APPLETON, Wisc. — Kubb in the Fox Valley has a strong history thanks to efforts by the Fox Valley Kubb Club in Appleton. After a couple years of events not being hosted in the region, there is an awakening of sorts with the second indoor tournament this winter and a kubb league that has started up recently. The March Meltdown Kubb tournament was held at the Game Day Sports Bar in Appleton. The facility works very well with an indoor sand volleyball facility where the kubb pitches are set up. The sand is a much harder packed sand than what we have enjoyed at the Milwaukee beaches. Competitive and recreational players really enjoy the experience as the sand reacts better to cutting kubbs when inkasting than other sand surfaces.
The big story coming in to the tournament was the return of the original Kubb Snipers and Chad Parsons and his children to the kubb pitches. Parsons was teamed up with the tournament director, Chad Bevers. One of the more recognizable teams over the past decade, these two had teamed up to win four tournaments and a total of 10 podium finishes together coming into the day. In addition to the Kubb Snipers, there were players from Illinois; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Stoughton, Wisconsin; Madison, Wisconsin; northern Michigan, and a lot of new players from the Fox Valley and Eastern Wisconsin that rounded out the 23 teams entered that day.
After seven rounds of scoring using the Swiss Bracketing system provided by Challonge, Skolnarok (Lars Arneson, Evan Fitzgerald) and the Michigan Chapter Kubb Snipers (Joe Hrejsa, J.R. Hrejsa) took the top two seeds into the eight-team championship bracket.
After a very competitive quarterfinal round, it was the GB/GL team (Phil Dickinson, Matt Green) squaring off against Skolnarok and the Kubb Snipers facing off against the Michigan Kubb Snipers. Kubb Snipers and GB/GL battled their way to hard-fought victories and onto what proved to be an exciting final.
The first game of the finals went to the Kubb Snipers and then GB/GL quickly answered with a win in the game two after Green built up a big lead with an impressive three for three 8 meter turn. The third game displayed one of the most impressive rounds of kubb you can have, as Bevers starting by tossing the two kubbs that were in play (one from each team). Parsons cleared the two field kubbs with his first baton and then quickly followed with a two for two performance on the baseline. It was red zone time with only two baseline kubbs standing and three batons in Bevers hands. Green was overheard commenting that he has seen what is coming way too many times over the years, and Bevers responded by clearing the baseline and the king and returning the Kubb Snipers to the top of the podium for an impressive fifth tournament victory for the duo.
Skolnarok won the third place game. Challonge has the full championship bracket results.
The consolation bracket was won by the Flux Capacitors, a team from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Challong has the full consolation bracket results.
Final Results
- Kubb Snipers (Chad Parsons, Chad Bevers)
- GB/GL team (Phil Dickinson, Matt Green)
- Skolnarok (Lars Arneson, Evan Fitzgerald)
Consolation Winner: Flux Capacitors
Finals Match Video
Watch the archived live-stream of the finals match on Facebook
