How Cheyenne Bubenheim Became Cornhole’s Best And Highest Paid Female
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On a Friday night about a decade ago, Johnnie Renner invited his daughter, Cheyenne, to a cornhole event in Florida with him, his brother and his friends. Cheyenne, then a sophomore in high school, agreed to join them and watch, but she was hesitant to play. A tournament director then convinced her to compete. She soon became hooked.
Today, Cheyenne Bubenheim, 23, is married with a four month old son. She is also the top ranked woman and 22nd overall player in the American Cornhole League, the U.S.’s premier tour that has media rights deals with ESPN and CBS Sports.
This weekend, Bubenheim is looking to become the first woman to win a professional ACL event against male competitors. She and three men have advanced to the Bag Brawl semifinals at the OAW Indoor Sports Complex in suburban Milwaukee. The matches, including the championship, will stream live on ESPN+ on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. Eastern Time, while ESPN2 will show the competition on tape delay on Sunday at 10 p.m.
While most people think of cornhole as a popular activity at family and friend gatherings and cookouts, Bubenheim is one of the few who make a living from the game.
Two years ago, Bubenheim earned about $90,000 in prize money, making her the highest-paid cornhole player in the ACL. She earned about $77,000 last year and competed even while pregnant. In fact, she practiced until two days before delivering her first baby and resumed cornhole seven days after she had the child.
“This is my life,” said Bubenheim, who also has endorsement deals worth more than $20,000 annually. “This is the way that I support my family…This game means everything to me.”
It wasn’t always that way. Her father was serious about the game, even building three boards and installing lights in the yard at their home in Plant City, Fla., about 30 miles east of Tampa. He competed in a few tournaments before Bubenheim finally tried it herself. She was a quick study.
Bubenheim did not play sports growing up, but she was a member of the archery team in high school and always liked to compete. She found an outlet for her persistence in cornhole, a game that requires repetition and concentration to master.
