Meet Lexi Hugeback, Minnesota's first cornhole professional
KASSON, Minn. -- While you may think of it as a party game, cornhole is a growing professional sport, and in the Rochester area, you'll find Minnesota's first cornhole pro.
Lexi Hugeback, 22, admits that, when she first started playing the game, she knew it as "beanbags."
"And they're like, no, we're playing cornhole," Hugeback said. "And I'm like, 'Alright, I'm never saying 'beanbags' again. I felt so dumb."
No matter what you call it, Hugeback is a pioneer in Minnesota, last fall becoming the state's first-ever cornhole professional. She says people approach her out of the blue, having seen her on TikTok.
"It's, like, surreal," Hugeback said.
As you might imagine, her cornhole career started at barbecues and parties. On a whim, she decided to enter local tournaments and her career took off.
"I made enough money in the summer to buy myself a dog," she said.
She competed in the world championships this month in South Carolina. She's coming back from a back injury suffered while playing basketball. Though she was out, her hoops career at Rochester Community and Technical College wrapped up with a JuCo D3 national championship.
Now, she's planning for a long career as a bags pro. As a bonus, she's cornered the market on Cornhole TikTok, with videos reaching over 1 million views.
"I've met so many cool people, I have huge opportunities. I always wanted to market myself, and now I have an easier way to market myself," she said.
Hugeback competes against men and women in the American Cornhole League, with people of all ages from any background playing against one another.