HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!  Another FANTASTIC and EXCITING Tournament at HiLine Lanes, where the scoring was right where we like to see it, and top scores came from every squad.   A four-way tie at the bottom of the Cash List, added a 39th bowler to the list.  The STAGGERING statistic of the week is the HUGE $12,100.00 paid-out, which makes it 9 of the last 10 Tournaments to pay out over $10,000.00, while 2010 only had 4 Tournaments that large for the whole year.  

The Moms Day Pot was large enough to pay 3 Moms and there was some really tight competition for that Pot, with many scores in the 250 to 275 (w/hdcp) range that got shutout.  Kara (Stahl) Jones won $150 with a sweet 291, to go with her 23rd Place finish, Rebecca McDonald took $75 for her nice 280, to add to her HOT 4th Place finish and Kelly Day earned $40 for the strong 278 she shot in her last game.  The most INTENSE moment of the day was when Robert Blakeslee lined up to shoot for his 7th 9-Tap, attempting to take down the Jackpot.  The crowd grew, as most of the lanes paused to watch as Robert picked-up a ball that was suddenly a little heavier than the previous shot.  It was exciting to hear the whole crowd simultaneously draw a deep breath, as the ball looked a little high (ideal for a possible 9 count).  Then the crowd, along with Robert, all exhaled together as the 6-10 stood, leaving him to settle for the Consolation of $750.  The Jackpot still stayed at Jumbo size, now $9,055.00.  The already Extra Large Progressive Pot got even LARGER for next week at Paradise Village, at $3,652.00.

 

After 4 straight Tournaments with 1st time Titlists, Kenny Tameno wins his 5th Tour Championship at HiLine.  Kenny is a Life Member who joined the Tour in early days of 2002.  This enormous payday of $2,752.00 boosts his Career Earnings to an enviable $16,463.00.  He plans to use the winnings to pay his Mom back, and do some needed repair work on his car.  For longtime Mariner fans, they would remember how Ken Griffey Jr had a knack of hitting Home Runs on his parents birthdays or Mothers and Fathers Days.  So for this Mother's Day, another potential Hall-of-Famer, Kenny 'The Kid' (Tameno) had his Mom with him at HiLine Lanes, cheering him on, as he finished with a huge final game to pull out this Title by just 8 pins.  That big final game (298) and his series also earned him an extra $270 from the Scratch Pot.  Win #5 also earns Kenny the 5-Time Champion 'Retro' Shirt, which will have Stars added for each future Title.  Kenny has a history of getting into 'Hot Streaks', so I asked him if he felt like he was in that famous 'Zone' Saturday.  He said, "Maybe in the last game, but I took a lot of harassing for all the 'Brooklyn' hits I was throwing earlier, especially when I got a 9-count leaving just the head-pin!"  Hot & Lucky is a nice combination!  Either way or either side, it was his Ebonite 'Mission 250K', drilled at K&K Bowling that he used for the win.  In addition to working at Boeing, he enjoys a little gambling and also playing Video Games.  WAY TO GO Kenny on Win #5.

 

The early leader was another Life Member who joined in 2002.  Curt Sanborn hung on for 2nd Place at his favorite House (HiLine), where he won his 1st Tour Title and also where he hit the 9-Tap Jackpotfor $4,778.00 in 2008.  Since he wasn't in the Progressive Pot, this payday was limited to $550.00.  In 3rd Place, John Sisavath was looking for his first Title, but ended-up with his third Top 3 Finish this year.  He and family are headed-out for a vacation, so he said the $680.00 payday would come in handy.  Rebecca McDonald had the only other four digit series, hitting 1000 on the nose, taking 4th and $300.