Vermont club raises funds to send world No. 2 to California tournament

The Champlain Valley Cornhole Club in Milton was raising money to send St. Albans pro Colin Hodet to a major tournament in California, turning a local fundraiser into a push for one of Vermont’s highest-ranked cornhole players. Hodet’s move into the sport’s national spotlight comes with him sitting at No. 2 in the world.

The California stop matters because WCAX described it as the biggest tournament of the season, a stage that carries more than just another weekend bracket. For Hodet, the trip offers a chance to defend his ranking against the country’s best and keep his season pointed toward the top of the sport rather than just toward another payout or podium finish.

Hodet’s climb started in Vermont long before the rankings became part of the story. He said his father introduced him to cornhole when he was 13, and he began practicing every day on his own so he could get good enough to play with his dad. That solo grind, repeated over and over, helped carry him from a local player to a world-class competitor now drawing support from the same community where he learned the game.

The fundraising push also reflects how much deeper cornhole has become in Vermont beyond one player and one club. A Colin Hodet Benefit Tournament was listed at the Champlain Valley Horseshoe Club in Milton, and another Vermont listing shows the Bags and Brews Cornhole League in the Burlington area, where games are played at local breweries across greater Burlington. Between Milton and Burlington, the state’s cornhole scene now has enough structure to support a player chasing the sport’s biggest stage in California.