Eric Ryder

Eric Ryder's Cornhole Biography

I am ACL Pro Eric Ryder from the Carolina Conference and this is my story of how and when I started playing cornhole and worked my way up to an ACL Pro. Back in 2009 I was invited to a friends house for a cookout. He had some cornhole boards made and pulled them out and explained the game to me. I had never heard of cornhole prior to that day. We played all afternoon and I was hooked. I bought my first set of 2x4/plywood Red Sox boards with corn bags and started playing in the neighborhood with neighbors. Soon heard about a tournament that Trey and I would play in and get our butts handed to us. We met some good players and learned about throwing a flat bag and resin bags and how there were tournaments every week in the area. It was at that point I knew this was a game I would be playing for a very long time.

Cornhole Achievements:

2016-2017 ACL Top 10 Season Singles finish

2017 ACL Championships of Bags Top 20 finish

2017 Norfolk ACL National Top 5 finish

2017 Las Vegas ACL National Top 5 finish

2017 Las Vegas ACL National 2nd place finish in doubles

2018 ACL pro invitational Coney Island NY 2nd place

2018 ACL Championships top 20 finish out of 600

2019 Carolina Conference #1 Doubles Champions

Numerous 1st place ACL finishes at both a local and regional level, in both Singles and Doubles.

Many 1st place finishes at local non ACL events.

Having been diagnosed with Esophagus cancer January 2019 this past season as a pro was difficult. My game suffered badly and by far my worse season but i keep battling and keep playing.

About Me

Most Memorable Moment

I have had many but as a cornhole player my most memorable moments would be playing on ESPN and having the opportunity to be interviewed on various news outlets and radio.

Nickname

The Reaper

Turned Pro

Dusty Thompson

Preferred Bags

Gladiator Empire Pro VIII, Gladiator Dagger Pro VIII and Gladiator Predator Pro v2

Favorite Color

Orange (Go Tigers!!)

Favorite Hobby

Working out!!

Favorite Food

Pizza, Steak and Japanese

Occupation

Gladiator Cornhole Gear founder, QA Manager Wells Fargo

Hometown

Lake Wylie, SC

Favorite Player

I respect and admire the talents of many and there are certain players I like to watch.

Favorite Shot

The curve bag, bully bag and long push bag.

Mentor

Dusty Thompson; what most people do not know is that Dusty was one of the first people I saw play at the elite level and back when i first started he was the best in the area.

THE BEST ACL APPROVED CORNHOLE BAGS

AllCornhole GameChanger
$70.00
4.98out of 5
AllCornhole All-Slides
$58.00
4.94out of 5
AllCornhole GameChanger Steady 2.0
$70.00
4.87out of 5
AllCornhole Slide-Rite
$52.00
4.89out of 5
Fire Incinerator
$65.00
Fire Heat
$65.00
5.00out of 5
Lucky Bags Surefire
$140.00
Reynolds Pro X
$65.00
4.60out of 5
Local Demon
$60.00
5.00out of 5
Local Cougar
$60.00
4.67out of 5
Gladiator Dagger
$70.00
4.86out of 5
Gladiator King Cheetah
$70.00
5.00out of 5
Reynolds Pro Advantage
$65.00
4.79out of 5
Reynolds Pro Excel
$65.00
5.00out of 5
Reynolds Victory
$65.00
4.77out of 5
AllCornhole GameChanger Steady
$70.00
4.85out of 5
Magnum Double Slick
$65.00
5.00out of 5
Titan Stampede 2.0
$70.00
4.50out of 5
Reynolds Patriot
$65.00
4.57out of 5
Titan Devastator
$70.00
4.83out of 5
Titan Grizzly
$70.00
4.88out of 5
Reynolds Pro AV
$65.00
4.43out of 5
Big Daddy Karnage
$65.00
4.00out of 5
Big Daddy Rival
$70.00
5.00out of 5

