EAU CLAIRE, Wisc. — For upper-Midwest cold-weather kubbers, mid-March means a trip to Wagner’s Lanes in Eau Claire for the annual Spring has Sprung tournament. While the rest of us struggle with blizzards, shovels, and hammering in marker pegs throughout the winter, the pampered Eau Claire Sconnies have the benefit of year-round indoor kubb thanks to the vast indoor, bar-side, sand volleyball courts available under Wagner’s heated dome.
This year’s tournament featured many familiar teams and players, most from the local Eau Claire Kubb League. There was also a healthy contingent of Minnesota participants.
Twenty-four teams began the day at 10 a.m. with the first of seven seeding rounds that would eventually send the top eight to the Championship Bracket, and the remaining 16 to the Silver Bracket.
Round one of the afternoon’s Championship quarter-finals resulted in semi-final matchups of top-seed Chaska Kubb (Trevor Bailey, Jason Larson, John Oman, Luke Peikert) against 2022 defending champions Flux Capacitors (Nick Brill, Joe Dekan, Ryan Rene), and sixth-seed (and 2022 runners-up) Splash Hogs (Josh Carpenter, Andy Lancette, Brian Ramsey) facing the two-seed, Winnie’s Peter (Mark Peterson, Brian Winistorfer, Emily Winistorfer). In both cases, the lower seeds prevailed, setting up a finals rematch of last year’s tournament.
In a game one that would have timed out under the morning round’s single game time limit rules, Splash Hogs finally found themselves facing a turn with no remaining baseline kubbs. Ramsey’s drill was fairly tight, with one straggler. Carpenter eventually took out the straggler, and Lancette managed to take out the remaining field kubb behind a pile of deadwood with the team’s fifth baton. King down in six. Game one to Splash Hogs.
By this point in the day, beer and restroom breaks took precedence. Game two would have to wait.
Flux started hot in game two, with a two-for-two opening. Splash Hogs managed only one baseline on their subsequent turn of four. After trading turns of each team taking out one more baseline, Flux appeared poised to take game two after a one-stick clear by Dekan, leaving five batons for their two reaming baselines and the King. Alas, only a single baseline was taken out.
Everyone was suddenly cold. Splash Hogs used all six batons to clear the field in each of their next two turns. And Flux’s single baseline kubb remained elusive—with multiple players missing on multiple tries. Splash Hogs went yet a third turn without getting a single throw at their remaining three baseline kubbs. Playing a full day tournament in the sand can take its toll. Eventually, Rene managed to both clear the baseline and take out the king with Flux’s fifth and sixth batons. On to the deciding third game.
Splash Hogs started the final game one-for-two. Flux was cold again, missing on all of their three 8 meter baseline attempts. Splash Hogs first six-baton turn netted an additional two baselines, giving them a 5-2 lead going into Flux’s first six-baton turn. Dekan’s two-baton clear left Flux with four more attempts at their full baseline. It didn’t go well, and Splash Hogs would be drilling only three kubbs again. A tight drill by Lancette somehow required three sticks to clear. But Lancette calmly followed up with two quick 8 meter knockouts, followed by Carpenter finishing the match with a successful king shot. Splash Hogs were victorious after a mercifully short game three.
Final Results
Championship Bracket
- Splash Hogs (Josh Carpenter, Andy Lancette, Brian Ramsey)
- Flux Capacitors (Nick Brill, Joe Dekan, Ryan Rene)
- Chaska Kubb (Trevor Bailey, Jason Larson, John Oman, Luke Peikert)
Silver Bracket
- Kraken Kubbs
- Kubbfellas
- In the beginning there was Kubb
