Posted on 12/13/2020 4:16:07 AM PST by real saxophonist
With the Colorado Cornhole Connection, Brooke and Don Newvahner strive to provide a cornhole company like few others
By BOBBY FERNANDEZ
PUBLISHED: December 11, 2020
Brooke and Don Newvahner pride their company in Greeley — the Colorado Cornhole Connection — as being the only full-service cornhole company in Colorado.
Other shops may offer some cornhole equipment. But the game’s growing population of avid players will have to do some searching — or take the more impersonal, and unpredictable, route of going online — to find the assortment of cornhole equipment the husband-wife entrepreneurial tandem offer at their shop in west Greeley at 6380 10th St., Unit 8.
They have a gigantic LED printer that can place any custom design — even a picture of someone’s cuddly pet — on a cornhole board, with strikingly vibrant picture quality.
“Any image you can put in a computer, we can put on boards,” Don said.
Colorado Cornhole Connection is open 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday. Customers can also make appointments to visit on a Saturday or Sunday.
In addition to its custom designed and built boards, the shop also sells a wide assortment of scorekeeping towers, bean bags, practice equipment and even some nifty decor for your game room or den.
Everything but the bean bags are made in house. And, even with Don, 44, and Brooke, 34, devoting countless hours to provide a shop like few others to the local cornhole community, they do so with smiles on their faces.
They’re avid cornhole players themselves. As much as they strive to run a successful family business, the Colorado Cornhole Connection is also a labor of love.
“We travel all over the country, playing, and we also travel all over to run tournaments,” Don said. “And, cornhole really is like a family. Everyone gets along, everyone knows each other. If I go to a league in Colorado Springs, I know half the people there.”
Don explains, there are numerous companies and individuals out there that build cornhole boards. But what makes the Colorado Cornhole Connection “full service” is the fact they do just about everything in house — from creating professional designs, to printing those designs on boards and, finally, constructing the boards and all the other equipment needed for their customers to hold their own tournaments or just have a spirited game of cornhole at a family gathering or company picnic.
Also, while most cornhole board builders don’t start designing and building until they receive a sale, the Colorado Cornhole Connection also has a wide assortment of boards in stock for those who simply want a non-customized — but still very graphically pleasing — board design.
Colorado Cornhole Connection has been open in Greeley for the past half year. Before that, the Newvahners ran their business out of their garage — in Greeley for about a year and for about three years before that in Denver.
Brooke and Don moved to Greeley a year and a half ago, seeing it as an ideal place for their family to lay roots. They have two young children.
The Newvahners have long been avid cornhole players.
Their business began when neighbors in Denver would inquire about the spiffy-looking boards they used. Those neighbors would ultimately employ the Newvahners to make boards for them.
Don said he and his wife are fueled by their desire to promote and help foster further growth for a game that has risen sharply in popularity in recent years — there are even highly competitive professional cornhole tournaments broadcast on ESPN.
“The growth has exponential year to year,” Don said. “We used to play in a league in Denver where there was 20 or 30 people that would show up. And, that league has actually grown to 60-80 people — 100 some nights.”
On top of operating their store, the Newvahners also run tournaments throughout the state and region.
They even host a year-round, weekly league — Rocky Mountain Cornhole — with players of all skill levels, on Tuesdays at the Moose Lodge, 3456 11th Ave., in Evans.
The league is currently on hiatus because of COVID-19-related restrictions. But the Newvahners hope to have the league back up and running as soon as the pandemic will allow.
The league has grown from just about a dozen regular players to now about 40 players on any given week and 80-100 regulars in all.
And, if you’ve been thinking of joining the growing legions of local cornhole players but don’t know where or how to start, the Newvahners are more than happy to have you stop by the shop and just chat about the game — again, something that wouldn’t be as possible without a local, physical storefront like the one the Newvahners have.
“Here, we can educate you, from the backyard player all the way up to the pro player,” Don said. “If anyone wants to come out here and chat with us, please do. … Or, come out to the league, learn how to play. It’s a lot of fun.”
Not gonna do it.
Nope.
Good thing.
Horse shoes.
Where I’m from, the game is called “bags.” The word “cornhole” has an entirely different meaning here.
Washers.
The 10 year old in me is giggling uncontrolably.
I’m from south Georgia. It has a different meaning there, too.
Colorado
Shmokey shmokey token tokey Cornhole!
Raised in New York State and along the way cornhole was a completely different word..
Much like gay used to be carefree and happy- still get a ‘kick’ when in the old movies the characters are mulling over the ‘gay time’ they had last night.
Also, I remember when a ‘Woodie’ was in reference to a vehicle - usually a station wagon - with ‘wood’ panels.
Italians I grew up with and around would have a tough time ‘talking’ today as it seems most every ‘innocent’ hand gesture - including but not limited to - thumbs up a circle for good luck etal...seems the only one that hasn’t become some sort of racial symbol is the old ‘one fingered salute’ or as the sailors on the USS Pueblo (AGER-2) told their captors - The Hawaiian Peace symbol
First they come for your language, then your symbols, then your heritage........
isn’t ‘corn-holing’ a synonym of male homosexual rape?
But enough about Governor Polis and his man-wife.
“Isn’t corn-holing’ a synonym of male homosexual rape?”
It is in dictionery.com.
You win. 8~)
I’m just here for the comments.😏
Me too. 8~)
I hear that game called cornhole in Texas. Most people recognize that it has two meanings.
But then again I never thought a game of cards would become a popular ESPN sport...
Hearing “cornhole” always makes me glance over my shoulder.
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