Students compete in cornhole championship

Senior Stephen Frantz didn’t have to settle for second again this year.

He and teammate Josh Robinson, also a senior, tossed their way through round after round of quality competition to win the third annual Campus Cornhole Championships on Saturday.

“I was a runner-up last year, so this feels good,” Frantz said. “And the competition was even better this year.”

Competitors came out on a stormy night to play the classic tailgating game for the benefit of victims of HIV and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. The competition consisted of 17 teams and took place at Templeton Elementary.

The two charities involved, the One Campaign and Keep a Child Alive, were both chosen for their commitment to raising awareness of the HIV and AIDS epidemic.

“There is still a stigma attached to AIDS that leads organizations to have that not be their first choice for beneficiary,” Diaconal minister Jeff Schacht said. Along with wife Kelli Skram, Schacht serves as campus pastor for the Lutheran Campus Ministry, the group that has organized the tournament for the past three years.

“We’re just headed toward the margins,” he said. “Our students sought out a population that was not getting the support it deserved.”

Proceeds from the $30 registration fees went toward the Keep a Child Alive organization, while the One Campaign offered participants the opportunity to write to a congressman and ask for additional support for the program.

The competition, which has previously been held in the Indiana Memorial Union for the last two years, had student organizers scrambling to find an alternative location when scheduling problems arose. Templeton Elementary was eventually agreed upon for multiple reasons.

“It worked out that it was closer to campus than other options,” graduate student Rachel Erie said. “We were concerned about ceiling height, having enough room to throw bean bags.”

Besides the tournament, the night featured music, free food and a raffle between rounds.

“A lot of local businesses really helped out for the great causes,” said senior Sarah Williams, this year’s event coordinator. Twenty-two establishments sponsored the event.

Though the game of cornhole was what brought everyone together for the evening, the significance of the cause was never lost on the winners.

“Helping kids with AIDS in Africa is always good,” Frantz said.