As part of a new initiative promoting Homecoming Weekend, Lafayette hosted a cornhole tournament in Lower Farinon for the first time this past Tuesday. The event was primarily run by the Center for Student Involvement with assistance from the Lafayette Activities Forum.
Seven people signed up for the event on the OurCampus website, but many entered in person and made teams last minute when the event began. The tournament was played in a standard cornhole format, doubles and first to 21 points. While the winners received bragging rights, there was a bigger prize, too: a chance to play a grand finale against alumni during Homecoming weekend. To top it off, the winners received trophies.
The event was fun to watch, and many Lafayette students stopped by during peak lunch hours in Farinon. During the early rounds, a group of Easton school district students on a field trip watched the event and played some cornhole on one of the other cornhole boards. The energy level was high with both the Easton High School and Lafayette students, and everyone had some competitive fun.
Scott Kushner, assistant member of Annual and Leadership Giving, directed the tournament. “This is a new event that’ll bring together students and alumni, and so far we think it’s been a great success,” Kushner said.
In the final round of the tournament, juniors Davis Moore and Matt Doane triumphed in an impressive display, winning 21-2.
Both Moore and Doane made many drain-o’s, which awards a team three points when a beanbag is tossed into the hole. A beanbag landing on the board but not in the hole is worth one point.
Their opponents were not to be overlooked, however. After winning a close match in the semifinals, a team switch took place for the finals due to one of the competitors having a class. While the finalists also landed many tosses on the board, a team can only score if they outscore the number of bags on the board, and Moore and Doane took advantage of that.
“We really put the bag in the hole today, and definitely had some fun,” Doane said.
Moore echoed how the tournament is an exciting way to bring students and alumni together.
“It was good to play alongside [Doane] for the first time, and we’re hoping to win against the alumni Saturday,” Moore said after receiving his trophy.
Moore and Doane now look ahead to Saturday’s homecoming final, which takes place in the Markle Parking Deck at 2:30 p.m., just prior to Lafayette’s football game against Holy Cross. The alumni participating are unknown as of now, but the final will surely be a fun and competitive event.
