The 9-Tap Tour was held at Kent Bowl and thanks to their management and staff, all squads ran smoothly and stayed on time.  196 entries produced our record SIXTH Straight $3,000.00+ Champion ($3,346.00) and that wasn't the only BIG payday Saturday.  2nd Place took home what would have been a 1st Place size check just a few years ago at $1,448.00, with a hefty 3rd Place check as well at $750.00. 

We were excited to see if History would again repeat with back-to-back 9-Tap Jackpots.  We didn't have to wait long, since in the FIRST game of the 10am squad Donnie Roberts calmly rattled off SIX 9-Taps giving him a coveted 'GOLDEN SHOT' for #7 and a roughly $3,000.00 payday.  Donnie said that the shot for #7 was one of the biggest Adrenaline Rushes he ever had.  As former Umpire for many years, he looked like he was calling himself OUT before his 7th Shot reached the pins (see picture). 

               

           Donnie's $500.00 for Front-6 Taps and his 'Golden Shot' call

 

1st Place - Michael Hendricks  

For many years we've tried to find a way to describe when a bowler gets into that famous 'ZONE'.  We've said  they were experiencing an 'Out of Body Experience’ or sprinkled with 'Fairy Dust' or bowled like they were 'Possessed'.  Those descriptions never seem to convey the rare groove that a bowler can discover 'Out of the Blue'.  Michael Hendricks enjoyed discovering that 'Zone' at Kent Bowl Saturday.  He certainly didn't expect to have such an awesome day, as he didn't even get into any High Game Pots or Brackets.  How BIG was his day?  After joining at the end of last year, Michael has entered 10 Tournaments without making the Cash List even once...  his high game had been a 200... but he didn't give up!!  At Kent Bowl, he surprised himself and all of us, by tossing all 3 games over 220 to run away with the Title and earn a HUGE check for $3,346.00.  That's an awesome way to win Title #1 and make the Cash List for the first time!!  New equipment, a little coaching and some bowling videos, together with some practice, certainly paid off.  He said that he was very focused for all 3 games and it was like being in a trance.  With his low game Saturday being 20 pins higher than his previous high, I'd agree that he was pretty focussed (trance... lol)!!  Michael gives a big thanks to his wife Nicole for supporting him in his bowling and Shawn Armentrout for his coaching and guiding him along the way. 

2nd Place – Jimmy Nguyen was another bowler who was in the 'ZONE' scoring an impressive 857, 318 pins higher than his personal best to receive a very nice check for $1,448.00.  As Jimmy commented after the Tourney, his series would have been enough for a Title most weeks.  But as HOT as Jimmy was, Michael was even HOTTER this time around.  Similar to Michael, Jimmy joined the Tour in January and had bowled 9 times previously, only cashing once in 43rd place. 

3rd Place - Willie Manning Jr, was also on fire scoring 807 for a payday of $750.00 for 3rd place, plus $140.00 for High Scratch Series and $145.00 for his High Scratch Game of 300, adding up to a nice $1,035.00 day at the office for the SEVEN-TIME Champ & Hall of Fame Member. Willie and Jimmy mentioned that they both motivated and cheered each other on.