Our IGBO President Rob Silliman called upon 8 bowlers from different parts of the country to represent IGBO at the National Military Bowling Tournament held on August 5-7. (In the photo from L-R, Jamie Morrow, David Reyna, Alex Gregory, Mike Letendre, Robert Duke, Hal Hawkins, Andy Morales, and Gary Whitney). They formed 2 teams of 4 bowlers each. It was my pleasure to chat with them and share with you their experience at the tournament.
Team IGBO 1 comprised Jamie, David, Alex and Mike. Jamie began bowling with her brother as kids while their parents were on a league. She recalled that she and her brother thought that bowling was boring. Despite this, their parents taught them math skills through scorekeeping. Her feelings about bowling changed when she joined the Bluegrass Classic League in 1990. She currently bowls in the Thursday Mixed League at Ten Pin Lanes in Pasadena, FL. David grew up bowling with his dad and has been bowling for over 40 years. He now bowls in 3 leagues in Las Vegas. He was thrilled when Rob asked him to participate, even though he didn’t know any of his teammates personally. Alex bowls in the IGBO Southern region in Tampa, while Mike hails from the San Diego area now.
Team IGBO 2 comprised Robert, Hal, Andy and Gary. Robert has bowled with his wife and his two very close friends Hal and Gary for a few years at Astro Super Bowl in San Antonio, TX. Andy also bowls in the same league. Robert said that he felt honored to be asked to bowl. They were all excited to represent IGBO in this tournament. Robert thought it would be awesome to bowl with his friends Hal, Gary and Andy in this tournament. He calls Hal and Gary his brothers and jokes that many people say that he and Gary look alike. Gary replies that Robert better ask his wife. Rumor has it that she said yes!
The tournament was held in Las Vegas at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa. The two teams arrived in Las Vegas looking forward to having a great time and hoping for some great bowling. They bowled in the Plaza, a huge indoor bowling stadium with seating for observers and fans. They bowled in Singles, Doubles and Team events. Jamie shared that Rob Silliman had asked the group prior to their arrival if they wanted to bowl on the 12midnight shift. Despite arriving from different areas, they all decided as a group to take on the challenge of bowling the late night shift. One of the deciding factors was the shift had substantially larger money prizes, even doubled and more in some areas due to additional funds being added by the tournament for that shift alone. Jamie also mentioned that there were more opportunities for prize money in side pots like Sweepers, Trios, Mystery Score and more, though she admitted she didn’t win anything herself. No one was willing to go on the record and disclose who won what. While the arrivals from different parts of the country brought on some challenges, they claimed Red Bull and vodka came to the rescue, with lots of Starbucks fraps!
Everyone genuinely had a wonderful time and enjoyed visiting with other teams. Most have bowled in an IGBO tournament before, but this was different. This time they were not only representing themselves, but they were representing IGBO at a non-IGBO event, and a military event on top of that. When asked how it felt to represent IGBO, David said that he was proud to be there, that the typical attitude was very welcoming. They formed new lasting friendships. Robert said, “I had a great time and enjoyed bowling with my team and meeting the other team.” David described it as a great format and a lot of fun. The overall sentiment was that it was worth attending and they would all do it again.