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Garden City, NY:  Denis Mendelson, a 65-year old printer from Levittown, NY, won the $3,000 top prize at The LIGBT’s Thanksgiving Major held at AMF Garden City. Denis earned his second LIGBT title by defeating TJ Kim, Mineola, NY 246-232 in the final shootout. While TJ earned $1,500 for second, finishing third was Amanda Salyer, W. Islip, NY with a 227 worth $750. Rounding out the top 4 was Antoine Thurston, Harlem, NY with a 200 worth $500.

The final shootout was a tight match with all 4 players having a chance at the $3,000 title late in the game. While Antoine had the first double, his 3 open frames and smallest handicap forced him to play catch-up throughout the shootout. Amanda had a small lead going into the 8^th frame but when she missed a spare and Denis doubled in the 9^th/10^th he took the lead but had to wait for TJ to bowl his final frame. TJ needed all 3 strikes to win but settled for 2^nd place when he spared in the 10^th.

The Thanksgiving Major at AMF Garden City drew an incredible crowd of 270 entries (including 34 desperado entries), advanced 46 bowlers to the finals and paid out $13,140. The cut scores on the “Autobahn” pattern were moderate and ranged from 675 to 699. High series of the tournament was shot by James Marino, Lindenhurst, NY with a 782 in the Friday, 10pm squad. There were 4 wildcard bonuses. The Friday night wildcards were won by Dwight Dunkley, Brooklyn, NY (1345) and Monica McMillan, E. Elmhurst, NY (1327). The Sunday wildcards were won by Curtis Hetmeyer, Brooklyn, NY (1321) and Sal Lauretta Sr., Center Moriches, NY (1298). A total of 4 women advanced to the finals out of 27 women entries.   

LIGBT’s next tournament is our annual Holiday Tournament on Sunday, December 8^th (1pm & 3pm) at AMF Wantagh. Top prizes are guaranteed at $1,500 & $750. To view the final results of the AMF Garden City Thanksgiving Major please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, Vietri Associates and Billvee Electric.

Babylon, NY:  Tony Jimenez, a 68-year old retired right-hander from W. Babylon, NY won the $1,500 top prize at LIGBT’s Beat-The-Board Tournament held at AMF Babylon. Tony won his 2nd LIGBT title by defeating Yon Gyo Phark, Flushing, NY 213-204 in a very low scoring final shootout. While Yon Gyo earned $750 for second, finishing third was Kenny Simpson, Shirley, NY with a 199 worth $500. Rounding out the top 4 was Tony’s son Adam DeRossi, Massapequa Park, NY with a 191 worth $250.

The final shootout was a grind from the beginning. By the 4^th frame three of the four bowlers had at least 2 open frames, and the leader, Ken Simpson, had one open. But from the 5^th frame on, Tony stayed clean, while Ken opened his last 3 frames, to give up a 20-pin lead and the title. Yon Gyo climbed from 4^th place to 2^nd by marking in his last 5 frames. Amazingly, there was not one double the entire match.

The AMF Babylon event drew a nice crowd of 120 entries, advanced 24 bowlers to the finals, and paid out $5,800 in prize money. The cut scores on the Alcatraz pattern was 681. High series of the tournament was shot by Max Thomas, Stamford, CT, with a 772 in the 4pm squad. There were 2 wildcard winners: Ken Simpson with a 1362 from the first 2 squads and Bill Verni, W. Babylon, NY and our tournament sponsor, with a 1396 six-game series from the last 2 squads. Two women advanced to the finals; Jennifer Bochicchio, Selden, NY with a 705 and Diane Allen, Fleetwood Station, NY with a 698.      

LIGBT’s next tournament is our two-day Thanksgiving Major on Friday, November 29 and Sunday, December 1^st at AMF Garden City. Top prizes are guaranteed to pay $3,000 & $1,500. To view the results and video finals of the AMF Babylon event please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Kegel, Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, Billvee Electric, Vietri Associates, and ManyStylesOfBowling.com.

Farmingdale, NY:  Eddie Cintron, a 62-year old Technical Project Manager for the Red Cross from Laurelton, NY won the $1,000 top prize at LIGBT’s sport shot event at Farmingdale Lanes. Ed won his third LIGBT title by defeating Krystal Idzinski, Middle Village, NY 219-217 in the final shootout. While Krystal earned $500 for second, finishing third was Scott Kampf, Levittown, NY with a 158 worth $300. Rounding out the top 4 was Scott’s older brother Justin with a 149 worth $250.

