Some of us love the social interaction, some of us love the fact that it’s a great way to compete in a small way while our athletically competitive years are beyond us, and let’s face it…some of us just like the fact that we can play while drinking. Tailgating games tend to give us the feeling that we are part of the experience in a tactile way. The players, drivers, musicians etc…are performing for Thousands and Tailgating games allow us to “perform” as well. Maybe in some small way these games are our way of being part of the show.

Perhaps most of us simply cannot just sit placidly and watch the events. Maybe we all have some need to be performers. Think about the amount of time and dollars spent on tickets, parking, setting up Tailgating Spot, preparing food, buying games etc… Most people aren’t willing to participate in such a committed way. Most folks would rather plop down on the couch when they have some time and watch their favorite events with varying levels of attentiveness. Those of us that love Tailgating have an intrinsic need to be a part of the action. Not just innocent bystanders, but active participants in the actual events.

How many of you have created games out of thin air? Been in your backyard as a kid or as an adult and found a way to compete with your friends? If we poll the folks that created Cornhole, Ladder Golf/MonkeyBall, My Pole-ish Horseshoes and asked them why they came up with their games in the first place do you think the original concept was to sell the games and to turn a profit, or was it to have fun competing with their friends and being a part of a community? Turning a profit is a great motive and the motive that drives this business like any other, but the question is what was the original thought? Odds are…profit was an afterthought.

Make sure you check it out. What a great way to show off your skills and find your way into COBS and MegaGate! If you have any questions feel free to contact us here at The American Tailgating League.

The Shed was rocking with DJ ID spinning on the ones and twos and The SEC Championship showing on the big screen. Oh…forgot to mention the big draw of the day…money Beer Pong Tournament. There were a good number of teams representing both schools as the Tournament was skewed to be a Clemson vs. Virginia Tech Beer Pong battle. Our friends with the WSOBP sent us the tables and balls. The Tournament was ready to begin.

The Hokie fans were in the majority most of the day and it was no different for the Beer Pong Tournament. However, there was one team representing Clemson that was not scared. Touch My Borey rolled through their bracket and was ready to face down the mass of Hokies. The Secret Agents from Hokieland slashed their way through their bracket to the finals. The crowd grew and turned up the volume with each toss. Eventually each team got down to one cup on the table a piece. Touch My Borey had two shots that disappeared inside their opponent’s cup that popped back out. Each time the crowd gave out a collective AHHHHHH! It really was great Beer Pong theatre.

Any time one team, in any sport/game, comes that close and cannot close the door… you can expect the opponent to capitalize. And that is just what happened! The Secret Agents busted through that “open door” and sank the final shot. Then came the beauty of the day…fans from both schools exchanged singing the fight songs. Perfect!

That’s it goes down at The Shed. A good time is always had by all, and you’re never quite sure what you’re going to see (Kind of like the female Hokie fan pulling up her shirt to distract Touch My Borey on each shot toward the end of the match). Come and see us…next game…here…at…The Shed!

Vic the “Chili Man” was the eventual winner. With that, he won a Tower Grill from our friends at Stok Grills, but that was just a small part of the story. All the participants did a great job of having their culinary delights ready for the masses. This time…the masses came in droves for some delectable Chili. There is simply nothing better than a day spent tasting great food with your closest friends. Washing it down with an ice cold beer and heading to the game. In every way, that’s what Tailgating is all about!

As always, the TG-4 Challenge was in effect. A few folks that could still function after their caloric intake, tried to take down the beast that is the TG-4 Challenge, but the Challenge still stands undefeated. This week all will be given a pass, but the TG-4 Challenge will be at The Shed again waiting to find the brave soul that has the focus and grit to move from game to game without letdown. The Challenge will continue to wait at The Shed and with the Inside Tailgating RV hoping that there is one Tailgating Savant out there with the moxie to win the money.

