Sarah Buchholtz
Features Editor
On Saturday, April 19, WOO91 kicked off its annual cornhole tournament at 1 p.m. in the Hot Box gym at the Scot Center. Due to inclement weather, this year’s tournament was held inside but nonetheless prevailed. Teams that signed up were required to bring canned goods or personal hygiene items in order to be fully registered to be donated to the Wooster Hope Center and help out the Wooster community.
Cornhole players brought their canned goods to WOO91’s check-in table. Once they were all checked in, players had the opportunity to practice with the eight boards set up for the tournament. During this waiting and practice period, WOO91 played music that kept players hyped and ready for their competition.
“I am really excited, and a little nervous, about playing in this tournament,” said Mia McNiece ’29. “There is nothing I would have rather done on a Saturday.”
Before the first round started, a rendition of the national anthem was played on the sousaphone by Trevor Mullen ’26. After the anthem, general rules were stated by WOO91’s station manager, Peter Rothstein ’26. Standard cornhole rules were used: bags in the hole were worth three points, bags on the board were worth one point and the game used a cancellation scoring system, so the opposing teams’ points in a round canceled each other out. Rothstein emphasized the fact that going over the target score was fair game, as it helped move the tournament along faster. Unlike last year’s three sets, WOO91 had four sets of boards set up, making transitions smoother.
The first round soon began, with 16 teams facing off in the “Sweet Corn 16.” These games went to a set score of 13 points and were filled with some blowouts and some close matches. Some of the teams that got through were the “Ram Ranchers” and “CHUD,” which stood for Corn Hole Ultimate Dominators.
In addition to the main bracket, WOO91 also organized a losers’ bracket, allowing teams that were eliminated early to continue playing throughout the afternoon. This gave participants more opportunities to compete and stay involved, while also providing short breaks for teams that advanced in the winners’ bracket.
Up next was the “Elote 8,” with the set score remaining at 13. These games were filled with excitement, as teams had their eyes set on winning WOO91’s prize: a box full of trinkets labeled “The Stupid Box.” After a few long games, the top four teams remained.
The “Kernel 4” featured the teams “Jack Cooper,” “CHUD,” “Cirque du Mais” and “Bad Boys II: Corn to be Wild.” The set score was now moved up to 18 points, making the games all the more difficult and exciting. With close games on each end, the last two teams remained: “Jack Cooper” and “Cirque du Mais” were set to face off in the championship.
The final match went up to the regulated cornhole set score of 21 points. It was an exciting game, with the score going back and forth between the two teams. Toward the end, “Cirque du Mais” pulled away with a short lead that eventually secured their victory. Both members of the team, Leo Casalini ’29 and Cheyenne Wentz ’27, hit key shots that brought them the win. They were awarded the “Stupid Box,” which included small trinkets such as a pen, key chain, mini book and more. Wentz, who was eliminated in the first round last year, said this year’s victory was especially meaningful.
“I loved being able to go through this tournament experience with Leo,” Wentz said. “Last year I got out in the first game, so it was really a contrast to be able to go all the way.” Casalini echoed the excitement of the win, especially as a first-year participant. “It was a lot of fun,” he said. “It was a good time with friends, and I really enjoyed it.”
Beyond the competition, many participants highlighted the welcoming and community-driven nature of the event.“Everyone here is really funny,” McNiece said. “This is my first time meeting a lot of people here, and it’s been a lot of fun getting to know these nice people.” McNiece also emphasized the importance of the food donation requirement. “I think that is really important,” she said. “Food insecurity is a really big issue, so even collecting small amounts to help people in the community is really good.”
For organizers, the event required significant preparation behind the scenes. Amelia Behm ’28, WOO91’s promotions director-elect, described the coordination necessary to bring the tournament together. “We have to coordinate with the Scot Center to get the boards together and make sure we have enough equipment,” Behm said. “It’s a ton of fun and a great way to spend the end of the year when everybody’s kind of stressed out.”
Anna Lundquist ’27, assistant program director and future treasurer and program director for WOO91, emphasized the role that community plays in the event’s popularity. “It’s really fun to see all of our DJs get together and play some fun games of cornhole,” Lundquist said. “But more than that, it’s the community aspect that makes this event so special.”
WOO91 plans to continue the annual cornhole tradition and hopes to see even more teams participate next year in its 13th annual tournament.