The final shootout was a low scoring battle between Eddie and Krystal. The Kampf brothers were giving the other 2 bowlers more than 40 pins in handicap so they needed to shoot a big scratch game to compete which was very difficult to accomplish on the USBC 2018 Open pattern. Eddie and Krystal battled throughout the 10 frames and when Eddie opened in both the 8^th and 9^th frames Krystal took an 8 pin lead. The final frame was the deciding factor, and when Krystal missed a baby split and Ed converted a 1 pin spare, Eddie was holding his 3^rd LIGBT trophy.

The Farmingdale Lanes event drew a great crowd of 101 entries, advanced 13 bowlers to the finals plus cashed another 13 for $75 (better than 1 in 3.) The total prize fund paid out was $4,525. The cut scores on the USBC 2018 Singles/Doubles pattern were: 652 & 664. High series of the tournament was shot by Justin Kampf in the 3pm squad with a 750. The wildcard winner was Pak Wong, New York, NY with a 1315 six-game series.      

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 3-squad Beat-The-Board Tournament at AMF Babylon; Sunday, November 17^th (Noon-2pm-4pm) featuring top prizes of $1,500 & $750. Twenty-four bowlers are guaranteed to advance to the finals. To view the results of the Farmingdale Lanes event please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Kegel, Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, Billvee Electric, & Vietri Associates, and ManyStylesOfBowling.com.

Levittown, NY:  Jack Kampf, a 55-year old truck driver from Levittown, NY, won the $1,000 top prize at LIGBT’s house shot tournament hosted by Levittown Lanes. Jack’s home bowling center is Levittown and he took full advantage of the “local knowledge” to capture his 4^th LIGBT title in 7 years. In the final shootout Jack defeated 2^nd place finisher Julio Arnold, Woodside, NY 256-227. While Julio earned $500 for his runner-up position, finishing in third was Darryl Freeman, Forest Hills, NY with a 220 worth $350. Rounding out the top 4 was Anthony Cotter, Bellmore, NY with a 197 worth $300.

The final shootout started out strong as all 4 bowlers had a double by the third frame. Darryl had the lead in the 5^th frame as he was the only bowler to stay clean the first half of the match. Jack’s victory run started in the 6^th frame where he struck the next 4 out of 5 frames to lock up the match. Julio could have won the title if he had tripled in the final frame. But a ringing 10 pin cost him the chance at the title.

The Levittown house shot event drew a nice crowd of 86 entries (79 handicap/7 scratch), advanced 14 bowlers to the handicap finals and paid out a total of $3,900. Cut scores on the house shot ranged from a low of 731 to a high of 771. High series of the day was shot by Dennis McMillan, Jamaica, NY with an 820 in the 4pm squad. The wildcard winner was Robert Grieb, Deer Park, NY with a 6-game total of 1455. The winner of the scratch prize fund was Justin Kampf, Levittown, NY with a 770 series, that included a 299 game, worth $250.

LIGBT’s next tournament is a sport shot event at Farmingdale Lanes on Sunday, November 3rd (1pm & 3pm).  Top prizes are guaranteed to pay $1,000 & $500 with 1 in 4 per squad cashing.  To view the final results of the Levittown Lanes event please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Kegel, Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, Billvee Electric, & Vietri Associates, and ManyStylesOfBowling.com.

Meadow, NY: Dawn Vening, a 52-year old Legal Assistant from Mt. Vernon, NY won the $1,000 top prize at LIGBT’s sport shot event at AMF E. Meadow. Dawn won her first LIGBT title by defeating Archie Nabas, Queens Village, NY 285-263 in the final shootout. While Archie earned $500 for second, finishing third was Rafael Ongjoco, Babylon, NY with a 194 worth $300. Rounding out the top 4 was Alex Padmore, Jamaica, NY with a 186 worth $250.

The final shootout was dominated by Dawn and Archie. Although Dawn was getting 21 pins in handicap from Archie, she didn’t need a single one as shot beat him scratch by one pin! Dawn started the match with 4 strikes, and then after an open frame in the 5^th, threw another 4 strikes in a row to hold off a late run by Archie. Archie threw the only clean game in the shootout, and finished with 6 in a row, but still fell 12 pins short of his 5^th title.

