Midland resident James Findlay has a great sense of humour, but he's serious about cornhole.
Cornhole, an incresingly popular bean bag toss game, is one of the fastest growing sports in North America and Findlay is right on target.
The 34-year-old won the provincial singles title last weekend in Orillia (July 21-23) and placed second in the men's doubles competition with his cousin, Tyler Findlay.
The Findlays lost to the "the powerhouse team" of Glen McNutt and Dave Dunlop of Orillia.
All four men will be competing in the Canadian National Cornhole Championships in Quebec from Aug. 17 to 20.
"Maybe we will meet them there in Laval and have their number," said Findlay, referring to his Orillia rivals.
Cornhole has been growing as a competitive sport since the American Cornhole League hosted the first national championship in 2016. Since then it's spread to every region in the United States. It's now being played at the pro level with competitions being aired on ESPN.
In Canada, there are the Canadian Cornhole Leagues. There are member clubs in all 10 provinces and three territories.
Findlay got started playing cornhole in October 2021 when he noticed an ad for the Barrie Cornhole League.
"I said 'Let's give it a try.' We were coming out of the second COVID lockdown and over that long period of time we lost some socialness," he said.
It wasn't long before the former horseshoe player started entering contests. He said he was nervous and added that it didn't help that his friends were making fun of him competing in "bean bag toss."
Then he started travelling around to oenter competitions. He went in an international competition in Niagara which was part of the American Cornhole League (ACL), where he played and lost to a top-ranked player but gave them some serious competition.
Findlay loves the game because it's very social. He's met dozens of people and he enjoys travelling to tournaments, although players have to pay their own expenses.
"We all chirp each other on the courts but at the end of the day we are really good friends. That's what cornhole has brought us. Not just the social atmosphere but the friendships outside the court," said Findlay.
After his provincial single win, Findlay said he was surprised about the number of messages he received from as far away as Thunder Bay.
"I'm getting messages from everywhere with congratulations," he said.
Competitive cornhole is generally played indoors on courts. Players get three points for getting the beanbag in the six-inch diameter hole or one point if it lands on the four-foot wide board. Players bring their own bean bags and play on supplied boards. The distance to throw the bag is approximately 30 feet. The object of the game is to score 21 points.
It's an easy game to play, but hard to master, said Findlay.
Findlay plays with the Barrie and Orillia and Stroud clubs but after the nationals, he has plans to set up a North Simcoe cornhole league.
For more information visit the website: barriecornholeleague.com or canadiancornholeleagues.com/orillia/ .
