The history of Hoss Cup dates back to April 2021. The sport was developed on the campus of Saint Mary's College following the successful purchase of two Nerf Blasters for less than three American dollars each. Shortly after the development of the rules and regulations, a rich culture was formed that now includes music ballads, dances, vernacular, and lore.
THE RULES
The game is broken down into three rounds with a bonus shootout round enacted at the conclusion of the rounds if the score is tied. A dart is flipped end over end to determine who gets first pick of chair/order (similar to a coin toss). The Hoss who wins the dart flip then may choose which chair he would like to sit in (each chair has it's advantages and disadvantages) or the shooting order. Traditionally, the winning Hoss chooses the left chair and the losing Hoss choses to shoot first.
Hoss Cup involves four cups set up in two locations. Three cups are placed spaced out on top of the television with the final "Money Cup" placed on a hook in the doorway. The cups atop the television are all worth one point and the Money Cup is worth two (due to it's further distance). All cups must be knocked off their respective stands in order for the point to count.
Each Hoss has six darts in his holster and the order of the cups always moves right to left with the Money Cup coming last. After all four cups have been shot at by each Hoss, the final two darts are allowed to be shot freely at whichever target the Hoss may choose. However, if for example Hoss A shoots first and hits the first cup, Hoss B then shoots at the second cup and will have at least three free-choice shots in the round. In some rare instances, a Hoss may have five shots to fire at the Money Cup. An important note: once a single-point cup has been knocked off it's stand, it may not be reset but the Money Cup always resets after each hit.
After all six shots are fired by both Hosses, the scores are counted and the winner is determined. If the score is tied, the round results in a draw. The first Hoss to either win two rounds OR has one win and two draws is determined the Hoss Cup Champion. If the conditions have not been met, the two Hosses will engage in a sudden-death shootout.
The shootout is a rapid-fire contest with both Hosses attempting to hit the Money Cup first. The shootout begins with both Hosses having their backs turned to the Money Cup, counting down from three, then yelling HOSS and turning 180 degrees to fire at the cup. Unlike the traditional round, the shootout is not done in order and is instead fire-at-will. Whoever knocks the Money Cup off the hook first is determined the Hoss Cup Champion and the number of shots it took them to hit the cup is recorded.
HOSS CUP ANTHEM
The Hoss Cup Anthem is to be played during each Hoss Cup. It is a musical composition developed by the founding Hosses consisting of a generic Western-themed instrumental and various soundbites relating to the word "Hoss" or inside jokes between the founders.
HOSS CUP HISTORY
The history of Hoss Cup has been recorded painstakingly since the inception of the sport. The original scores were recorded on the back of a lined notepad and was titled the "Hoss Board". The Hoss Board has since been moved to a virtual format for posterity entitled the "e-Hoss Board". The original scoreboard is still maintained and cherished.
On July 30, 2021, the inaugural Hoss Cup Final was played to determine an overall winner of season one. T-Hoss was the regular season champion and flipped the opening dart to determine the chair location and order of each Hoss. The Hoss Cup Final is played is played in a best-of-seven series, where the first Hoss to win four games is declared the Hoss Cup Champion. The inaugural Hoss Cup Final was decided in four games, with T-Hoss emerging as the sharpest shooter of them all, winning in a four-game sweep over B-Hoss.
To access the e-Hoss Board, please click
here.
Historical Moments
- First round won by a female Hoss - HC 2.2 on 10/5/21 by E-Hoss (first round)
- Hoss Cups won on the final shot (aka "a Derek Norris") - T-Hoss (HC 1.20 on 5/12/21), T-Hoss (HC 1.37 on 7/8/21), T-Hoss (HC 1.40 on 7/14/21), B-Hoss (HC 1.43 on 7/23/21), T-Hoss (HC 1.44 on 7/26/21), T-Hoss (HC 1.45 on 7/27/21), B-Hoss (HC 2.12 on 5/25/22)
- Highest single round score - 9, (T-Hoss, HC 1.39 on 7/13/21)
- Highest combined single round score - 15 (First Round of HC 1.45 on 7/27/21, Third Round of HC 1.46 on 7/28/21)
- Highest total points in one Hoss Cup - 33 (HC 1.37 on 7/8/21)
- Longest Hoss Cup winning streak - 9 (B-Hoss from HC 2.1-9)
- Most consecutive rounds won - 6 (B-Hoss from HC 1.27-29, T-Hoss from HC 1.33-35, J-Hoss from HC 2.10-12)
- Most combined consecutive cups hit to start a round - 6 (HC 1.37 on 7/8/21)
- First Hoss Cup Champion - T-Hoss (7/30/21 4-0 series win over B-Hoss)
- First Hoss Cup Holiday Classic Champion - J-Hoss (12/22/21 2-1 win over B-Hoss)
