Local father-son duo bonds while working their way onto the pro cornhole circuit

SHEFFIELD LAKE — Yes, professional cornhole is a thing, and some of its players are starting their careers in backyards around your neighborhood. Sheffield Lake resident Dave Reschke, 43, said it all started for him around 2008 in a cornhole tournament at a bar. Apart from a year off, he's played competitively since. Two years ago, he asked his son James Reschke, 21, to be his partner. "When I first started playing he threw me to the wolves basically," James Reschke said. "He put me with all the best players and then I couldn't even score a point." Since then, James Reschke said he and his dad "started getting better and better." Now they've both signed pro contracts with the American Cornhole League and are ready to take it to the next level, possibly taking their talents to ESPN. "In my opinion, we are definitely one of the best teams in the country if we're throwing well," Dave Reschke said. The father-son duo is headed to nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The three-day tournament starts on Jan. 31, and the top-eight teams play the last leg of the tournament on national TV. But the journey to become pros isn't just about getting on ESPN; for Dave and James Reschke, the endless hours of cornhole have also been about bonding. A few years ago, James Reschke said his mom and dad split up. Originally living in Brook Park, Dave Reschke moved away to Lafayette before moving closer to Sheffield Lake. The distance meant they wouldn't see each other as much, but the two said cornhole gave them a chance to change that. "Basically, that was the only time we were really seeing each other was at cornhole, for the most part," Dave Reschke said. "I don't know how much we would have hung out actually if it wasn't for cornhole," James Reschke said. "Cornhole kept us pretty close." The sport definitely gives the two of them a lot of time to see each other. The team plays in two Cleveland cornhole leagues on Mondays and Thursdays, with each day lasting about four hours. Once a month they'll play an all-day regional event, and then nationals like the one in Fort Lauderdale will be three straight 12-hour shifts of cornhole. "That's a 36-hour week of cornhole," Dave Reschke said. With all that time in the sport, pro players take things well past the backyard level. James Reschke said he remembers signing his dad's boards the first time he threw-in four bags in a row. At the pro-level, it's nothing to sign for. "You'll be lucky to get two points if you throw all four in the hole," James Reschke said. "For us to throw 12 to 15 bags in a row in the hole is kind of normal," Dave Reschke said. "You don't get excited until you start getting past that." James Reschke said cornhole becomes more of a game of strategy at the pro ranks. The equipment improves too, with bags being made out of a variety of materials, with two sides differing depending on what a player wants to do. A player, for instance, might use the stickier side of their bag and throw a "blocker" bag in front of the hole. They can put the bag off to the opposite side to block their opponents' lane, while also giving them a backboard to bounce bags off of. The opponent could go for an "air mail" — go up and over a bag to go straight into the hole. Pro players can also get their bags to curve across the board, avoiding opponents' bags. Bags themselves can cost about $200, but even expensive bags need to get a little dirty, Dave Reschke said, or they'll play too fast. Each bag hits differently, and since the boards were stickier down in Florida last year, the Reschke team is testing new ones at nationals. "They're way too fast to throw in our league," Dave Reschke said. "But with the board conditions being so sticky in Florida, we think that should even the playing field." The boards are brought by the event, but players bring their own bags to tournaments. If the opponent thinks a bag might be against the rules, they can have it checked by an official. Strategy aside, nothing beats just being in the zone, which is when Dave Reschke said even bad bags go in. "It will go in the hole anyway," he said. "Someway, somehow the bag still goes in the hole. I don't know how it works, but it does." If one pro cornhole league is news to you, there actually are two. The American Cornhole Organization predates the American Cornhole League, but Dave Reschke said the ACL has done more over the last few years to grow the sport. Dave Weiser, owner of Cleveland Cornhole and one of two national directors of the ACL, said the league has grown the sport by getting events on ESPN and guaranteeing prize money. When he started, a major event might have had 50 to 100 players, now he said they draw anywhere from 800 to 1000. "It has just grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years," Weiser said. The increase in pro teams has stemmed from the amount of cornhole leagues like Cleveland Cornhole popping up and growing themselves. Weiser's league has gone from 20 to 71 teams, and it's outgrown four venues. As for the Reschkes, Weiser said they've become one of the league's best teams. He said Dave Reschke was always a good player. His son started good, and both improved to where they are now. "Dave was always really good too," Weiser said. "He has taken his game to a new level the last two years. I think his son has helped him strive to be better." The Reschkes may be the only father-son pros in the ACL. Weiser knows of one other pair, but they play in the other league. Weiser said the goal for the ACL is to take the sport worldwide, with a possible Olympic bid one day. He said he doesn't know if it will get to that point, but that's where it is headed. For Dave Reschke, there's no doubt it will. "I know it's going to be a big thing," Dave Reschke said. "I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think so." Contact Sean McDonnell at 329-7148 or smcdonnell@chroniclet.com