The AMF E. Meadow event drew a great crowd of 100 entries, advanced 14 bowlers to the finals plus cashed another 12 for $75 (better than 1 in 4.) The total prize fund paid out was $4,650. The cut scores on the “Boardwalk” pattern were: 653 & 670. High series of the tournament was shot by Stanley Waite, Dover, DE in the 1pm squad with a 726. The wildcard winner was Andrew Mienkiewicz, Dix Hills, NY with a 1350 six-game series. One woman was added to the finals due to the women guarantee and that was our champion Dawn who qualified with a 687.    

LIGBT’s next tournament is a house shot event at Levittown Lanes on Sunday, October 27^th (2pm & 4pm) featuring top prizes of $1,000 & $500. The house shot event will feature 2 age divisions (49 & under/50+) and advance 1 in 6 to the finals.  To view the results of the AMF E. Meadow event please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Kegel, Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, Billvee Electric, & Vietri Associates, and ManyStylesOfBowling.com.

Wantagh, NY:  Adam DeRossi, a 35-year old IT Director from Massapequa Park, NY won the $1,000 top prize at LIGBT’s sport shot event at AMF Wantagh. Adam earned his 4th LIGBT title in 4 years by defeating Jimmy Walsh, Glen Cove, NY 235-230 in the final shootout. While Jimmy earned $500 for second, finishing third was Sal Florindo, Forest Hills, NY with a 228 worth $300. Rounding out the top 6 was 4^th place finisher Mike Simeone, Lindenhurst, NY with a 214 worth $250, 5^th went to Hari Soedarmasto, Levittown, NY with a 197 earning him $225 and 6^th place went to Archie Nabis, Queens Village, NY with a 187 worth $200.

A 6-bowler shootout is tough to win, and Adam was up to the task as he was the only bowler not to have an open frame in the final shootout. Adam’s steadiness, and a double in the middle of the game, gave him a 5-pin victory. Adam was also clutch as he needed a mark in the final frame to secure his $1,000 victory. Jimmy also bowled great and only had one open but needed a double in the 10^th to force Adam to double. Sal, who will be 80 year’s old in a few months, almost won his 3^rd title. When Sal doubled in the 10^th frame he forced Jim and Adam to mark.

The AMF Wantagh event drew a nice crowd of 85 entries, advanced 11 bowlers to the finals plus cashed another 11 for $75 (better than 1 in 3.) The total prize fund paid out was $3,800. The cut scores on the Broadway pattern were:  654 & 673. High series of the tournament was shot by 4^th place finisher Mike Simeone with a 741 in the 3pm squad. The wildcard winner was Donald Eubanks, Elmsford, NY with a 1322 six game series.     

LIGBT’s next tournament is a sport shot event at AMF E. Meadow on Sunday, October 20^th (1pm & 3pm) featuring top prizes of $1,000 & $500.  To view the final results of the AMF Wantagh event please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Kegel, Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, Billvee Electric, & Vietri Associates, and ManyStylesOfBowling.com.

Syosset, NY: The LIGBT has completed its 11^th season and it was one of the most successful years for this still growing club. A total of 5,309 entries were recorded in 37 events which extrapolates to 143 bowlers per tournament. The 37 event prize funds paid out $256,585 and when including all the side action a total of $469,130 was distributed.

The LIGBT hosted just 684 different bowlers in Season 11 of which 208 were first time members. There were 28 different champions of which 8 of them won multiple times. Darcy Monroe was the only 3-time winner while 7 others winning twice. The two Super Tournament Champions were Peter Libranti and Jae Yi both earning $5,000. The other major title holders, all earning $3,000, were: Dexter Sapp (Thanksgiving Major), Dwayne Redman (Winter Major), Curtis Hetmeyer (Spring Major), and Joe Scianna (Firecracker Classic.)

The leading money winner, when including prize money and side action, was Harry Park with earnings of $10,995. Just $88 behind was Sun Kim with earnings of $10,907. To make the top 10 in earnings you had to win $7,552 or more. Peter Libranti was the leading prize money winner (side action not included) with $7,360. There were 4 bowlers that earned $6,000 or more & it took $4,000 to crack the top 10.

