Competitive World Champions Competitive Singles – Competitive Doubles – Competitive Crew Cup – Competitive Blind Draw – 2021 Intermediate World Champions Intermediate Singles – Intermediate Doubles – Intermediate Crew Cup – Intermediate Blind Draw – 2021 Women’s World Champions Women’s Singles – Women’s Doubles – 2021 Co-Ed Mixed Doubles World Champions Co-Ed Mixed Doubles – 2021 Seniors World Champions 70+ Senior Singles – Senior Doubles – Seniors’ Seniors – 2021 Man & Woman of the Year Woman of the Year – Man of the Year – 2021 World Cup World Champions WCO World Cup – 2021 New ACL Pro Players Whether you are an ACL member or not, if you are looking for the best, top of the line equipment to use in tournaments or just practice, check out our cornhole bags, boards, equipment and apparel. We are Everything Cornhole to Feed Your Addiction For more information on the ACL or to join, visit iplaycornhole.com Read the full article

[cornholeaddicts]

Playing Against Some of Cornhole's Elite Players

My Experiences Against Elite Players

What is it like playing against players that made it on an ESPN broadcast? Trey Burchfield, Brandon Corwin, Christine Papke, Ken Shaef, Curt Vogel and Brandon Bobilya, what do all these players have in common? They all made it to an ESPN broadcast and on along the way, had to face me on the boards. With Trey and Brandon just winning the Pro Invitational, I figured I would write about my experience and what it is like playing some of the best cornhole players in the game.  So, what is it like? Well, First, it is just freaking cool. Imagine sitting on your couch and drinking a beer and on ESPN there is two players that you played a month ago, winning it all! I cant think of too many other sports where that happens.  And Second, all the ACL Pros I have met have just been some of the nicest people and they are all committed to growing the sport. 4 baggers, airmails, blocks, push shots, airmail drags, yeah those are all in my repertoire of shots. But so is shooting an airmail and missing the board by two feet (Which is always caused by the wind, even inside by the way, LOL). The level of consistency that these elite level players throw at is truly amazing. I use to watch cornhole on ESPN and think "Hey I can do that." Then I realized that these players do that game after game, day after day, and that 8 point round was an oddity not the norm for them. Curt Vogel and Brandon Bobilya

Curt was the first player that I played against that had made it to an ESPN broadcast. I am not going to lie, it was a little imitating playing against him at first. I mean the guy just took second on ESPN and here I am throwing against him in my first regional. Curt and Brandon are two of the most constant "down the middle of the board" throwers that I have played against. I don't see a lot of flashy shots from them. But don't get me wrong, they both have strong airmails. They just don't have to use them often when everything is right down the middle and in the hole. Christine Papke and Ken Shaef

During my match against Christine Papke and Ken Shaef, I opened the game up with a 4 bagger and Christine threw a 10. BAM, I got 2 points and thought to myself. I got this! Playing Christine and Ken is like a death by a thousand cuts. They will wait till you make a mistake and capitalize. Christine is like a shark who smells blood in the water. A bag off the back, give her some points, missed push shot, give her some points. Ken tends to slow the game, he analyzes his shot, counts the points, and spends some time before he throws to make sure he throws the perfect shot. For a rhythmic thrower who just wants to land four bags on the board, playing a player like Ken, can really mess with your game. Trey Burchfield and Brandon Corwin

ACL Pros Brandon and Trey celebrating their win Trey is like a cornholing robot. He stands there, doesn't say much, and makes bag after bag in the hole. Brandon, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He is up there laughing, joking and giving my partners tips, all while scoring points. The game against Trey and Brandon was the most frustrating game I have ever played because they weren't playing their best, yet, I still couldn't score more than 6 points on them. It was at 10 am at a regional the day after conferences, a long weekend of cornhole. I don't know anything more frustrating, than having just to put a bag on the board for a point and throwing the next one short for a wash.  Experiences like these is what makes the game of cornhole so much fun for me. It's crazy how we get these opportunities to play against elite level players one minute and then we see and root for them on national television a few weeks later. Knowing that, if I continue to improve and throw my best bags possible, who knows, maybe you guys will see me on TV someday. Anyone can play, Anyone can win! Read the full article

