A killer eight meter toss during the 2012 U.S. National Kubb Championship's final round.

Eau Claire was neglected the first time around on MSN’s “coolest cities in the Midwest” list but after receiving loads of feedback, they decided to add us to a second round list (at #5) – largely due to our designation as the “Kubb Capital of North America.” If the long winter of 2013 has stunned your memory, and you don’t recall what “kubb” is, it’s one of the fastest growing lawn sports in the country where, to put it (very) simply, the object is to knock over your opponents’ wooden blocks by throwing wooden batons at them.

The U.S. National Kubb Championship is held in Eau Claire each July and it’s the largest kubb tournament outside of Europe, where the sport began and grows bigger every year. Since the tournament began in 2007, numerous large annual tournaments have sprung up throughout the midwest, and a thriving community of stout-hearted kubb enthusiasts have worked hard to spread the game as far as possible – on neighborhood lawns and city parks, as well as online.

The 2012 U.S. National Kubb Championship, held last July at the Eau Claire Soccer Park.
Photos: Becca Hodges, Blind Photography

“A few weeks ago, we received an email from MSN stating that they were hoping to get some pictures from the U.S. National Kubb Championship for a piece about cool Midwest cities,” stated Eric Anderson director of the national Tournament. “He said that when they looked at Eau Claire, the Championship stood out as something unique, cool, and that no other community has, and that they would like to highlight it for their page on Eau Claire.”  

Although we missed MSN’s first round draft picks, we still find it pretty cool to be recognized. Other cities on the list include Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Duluth, Lawrence, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and the Twin Cities.