Cornhole Tourney, Chili Cookoff a big success
By Erica Eckart
The Recreational committee kicked off this year’s string of events with its popular Cornhole Tournament and Chili Cookoff March 5. Local 249 members gathered at the hall in teams of two to compete against each other in a Cornhole Tournament while other members competed to win the best tasting chili competition.
The chili competition consists of members putting together their favorite chili recipes and bringing them in to be judged by a panel of local 249 standing committee members.
All judges met in the conference room at the union hall and were not allowed to be in the same room or interact with the chili cookoff participants. They then sat at the table and were handed a sheet of paper with a five point rating scale.
They rated appearance, heat balance, smell, taste and texture. They were then handed five different spoons, as not to contaminate tastes between bites, and a bowl of mini saltine crackers to help clear the pallet in between tastings, as well as a bottle of water in case things got a little spicy.
Each judge was given a letter that was assigned to whoever’s chili they were tasting, and the rating began.
First Place went to Kevin Kincheloe and teammate Robin Dunlap. 2nd place was a tie between teammates Molly Atchinson and Jerrod Ballard and Jon Scaggs who entered by himself. The Cornhole Tournament has become a sort of staple for Local 249.
The Recreation Committee never runs short when it comes to filling spots to compete. This competition was one of many that will take place during the warmer months to come. If you have never played, you should. You will either surprise yourself with skill you didn’t know you had, or you will be like me and throw your bag straight into the ceiling tile, either way you are guaranteed to have a great time.
The Cornhole Tournament is a double elimination process. This time around they hosted a “bring your own partner” which allows members to bring friends or family outside of Local 249 members, to join in on the fun. They also use a method called “draw for partner” which allows members who don’t have a partner to be able to have one so that everyone is allowed to participate.
The winners for this cornhole event were teammates Tyler Talley and Aaron Anderson who took First Place, which pays out a prize of $500 dollars. Second place went to teammates Bryce Williams and Todd McCant with a prize payout of $300 dollars. Third place was Aaron Arthur with a $200 dollar prize payout.
“This was the first chili cookoff that we have hosted and I think it was a good turnout,” said Robin Bindel, Chair of the Recreational Committee. “I am hoping to have a better turnout the next time. The Cornhole Tournament has always been a success. My goal is to get members of UAW Local 249 outside of the plant and interacting with other members in events that interest them and maybe meet other members with similar interests that they haven’t met before. We also do our best in trying to accommodate different shifts so that anyone who would like to participate, has the opportunity to do so. I appreciate all our members who sign up and participate in our different events and I look forward to seeing everyone in our future events.”
Congratulations to all our winners for this event. Stay tuned for future competition dates from the Recreational Committee. For more information on upcoming events and how you can participate, keep an eye out for fliers and posts on social media and our UAW app.