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PARKERSBURG -- A Veto man won first place in the senior division at the Ohio State Cornhole Championship on June 16-17 in Akron.
Mark Perdue said he might receive around $200 and a plaque denoting the accomplishment and the statewide title, but the accolades have greater meaning, too.
"So for me, I get the bragging rights for the next year," Perdue said.
The object of cornhole is to toss a bean bag from 40-45 feet away onto a board with a hole.
Perdue, 61, competed against nine others in the over 55 seniors division. Three of the competitors were professional cornholers of whom he has competed against for several years, but never defeated them.
"A couple of the guys I beat were competing on ESPN," said Perdue, who cited the growth of the game over the years.
But Perdue doesn't consider himself a professional.
"I consider myself an old country boy," he said.
Perdue has been playing cornhole since 2007.
Having retired two years ago from Laborers Local 639 in Marietta, he could only practice two to three hours a week while working. In retirement, he devotes 20 to 30 hours a week to practicing to perfect the technique and develop the muscle memory to lob cornholes in one.
"The more you do it, the better you get," he said.
Perdue was accompanied to Akron by Jeff Graves of Caldwell, a friend, who came in third place in the same senior age category.
Perdue's wife, Cheryl, doesn't play the game, but travels with him to competitions.
"She likes to watch and meet new people," Perdue said.