Harbus

Issue date: 10/9/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Sid D'Souza MSA Co-President Sid D'Souza shows off the prized Cornhole Classic trophies.

On Friday, October 12, 2007, teams of RC and EC students will compete on Spangler Lawn for the glory of being crowned as the Centennial "Cornhole Classic" champions. Participating teams will be raising funds to support research into treatments and cures for Fanconi Anemia and Pompe's Disease, childhood genetic disorders which have touched families from our HBS Community.

"Cornhole" (also called bags or baggo) has swept through the interior of the USA and now, courtesy of the Midwest Student Association and corporate sponsor Nationwide, makes its way to HBS for the annual "Cornhole Classic" charity fundraiser tournament and TGIF.

The game of cornhole gets its name from the signature one-pound bag -- traditionally filled with corn kernels -- that is tossed underhand at a slanted board with a grapefruit-sized hole cut into the middle of it. Teams of two compete from each RC and EC section (up to three teams per section) in a massive double-elimination tournament. Last year's champions from Old Section C will be out in full force to defend their title.

"Although HBS is very international, many people here don't get to experience the US outside of Cambridge, so it was great to have people experience a part of the Midwest at last year's Cornhole Classic," said Matt Rhenish (OC). "Of course, I enjoyed the event because we won - actually, we crushed the competition. We just hope our months and months of blood, sweat, and tears from training pay off this year as we dominate the RCs and go down in HBS' history."

Most cornhole afficianados argue that the game is incomplete without a cold beverage in hand, partly because of the social atmosphere of the event and partly because of the counterweight afforded to balance the player's toss. Corporate sponsor Nationwide will make sure that there are plenty of snacks and beverages for both the players and spectators.

Cornhole is played two-on-two, with each side throwing four bags each "inning." Opposing players alternate tossing bags. Players score three points each time they toss a bag into the round hole cut into the slanted board 27 feet away. If a shot lands on the board and remains at the end of the inning, the team scores one point; however, opponents can knock the other team's bags off the board to cancel points. In the Cornhole Classic tournament, the first team to11 points wins the match and advances to the next round.

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