All you need to know about Arizona ACL!

We are just getting started with the 2017-2018 cornhole season here in Arizona. With some local directors already starting to run events, players are getting excited about improving on last year's standings and knocking off the 2016-17 Player of the Year - Bagn Bill Hadley.

Our first event of the season is a little over two weeks away. The 2nd East vs West tournament will be a fun one. We'll be at the same venue as last year. Due to space, we'll limit the event to the first 40 total teams and 50 singles. There will be a women's singles, open singles, intermediate (competitive) doubles and advanced doubles. YES...there is a different between advanced and competitive divisions.

Like last year. we will be utilizing the point structure designed by the American Cornhole League (ACL) to determine the Player of the Year. Here's how you can earn points toward your state and national ACL ranking... (scroll through the images and read the descriptions below)

ACL MEMBERSHIP: You do NOT need to be an ACL member to earn points...I can't stress that enough. If you do want to be an ACL member then you get an additional 1000pts toward your overall ranking. Additionally, we give $5/tournament discounts to paid members at our participating events so your membership will pay for itself in no time. The annual membership is $25/year BUT on August 20th, I will be giving a 20% discount to anyone who signs up during the East vs West tournament.

LOCAL TOURNAMENTS: These are your weekly blind draws at participating locations and tournaments run by local directors and a few by KB Kornhole Games. 1st place in the advanced division at these events gets 30pts. Your TOP 10 FINISHES in local tournaments are counted in your overall ranking. Play as many times as you want over the course of a season and take your best 10 outcomes.

REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS: These events are hosted by KB Kornhole Games once per month - see our event listings. We'll include a singles tournament and a doubles tournament (either BYOB or Blind Draw, which is new this season). We'll offer multiple divisions at each tournament. 1st place in the advanced division of a regional earns 100pts. Your TOP 5 SINGLES & TOP 5 DOUBLES FINISHES in regional tournaments are counted in your overall ranking. We'll have 10-11 over the course of a season so you have plenty of chances to get big points!

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS: This is a NEW TOURNAMENT TYPE this year. We are part of the West Conference. Although the conference lines haven't been solidified yet, it's likely we will be in a conference with California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and (maybe) Oklahoma. 1st place in the advanced division of a regional earns 200pts. Your TOP 2 SINGLES & TOP 2 DOUBLES FINISHES in conference tournaments are counted in your overall ranking. There will be only THREE conference events during the season. Dates and locations are still being hammered out but I'm working hard to secure a Phoenix location. Here are some key points (1) ONLY players in your conference can compete in a conference event and (2) The TOP 16 players in each conference will get a FREE ENTRY into a $20,000 event at COBS next season. The TOP 16 will compete against the TOP 16 from other conferences for a share of the prize.

NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS: There will be 3 national events this year - one in the South, one in the Midwest and one out West. These will have guaranteed prize pools. Anyone in the country can participate in these events. The West coast national will (tentatively) be held at MGM Grand, March 16-18. This is going to be a huge event! I can't wait! 1st place in the advanced division of a national event earns 400pts. Your TOP 1 SINGLE & TOP 1 DOUBLES FINISH in national tournaments are counted in your overall ranking. For most players, the Vegas national will be the only opportunity to compete in a national event, so don't get too drunk, sleep in and miss the singles tournament!

CHAMPIONSHIP OF BAGS (COBS): This is the main event of the ACL season. This past year, ESPN2 broadcast COBS event live. The broadcast had over 340,000 viewers. I went to this event and the atmosphere was amazing and the talent was even better. I am hopeful we can get a nice west coast group to travel and compete this year. KB Kornhole Games will be offering a COBS sponsorship to 1 Arizona player this year. It is not necessarily going to be the top player. It'll be someone who represents us and Arizona cornhole in a professional way. Someone who can compete but also a player who we feel would be a good ambassador to the game and someone who would present themselves well on a TV broadcast. Sponsorship may include airfare, hotel, entry fees. We haven't hammered out all of the details but we are working with someone to get great package together.

That's all for now! Until next time...