Cornhole championships start today in Rock Hill — plus air guitar, ax throwing, wiffle ball
The American Cornhole League (ACL) World Championships are returning to Rock Hill on July 29 through Aug. 7 — with a bigger purse, more fanfare and a handful of celebrities. That’s right — eight celebrities including former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler, reality television Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and musician Ben Rector are competing in SuperHole III, a cornhole tournament that pairs celebrities with ACL pros.
But there’s more: On Aug. 5, two hours of the ACL World Championships and an 12.5 additional hours of sports will be broadcast live from Rock Hill. It’s all a part of ESPN’s infamous The Ocho, where lesser viewed sports such as kickball, ax throwing, wiffle ball, bullshooting (similar to darts), quadball (think Quidditch), break dancing, dodgeball and air guitar take center stage for 24 hours, airing on ESPN2.
“It’s something I’ve been talking about with ESPN for a while,” ACL Commissioner Stacey Moore told CharlotteFive. “I thought it would be cool to have a lot of these Ocho day sports live from Rock Hill. Hopefully the public will get behind it and come out and tailgate and have a great time watching these great sports.”
Cornhole grows in popularity
Since forming in 2015, the ACL has achieved one milestone after another — including the first ACL World Championships in 2016, an ESPN2 debut in 2017, airtime on ESPN’s main network in 2018 and airtime on CBS beginning in 2020.
“We’re closing in on 2,000 players from 48 states,” Moore said. “We expect well over 1,000 fans a day during the World Championships.”
The World Championships finals will take place at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center on Aug. 6-7. While professionals compete for more than $300,000 in prize money over the week, each celebrity will play to support the charity of their choice.
Former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie is among the celebrities — he’s returning in hopes of defending his SuperHole championship earned last year. The celebrity lineup also includes former NFL running back Terry Kirby, UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, ESPN sports journalist Marty Smith and Dawn Staley, head coach for the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team.
Moore is especially excited to have Staley in the SuperHole championship. “It will be great to have someone with such great stature from South Carolina representing the state at this event,” he said.
The SuperHole finals will air live on ESPN2 from 8-9 p.m. on Aug. 5; first place will win $40,000 for charity, second place will win $20,000 for charity and others will win up to $10,000 for charity.
Air guitar, break dancing and dodgeball put Rock Hill on national stage
While the ACL World Championships are nothing new to Rock Hill, hosting Ocho Day is an exciting addition to the festivities. Moore has long pitched the idea to ESPN — once the network was on board, he started working with the City of Rock Hill. “The city has bent over backwards to bring this together and make everything work for ESPN,” Moore said.
Indoor events airing from the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center include ax throwing, bullshooting, break dancing, cornhole, dodgeball, and air guitar. Outdoor events airing from Manchester Meadows include kickball, wiffle ball, quadball, pogo, omegaball and Slippery Stairs.
Fans are invited to attend the ACL World Championships and The Ocho filmings. Before 2 p.m., events in the arena are free. Tickets for the SuperHole championship include admission to the dodgeball matches and air guitar competitions and are available online from $10 to $40. Food will be available from rotating food trucks at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center. Additionally, expect giveaways from Bacardi, Bush’s Beans, Johnsonville and Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
2022 ACL World Championships
Location: Rock Hill Sports & Event Center, 326 Technology Center Way, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Neighborhood: Rock Hill
How to watch: Friday, Aug. 5 at 8 a.m. on ESPN2; Saturday, Aug. 6 at 2:30 p.m. (pro singles championship) on ESPN; Sunday, Aug. 7 at 12 p.m. (pro doubles championship) on ESPN.
Instagram: @americancornholeleague
This story was originally published July 26, 2022 at 1:31 PM.
