It’s always super fun when you can introduce someone to a new game, or a new activity. Everyone has their comfort zone and most people like to stay in that zone. Nothing new or crazy, nothing to rock the boat, stick to what you know and excel. And that’s great! But sometimes you just need to experience new stuff, and when you can be the person that gets someone else to exit their comfort zone and enjoy something new, it’s great!
I recently got to meet some friends from the UK for the first time and we got to talking about all the differences in sayings, slang, names for things, games, etc., between the UK and the US. Cornhole is not as well known in the UK as it is in the US, so I got to be the person to introduce them to the great game of cornhole.
They were big on playing billiards, and they were great at it. Oddly enough they hadn’t played 9-ball at all, which was surprising as my experience with professional pool (I’m not a player, but watching it on TV) is that it’s mostly 9-ball or snooker. They definitely know snooker, and I’ve never played that, but 9-ball was new. As far as tailgating games go though, which is huge in America, they didn’t really have many that they play. They just have drinks and get wild before sporting events, typically in bars, because usually folks are going to a soccer game and stadiums are relatively close to bars in the surrounding cities. They go to the pubs, have a few pints, and walk to the stadiums for games. That’s their “pregame” experience.
For us it’s different. We drive to stadiums and park in the parking lot hours and hours before games. We bring food to cook, booze to drink, and games to play. They become fast friends with strangers drinking in bars before we game, and we become friends based on what our parking lot neighbors are cooking on the grill and who brought cornhole.
We didn’t do any BBQing while we were together on this visit, but we did drink and we did play cornhole. (We played pool too and I got destroyed, but that’s ok.) There was definitely a natural advantage for us Americans while playing cornhole with our British friends, so it was a lot of fun to trash talk them as we cleaned up on the boards. They were good sports about it and loved playing cornhole with us. Definitely “an American” thing as they but something they could enjoy.
And that’s what it’s all about, right? Enjoying time with people, whether they are old friends, new friends, or complete strangers. Playing a game together is like sharing culture. Making memories. Have some drinks, some laughs, and have a fun time.
I feel happy, knowing that I introduced cornhole to some new folks and they really enjoyed it. I’m not sure if they’ll run to the nearest store back in the UK to buy their own, or order from an online seller, but I sure as hell hope that if they find someone back home who plays cornhole they will destroy them, thanks to their American education in tailgate games!
