Kaylee Hunter

Justin Stranger

I am Justin Stranger ACL Pro from the Atlantic Conference and this is my story of how and when I started playing cornhole and worked my way up to an ACL Pro. I am a high school student and a professional cornhole player. I’ve been playing for approximately 3 years.

I partnered with Shawn Smith in the Pro Doubles Division for the 2019-2020 season. I am partnering with Tony Smith in 2020-2021 season.
I got my start like most people did, playing in my backyard with my dad on bouncy boards with corn bags and sometimes at breweries my dad liked to visit until someone from his work invited us to play some blind draws. In August 2017, my dad and I started plays $5 blind draws with handicaps on Monday and Thursday with Carroll County Cornhole run by Brian “Fitz” Fitzsimmons. That is where I met my cornhole mentor, Bob Mallonee, who is also going pro this year. Once I started mastering some of the basics, my dad and I started playing in tournaments, mostly in social divisions, if they had them. Around 6 months in, I started to get pretty good and people were asking my dad if I could partner with them. I started having some successes, which included placing in and winning events. I then heard about COBS and really wanted to go. My dad kept saying “let’s see.” In June of 2018, there was a local tournament called “Jack Taylor” that had juniors. My goal was to win that and prove to my dad, I should go to COBS. I came in second. However, I played in the competitive division with a another non-pro and we finished 4th in a group that included Timmy Pitcher, Leston Allen, Frank Modlin, John Kitchin, Jordan Camba, Jay Corley and other high level players. After the event, my dad said we were going to COBS because even though I was not happy with my junior’s performance and seemed down, my dad was proud of me for fighting back, never quitting and playing hard in a stacked division. I went to COBS, went 3-2 in Junior’s singles. My dad and I met a lot of good people, got a lot of advice and I fell in love with cornhole.

So we decided that in 2018, I should focus on the ACL and the Junior’s division. In my first month of the season, I was fortunate enough to be able to play a Regional with ACL Pro John Kitchin (still one of my favorite players), who I thank for taking a chance by playing with an unknown 14 year old. Early in the season, I had quite a bit of success in singles and doubles early in the season with Zach Owings, which helped each of us start to show our skills. I wanted to root him on at the ACL National College Championships that December, so my dad went on a search for someone to play with me, since Zach could not. He was able to get Seto Soto to play with me. We did pretty well and it enabled me to play against some top level players that I had been admiring.

During the rest of my first ACL season, I generally partnered with very good advanced players and ACL Pros, which included Ryan Smith, Dylan Wood, Matthew Morton, Leston Allen, Eli Stevens and my now Pro partner Shawn Smith. I capped my year off by winning the Junior’s Championship and on the way home, my parents and I talked and decided it was time to let me go Pro. So, here I am, an ACL Pro. I am looking forward to playing a sport I love, being an ambassador for the sport and teaching other to play the game, like the players in my cornhole club I just started at school.

Oh and just so you know, I still play some tournaments with my dad and I still play with Carroll County Cornhole, but we’ve gotten rid of handicaps because there is no need. There are great players there that challenge and push me. If you’re ever in my area, I recommend coming out to play with us on Tuesday nights! (Once COVID restrictions are over)

Tyler Bockholdt

I am ACL Pro Tyler Bockholdt from the Great Lakes Conference and this is my story of how I became a professional cornhole player for the American Cornhole League. When I was 18 years old I met Vince Pacione through friends of friends in high school. I overheard someone talking about playing bags over the weekend and stopped and asked where because I love to play in my backyard. Alspa told me about a weekly blind draw (totally foreign to me at the time) that happened every Monday night just 20 minutes from my house. This was not an ACL event, rather one sided bags and bouncy boards but it was all I knew! Later when I saw all the talent at this bar, I found out that a lot of these players played nationally and at other establishments almost every day of the week!
This is when I met Vince Pacione at the bar called Katie O’Connor’s (presently called Backroads). Winter came and I didn’t play for a couple months but got a text message from Vince that there is an indoor event that he’s starting and he wanted to see me there! I went for the first time on _______ and it wasn’t until then out about double sided bags and what the ACL was. I bought a set of bags from Rob Bev, he sold me Reynolds Pro Edge Speeds for $20 as a gift for being an aspiring newbie in the game.
Finally found myself playing weekly and then traveling a little more to other blind draws over the week. When I got my own set of boards I wouldn’t stop practicing until the street lights came on and I was ready for my first regional.
Since then it’s been about a year, moved from competitive (for only 2 regionals) to advanced ever since, playing against some of the best in the Chicagoland area.

Adam Hissner

I am ACL Pro Adam Hissner from the Mid-East Conference and this is my story of how I became a professional cornhole player for the American Cornhole League.

John Kitchin

I am ACL Pro John Kitchin from the NorthEast 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 playing cornhole in Philadelphia, PA during tailgates at professional sporting events. I was approached by a co-worker who was interested into getting me out to his local league on Tuesday Nights where they played $5-$10 Blind Draws. I instantly feel in love with the game and what competitive cornhole seemed like at the time. After I started doing well, I branched out playing in the more organized leagues & tournaments which led to traveling nationally to test myself against the countries best.
After 1 year of traveling, I found myself in a position to qualify as a Pro in 2016. After two seasons I made the jump to becoming an ACL Pro. I’d classify my years as an ACL Pro to be currently successful in regard to accolades but was fulfilled the most by representing our small section of the cornhole world and setting the example that truly “Anyone can play, anyone can win”.

CONGRATULATIONS to John for winning the 2019 Devour Man of the Year award!