When Chad Littlewood of Clinton City opened his small cornhole business, Allcornhole, in 2014, he had no idea this backyard game would turn into a professional sport. But cornhole is changing the competitive world with two boards and eight bags. 

It’s an activity commonly seen at tailgating parties and barbecues. In recent years, cornhole has also become a legitimate sport with professional players and live tournaments on ESPN.

Cornhole starts with two rectangular boards with a hole centered near the top, tilted at an angle and set 27 feet apart. Players take turns throwing four 1-pound resin-filled bags until one of the players reaches 21. The American Cornhole League, which established the official rules of the sport all over the world, has a simple motto: “Anyone can play and anyone can win.”

Winning can pay off. The ACL sponsors tournaments from North Carolina to California and awards points that qualify players to be in national ACL rankings. The ACL pays professional players at the end of the season, and the total payout per season can be up to $1 million.

“Anyone can play this game and get good at it,” said Hooper resident Shane Kearsley, regional director of ACL who started Northern Utah Cornhole, a local league, in 2018. Kearsley describes Northern Utah as a competitive cornhole league that has been formed to bring new people together in order to help grow the sport in Utah and help everyone play more competitively. Kearsley competes regularly and placed first with his partner, Jim McKinnon, during a tournament on Oct. 4. 

“The hardest part of throwing in big tournaments is keeping your head in the game and not letting nerves dictate how you throw the bags and have fun doing it,” he said. 

Frank Modlin, of North Carolina, is considered a professional cornhole player by the ACL. He competed in sports all his life but likes the competitive side of cornhole without the physical aspect that other sports bring. Modlin has said that the best part of being a “pro” player is the different opportunities, such as being able to travel, meet new people and being seen as a “famous” person. 

“I have people looking at me in a different light, and if it wasn’t for cornhole, they would have never seen me in that same light,” Modlin said. 

Being on live television is no joke, and Modlin knows that very well. Being on stage in front of a live audience and on live television is hard to ignore. 

“Once the game starts, you dive in and tune everything and everyone out,” he said.

Modlin and Allcornhole, now among the largest seller of cornhole bags and boards in the country, have collaborated to create the most popular bag among the cornhole community: the Gamechangers. Gamechangers, according to professional cornhole players such as Modlin, live up to their name and continue to impact the performance of players while improving their throwing skills. 

“It gives me a great sense of pride knowing that we are providing a quality product that people really enjoy using,” Littlewood said.

Littlewood hopes to be the largest cornhole company in the USA by 2023. Kearsley has also been invited to be on a brand-new ACL director/player committee. 

Learn more online at https://www.iplaycornhole.com/