RANDOM PLAYERS

Scott Schultz
SouthEast Conference

Scott Schultz
SouthEast Conference
I am ACL Pro Scott Schultz from the Southeast Conference and this is my story of how I became a professional cornhole player for the American Cornhole League. I began playing Cornhole while I was at UCF with some of my buddies. I was hooked from there and with a competitive side from my younger days of competing in tournaments almost every weekend for bowling, I knew this was something that I wanted to pursue.
I won multiple state championships in NY for high school, regional tournaments for the northeast, many finals appearances from ages 14-21, shot my first 300 game when I was 15 at the largest tournament of the year on the east coast, had numerous 300s and 800 series.. But nothing compared to bowling for a team in college and traveling the country, I bowled my first 2 years and held the highest average among rookies in the nation for a smaller school called Briarcliffe College on Long Island in NY, where I grew up. Then I moved to Orlando to join the top ranked college team in the country for 2 years. Since then, I have lived in Florida (mostly in Orlando and West Palm Beach) and recently moved to the Jacksonville area.
I learned my stance and how to throw from several different people. First, John Artz and Danny Dow in Orlando showed me some things, then after a little bit, Rosie Streker taught me how to hold the bag the way that I still do today.
I’d like to thank John, Danny and Rosie as well as Davis Streker for pushing me to be better. Davis was the person that pushed for me to start traveling in this game and try to become a pro. He has always helped anyone that wants to learn and get better, he spends almost all of his spare time running tournaments and helping new players! Thank you!
For the past 5 years or so, I have been competing in Cornhole at the highest level against the very best players in the world. I have won and placed in some very large tournaments around the nation over the years, including an ACL national title in crew while playing on ESPN. I am happy to be an ambassador for the game of Cornhole while we are still in the pioneering stages of it becoming one of the most popular games played around the world.
I earned pro status back in 2015 and look forward to continue representing this game with the highest integrity on the highest level for some time to come.
Look out this year for me and my partner Dalton Mcklem in doubles this season! We’re ready to make some noise!

Contact

Office

AllCornhole and Razors

Home

Blue

Email

Bowling, basketball, kickball, gym. I enjoy the beach and watching tv shows like the office and breaking bad

Skype

Chipotle, Pizza, sushi and of course Chicken Parm!

Location

Delray Beach, FL

Check Skills

airmail

blocking

drag

slide

push

Devon Harbaugh
Mid-East Conference

Devon Harbaugh
Mid-East Conference
I am ACL Pro Devon Harbaugh from the MidEast Conference and this is my story of how and when I started playing cornhole and worked my way up to an ACL Pro. I started at a local campground, and a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to start traveling.

Contact

Office

Reynolds Pro Advantage

Home

Blue

Email

Cornhole with my family

Skype

Mac & Cheese

Location

Greencastle, PA

Ashley Brown
TeamAddicts Brand Ambassador

Ashley Brown
TeamAddicts Brand Ambassador
I am TeamAddicts Brand Ambassador Ashley Brown from the Mid-South Conference and this is my story of how I started playing cornhole. I got started playing cornhole in a social league with friends and quickly caught the bug. I bought some bags and a set of boards and started hauling them around with me to my other league sports - kickball and softball at the time. My friends and teammates were always practicing in between games and I just loved playing - I needed more cornhole in my life! I wandered into an ACL Regional back in October 2021, not realizing how quickly I'd be put to shame... And I was. To this day, my cornhole friends and I still joke about how awful I was at that Regional ("It was real bad..."), but it just made me work harder, practice longer and want it more! Playing this game has been difficult, but rewarding, and I love it. I guess you can say I'm a #CornholeAddict

Contact

Office

Karnage - Big Daddy Cornhole

Home

Neon Green

Email

Cornhole!

Skype

Filet Mignon & Wedge Salad

Location

Knoxville, TN (originally Newport Beach, CA)

Josh Bordelon

Josh Bordelon

I am ACL Pro Josh Bordelon from the SouthWest Conference and this is my story of how and when I started playing cornhole and worked my way up to an ACL Pro. Playing in the backyard early Summer of 2018, I decided it was time to search for some tournaments in the New Orleans area only to find that their really wasn’t much competitive. I decided to start my own league (GNO Cornhole) and it has taken off over this past year. Since then, I have traveled to a couple Conferences and Nationals to gain experience and improve my game to achieve enough points to qualify to be an ACL Pro. I am grateful for the ACL for giving me this opportunity and look forward to many great experiences along the way to improving my game as a Pro.