[cornholeaddicts]

ACL’s Influence On Pro Player Sponsorship

I, like many, found out about cornhole in the backyard. My brother, Matthew played during gym class in high school and could not wait to share the new game with me when he got home. My girlfriend at the time, now wife, heard about the new game and bought me my very first set of boards and bags. I never thought that such a small purchase would lead to such a big change in my life. Fast forward 6 years Six years and thousands of bags later and I am now competing in the American Cornhole League (ACL) Pro Division with partner Tyler Poythress, and pitching sponsor opportunities to companies weekly. The ACL Pro Division has put a real emphasis on player sponsorship, in hopes of taking the professional aspect to another level. Sponsorship in sport is unique, but player sponsorship in a sport navigating uncharted territories is its own phenomenon. Accepting no….. for now When the ACL announced the inaugural Pro Division, it was encouraged that players contact local and nationwide businesses in hopes of receiving a sponsorship in exchange for a variety of ways of advertising. I had the perfect plan for my partner and I. I knew our worth, and I knew that we were easy to sell. We’ve had success at both the local and national levels; surely people would love to have their logo on our jerseys. Not so fast my friend. After contacting local businesses such as car dealerships and restaurants, I quickly became discouraged in that no one saw the benefit in sponsoring my partner and I. Four weeks out from the start of the season, I received great news that my real estate agent and his lending partner, Jenkins Real Estate Group, were on board and would love to sponsor me. Shortly after, a childhood friend and local business owner, George Mason Mortgage LLC, also agreed to come on board. 

We sincerely appreciate our sponsors support during the 2018-2019 season! Use social media to your advantage Social media is a powerful marketing tool and can be very effective in obtaining player sponsorship, if used properly. Tyler and I performed very well at National #2 in St. Louis winning the Crew Cup Shootout on ESPN with Derek Fateiger and Leslie McIver, and winning the Advanced Doubles division. My goal was to use our recent success to our advantage and attempt to lock in one last sponsor for the remainder of the 2018-2019 season. Using social media, I did just that. Tailgate Nation had a booth in the tailgating zone at the tournament in St. Louis, and after reaching out via Twitter – became interested in sponsoring Tyler and I for the rest of the season. Whether you are selling yourself to a local or nationwide business, social media can reach virtually the entire world – so use it to your advantage! Know your worth The definition of sponsorship is an individual or organization that pays some or all of the costs involved in staging a sporting or artistic event in return for advertising. So what are you worth? That’s the million dollar question. With professional cornhole being so new, it’s very difficult to gauge the value that you bring to the table for perspective partners. Logos on jerseys, awareness on social media, and acknowledgement in post-match interviews are all popular selling points for those seeking player sponsorship. I have been very lucky this season, in receiving an interview with the ACL on the Throwdown as well as an interview with 12oz Sports Tailgate Show. Both interviews provided me with another opportunity to endorse and advertise the ones that took a leap of faith with me. Knowing your worth moving forward is paramount in finding sponsors, because what you can do for them is equally as important as your skill on the boards!

Tyler Poythress on left and Jay Corley on right Don't Give Up, Keep Trying! Finding the sponsor that you’ve been wanting for years won’t happen overnight. Keep contacting prospective sponsors and raising awareness of what cornhole is and where it’s heading. You never know who is watching and what may happen. You will be turned away far more times than you will be told yes but keep working hard and it will pay off! Professional cornhole is still very new, but growing rapidly with each event. Make sure that you promote and endorse the ones that support you. Make an effort to produce long-lasting partnerships. Jenkins Real Estate Group, Allison Davis at George Mason Mortgage LLC, Southeast Clean Air Solutions, and Tailgate Nation – thank you for all that you do for Tyler and I! We sincerely appreciate your support during the 2018-2019 season! And thank you to Cornhole Addicts for offering me this opportunity to share my story. Be sure to follow me on social media: Instagram: Jaycorley_12 Twitter: Jaycorley_12 Facebook: Jay Corley   Read the full article

[cornholeaddicts]