What makes the LIGBT so successful is how many bowlers cash. A total of 10 bowlers earned more than $7,500, 20 bowlers earned more than $5,000, 35 bowlers earned more than $3,000, 55 bowlers earned more than $2,000, and an amazing 102 bowlers earned at least $1,000! Out of the 684 different bowlers that competed 426 of them earned a prize—an amazing 62%!

Consistency is key when bowling tournaments. Harry Park had the highest cashing percentage in the club with an impressive 73% (19 out of 26.) Also cashing in 19 events was James Marino who cashed at a rate of 54% (19 out of 35.) The only other bowler cashing for 70% or higher was Darryl McDuffie who cashed in 14 out of 20 tournaments. A total of 10 bowlers cashed in 13 or more tournaments.

The LIGBT’s success has a lot to do with the challenging lane patterns it puts down. Only 1 bowler out of 684 members averaged over 200; Joe Scianna with an amazing 215 (which means he bowls scratch.) The closest bowler to Joe was 17 pins behind, Scott Kampf who averaged 198 for 93 games. Only 6 bowlers averaged 190 or greater.

How tough are the scoring conditions? Just look at what the club is averaging (only includes bowlers with 30 games or more): 1 bowler is averaging 200+, 5 bowlers are averaging 190-199, 13 bowlers are averaging 180-189, 39 bowlers are averaging 170-179, 44 bowlers are averaging 160-169, 33 bowlers are averaging 150-159, 29 bowlers are averaging 140-49.  The median club average is 162!

A special thanks to all the bowlers that competed in Season 11. We look forward to seeing you at a future LIGBT tournament.

Garden City, NY:  Jae Yi, a 45-year old right-hander from Flushing, NY won the $5,000 top prize at AMF Garden City where LIGBT’s Super Tournament #6 was held. Jae, who was a Friday wildcard winner, defeated Archie Nabas, Queens Village, NY 249-238 to win his second LIGBT title. Archie, who qualified on Sunday at noon with a 661, earned $2,500 for his runner-up position. Finishing in third was Joe Scianna, Ronkonkoma, NY with a 226 worth $1,250. Fourth place went to David Chu, New York, NY with a 218 worth $1,000. Rounding out the top 5 was Jimmy Walsh, Glen Cove, NY with a 205 worth $500.

The Super Tournament final shootout was a pressure packed match with over $10,000 up for grabs. Archie started with 4 strikes in a row to take an early lead. Jae stayed close by staying clean and when he tripled starting in frame #6, and Archie missed a one pin spare in his 6^th frame, the lead switched. But when Jae missed a spare in the 9^th frame Archie still had a chance but could not double in the final frame.

Jae joins a prestigious list of $5,000 LIGBT Super Tournament champions; Tommy Grunwald, Astoria, NY was the first Super champion at Farmingdale Lanes (February, 2016), Cynthia Cooke, Patchogue, NY won the second Super Tournament at AMF Plainview (May 2017) and Pak Wong, New York, NY won the 3^rd Super Tournament also at AMF Plainview (August, 2017.) Hector Diaz Jr., Bronx, NY was the 4^th Super Tournament winner at Levittown Lanes (June, 2018.) The 5^th Super Champion was Peter Libranti, Wantagh, NY at AMF Babylon (May 2019.) the 7^th Super Tournament champion will be crowned in May, 2020 on Memorial Day weekend.

The Super Tournament drew an amazing crowd of 380 entries plus 55 desperado entries. There were 59 finalists plus another 46 cashers (105 total-better than a 1 in 2 ratio) all sharing in a $23,330 prize fund. Cut scores were low on the custom pattern ranging from 618-667. In fact there were 18 games under 100 in the 7 squads! High series was shot by Joe Evers, Islip Terrace, NY 746 (Friday 8pm.) There were 50 women entries with 8 advancing to the finals. There were 5 wildcard winners: Jae Yi (1266), Darryl Freeman (1258), Peter Libranti (1296), Julio Arnold (1271), and Hari Soedarmasto (1270.)  Total payout for the weekend exceeded $50,000!

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 2-squad sport shot event at Herrill Lanes on Sunday, September 22nd. For complete results of Super Tournament #6 please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Randi Siegle Law,  Kegel,  Torch Bowling, Vietri Associates, Billvee Electric, Knockout Ball Cleaner, and CLS Custom Upholsterers.