SLIDESHOW: Second largest PNW Cornhole tournament hosted in Ballard
The Ballard Elks originally planned for their event, "Beers, bags & boards," to be the largest cornhole tournament in the Pacific Northwest. Instead, they got second largest.
Over 40 teams participated in the event, while the largest tournament -- the ALS Corntoss Challenge at Safeco Field on June 23 -- had 64 teams.
"I think we should've been first," Ballard Elk member Katrina Sigurdson joked. "This has been really great … we're hoping this is the start of more events to come."
What is "cornhole" exactly? It's a bean bag toss-like game where contestants must try to get the bag through the hole in the board opposite them. As for the name, it is quite literal; traditionally the bean bag is filled with dried corn. So, corn + hole = "cornhole."
The game is popular in the Midwest and is thought to originate from Cincinatti, OH, said Brian Thiel, coordinator for Cornhole Washington.