Dallas, WI
Saturday October 01, 2011
Dallas, WI Oktoberfest Kubb Tournament
Well before the sun came up, with a temp of 29F (-2C), kubb sets, medals, brackets, and set-up supplies were loaded in Eau Claire and made their way north to Dallas, via a stop in Chippewa Falls. Already at 7:20am, Kubb Snipers from Appleton, WI were waiting at the frost covered park. Next the set-up began, and the kubb tournament was the event that started first at the Oktoberfest.
20 teams from all over WI, the Twin Cities area, and Des Moines all showed up before 8:45. Games started in the town of 356 people at 9am. Some groups finished in 90 minutes, while Group E finished shortly after noon. Rhymes With Tube and Kubbitz tied their
match 1-1 and finished tied for 2nd. A toss-off was had and RWT won 4-3, with a two-for-one first shot that silenced the crowd, which then promptly errupted. From there, the five 4th place teams did a toss-off to determine the 16th team into the Championship Bracket. With not a cloud in the sky, the pitch was surrounded and Kubbastank was able to advance.
With dozens of Oktoberfest spectators watching, cannon blasts happening, the band playing, lefse making, beer pouring, brat eating, local food selling, nut roasting, and keg-a-pult shooting, the Championship Bracket progressed. For a handful of teams, this was their first tournament experience. However, about 3/4 of the teams had played, or had a player that played in a tournament. The quarterfinal match between Deafult (2010 U.S. #2 and 2011 T5) and the upcoming Honey Badgers (have only played two months) showed there are some really good upcoming teams. The Chippewa Valley Kubb League (CVKL) brought four teams. All the players, except two (playing one year), have only been playing two months. Tad Kubbler and Kubb Snipers was also a battle with both teams making backlines vanish quickly.
In the semi-finals, with the temp getting up to 57F, Tad Kubbler was able to get past Honey Badgers 2-1 and Dead Rabbits beat Leinenkubbels 2-0. In the Final's first game, Tad Kubbler won on their second turn by going 5 for 8 at eight meters. The second game of the Final was played even (two baselines remained on both sides) for respectable amount of time. However, Tad Kubbler outdid Dead Rabbits in throwing out the kubbs, which allowed Tad Kubbler the opportunity to move up more than once. As all know, you cannot let Tad Kubbler move up if you want any chance. Eventually Tad Kubbler ended the game, match, and tournament with one last toss at the king. The third place game was a match between CVKL teams.
We are pround to say that the kubb tournament started and ended the Oktoberfest.
A Viking mug made by a local potter was
awarded to Tad Kubbler and the top three teams won medals, along with Consolation winner.
In the spirit of kubb, the $10/player entry fee will be given to the charity of the winner's choice. The chairty will be determined Monday or Tuesday.
Thanks to all. See you next year on the first Saturday in October. Six person teams?
More pictures coming soon
FINAL RESULTS: 1. Tad Kubbler
(Eric Goplin and Cole Vryens - Minneapolis, MN)
2. Dead Rabbits (Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire/River Falls, WI)
3. Honey Badgers (Eau Claire, WI)
4. Leinenkubbels (Eau Claire, WI)
Quarterfinals Dead Rabbits
Rhymes With Tube (Madison, WI)
