Sunnybrook residents find their competitive edge with cornhole

Residents at Sunnybrook Assisted Living in Mt. Pleasant will be taking their cornhole game on the road to compete in a competition against Sunnybrook in Fairfield on Friday, Feb. 1.

Sunnybrook residents have been showing off their cornhole game since two residents built the cornhole boards for the facility last year.

Linda Hourihan, a resident at Sunnybrook in Mt. Pleasant, said she has watched people play cornhole from their wheelchairs, walkers or sitting on the edge of a chair.

'Luckily, I still have two legs, but you don't know when that will stop you,” Hourihan said. 'Everyone can play (cornhole) if they're willing to try.”

Hourihan said to play cornhole, you have to be competitive to succeed. She first became interested in cornhole after accidentally flipping to a televised tournament.

'I enjoyed it, and shoot, if they can do it, so can we,” Hourihan said.

Hourihan said residents will only get out of it what they put into it. If they're afraid of embarrassing themselves, they won't have any fun.

'You do the best you can,” Hourihan said. 'You can't do anything unless you do that.”

Marlene Statler, a Sunnybrook resident, said cornhole is a way to bring people together, and it's good exercise.

Marge McDowell, a Sunnybrook resident, said she had never heard of cornhole before playing it at Sunnybrook. While at first she thought it was kind of hard, McDowell proved her expertise by sinking three out of four bags into the board during practice on Monday.

'I just throw it,” McDowell said.

Bryce Kelly, marketing director at Sunnybrook, said residents play constantly, and it is an activity on their community calendar multiple times a month.

The game is easy, but fun, and residents get really competitive, Kelly said. The boards are taken outside when the weather is warm, and the game is played from inside the warmth of the facility during the cold winter months.

Sunnybrook Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield have competed against each other at least three times. There is a competition scheduled once a month for the rest of the year. There are six to 10 residents who are dedicated players and make an effort to be at each tournament.

The tournaments follow the guidelines laid out by the official cornhole rule book, which Kelly said they found online. Bags are properly weighed before the start of the tournament and the distance of the boards is measured.

'There's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition,” Kelly said.

Fairfield beat Mt. Pleasant during the last tournament, but residents are looking to take home a win on Friday, Feb. 1, weather permitting. Some residents aren't so optimistic, however.

'We're probably not going to win. I absolutely know we're not,” Hourihan said with a laugh.

Sunnybrook encourages its residents to live independent, active lifestyles, Kelly said. Sunnybrook's activities can be followed on Facebook at Sunnybrook at Mt. Pleasant Assisted Living.