First cornhole event in the bag for Project ASCENT

Cloudy skies and a few raindrops didn't stop teams such as the Cornstars, Cornholios and Dirt Bags from a cornhole showdown for a worthy cause. Project ASCENT, a nonprofit based out of Thompson Falls that offers outdoor educational opportunities for kids, held their first annual Think Outside! cornhole tournament last Saturday.

The organization hosted 28 teams in a field on Cherry Creek Road. There were seasoned cornhole players and some who had never thrown a bag until the day of the tournament. The 7172406 team came out on top, sweeping the tournament. The team name for Derrin Sample and Matt Dombach represented their respective home area codes. Dombach recently moved from Pennsylvania (717) to Montana (406), and his friend Sample was here visiting just in time for the cornhole tournament. The two have a long history of playing in cornhole tournaments in Pennsylvania, and this was their first competition in Montana.

Perhaps the most intense match of the tournament was in the losers' bracket, with Doug and Karla Padden facing off against Karla's parents Keith and Carol Pilgeram. The teams went back and forth in a long, dramatic matchup. Project ASCENT Executive Director Rob Christenson said the match was intense, with the crowd going wild at each point that was made. The Pilgerams came out on top, knocking the Paddens out of the tournament and showing up the younger generations. The Pilgerams' granddaughter, Lisa Mickelson, and her husband Jake, also played in the Project ASCENT tournament.

The winning team received a custom set of cornhole bags made by Project ASCENT volunteers and painted by non-profit board member Andrea Fernandez, and $200, of which half was donated back by Dombach and Sample. The champions also received a set of bags and board covers made by Dawn Myer.

Second place went to On It (Matt Brown and Roland Chambers of Noxon), who lost in the semifinal round to "The Wingers," but fought their way back up the losers' bracket to face 7172406 in the final. Third place went to the team of Tom Holleran and Mike Bates.

Christenson noted that teams from surrounding communities, not just Thompson Falls, competed in the event.

"Both of our fundraisers so far seem almost surreal," Christenson said of the cornhole tournament and a dinner and auction fundraiser last fall. "When everything was over, we had so many people come up and gush about how it went and what a good cause it is, and how much time we spend on our events and what we do."

Christenson said that Cody Brown and Mike Althaus spent about a week building 20 sets of cornhole boards, with help from Project ASCENT friends and team members. The group then had a painting party to customize the sets with the Project ASCENT logo.

Prizes were awarded for creative teams as well. Cornholios (Kate Basham and Cody Mosher) won for best team name, and Two Old Bags (Annie Wooden and Dawn Myer) won for best team costume. The non-profit also had three raffle prizes, with the top prize being a custom set of American flag boards, bags and board covers. Dombach's name was drawn for that prize. He donated the boards back, and Project ASCENT auctioned them off to raise additional funds.

Christenson said the goal of the fundraiser was to buy a cargo trailer with which Project ASCENT can haul gear for the various camps they put on throughout the year. He said the event exceeded his expectation, raising more than $5,400, and the group will have their trailer in time for this summer's camps.

For more information on Project ASCENT, go to http://www.projectascent.org.