Caspen Ford ’24 always wears Nike Jordan retros. Parker Dinan ’23 prefers Crocs, and Nathan Ritchie ’24 sports his HEYDUDE shoes.
Nathan’s twin brother, Westin ’24, is less worried about his footwear. He focuses on wearing his special “cornhole pants,” which are just sweatpants with his socks pulled up high.
“It's what makes us comfortable, and when you are competing, you don’t want to be distracted,” Caspen says.
It’s part cornhole fashion and part superstition for these four close friends, who are elite competitors.
“Playing competitive cornhole has taught me that everyone has something they can perform at an elite level in,” Parker says. “Competing with professionals and beating them sometimes has shown me that working at something can pay off if you put the time into it.”
The four students have represented Marietta College at multiple tournaments, including two American Cornhole League Championship appearances. The foursome competes as individuals and as partners. Parker and Nathan finished in ninth place at the College Championships, and the Ritchie brothers also finished ninth in doubles.
“We were one match away from playing on ESPN,” says Westin, who is majoring in Psychology.
Parker, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in May, will enroll in Marietta’s Physician Assistant Program in June. He looks forward to keeping the team together for one more year and making another run at a college championship.
“I am excited to be in the PA Program, and I’m glad to be at Marietta so we can continue to practice and compete,” he says.
Ford, Nathan, and Westin were classmates at Warren High School in Vincent, Ohio, but didn’t start playing competitively until college.
“We played in a few (Pioneer Activities Council) events at the College, and we won them all,” Westin says. “I told my uncle, who plays in a local league, and he encouraged us to play there. We won everything there — and I think we upset a few folks — but that is when Nathan and I realized we were pretty good at cornhole.”
They are so good that PAC representatives asked the four to refrain from playing in future events because the rest of the student body wouldn’t play if they were signed up.
“We are leaps and bounds better than everyone else on campus,” says Nathan, who is majoring in Management.
“We have won about every prize that PAC has offered at the campus tournaments,” Parker says.
Their dominance has been eye-opening. They have won as much as $1,000 at a tournament while traveling to competitions in Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
“Knowing what I know now, I can say without a doubt I would have started playing competitively at a younger age,” says Westin, who is majoring in Psychology. “Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing. It has been one of the best adventures of my life so far.”
They practice regularly to keep their game at a high level, and they continue to play locally against tough competition.
“The things I enjoy the most about competitive cornhole are the people,” Nathan says. “I have met many great people who have traveled with us all over the east coast. I also enjoy being able to compete at a high level without the physical strain that other sports have on the body.”
Caspen says competing on the national stage is nerve-wracking.
“To most people, it may seem silly to say that cornhole could cause so much pressure and nerves, but in some games missing a single bag could be the reason you lose,” says Caspen, who is majoring in Psychology. “I distinctly remember a game where I was shaking because it was the last round, and I needed to hit the shot perfectly. Cornhole is definitely a mental game.”
They have tried to increase interest in competitive cornhole on campus, but it hasn’t taken off the way they had hoped.
“We love doing it as a group because we get to pal around and see the country playing in tournaments,” Westin says. “I tell my classmates that this is something they’ll be able to play the rest of their life, so why not be competitive, too.”