Concrete Cornhole

Overview

Each school will provide a design and constructed cornhole board made from concrete. The cornhole boards will be used in a competitive game. The match-up will be chosen at random. Judging will be based on scoring in the game play, aesthetics of the board, and technical criteria related to the concrete mixture and adherence to the specified dimensions.

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Objective

The objective of the Concrete Cornhole Competition is to use knowledge of concrete mixture proportioning (mix design) in the construction of a cornhole board that will be used in a fun and friendly cornhole competition.

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Eligibility

Each team may consist of up to four students. One (1) graduate student per school will be allowed to compete alongside the other three students.

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Board Dimensions

The concrete board is to be 4 feet in length and 2 feet in width. The hole will be 6 inches in diameter, with its center at 9 inches from the top edge and in the approximate center of the board. There are no minimum or maximum thickness requirements for the concrete board. Each team must also construct a lumber support structure for the concrete board. The support structure must stand 4-inches at the bottom and 12-inches at the top. The support structure should include a lip at the bottom of the stand to hold the concrete board. All dimensions shall have an allowable tolerance of ± 0.25 inch. See the diagram below.

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Beanbags

Beanbags will be supplied by the host. They will be 6 in. x 6 in. with a weight of approximately 15 oz.

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Concrete Mixture Proportions (Mix Design) 

Teams are required to submit to the judges a spreadsheet with the mixture proportions by March 1, 2023 by emailing [email protected]. The subject line must read “University Name – Concrete Cornhole Mix Design” and the document must include the following information:

1. Cementitious Material 

Teams are permitted to use any of the following cementitious materials as long as they meet the corresponding ASTM standard for the material: 

• Portland or Hydraulic Cement (ASTM C150 / C595 / C1157) 

• Fly Ash (ASTM C618) 

• Slag Cement (ASTM C989) 

• Silica Fume (ASTM C1240) 

The water to cementitious materials ratio (w/cm) must be 0.35 or greater. 

2. Aggregate 

Aggregates must pass a ½ in. (12.7 mm) sieve and be retained on a # 200 sieve. The concrete must contain at least 30% aggregate by volume of concrete. 

3. Admixtures 

Chemical admixtures that meet ASTM C494 and/or ASTM C260 are allowed. No other admixtures or liquids are allowed. 

4. Reinforcement 

Teams are allowed to use fiber reinforcement (ASTM C1116) and/or reinforcement grid. 

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Concrete Mixture Proportions (Mix Design) Spreadsheet  

Material	Type	Amount Used	Specific Gravity SSD	Proportion(lb/ft3)
		lb		lb/ft3
Cementitious Materials	Portland Cement
	Cement Replacement
Aggregates	Aggregate Type 1
	Aggregate Type 2
	Aggregate Type etc.
Fluids	Water
	Admixture Type 1
	Admixture Type 2
	Admixture Type etc.
Totals		Weight	Volume	Specific Weight

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Game Play

Two (2) teams will play against each other at random. If there is an uneven amount of teams playing, one team may volunteer, or will be chosen, to play twice. The best score of the team that plays twice will be used. A minimum of two players are required during Game Play, but players may be interchanged from teams following completion of one round and before beginning the next round. Boards and support structures that do not meet the dimension requirements will be disqualified from participating in Game Play and will receive a score of zero in this category. 

Each game will be played with an unlimited number of rounds until one team earns a minimum of 21 points. A round is defined as one player from each team throwing all four bags. There should be one player from each team at each of the cornhole boards. They may pitch from anywhere behind the edge of their respective cornhole board.

Bags that land on the board and stay on the board are worth 1 point. Bags that go through the hole are worth 3 points. Bags that bounce onto the board from the ground do not count, and must be removed before the next bag is thrown. Bags that were on the board and pushed off by another bag do not count (unless they have been pushed into the hole). At the end of the round, points will be totaled for each team.

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Judging

Each team can submit only 1 concrete board for judging. The same board must be be used in the cornhole games. Teams present their board and a printed copy of mixture proportions (mix design) table to the judges before Game Play. Judging will be based on scoring in the aesthetics of the concrete board, technical criteria related to the concrete mixture proportions (mix design), adherence to the specified dimensions and tolerances, and Game Play.

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Scoring

Scores will be given in 4 categories: 

Category	Points
Aesthetics	30 points
Conformity to Dimensions	30 points
Adherence to Mixture Proportions	19 points
Game Play	21 points
Final Score	100 points (max)

 

1. Aesthetics (20 points) 

Board aesthetics will be judged based on creativity, originality, and overall quality of design. Each team is eligible to receive 20 points based on aesthetics. Use of stickers or decals are not allowed and will result in a deduction of 10 points in this category. 

1. Conformity to Dimensions (20 points) 

The teams will be ranked based on board thickness. The thinnest board will receive a total of 20 points and the thickest board will receive a minimum of 1 point. All other boards will be awarded points based on a linear extrapolation scale.

Failure to conform to dimension requirements will result in a deduction of 5 points in this category. It is therefore possible to receive a negative score for this category. (Removed 12/29/2022. There is no minimum or maximum on the thickness of the concrete boards). Boards and support structures that do not meet the dimension requirements will be disqualified from participating in Game Play.

1. Adherence to Mixture Proportions (19 Points) 

Failure to meet any of the specified criteria will result in a 19 point deduction. 

1. Game Play* (21 points)

 Teams will be awarded points based on points earned during Game Play. During each game, each team has the possibility to earn 21 points. Once one team earns 21 points, then each team will be awarded the number of points earned during that game. For example, if Team A earned 21 points and Team B had earned only 7 at that time, then Team A will be awarded 21 points and Team B will be awarded 7 points.

*Board Failure during Game Play

Board failure is defined as catastrophic failure of the concrete board of support structure that makes Game Play impossible to continue. A call of “Board Failure” is at the discretion of the Judges. Cracking and minor breakage of board is to be expected.

In the event of a board failure, the team with an unplayable board will be awarded the earned points up to Board Failure and the opposing team will automatically earn 21 points (despite actual earned points) in the Game Play category.

 

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Competition FAQ