Loppet Kubb Tournament 2025 Recap

MINNEAPOLIS — Winter Kubb? Groomed Snow? You got It! After a two-year hiatus, the Loppet Kubb Tournament returned to Theodore Wirth Park, bringing back a beloved staple—Captain Ken’s chili. This year, teams once again had the option to compete in either the recreational or competitive division. A total of 61 recreational teams and eight competitive teams took to the snow, meaning over 200 kubb players braved the winter elements—wind gusts up to 30 mph and snow flurries in their face—on their quest to slay the king and claim the 2025 Loppet Kubb Tournament title!

Recreational Division

In the recreational division, the morning started with group play, where teams fought for placement in the 64-team knockout bracket. High winds made throwing a challenge, but teams adapted with creative strategies to battle through the afternoon rounds.

After a full day of competition, Aloha Pitches (led by Thomas Santori) and Stepupinkast (Scott Simpson) emerged as the top two teams, setting up an exciting final match under the lights. With a raucous crowd supporting both teams, Aloha Pitches steadily edged past Stepupinkast to claim victory and take home a JP’s Backyard Games kubb set, earning the title of 2025 Loppet Recreational Champions!

Championship Division

On the competitive side of the tournament, The Tournament Director software, utilizing the Klassic System, was used to ensure fair matchups with all eight teams advancing to a best-of-three single elimination bracket. Morning qualifications determined seeding, leading to some intense afternoon matchups.

The Frosty Mugs (Joe Dekan, John Ellingsen, Gregg Jochimsen) took the number one seed, only dropping their final qualification game to the eighth seeded YouKubb Influencers (Dan Baumann, Phil Moody, Toby Schneider). However, they got revenge in bracket play, immediately eliminating YouKubb Influencers in a best-of-three rematch in the quarterfinals.

The fourth seeded Chaska Blue (Trevor Bailey, Jason Larson, J.J. Weigel) faced cross-town rivals, and the number five seed, Science for the Win (Steve Dolan, Christopher Jones, Demian Moore). Chaska Blue capitalized on favorable winter kubb anomalies to advance to the semi-finals. At the same time, Science for the Win bore the full brunt of winter kubb’s wrath—batons scurrying away from kubbs, kubbs spinning but refusing to fall, and other cruel only-in-winter-kubb misfortunes all within two games.

Meanwhile, the third seeded Kubb Reapers (Cody Glorioso, Spencer Ollmann, Scott Taylor) took down fan-favorites Shinbuddies (Justin Kleinschmitt, Brad Larson, Jake Skerletts).

In the last quarter-final match, the second seed, Chaska Superfunky Badasses (John Oman, Mark Oman, Nathan Oman, Zach Oman), defeated Dazed and Kubbfuzed (Bill Rahn, Eric Sjostrom, ??) in two games.

Chaska Blue caught fire in the semi-finals and melted The Frosty Mugs, while Kubb Reapers carved through the 2024 National Champion Chaska Superfunky Badasses in back-to-back games. This set up a thrilling final: Kubb Reapers versus Chaska Blue—Eau Claire versus Minneapolis.

The final went the distance, stretching into a deciding game three. Chaska Blue struggled to close the door and apply pressure when given opportunities, allowing Kubb Reapers to seize the win with a crushing game three victory. After claiming the 2025 Loppet Kubb Championship title, the Kubb Reapers secured their second tournament title of the 2025 season. Will their streak continue, or will they be reaped as the temperatures rise?