By Madeline Fuerstenberg, Community Reporter
It’s been only 13 years since Eric Anderson established Eau Claire’s own kubb culture.
Anderson is now the director of the United States National Kubb Championship, which will return to Eau Claire next weekend (July 12-14).
Originating on the Swedish island of Goetland, the game of kubb is believed to have been played by the Vikings thousands of years ago. In the 1980s, kubb became a commercialized pastime in Sweden. About a decade later, the Kubb World Championship was established.
According to Anderson, Eau Claire was named the Kubb Capital of North America in 2011. Anderson said he and his family used kubb, a Nordic lawn game, as a means of meeting new people when they moved to Eau Claire in 2007. At the time, he said he met no one who had previously heard of kubb.
From 15 teams to 128
That first year in Eau Claire, Anderson and his companions established the first organized and promoted kubb fundraising tournament in the country – featuring about 35 players who made up 15 teams. Since then, the national tournament has grown substantially, maxing out at 128 teams. According to Anderson, the U.S. National Kubb Championship is among the four largest kubb tournaments in the world.
“The community has been really open to it,” Anderson said in a recent interview. “We wanted to create a culture in town, because there’s a saying about kubb: ‘Kubb unites people and creates peace on Earth.’”
Since 2011, the U.S. National Kubb Championship has taken place at the Eau Claire Soccer Park located at Craig Road and W. Hamilton Avenue, where it will once again be held this year. Anderson estimates around 460 players between the ages of 11 and 80 will participate in this year’s tournament, coming here from 18 different states.
One team’s story
Drew Brandenburg has competed at the Kubb Nationals three times before this year. He and his team, Poplar Culture, will return for the fourth time this year.
Brandenburg said in an email interview that he and his brother got involved with kubb in 2014 in an effort to spend quality time with one another. They’ve been hooked ever since, he said.
“It’s so much more than a tournament,” Brandenburg said. “Kubb brings people together. Strangers and friends, alike, will find themselves standing over a slain king talking about their kubb journey, their families, their lives and, of course, to recap the match.
“I am excited this year that we are matched up with three other teams in our pool that come from Connecticut, Tennessee and South Dakota. I love to share this crazy kubb lifestyle with people from all over the land,” he added.
“This event is the culmination of what Kubb is all about. You really have to see it to believe it.”
Tournament overview
On the first day of the tournament, Anderson said an estimated 60 to 70 kids will play in the Kid Kubb tournament of 24 teams, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is the oldest and largest kid-only tournament in the world, he said.
On Saturday, July 13, Nationals will kick off 9 a.m. Teams will compete in three brackets, which should last until around 6 p.m. On the final day of the tournament, the top 16 teams will return to play from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The National Kubb tournament is open to all people, regardless of skill level or experience, Anderson said. Additionally, all teams compete at varying levels of dedication or competitiveness.
“Everybody’s there to have fun, but maybe a third to half the teams are there just to enjoy a day outside,” Anderson said. “It does come with that perception of ‘I’m not good enough,’ but if people come out and just watch … I’ll guarantee you that, if you go out there and you watch people play, you’ll find teams out there that make you think to yourself ‘That’s me.’”
This year’s tournament will be a fundraiser for Girls On The Run and We Help War Victims. Funds are collected through the concessions run by Girls On The Run, merchandise sales, team entry fees and sponsorships.
‘. . . participants will have a good time’
Win or lose, Brandenburg said all participants will have a good time at the kubb tournament. Brandenburg said the game of kubb has taken strong root in Eau Claire simply because of the people in this community who carry such a strong passion for the game.
Poplar Culture won the Silver bracket title last year, and aims to make the top 16 this year, Brandenburg said.
“It’s not a game, it’s a lifestyle.” Anderson said. “There’s something beautiful, really, about the game in that it really does bring people together and it’s so simple. The game is so simple, but yet, it’s so complex and challenging. It’s just so much fun.”
Note: the home page photo and all others accompanying this article show scenes from last year’s national kubb championship tournament in Eau Claire. The photos were provided by Eric Anderson.
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