Early days of Texas Toss
Mike Pate and Dave Parker
On most Friday afternoons starting at 4 p.m., you can find them at Cimarron gym, sporting team jerseys, throwing one-pound bags across 27 feet of open space, and cheering on their teammates’ aces, sliders, drain-o’s, and air mails. Welcome to Texas Toss, the Robson Ranch version of cornhole.
Like many clubs, Texas Toss was started over beers. It was 2016. Steve Targonski, Paul Dorwaldt, and Dave Parker were sitting and talking outside the clubhouse when a discussion about cornhole arose. After a few adult beverages were consumed, they wholeheartedly agreed, “We could start a cornhole league at Robson Ranch.” And just like that, the league was born. The founders and inaugural commissioners never liked the name cornhole. An early influencer, Susan Parker, suggested the name Texas Toss, and it stuck. When Paul Dorwaldt left due to work requirements, Cindy Sterling volunteered to serve as commissioner in his stead.
In the beginning, there was one league with eight teams and eight players to a team. Initially, the teams played on Fridays at 6 p.m. on the Grill patio astroturf. Regular season play culminated in the Super Bag Bowl playoffs to crown a world champion (as far as we know, Robson Ranch is the only place in the world playing Texas Toss). As Toss grew in popularity, two additional leagues with earlier start times were added, and team size was increased to 12 players. Along the way, the original founders passed the baton to the current commissioners: Anne Jones, Ed Cawley, Mike Braam (who recently stepped down), and Tom Neagli (who recently stepped up). Bob Duda and Roger Nance have also volunteered significant time and effort administering the league.
Today, there are 42 teams and more than 460 permanent roster players competing in climate-controlled Cimarron gym. No wind, no sun in your eyes, no excuses! Just lots of cheering and camaraderie! Texas Toss has now grown into one of the five most popular sports activities among residents here, and with good reason. The rules are simple, equipment is minimal (all you need are bags; boards are provided by the league), and play is relatively fast (matches generally run a little over an hour). Plus, it’s a great excuse to get together with your friends and eat or drink afterward.
For the uninitiated, each Texas Toss game is played between two teams, each consisting of two players (three games constitute a match). The goal of each game is to be the higher-scoring team after six innings of play. The game is played on a slanted board with a hole towards the top. Players throw bags filled with “corn” (now plastic resin) at their target board 27 feet away. Landing a bag on the board (an ace) scores one point, and putting a bag in the hole (a slider, drain-o, or air mail) scores three points.
If you’re interested in joining the fun, contact Anne Jones at [email protected] for more information.