Contact

Office

Locals

Home

Blue

Email

Cornhole, Darts, and any other competitive sports

Skype

Sushi

Location

New Orleans, LA

Check Skills

Competitiveness

Sportsmanship

Strategy

Blocking

Push game

slide game

airmails

Rod Jara
TeamAddicts Sponsored Player

Rod Jara
TeamAddicts Sponsored Player
I am TeamAddicts Sponsored Player Rod Jara and this is my story of how I started playing cornhole. I got started in cornhole in 2018 when my g/f's mom at the time used to bartend at the Lacey Elks. She told us about a cornhole league starting up and wanted to see if we were interested. Up to this point, I had maybe thrown 5 cornhole bags in my life at backyard BBQ’s. Needless to say, it was something completely new to us. Nevertheless, we joined the league as it was something new and social for us to do. My first season, I was BAD. If I landed 1 bag on the board out of 10 throws, I was happy. The league was run by some great people that are still close to us today. By the end of the 1st season i had developed some what of a flat bag and knew I wanted to give it another go. So we came back for our 2nd season. That's when I started learning more and applying more of my time to the game. I would ask everyone questions about how they threw, they would teach me how to stand, the hold, the release, etc. I really enjoyed it, even though I wasn't very good. By our 3rd season, I finished top 5 in our league and that's when i started playing in cornhole tournaments around NJ. I would partner up with guys from my own league. Everywhere I'd go, I'd get rocked. But i enjoyed playing and learning so I kept at it. I then joined the ACL and played in the competitive division for a year. I won numerous regionals in singles, until our director bumped me up to advanced in 2020. Covid then hit, and everything went virtual. That's when I would practice 5+ hours a day in my backyard. I LOVED practicing! I would take the fastest bags i had, all the way to the slowest bags, and i would make myself adjust to the conditions. The ACL then opened things up again and we started going to conferences and opens all around the country to compete against better competition. I now play in the advanced division and hope to work my way up to the PRO division soon.

Contact

Office

Seva Serpents

Home

Red

Email

Watching soccer or cornhole

Skype

California Cheeseburger.

Location

Toms River, NJ

Allison Peters
Carolina Conference

Allison Peters
Carolina Conference
I am ACL Pro Allison Peters from the Carolina Conference and this is my story of how I became a professional cornhole player for the American Cornhole League. I started playing cornhole at my apartment complex when I first moved in. It was basically... you pick a partner and you stay on the boards as long as you were winning. One day, someone came to the pool and said there were tournaments here and if we are good enough that we should check them out. I went to the first couple and watched but quickly became enthralled with the game. December 2018 was my first real tournament. The rest is history. I was hooked and playing as much as I could play daily and weekly.

Contact

Office

AllCornhole GameChangers

Home

Blue

Email

Cornhole & Running

Skype

Steak

Location

Kernersville, NC

Check Skills

slide

curve shot

airmail

Mike Kitzmiller

Mike Kitzmiller

I am Mike Kitzmiller ACL Pro from the MidEast Conference and this is my story of how and when I started playing cornhole and worked my way up to an ACL Pro. Started playing tailgates 10 yrs ago slowly got involved with local tourneys!!! 5 yrs ago started getting more serious getting in bigger tournaments which kept growing more and more each yr and now entering the Pro Level is a big step and looking forward to the challenge

Contact

Office

Reynolds Pro Advantage

Home

Orange

Email

Hunting, fishing, gardening and woodwork

Skype

Steamed crabs

Location

Littlestown, PA

Check Skills

Slide

Blocking

Airmail

Richard Bushway
NorthEast Conference

Richard Bushway
NorthEast Conference
I am ACL Pro Richard Bushway from the Northeast Conference and this is my story of how I became a professional cornhole player for the American Cornhole League. It all started some time in October 2017. A cousin of mine told me that they play a cornhole tournament on Wednesdays at the winners circle. I had no idea what cornhole was and ended up going after that I was hooked. Now you can see me play anywhere in the northeast.

Contact

Office

Slide-Rites

Home

Purple

Email

Any physical sport

Skype

Steamed Lobster

Location

Haverhill, MA

Check Skills

slide

block

airmail