Finding The Perfect Partner, part 2

So Slim says yes to be my partner (which I’m sure he regrets today). First road trip is to Delaware and Minquas Fire House. Guaranteed $1,000 to first place at $50 a team. It's the best $25 I’ve ever spent in my life. My first experience where the house loses their shirt. 24 teams show up, so you can do the math from there. And, it's a Fire House Fundraiser with 0 teams from the firehouse (I’ll do a blog on fundraisers later). I wasn't just going to the tournament with my new cornhole partner, was also going to support my first “big” customer. They bought 4 sets through Chipper (my brother brokering the deal) at a price that I will never say how much I did them for. At that time, it was Kitch, Bryan, and Farva as the owners of Delaware Cornhole. What I didn’t understand is the level of players I was going to play against. My partner and I are ready to win My partner and I roll out of the car motivated as all heck. We both kicked ass in league on Tuesday and did well the last tournament, so we are pumped and we got this. We start practicing with some dudes wearing Bag Bully shirts and they are shooting well. We have no clue who they are, but they are throwing airmails for every bag that we slide in. We think, okay cool, we got second easily. Glass half full mentality. The first game, we get this older guy and younger guy. The younger guy has ear buds in which was very strange to us, but we are legit as all can be. Slim is shooting against the younger guy and I got his father, LOL! I roll out with blocker after blocker that keeps getting pushed in. Granted, they are not actually "blockers", I am just throwing short. Now, we get out to a 14-0 lead, I told you we were good, wink wink. But lucky for us, this tournament was a best 2 of 3 because we ended up losing our first match, 21-14. But that's ok, we are still in it and we got this! Our second match, we get smoked, 21-4. I don’t remember that match, but I’m sure it wasn’t as epic as the first match. 0-2 we go, the first of many. Lovable Losers Bracket Thinking we were completely out of the tournament, we find out there is a “lovable loser bracket”. What is a lovable loser bracket you ask? Well it is awesome. You take the first “x” amount of teams out and they get a chance in a second bracket with people who didn’t succeed like themselves in the main bracket. Looks like we get another chance to redeem ourselves, or so we thought....... As we are waiting for more games on the loser side, we watch some games. We are mesmerized by some big lefty from Virginia and his partner who drove in from Kentucky. Really? We are in Delaware which is like a 10 hour drive for a 12:00 start. Why would anyone drive from Kentucky to play cornhole in Delaware? We get called for out 3rd game in the lovable losers bracket and who is it against, Dicky and Diane. Dicky and Diane are a totally beatable team looking at them, or so we thought but learned to never judge a book by its cover. Diane is as ruthless as they come on the boards. She smoked me and Slim didn’t do so well on the other end against Dicky.

So we are now officially losers in our first event in Delaware. But what we now know is when you get called against Team Lander, you are in trouble. From that experience we became very good friends with the Dicky and Diane. Don’t let Diane fool you, she will kick your ass and then be extremely nice about it. We played against top ACL Pros Looking back, we played a 20 team event with some of the best players on the East Coast. We later found out those Bag Bully dudes were Michael Lucas Jr and Michael Dinges. Talking with the younger dude I find out his name is James Baldwin and his partner is Allan “Rocky” Rockwell. John Kitchin played with Timmy Pitcher and then they lost to the Big Lefty and the Kentucky guy which turned out to be Jordan Camba and Derrick King. All players mentioned above are currently ACL Pros and some of them are featured right here on our page. Click there links to check out their profile pages. How’s that for a first event as legit partners? Camba, King, Lucas Jr, Dinges, Kitchin, Pitcher, Baldwin, Rockwell, and other players not mentioned who are legit great players. 8 ACL Pros at our first event as partners. Insane! What I did learn is that I’m not nearly as good as I thought. But I also learned the guys from Delaware run a great event. Delaware cornhole has hosted great events every time I’ve attended. The ownership may have undergone some changes, but their consistently has not. Dutch Destroyer was my most memorable event to date.

Check out www.DEcornhole.com for all their events and the leagues they run 5 days a week across the state. The boards they use are very good, either mine or Underwoody boards. I’ve got some friends for life in Delaware, keep it up Brian, Drew, Mike, and James. Read the full article