There is no doubt in my mind that we will never have as inspirational as a story that we had this weekend! The event drew 110 entries during a weekend full of other events, had 31 cashers, a 1 in 3.5 cash ratio and paid out over $5,000.00 in main and side event prizes. The players bowled on a fairly open 37ft Brunswick Rhino oil pattern that played a lot like the PBA Cheetah oil pattern that we bowled on at Brunswick Kyrene before. There was a clear advantage for the players who naturally liked to play the lanes straight, especially the straighter lefties. Although there were some players that had incredibly high scores, the overall average cut score for the weekend wasn't very high at all. The average insurance cut in each division was around 680 - 700 with handicap. This means the players had to bowl approximately 10-20 pins overage average a game which wasn't too bad considering how high a handful of players scored.
Normally, I wait to give the tournament results at the very end of the summary but this weekend's storyline pulled on the heart strings so much that it's something that should be talked about right away. Our tournament champion was Jeff Lewis out of the C division. He defeated Ben Spencer and William Nedry to take home his first SFT AHT title. His accomplishment is so special because Jeff lost all 4 of his limbs in 2005 due to a tragic situation. For more on that story, which I highly suggest reading, check out his website by clicking here.
It goes even further for me as the tournament director. When I started bowling in SFT events at 15 and 16 years old, I bowled with Jeff when he still had his limbs. I remember how incredibly funny and out going he was, and it was bowlers like him that allowed a young kid like me to get comfortable bowling in a club with adults. Those memories make it special, but the sheer inspirational element that exists even if Jeff is a complete stranger takes it to something that can't be experienced often. We all know about ourselves and others allowing a few trials and tribulations to steal our motivation and conviction. We quit doing something because of a few things that we have control over but, choose to not fix. Jeff's story and success today is reminder to be grateful for the ability to change things you have control over and live life to the fullest. Jeff truly is an inspiration and I personally thank him for giving us perspective this weekend.
The other story line that makes me proud to be a part of the SFT AHT family is the contrast in scoring ability in the tournament final match. The club took a new approach this season to extend the groups of players that can compete and win in the club. We tried to improve for higher average bowlers and lower average bowlers. This final match really was the epitome of what our goal is as a club. We had William Nedry come out of the A division. He bowled 800 this weekend and had a few chances at 300. Ben Spencer came out of the B division, and while he may not be as good as William, he is a player that is constantly working to get better and has made tremendous progress in the last two years. Lastly, our C division bowler was Jeff Lewis, who typically averages in the 120's but averaged in the 150's this weekend. It brings me great joy to see 3 players who are at completely different levels of the sport all compete in the same fun environment for $1,000.00. Hopefully this event was a sign of the rest of the 2014 season and the variety of players we will get to see. Check out the results below for the rest of the info, and we will see you all at Brunswick Mesa on May 3rd and 4th.
