River Prairie Kubb Tournament 2019 Recap

ALTOONA, Wis. — The secnd annual River Prairie Kubb Tournament was held at the beautiful new River Prairie Development in Altoona. Eight local teams participated in this year’s tournament. The morning started with group play followed by the top two teams from each group moving on to the semi-finals.

At the end of group play, Flux Divers (Nick Brill, Joe Dekan, John Ellingson) and Kubb You Long Time (Andy Long, Bridget Long) were the top seeds. Two family teams Admiral & Jr. Admiral Nelson (Kaden Nelson, Steve Nelson) and The Evans Family Kubb Trio (Abigail Evans, Brian Evans, Miles Evans) were seeded second in their respective groups.

Miles Evans trying to shake off some inconsistent 4 meter throws.

What was a breezy day turned into a downright windy day as the tournament transitioned to the semi-finals. The strong winds were not enough to slow the train that was The Flux Divers, as they handled the Evans Family Kubb Trio in two games, on account of Ellingson’s hot play at 8 meters and inconsistent play at 4 meters from Abigail and Miles Evans.

In the other semi-finals, Kubb You Long Time took game one but left a line in game two after somehow missing all six shots at the lone field kubb. Admiral and Jr. Admiral Nelson wasted no time in quickly forcing a game three. After some back and forth play, Kubb You Long Time took game three and set-up a championship match with The Flux Divers.

In the championship match, The Flux Divers won the king toss and chose side to account for the strong winds. After Kubb You Long Time went zero-for-two on their open, Ellingson continued his hot play from 8 meters and went two-for-two on the back row. This type of heat at the ground level disrupted the balance that was keeping the rains away, as the clouds opened up and deluged upon the prairie. After a five-minute delay under the shelter, conveniently housing a bar, the troops headed back out to the battlefield to resume play. While the wet batons and grounds proved to be a major obstacle for Kubb You Long Time, The Flux Divers apparently prefer a fight in the mud. After a fairly short game one, and a back-and-forth game two, The Flux Divers were crowned the champions. They were coronated with a first place trophy and a 100 percent payout (and somehow didn’t even buy the second place team a beer).

In the third place game, Admiral and Jr. Admiral Nelson won easily, again due to the inconsistent 4 meter play of Abigail and Miles Evans.

On the consolation side of the tournament, Kubboom Jr. (Max Klages, Jack Long) proved that low man wins in football and consolation kubb championships, as they went undefeated to take home the consolation championship.

With a plethora of food trucks, family friendly activities, and restaurants scattered throughout the park as part of the P10 Festival meant to kick-off summer, the River Prairie Kubb tournament was a great day.