Our THANKS to Skyway for a day that went very smoothly and on-time.  We had lots of BIG games Saturday, but this week no one put FOUR of those 'big games' together.  The result was a tight competition, the lowest winning score of the year and one of the Biggest 1st Place checks this year at $2,830.00.  That low winning score (shot in the 12:00 squad), was tantalizingly within reach of at least 15 to 20 bowlers going into their last game.  One-by-one those threats fell short, some by just a few pins.  At the other end of the Cash List, the Cut-Line remained at a very reasonable 905.  Four Members (S.Gallagher-J.Villeneuva-K.McAllister-M.Abella) each collected $150.00 from the Jackpot for their 4 Taps.  The $600 paid out Saturday, pushed the years total to $21,725.00, the second year in-a-row that the Jackpot payouts topped $20,000.00.  The Progressive Pot remained Extra Large at $2,800.00, which will make for a nice way to start the 2013 Season ('Winner's Pot' in use next week). 

 

DRAMATICALLY, Rick Jack won his first Tour Title and an automatic berth in next week's Year-End Championship.  Before the 12:00 squad started, Rick and I had a conversation about his position in the B.O.Y. standings being just outside of qualifying for an invite to the Y/EC.  I told him to just Win today and he could get in!  He DID IT, but in such Nerve Wracking fashion, that he may need some Counseling!  He knew that his 980 wasn't likely to be enough to Win, but he nervously watched the 2nd squad assault on his total.  Phil Summers came the closest in that squad with a 974, but Jack decided that he'd had enough of just watching.  He wanted that spot in next week's Tournament so badly, that he re-entered, deciding that he wanted to be the one to Top his own score (less nerve wracking than watching).  He nearly pulled it off (941), as he was one of the many who had a shot going into his 4th game.  He said that he really felt like, "This was his Day"!  To perform his magic, he used a Brunswick 'Wizard', drilled back in Dayton, Ohio.  Jack plans to use his JUMBO payday of $2,830.00 for Christmas.  He often bowls with friend Terry Morton, who's had a nice Hot Streak of his own lately.  His interesting hobby is collecting Zippo's, where he's also been a distributor for the last 40 years.  CONGRATS Jack!!

 

In a TIE for 2nd Place, Tim Watanabe and Jerry Hendricksonboth came close in the last squad, finishing just 4 pins short.  For Tim, it would have been his 1st Tour Title and he too could have earned a berth in next week's Y/EC.  Tim earned his biggest Tour payday of $701.00, despite his $10 in the Pro Pot.  In Jerry's case, he's another bowler who's been Hot lately, which included a TIE for 1st Place in our last visit to Skyway.  He could have been the first bowler to earn 3 Titles in one year in a long time.  His$961.00 share pushed his first year earnings to over $5,000.00.