It was a battle of the generations at the Sterling Heights Recreation Center recently.
The Just For Teens: Corn Toss Tournament at Camp Villages featured family teams consisting of grandparents, parents and children.
“It went very well,” Chris Arrowood, the Recreation Area Manager, said. “Overall, it was a good time. The grandkids enjoyed playing, and some of the grandparents stepped in and filled some holes for us. I think everyone had a good time.”
The competition featured 16 teams competing for medals. There was a winners’ pool and a second-chance pool in the double-elimination competition. Because of the double-elimination format, teams had to lose twice to be eliminated. The number of games in the winners’ pool was increased to 21, but the number of games in the second pool was reduced to 11.
The majority of the teams were made up of two youngsters who were attending the Camp Villages event. Due to a lack of teammates, some parents and grandparents stepped in to help out. The presence of grandparents and parents added to the enjoyment of the occasion.
With one team member on each end, the players arranged themselves on the concrete blocks next to the board.
Mason Gould, 15, and his father, Chris Gould, won gold in the final round with the final score being 21-3. Mason and his father got multiple bags in the hole in the last game, but so did the opposition team.
Mason was in town with his father, who had flown in from California. Valerie Gould of the Village of Chatham, Mason’s grandmother, stood on the sidelines and watched her family. Valerie stated she never played corn toss as a kid, but she was an athlete. It gave her great pleasure to see her son and grandson excel in a tournament.
“It’s amazing because they’re very competitive, and they’re not sore losers.” Valerie said. “Going home with something like this is a gift actually, because a game’s a game. You win or you lose.”
The father-and-son team went undefeated throughout the event. The two stated they enjoy playing corn toss but don’t take it seriously. They had expertise but not precisely a strategy going into the day.
Mason was on his game from the first match the two played.
“(My favorite part) was probably when I got two in a row at the beginning of the tournament,” Mason said.
This is the second time this summer that Camp Villages has conducted corn toss tournaments. The first event, which took place a few weeks ago, went well, according to Arrowood.
“Overall, it was successful, so I think we’ll probably continuing doing it,” Arrowood said.