News around the league:
The next ACL season is quickly approaching as this “lengthy” off season comes to a close. Here is the latest news!
-Eric Anderson and Ryan Smith announce they are joining forces for the 2021-2022 season. Anderson and Smith have played several Open and Pro qualifying events together and have shown flashes of their potential as a doubles team. Both players are extremely talented singles players, but lacked doubles performances that would live up to their lofty standards. They will be throwing BG bags again anchoring a “team” consisting of Eddie Grinderslev, Kaleb Batson, Sam Finley and Rosie Streaker.
-Frank Modlin announces his doubles partner to be Austin Schlobolm. Austin, a familiar face from ACL college events, is coming off an impressive ACO season. Mild mannered, well-spoken and a killer on the board, this partnership makes sense. Yet another powerhouse doubles team is thrown into the mix making next year’s doubles competitions nearly impossible to predict.
-Zero Gravity continues to make some noise. The new West Coast bag company adds to their already strong group of players by signing California based players, Brevon Valdivia and Tyler Parent. Valdivia started the previous season hot, hoping to solidify a top 20 spot, but ultimately fell off pace and finished a very respectable 42nd. As a doubles team they showed chemistry on the board and showcased multiple impressive wins. Coming off a top 20 season where they finished 17th, Valdivia and Parent offer some stability to the young but talented group.
-Cheyenne Renner and James Baldwin form a strong doubles team for the 2021-2022 season. Baldwin, coming off a World Championship Doubles Title, offers experience and stability for a player with immense talent, like Renner. Renner has already made history by making it to the finals of the Single’s world championship, but will now look to further improve her impressive resume by competing for a doubles title. Are they a top 10 team right away? I am going to say no…but after a National event or two….I am sure I could be proven wrong.
-Jordan Camba is officially suspended from ACL pro events for next season (and rumor has it he won’t be the only one), but that didn’t stop new bag company, Alpha Bags from signing him to a deal. Alpha Bags has been quite active on social media and has been putting products in the hands of players across the country.
-Austin Reynard flashes a contract of 100k that he and doubles partner Mike Jacques signed, just yesterday. The catch? Austin, who is widely known as the owner of Killshots Cornhole, won’t be throwing his own brand. Instead they signed with a new Bag company called Strive Cornhole. I am certain there is more to this deal than meets the eye, but it will be odd to see “Mr Killshot” throwing a bag series that doesn’t sound like it came out of Call of Duty.
-Steven Bernacet and Tom Gustafson, Steven specifically, has teased a new sponsorship with a bag company. Be on the lookout for this! This is yet another team that Ultra Cornhole was unable to retain after their bags were just starting to make regular appearances on broadcast courts.
-Trey Ryder (have you heard of him?) posted that the application submissions for pro status have been selected and will be announced next week. It is a nerve wracking time for many. Hundreds of applications have been submitted for what sounds like 59(ish) spots. I will be interested to see not only who is selected, but also, based on their selections, what was taken into consideration while selecting. Is it simply performance on the boards this past season? Did they take into account player popularity or marketability? Do they get a bump if they were part of the OG ACL pro clan? Time will tell. Best of luck to all who applied!
Well there you have it! I will continue to do my best to keep you all updated! If you like what you are reading, tell a friend! Share, like, comment, follow us on social media! We appreciate all the support!
Cheers Cornhole Family
As always, I hope you throw it straight and it’s nothing but 4 baggers from here on out!
-Sean
