The Peninsula Oilers will hold a cornhole tournament as a fundraiser Sunday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
Diana Tice, executive assistant for the team, first played cornhole in May 2017 at her daughter’s graduation. As soon as Michael Tice, Diana’s husband and the president of the Oilers board, and Diana returned home, Michael built a cornhole board.
Oilers general manager Victoria Smith was living with the Tices that summer. While cornhole was new to the Tices, it was big in Missouri and Texas where Smith grew up.
Oilers coaches also got into the game as the summer went along. So this year, with the team needing to raise funds, the idea of the cornhole tournament was born.
“There’s obviously a skill in throwing, and it’s nice to spend time outdoors, and it goes fairly quickly,” Diana Tice said. “In 15 or 20 minutes, you can have a round completed.
“It’s not how athletic you are, it’s just a fun time.”
With the team facing a big budget shortfall for next year, the Oilers are looking to raise money as many ways as possible and Sunday will be another attempt.
As of Thursday afternoon, 18 players were signed up and there is plenty of room left in the tournament.
The tournament will be double elimination and starts at 3 p.m. Competition comes in groups of two, with a $50 registration fee per person that includes a drink and meal voucher. Tossers must be 18 years old. The deadline for registration is Saturday at 5 p.m.
Registration forms can be found at oilersbaseball.com and can be emailed to diana@oilersbaseball.com or dropped off at the Oilers office at 601 S. Main St.
Corporate sponsorship forms also can be found at oilersbaseball.com.
The team and coaching staff will be at the tournament to keep score.
“We’ll also have an option where you can pay to have a player throw for you,” Tice said. “I’m not going to guarantee the players will be good, but it might be fun to have a pitcher try and toss cornhole.”
Tice said this is designed to be a family event. The beer garden will be open and there will be food available. There also will be kids activities, including the bounce house and batting cages being opened.
“It’s going to be a good bonding, community experience for our team,” Tice said. “Even if it doesn’t make a lot of money, it will still be that.”
There will be six sets of boards, some with themes like stars and stripes, used for the tournament. They will be for sale after the tournament ends.