Once again, a great time was had by all who came out and enjoyed the live music, great food, cold beer and fun games that make The Shed Charlotte’s best Tailgating spot. A shout has to go out to the Make A Wish Foundation, Miller/Coors, Stok Grills, Mountain Khakis,  and Sir Purr for coming out and making an exciting Tailgating experience a special, special day. We will see you all again for the ACC Championship Game!!

The Championships of Bags (COBS) will award $15,000 in cash prizes.  The breakdown is over $7,000 in GUARANTEED cash prizes for Doubles and over $6,000 in GUARANTEED cash prizes for Singles as well as consolation brackets. The overall structure gives every player a MINIMUM of 10 games played at the event and allows players of all skill levels a chance to win money! The maximum participation for this event is 128 players, so DO NOT waste any time in signing up for you chance to share in the $15K prize pool – once the spots are taken it is full.

MegaBowl II is a team based event with another $15,000 up for grabs.  The event features six (6) tailgating tournaments: Cornhole, BT2 (Bag Toss 2), Monkeyball, My Pole-ish Horseshoes, Pubwashers and Beco Ball.  Two tournaments will run simultaneously so each team must have a minimum of 4 players and a maximum of 12 players per team.  MegaBowl II is LIMITED TO 32 TEAMS.  Each time a team wins, it accumulates cash and points for the overall title.  See the Event Details for more information.   If you would like for us to match you with different teammates that may specialize in other games let us know.  We will be running an active match making service for those that want to be a part of this event but don’t have enough people to build a team.  In addition, sponsors are interested in being involved with top teams.  If you have a sponsor in mind or want to be sponsored on some level, contact us for more information.

As for the Fans, there will be plenty of action…watch the tournaments and participate in open play of our tailgating games and challenges.  In addition to the six games being played competitively, we will have a section for on the spot beer pong and flip cup games and tournaments.  Don’t miss out on seeing the hottest tailgating items for 2012 and register for special giveaways.  One day ($10) and two day passes ($15) will be available for purchase in advance.

O.K. Tailgating Gamers and Fans, we have given you your notice. Greensboro Coliseum Complex is the place, and Labor Day Weekend 2012 is the time. MegaGate 2012 is happening…Visit PlayMegaGate and PlayCOBS for more details and register for the tournaments today!

Hotel Partners and will be announced soon…

Two free entries to the $15,000 Championships of Bags tournament were up for grabs this past Saturday at the Third Annual Angels from Amber Cornhole Fundraiser in Cleveland, OH.

We had 12 social teams and 10 competitive teams come out for the event.  When it was all said and done, Adam Hissner and Khader Rhamouni won the Competitive Blind Draw tournament and the two bids ($250 value) to COBS!

Here are the rest of the results:

Blind Draw Doubles:

1st Place and winners of the free COBS entries – Adam Hissner and Khader Ramouni

2nd Place – Jim Stanley and Mike Pfaff

3rd Place – Jim Singer and Jim Park

4th – Mark Blanton and Chuck Keller
t-5th – Chuck Colemand and Travis Mott
t-5th – Brandon Corwin and Cliff King
t-7th – Brett Lyons and Ron Olson
t-7th – Bob Dalton and Wayne Colonna
t-9th – Kurt Mott and Dan Wolf
t-9th – George Davis Jr. and Brian Anderson

Competitive Doubles:

1st Place – George Davis Jr and Adam Hissner

2nd Place – Brandon Corwin and Jim Park

3rd – “Tree Love” – Mark Blanton and Chuck Coleman
4th – “Bob and Dan” – Bob Dalton and Dan Wolf
5th – “Cobra Kai” – Brett Lyons and Mike Pfaff
6th – “Pokey and the Dub” – Wayne Colonna and Jim Singer
t-7th – “Mopar Boys” – Khader Ramouni and Cliff King
t-7th – “Sho Time” – Chuck Keller and Jim Stanley
t-9th – “Big Dogs” – Brian Anderson and Ron Olson
t-9th – “Hot Motts” – Kurt Mott and Travis Mott

