Bags of Talent: 13-year-old Waterloo native Ryan Traiteur goes pro in cornhole

WATERLOO, IL – Don’t expect to take a nap in the Traiteur household.

“It’s constant,” Kelly Traiteur said.

A loud ‘thud’ rings around the house daily, the source of which you can find in the basement where the Traiteur’s have their cornhole boards set up.

“I don’t like to practice alone,” Ryan Traituer said.

Fortunately, Ryan has his twin brother Mason to practice with.

“I used to practice a lot,” Ryan said. “But not as much since I turned pro.”

Turning pro is impressive enough, but Ryan’s professional status is nearly unimaginable at just 13 years old. Couple that with the fact he only started playing 2 years ago and you could say Ryan is a phenom.

Ryan first picked up cornhole playing in the backyard with his dad. Soon after, his baseball team hosted a cornhole tournament as a fundraiser, where Ryan and his mother took fourth place.

“I thought I was pretty good,” Ryan said.

Ryan took his talents on the road, competing in local and regional tournaments. Eventually, he accumulated enough points through the American Cornhole League, or ACL, to earn pro status, paving the way to compete in nationally-televised competitions.

It didn’t take long for Ryan to climb the rankings.

Today, he is the 2nd-ranked cornhole player in the world.

“It’s pretty darn cool,” Ryan said. “Some [of my friends] think it’s cool. Some think it’s weird.”

Perhaps it is a bit weird for a 13-year-old to dominate a professional sports league, but his over 100 tournament wins across local, regional, and professional competitions speak for themselves.

Ultimately, it may be a relief that he isn’t ranked 1st in the world.

At 13-years old, Ryan still has more to achieve.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.