$6K in payouts brings 78 teams to Medina Rotary’s cornhole tournament

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 January 2025 at 10:13 am

Provided photos

ALBION – There were 78 teams competing in three brackets on Saturday during the second annual cornhole tournament for the Medina Rotary Club at Dubby’s Tailgate in Albion. There were $6,000 in prizes, up by $1,000 from last year’s tournament.

From left include the top team in the A bracket and winner of $1,750: Brady Foster and Ken McConnell; B bracket winners ($1,000 prize) – Tyler McClary and Mike Beach; C bracket winners ($500 prize) – father-daughter team of Kristen and Wayne Wright.

Photo by Tom Rivers

Some of the cornhole take warmup tosses before a game on Saturday.

The event raised $3,000 to $4,000 for the Medina Rotary to give to community causes.

The Medina Rotary $6,000 Throwdown drew teams mostly from the Buffalo and Rochester area with some from Pennsylvania and Oswego.

The payouts included: A bracket (top players) – $1,750 for first, $1,000 for second, and $500 for third.

B bracket – $1,000 for first, $500 for second, and $250 for third.

C bracket – $500 for first, $300 for second, and $200 for third.

Medina Rotary President Peter Bartula talks with some of the players at the tournament. Bartula has been a regular in the Wednesday evening cornhole league at Dubby’s. The $6,000 payout in the tournament is one of the biggest for a cornhole tournament in Upstate New York, Bartula said.

Mike Beach, who helped coordinate the tournament, shares the winning 50-50 numbers and also Airmail ticket winners. Next to him from Medina Rotary are Jennifer Hill-Young, left, and Stephanie Mason.

Beach said cornhole has become very popular, especially as an indoor winter activity.

“It’s just a fun game,” Beach said. “You can hang out with your friends and make new friends. It’s like playing horseshoes with less wear and tear on your arms.”

There were about 200 people at Dubby’s Tailgate for the tournament. The two-person teams paid $80 for a chance to win the prize money. Each team played four rounds before going into a double-elimination playoff.

Brian Alexander, owner of Dubby’s, said cornhole is a big part of Dubby’s business. He said Dubby’s has hosted more than 9,000 matches since opening in late 2021. Dubby’s has room for 14 boards to be played at once.

Some of the players donated food that will be distributed from the food pantry at St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Medina.