Social Doubles:

1st – “Hot Motts” - Travis and Kurt Mott

2nd – “K of C” – Joe Kepic and Jeff (not pictured)

3rd – “ABF” – JJ Terron and Dave Miller

4th – “Healthy Living” – Ron Weiss and Stacy
t-5th – “Berardi Bashers” – Mark Hamski and Rob Mcateer
t-5th – “Joe and Sean” – Joe Berardi and Sean Hayes
t-7th – “Corn Flakes” – Stan Maciaszek and John Hamski
t-7th – “Grey Hairs” – Rich Weiser and Bob Mcateer
t-9th – “Team Ashlee” – Mike and Jack
t-9th – “Cleveland Strong” – Ron and Joe Cleveland
t-9th – “Down2EarthSports.com” – Dale and William Weiser
t-9th – “Muppets” – Jim and Nick Dugan

http://www.alligator.org/news/campus/article_8863f168-eb1e-11e0-92a0-001cc4c03286.html

As for the rest of you…make sure you come out and see if you can handle the TG-4 Challenge! The ATL is always hearing how people are ready to win the money and beat the TG-4 Challenge. Well, we are still waiting to see the Champion of Champions step up and take home $10,000.

This will be a big week for the TG-4 Challenge. The ATL crew will be at The Shed for the Panthers’ game against the Vikings. Can’t wait to see Camelot, and his new Knights of the RoundTable, take on the struggling Vikings. Hopefully the rest of you can make it to Charlotte and see who takes home the Free Grill from our friends at Stok Grills.

Remember…it only takes a minute to play and someone…one day…will walk away with the money. Why shouldn’t that someone be you??

Inside Tailgating has moved into some suhweet new digs. We have moved into The Shed. The Shed is Charlotte’s newest, biggest and best spot to Tailgate. The Shed just had its first weekend of fun and frivolity for the South Carolina vs. ECU game. Let’s just say that a good time was had by all. Apparently what happens at The Shed, stays at The Shed!

The Shed and Inside Tailgating partnerned with Miller Lite, Make A Wish Foundation, Living Social, food by The Penguin and Italian Pie and Mountain Khakis to put on this fiesta. Both Gamecock fans and Pirate fans made their way to The Shed and the Party was on. Now, we are not sure we should divulge this kind of information, but some massive Flip Cup games exploded out on The Shed’s deck.

Once again, we had our famous TG-4 Challenge on display. This time though, Stok Grills gave away a grill to the winner! Angela Laster came out the winner! She was able to squeak by with a score that topped her nearest competitors by just one point! Just one more bag, one more ring in MonkeyBall from David Marshall or Phillip Ferralli. That is all it would have taken to take the Queen from her throne, but it did not happen. Congratulations Angela!

Inside Tailgating and The Shed will be throwing these massive Tailgate functions all season long for every Carolina Panther home game and the remaining two college games held at Bank of America Stadium here in Charlotte. What’s that? You want more viewing and party time at The Shed? Let us know and we will customize The Shed to meet your needs all for a nominal fee of course (wink wink). Do not worry though, Inside Tailgating and the ATL will take our act on the road again this season. You will get your chance to see us out there on the open road.

Until next time you can find us here at The Shed! And as always remember…Tailgate Forever!

Don’t forget to follow us on our social media pages! Inside Tailgating Fan Page | Inside Tailgating Twitter Page | The Shed Fan Page

Andy Frushour is the man behind the scenes with Monkeyball.  He and a few cohorts put together a funny and creative video series breaking down the brackets for the World Championships. After watching their videos on Monkeyball TV, it struck Inside Tailgating that we needed a video answer so-to-speak.

Video done, it was time to head to the great state of Michigan. Staying at the MGM in Detroit seemed like a great idea at the time. Now with hindsight being 20/20 it’s easy to see that maybe gambling all night may not have been a good idea after all, but hey, how many people get to hang out in downtown Detroit right? Chuckles and under-your-breath disses you may insert here.

