Bags of Fun

Bean Bag tourney part of annual Marble Rock Fun Days

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

MARBLE ROCK — There is no shot clock in bags.

No two-minute warning, either.

Games are the first to 21, but reaching that number exactly can be as futile as counting to infinity.

When the team of Tim Geertz and Leroy White squared off against the husband-wife duo of Don and Misty Koebrick in the championship match of the Marble Rock Fun Days Bean Bag Tournament, Saturday hosted by Whitetails Bar and Grill, that Magic 21 number was particularly elusive.

Both teams proved to be pretty accurate when it came to matching — or cancelling out — would-be scoring tosses. Twice, White and Don Koebrick threw duelling four-baggers — four hole shots each — equalling zero points for all.

Then there was the art of knocking an opponent’s bag off the board, or nudging one or two through the hole to bust their score over 21 and send them back to 14.

As the band “Loaded” was setting up its equipment adjacent to the tournament for a subsequent rock-and-roll street dance that night, you wondered if the tournament would be concluded in time for the encore.

Finally well after an hour of playing, White was able to deftly place his fourth bag on the board for the one point needed to reach 21 on the nose to win the rubber game of the best of three series.

“I thought I left it short,” White said in relief.

White and Geertz won the first game before the Koebrick’s — after a series of busted scores by both teams — won the second game and forced the third when Misty knocked three bags through the hole (two of her own, and one left on the rim by Geertz) with one shot which added up to victorious sum total.

The third and deciding game looked as if it could go either way before White scored the winning point.

“We used to play all the time,” Misty said of her and her husband. “We kind of gotten away from it … this is our first tournament we played this year.”

Geertz and White were undefeated throughout the 16-team tournament, and for the most part looked unbeatable. Geertz has a soft touch when it comes to placing bags on the board when one or two points are needed instead of a hole-shot three-pointer. And when White gets locked, he can roll off four-, five-, six-, seven-, eight-or-more-baggers.

Both are good defensive players if the label can be applied to bags as they are each proficient in “banging” opponents bags off the board to take away points or through the hole to bust them.

Geertz has won several bags tournaments this summer, including the annual one hosted by White and his wife during the Fourth of July Weekend in Charles City. Lowen Reams was Geertz’s teammate when he won La and Leroy’s Holiday Backyard Bags Tournament.

“We’re not always partners,” White said, “but whenever I get a chance to play with Timmy, I usually take advantage of it.”

The next big local summer bags tournament is “Sacky’s” to be held the Saturday after Labor Day in Charles City .

“My teammate for that tournament is going to be Tim’s wife,” White said. “So we’re going to be together at Sacky’s.”

Geertz shook his head.

“There’s no way that’s going to sound right in the paper,” he said.

Rounding out the top four teams were the pair of Corey Jones and Gage Rowe, who placed third; and Kelly Parks and Chad Pierce, who placed fourth.

Whitetails owners Jackie and Barry Winters have been hosting the bags tournament and other Marble Rock Fun Day events since they purchased the establishment 13 years ago.

“We’re trying to keep this going the best we can,” Jackie said.

The outdoor area in back of the bar and grill has a spot where patrons can play recreational bags. There is also a miniature golf course.

“We just put that in,” Jackie said of the course. “We don’t have leagues or tournaments for that. It’s just something for our customers to enjoy.”