MENOMONEE FALLS, Wisc. — Kettle Moraine Kubb went all-out this year with their annual weekend of kubb fun. It was called Kubbapalooza and was a “knock-down good time” full of camping, food, friends and of course, kubb.
A number of kubbers opted to stay at the the group campsite, nicknamed the “kubb camp,” with even more staying late each night to enjoy the good company, games, and a campfire. There were even some friendly kubb games to be had. Chris and Steve McDiarmid did an excellent job organizing a fantastic weekend.
Kubb in the Kettle
The first official kubb event of the weekend—Kubb in the Kettle—took place Saturday, Sept. 1. This was a traditional kubb tournament for two player teams utilizing the Klassic system for six rounds.
The morning started off a little cloudy, and it didn’t take long for some rain to roll in. For most of the qualifying rounds the rain continued. Spirits remained high as teams battled for seeding into the championship and consolation brackets. The top eight teams went to the championship bracket with the remaining teams in the consolation. After the quarter finals round, the losing teams of the championship bracket dropped into the silver bracket. There was lots of kubb to be played and mother nature finally started to cooperate, giving some relief from the rain, and even a little sunshine by the time the semi-finals started.
In the semi-finals, Kubboom Sr. (Gina Klages, Pat Klages) matched up against Furor Celtica (Evan Fitzgerald, Dave Giese) and Kubb Snipers NC (Chad Bevers, Ethan Forney) battled The Wreck of the Evan Fitzgerald (Bryan Jones, Christopher Jones).
Kubboom Sr. and Furor Celtica battled back and forth, taking the match to three games before Kubboom Sr. got the edge and punched their ticket to the finals.
Kubb Snipers NC were playing hot and barely wasted any batons, sinking The Wreck of the Evan Fitzgerald in just two games.
The finals match kicked off with a one-out-of-two baton turn by Kubb Snipers NC. While shooting at the field kubb, Gina Klages demonstrated what makes kubb such a great game by calling herself on a questionable throw. She may have forfeited that baton, but her sportsmanship was recognized and appreciated by all. Pat Klages knocked a couple of baseline kubbs down and the game was starting to heat up. It wasn’t long before seven kubbs were in play. After a good drill, solid clear, and a big shot to finish their baseline, Kubb Snipers NC were able to knock down the king and take game one.
In game two, Kubboom Sr. pulled ahead early, but they struggled to clear a group of five kubbs, leaving a line for their opponents. Kubb Snipers NC was able to use the advantage to clear their line, but fell a baton short of finishing the match. This time with eight kubbs in play, Kubboom Sr. still could not fully clear the pile, leaving one kubb and another advantage line for Kubb Snipers NC. The Kubb Snipers NC had the batons to clear the pile, slay the king, and even had a spare. Kubb Snipers NC won the 2018 Kubb in the Kettle!
In the third place game, Furor Celtica proved Evan Fitzgerald was mightier than the Wreck of the Evan Fitzgerald, taking the match in two games.
The tournament was over, but the fun wasn’t. Wood-fired pizzas were provided by Cottonwood Trailer Pie and players had fun with some volleyball and mega kubb—a two pitch, crazy rules version of the game. Another campfire, more games, and s’mores followed back at the “kubb camp.”
Kubb in the Kettle Final Results
Championship Bracket
- Kubb Snipers NC (Chad Bevers, Ethan Forney)
- Kubboom Sr. (Gina Klages, Pat Klages)
- Furor Celtica (Evan Fitzgerald, Dave Giese)
Silver Bracket
- Get Off My Porch! (Emily Jipp, Demian Moore, Heidi Schwarzenbart)
- Fight Kubb (Matt Pokel, Dustin Steinbrecher)
- Kubb Snipers (Matt Green, Joe Hrejsa)
Consolation Bracket
- Kubb Hogs (Todd Fossum, J.M. Sparkman)
- Kayak Crazy (Ron Roggenbauer, Roberta Spangenberg)
Kubb on the Beach
The following day, the annual scramble on the beach took place in the same Menomonee Park. This year, teams would be five or six players, with players being randomly assigned each game.
After five games, wins were totaled up and a number of throw-offs as tie-breakers were held. Once the final standings were sorted out, players were assigned to one of four teams.
The top seeded team played the fourth, and seeds two and three played on the adjacent pitch.
In the two/three game, the third seed upset the number two seed with some efficient 8 meter play. Both teams would now wait to see who they played next.
The first and fourth seeded teams were in the heat of a strong battle. Both sides looked like they could finish it off for a number of turns. The fourth seed finally knocked over the winning king to upset the number one team and go to the finals.
The finals were set and the two “upset” teams would square off for the championship title. The third seed came out quick and got a number of kubbs in play. A few short porches were traded back and forth. It finally looked like the third seed could finish things off, but they missed the king—not once. Not twice. But three times. The fourth seed took their new-found life to heart and got back in the game. They put a few more kubbs in play, but couldn’t end it. By now, the generally nice day had started to turn and the clouds opened up with a big drop of rain. The third seed had trouble completely clearing their group for a couple turns, but the fourth seed couldn’t take advantage, leaving lines of their own. Finally, the third seed managed to clean up their field kubbs and knock over the king—this time on the first shot.
The third place game finished up much quicker, with the second seeded team taking down the first seed, long before the rain started.
Kubb on the Beach Final Results
- Third Seed (Dave Ellringer, Nancy Glorioso, Christopher Jones, Gina Klages, Christine McDiarmid)
- Fourth Seed (Max Klages, Monica Glorioso, Ed Grondzki, Dee Dee Halvorson, Roberta Spangenberg, Dustin Steinbrecher)
- Second Seed (Sy Ellringer, Cody Glorioso, Vicky Grondzki, Abby Jones, Matt Pokel, Ron Roggenbauer)
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