Well, the next morning came in a hurry. Off we were to the Lansing, MI area. I’m not saying it’s out in the middle of nowhere, but when you pass a billboard asking if you have too many bats in your home maybe you live out there.  Not kidding about the Bat Busters billboard by the way. Anyway, we make it just in time for the festivities. I will save you the story of our jaunt into the picturesque town of Diamondale. The only thing we noticed about the people in Michigan is that no one seems to know where anything out of their immediate area is. If an event is not happening right next to someone they have no idea what you are talking about. By the way, less than a mile away does not count as right next to you in Michigan.

Ok, once we arrived we were greeted with smiles and hospitality, and the fact that the tournament was starting. Warm-up time…who needs that? The Monkeyball guys were very smart in the set-up of the brackets. They had a separate bracket for their top 12 seeds. That way, those seeds did not run rough-shot through the other brackets. Allowing players like me to really enjoy playing through the brackets. One of Inside Tailgating’s players actually made it through his bracket and into the afternoon play. Rather shocking actually, but if you witnessed the training video, it would all make sense. Once into the afternoon session Inside Tailgating was quickly dispatched and took on the role of Monkeyball fan.

I could go on and on about how Andy Frushour finally was able to get the monkey off his back and the Commish won his own event. However, I will let them tell their own story. Once again though, we owe the fine folks at Monkeyball a sincere expression of our gratitude for allowing us to take part in their celebration of the Tailgating Lifestyle. It gave a renewed vigor for our search into the world of the Tailgating Lifestyle. Tailgate Forever!!

43 Players Take Home Over $25,000 in Cash Prizes

What’s up Tailgating Fans?! As you know, the American Tailgating League crew has made it back from MegaGate, the charity fundraiser benefiting The V Foundation for cancer research. A huge thank you has to go out to 300+ people that attended the event! Congratulations to the 43 players that picked up their share of over $25,000 in cash prizes!

Many of you may have thought MegaGate was all about one game, cornhole, the truth is to the contrary. MegaGate was a celebration of the Tailgating Lifestyle featuring a variety of awesome tailgating games. While most may have come to concentrate on a specific game, everyone quickly learned how much fun all the games were to play. The final scoring for our Mega Bowl Grand Prize showed exactly how much the “other” games mattered.

Team Jack Burton, whose members were there primarily to focus on the Cornhole/Bag Toss aspects of the competition, ended up in second place by virtue of their 1^st and 2^nd place finishes in Bocce Ball and My Pole-ish Horseshoes respectively. When they look at their checks, most likely they will not be too concerned about their respective finishes in BT2 Doubles and Cornhole Singles. What they will remember is their affection for two new games in their tailgating repertoire.

Now, that is not to say that performing well in Cornhole/Bag Toss doesn’t have huge advantages. Team 330 our Mega Bowl Champion won the event due to their finishes in Cornhole Singles and the BT2 finals. Adam Hissner’s dominance of both events gave Team 330 the requisite points to take the Title! Team 330 also enjoyed their time playing Monkeyball, a game dominated by our friends who made their way down from Michigan, but it was their dedication to their favorite games that showed them the way.

One more team showed us that just showing up and being somewhat consistent can be another avenue to winning at MegaGate. Hof’s Holing Heroes may not have had any truly dominant performances, but their steadfast consistency provided them with enough points to take 3^rd in our Mega Bowl standings. I imagine that if asked which game would give them the points needed to finish in the money they would not have chosen Pub Washers, but it was their 2^nd place finish there that gave them the points they needed to finish in the money.

