West Conference

Josh Thielen

I am ACL Pro Josh Thielen from the West Conference and this is my story of how I became a professional cornhole player for the ACL.
My neighbor JD and I started playing in our neighborhood in 2017 on some aluminum boards. JD always kicked everyone's butt in the neighborhood, "bouncing" and airmailing bags at will. In the fall of 2017, a local bar hosted a tap takeover event with a cornhole tournament and of course, we had to go. Not only did we win the event, we landed our first sponsor as our neighbor Marc kept the cold beverages coming throughout the event. In the championship game, we played Jeff Chimienti and his brother. Jeff asked us to join the cornhole league he was starting, and so we joined the inaugural season of Pacific Coast Cornhole (PCC). During the initial months, we were focused more on the social aspects of the game but having the opportunity to learn from some of California's best players, we grew our skills and eventually took the game more seriously

Florentino Mendoza

I am ACL Pro Florentino Mendoza from the West Conference and this is my story of how I became a professional cornhole player for the ACL.

I started playing cornhole in 2017. I originally played horseshoe’s in California and when I moved to Arizona in 2017, my cousin introduced me to Cornhole. I started playing in tournaments and being very competitive. Then I started practicing to master the game. In 2021/2022 my hard work paid off when I was selected for the ACL Pro Development Cup.

Eric Tscherne

I am ACL Pro Eric Tscherne from the West Conference and this is my story of how I became a professional cornhole player for the ACL.
From Encinitas, CA, Eric Tscherne is a 1st year ACL Pro. Originally from Twinsburg, Ohio, Tscherne graduated from the University of Cincinnati and moved to Southern California in 1999. He is a member of the Diecast Hall of Fame and Toy Hall of Fame for his work as a Hot Wheels Designer from 1999-2004. He is also well known for his work on the hit TV show PAW Patrol where he was part of the creative team behind the show and the toys.

Eric was introduced to the game of cornhole 7 years ago while camping with his father and son YMCA Adventure Guides tribe The Mighty Wappo of the Redhawk Nation. His passion and love for the game grew from here as he went on to host several charity events and tournaments while camping with this group. This lead to hosting events for friends and neighbors locally in North County San Diego via his 4 In Cornhole club.

In 2017 he started playing more regionally with Dirty Bags. From here his game grew considerably. Tscherne's game really took form in the 2019-2020 season. He was committed to playing top level cornhole and traveling. Covid 19 did not stop Eric. He spent the initial months playing many virtual tournaments and performing very well. As restrictions lifted, Tscherne came out hot and won his first San Diego Advanced Regional in June 2020, besting a field of 4 current ACL Pros and 3 more who would become pros for the 2020-21 season. Tscherne carried that momentum into the ACL World Championships in Rock Hill, SC.. He qualified on Sunday via the 1st ACL Pro Qualifier.
Tscherne is a member of Team Ultra having thrown Ultra Bags for most of his career. His favorite bag is the Viper. For the 2020-21 ACL Pro season, Tscherne is teaming with Andrew Robinson. Robinson and Tscherne have partnered in the past as both players were coming up. Tscherne has claimed a singles Regional victory in the 2020-21 Season and is looking for more.

Tscherne is married to a supportive wife Geri. They have 2 kids Madelyn and Roxton.

Mcgwire Shepherd

I am ACL Pro Mcgwire Shepherd from the West Conference and this is my story of how I became a professional cornhole player for the ACL. I was introduced to the game through the father of an ex-girlfriend. Stumbled upon it and it was perfect for my competitive outlet.

Greg Collins

I am ACL Pro Greg Collins from the West Conference and this is my story of how I became a professional cornhole player for the American Cornhole League. Started playing competitively in 2018 at the age of 58. I Live in the Central Valley of California, in a small farming town called Escalon. I work in the Director of Sales for All West Select Sires which provides genetics to dairy and beef producers. In October of 2018, my wife, Tamara saw on Facebook, her friends, Maybelle and Paul Abplanalp playing cornhole and inquired to when and where. That night we joined up with the Manteca league and we haven't looked back since. I remember my first Regional tournament in West Sacramento, it flamed a desire to really build my game. We would often drive into the San Francisco Bay area to play in locals and regionals with ACL pro Blake Demale, Nick Renevitz, Ken Jones and Brett Holland all highly skilled players, they pushed my game. 2019 I competed in my first King and Queen competition in Madera, CA and also went to Spencer McKenzie's Throw Down and placed well in the lower bracket partnering with Raymond Thomas. That was my first experience around many pros, it was very inspiring. In November 2019, I played at my 1st conference in Las Vegas and was noticed by Richard Morgan and a couple months later Mark Pryor invited me to play as part of Team Ultra. I then went to my first National in Florida in January 2020. Then Covid hit and messed up the chase for many of us. I went to Cleveland only to have it cancelled. I did go to the Final Chase, in Rock Hill.
20/21 is my first year as a pro. Mark Pryor, Ultra Cornhole will be sponsoring me this season. The bags I throw best and most are Widow-B's because of the two sided options they give you. Slick side is fast but not to fast and the slow side gives a soft landing block. I will be teaming up with Rudy Ai to make our chase. We both started within 6 months of each other and live only about 45 minutes apart. We regularly play in the same clubs together, many times we have partnered and are at most all Western conference events together. We approach the game similarly with solid steady heads and a never give up resolve .
I have never believed in luck. I believe you develop your game by playing smart, practicing hard and competing against challenging players. It's fun. That's why you'll hear me say "Have fun" at the start of a game. I use the Bible verse Proverbs 27:17 as my motto "As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens the countenance of another..." I try to do this all day long not only in my game but in work and relationships also. So there you have it a little about me.