A Top-Level View at the 1v1

The tenth annual 1v1 World Kubb Championship took place on the softball fields at Lions Park in Chaska, Minnesota on Oct. 21, 2023. A group of 28 competitors took the pitches on a partly cloudy and damp morning. Fortunately, the rains stayed away and made for very nice conditions by the afternoon. Five rounds of meat grinder, one-game play took place before all competitors were placed in a 32-person championship no-elimination bracket. Prizes were laid out on the table for anyone who defeated a former champion. The three former champions in the field were Mark Oman (2), Matt Erdman (2), and defending champion Adam Holtz (1). 

The five morning qualification rounds saw some typical names battling for the top seeds. Gordon Kauffman took the number one seed with a perfect 5-0 record followed by Trevor Bailey at two, John Oman at three, and Ben Lancette at four. The bracket quickly became a who’s who of the kubb world. At least half of the field had a legitimate shot of winning it. During the lunch break, Kauffman reminded tournament director Jason Larson that no one had ever gone undefeated all day at this tournament.  Sixteenth seeded Matt Erdman kept that streak alive as he won his second round match against Kauffman 2-0.

The final four competitors left to play in the cage were eighth Erik Linge, twelfth Adam Holtz, seventh Mark Oman, and third John Oman (myself).  My brother and I matched up on one side of the bracket and Linge and Holtz on the other. Erik made quick work of his semi-final match and got to wait out a 3-game nail-biter between Mark and myself. Mark and I exchanged a few big turns and went 10-deep in game two. In game three, Mark cleared the baseline on turn three with a shot at the king for a chance at the finals. Mark chose to use his forward rotation throw, which up until this point has been highly effective. This time, it grazed the edge of the king, it wobbled but stayed upright. I was able to drill nine kubbs on the next turn, clear in four, take out the remaining base kubb, and the king on baton six to reach the final.  

The final match between Erik and I started off cool but got hot quickly. I opened zero-for-two, and Erik returned two-for-two. I then cleared and went four-for-four at 8 meters. Erik cleared and went two-for-three to bring it to eight kubbs in play. I was unable to advance on my third turn and Erik closed the door on his fourth turn. Game two was a one-sided affair as Erik quickly took a 5-1 lead which was too much for me to overcome. Erik won and became a 1v1 World Champ!  

A traditional side competition at this tournament is the Most Neighbors Award.  Paul “Neighbor” Knutson (who coined the idea and rule) create the trophy artwork for the top three finishers and the Most Neighbor Trophy. Chad Stute returned and defended his Most Neighbors Award for the second time. He had seven on the day.     

See my Facebook post and video for more context about how Erik gained a lot of redemption on me in this match. As good friends and tough competitors of each other, we have played a few high level matches in the past few years. Check that backstory out here:

Redemption is Sweet 

After a great day on the bike with Nathan on Thursday, my boys and I got to play in Chaska Kubb’s 1v1 Worlds tournament on Saturday. Zach Oman captured consolation 17th place, Nathan Oman 22nd, and I put together a late run through the 32-person championship bracket to make it to the finals. In order to get there, I had to battle with St Paul Kubb Society members Chad Stute and Steve Dolan before facing my older brother Mark Oman in the semifinals. In the finals, I got to face my good friend Erik Linge of Lake Superior Kubb (Superior, WI). Any of these guys can win the whole tournament.

In the semifinals, Mark and I were playing well and a few lucky bounces were going my way. He was about to close the match out in game #3 but grazed the king, it wobbled, and stayed upright. I went on to take the king down on my final baton of the next turn to end it. That was my first time taking a tournament match from Mark in the past 10 years so I got some redemption. I haven’t won very many from him at home either.

Erik and I have had several high-level battles in the past 3 seasons where he seems to pull the best out of me. I have come out on top 3 or so times in that span. In the Great Lakes 1v1 in 2021, we had a 3-game quarterfinal match that took us down to the wire where he grazed the king and it stayed up. My day probably should have been over then. I went on to close the match out on the next turn and went on to win the whole tournament two rounds later that day.

Today, it was Erik’s turn. I should mention that he is one of the most humble and gracious people in all of kubb. I can never tell if he is playing well or not by the way he carries himself. I told my boys to watch Erik and notice how much class he has. I managed to go up 4-2 in game #1 but Erik stormed back and swiped that game from me. He went on to dominate in game #2 to win the coveted blue jacket. Nobody has worked harder than Erik at this game nor is there anyone as humble. Congrats on your redemption, Erik!

Check out the video to see how this all played out. Thanks to Jason JP Larson for hosting a great tournament for us! I still love this sport after all these years!