Whether teams were winning their favorite games, or whether they were finding new and exciting ways to enjoy their future Tailgating experiences, MegaGate proved to be the kind of Tailgating Celebration that we need these days. Competition is great, and obviously we believe in healthy competition or we would not have put together such an event. However, what makes the Tailgating Lifestyle so integral in our lives is how these games bring us together and give us another reason to enjoy those friends and family that make us feel happy and whole. For that, the American Tailgating League says thank you again to all of our new friends, and some old ones as well, as we look into the future and begin to plan MegaGate II!

Can’t wait to see you all there again! Oh, you want to see more winners? Check out the links below…and remember…

Tailgate Forever!

http://www.americantailgatingleague.com/?page=MegaGatestandings

Facebook.com/2011MegaGate and Facebook.com/InsideTailgating
Please feel free to tag yourselves and add any pictures you captured at the event.

2011 Megagate Tailgating Charity Event in Las Vegas Announces Individual Tournament Prize Pools

An Additional $5K Payout Pool Guarantee Announced for Beer
Pong, Cornhole Singles, and BT2 Bag Toss Tournaments

Las Vegas, NV (January 10, 2010) Tailgating Ventures announces today three
additional guaranteed prize pools for the 2011 MegaGate. A competitive $5,000
prize pool will be available for Beer Pong, Cornhole Singles, and BT2 Bag Toss
tournaments. The four-day charity fundraiser will take place in Las Vegas,
Nevada at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, February 3 – February 6, 2011. This
ultimate tailgating experience with over $100,000 up for grabs over Big Game
Weekend will feature eight popular tailgating game tournaments, with event
proceeds to benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

“Our guaranteed cash prize pool currently sits at $25,000,” shares Stacey Moore,
Founder and Managing Director of Tailgating Ventures. “The prize pool is going
to continue to build in the coming weeks. I appreciate the support from sponsors
and participants that have allowed us to guarantee these individual tournament
prize pools. In addition to cash, our sponsors are going to be giving away great
prizes to spectators and challenge participants. Whether you are playing or
watching, the best odds of winning in Vegas will be at MegaGate.”

The 2011 MegaGate charity event features team-based tailgating competitions,
social activities, and skill-based challenges with a chance for participants to win
over $100,000 in cash and prizes during Big Game Weekend. MegaGate has
structured eight double elimination tailgating tournaments: BT2 Bag Toss,
Cornhole Singles, Washers, MonkeyBall, Bocce Ball, My Pole-ish Horseshoes,
Beer Pong, and Flip Cup at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and McFadden’s Las Vegas.

Teams that participate in at least four of the eight tournaments will qualify for the
$10,000 Mega Bowl prize pool. Three of the Mega Bowl qualifying tournaments -
Beer Pong, Cornhole Singles, and BT2 Bag Toss – will each offer an individual
$5,000 tournament prize pool guarantee. The Mega Bowl ranks and rewards the
best overall tailgating teams of the 2011 MegaGate. Cash prizes will be awarded
to the top three teams with the highest ranking, top all-female team, and top coed
team. 2011 Megater teams are encouraged to secure tournament picks early.
Online registration will be closed on Monday January 31, 2011.

Team registration for the 2011 MegaGate is open at www.megagate2011.com.

About Tailgating Ventures
Tailgating Ventures was founded in 2009 to develop, acquire and grow a variety
of businesses and brands that operate within the tailgating industry. For more
information visit www.tailgatingventures.com.

About MegaGate
MegaGate is an annual charity event fundraiser celebrated by tailgating fanatics,
avid sports fans, and social gamers. The tailgating atmosphere over Big Game
weekend in Las Vegas promotes social interaction through tournament
competition and activities. A portion of all event proceeds benefit the V
Foundation for Cancer Research. For more information visit
www.megagate2011.com.

About The V Foundation for Cancer Research
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the
late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN
commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has raised more than $95 million to
fund cancer research grants nationwide and proudly awards 100 percent of all
donations and net proceeds of events directly to cancer research and related
programs. For additional information on The V Foundation or to make a donation,
please visit www.jimmyv.org.

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