 It certainly did not go quickly, but the Fearsome Foursome is in the books! The format, a combination of the Maryland Cornhole Organization's team tournaments, the ATP Tour's Davis Cup, and the ACO Slyder Cup, was put to the test this past Saturday at the Boundary Brewhouse. Innovation is possible in anything, even a simple backyard game! Here are four things from Pawtucket... 1. Thank you! I have noticed many facebook "thank you" posts since the conclusion of the tournament. Now, it's my turn! My biggest "thank you" goes out to John Moran who helped me run the event. John has been helping at several events lately and is vital to expanding Boston Cornhole in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Next up is the YARDiES team who provided the between-match entertainment with their Polish Horseshoes. We hope to partner with you guys again! Finally, thanks to all who played! It is a bit humbling to have players travel from CT, NY, NJ, and PA to play in one of our events. 2. The Asian Invasion is for real! The self-proclaimed "Rice Baggers" and Lance were in control from start to finish on Saturday. In the finals, the champs defeated a very strong CNY Cornhole Team. In 2015, Laba and Coyne always left New England victorious. In 2016, the Rice Baggers have topped them in two early meetings. That is not to take anything away from CNY Cornhole; as expected, they were a strong force taking the silver medal. Rounding out the final four were Drunk Before Noon and Southbridge Cornhole. I am a pleased that a Massachusetts-only team won this event given the competition. Pigeon, Lance, Henry, and Em represented the Commonwealth well. Oh, and two of the state's best players did not even play...the future is looking good in the Bay State! 3. Every Match Matters! My biggest concern heading in to this tournament was the points system. The worst case scenario was a log-jam at the top that would require complex tie-breakers to determine the teams that would advance. Fortunately, the points distribution worked extremely well and the finals of both doubles groups featured teams fighting for the last semifinal slot against extremely difficult opposition. The Southbridge team of Alex and Jose needed to win their bracket and get some help. They notched five points with a victory over Lance and Pigeon. In the other bracket, Fruit Loops' Jeff and Andy were in the driver's seat, but CNY Cornhole's Laba and Coyne double-dipped them out of the tournament as second place put them a single point behind Southbridge Cornhole's total. Last minute drama with big-time players hitting big shots at the biggest moments! 4. The tournament was too long! Overall, the tournament went well, but was definitely too long. In my opinion, no tournament should last eight hours. The next time we will need more space to accommodate more boards and hopefully more teams! Look for the next Fearsome Foursome this summer! |
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