Since all of our tournaments have now been completed, I wanted to update everyone on where we stand as a region.
I officially took over on July 1st, so let’s begin there. First up was the Liberty Belle Invitational (LBI) over July 4th weekend. There were 104 bowlers in attendance for the 36th annual tournament. While this number is lower than LBI’s usual turnout, I’ve pledged my support to the committee to help bring those numbers back up.
Next was CAPIT in Schenectady, New York in early August. This is one of two new tournaments added to our region in 2025. They welcomed 52 bowlers for a one‑day, six‑game tournament. In 2026, they will expand to their first full‑weekend event.
In late September, we held the 3rd annual Jersey Rainbow Classic (JR‑C), where I serve as secretary/statistician. This year, the tournament moved to a larger center after outgrowing the 40 lanes at Lodi Lanes. We had 174 bowlers in attendance. Next year’s theme will be Once Upon a Time in Jersey: Princesses vs. Villains.
Our final tournament of the calendar year took place in late October in the DC/Virginia area. The Capital Halloween Invitational Tournament (CHIT), now in its 44th year, hosted 152 bowlers and had a great time with their Clue‑themed weekend.
Looking ahead, we have the 5th annual Mermaid Classic in Norfolk, VA in January; the 35th annual Sweetheart Invitational in Newington, CT in February; and in March, both BARBI in Pittsburgh, PA (our other new tournament, hosting its first full‑weekend event) and the 3rd annual Long Island Pride Invitational (LIPI) in Sayville on Long Island.
Since July, I’ve had the pleasure of approving five 300 games — four from leagues and one from the Jersey Rainbow Classic. Congratulations to:
- Steven Cleary
- George Cosico
- Jeffrey Higgins
- Tarik Joyner
- Nick Mattiello
I’ve posted about these on our Facebook page, but I want to say again how proud I am of all the reps in this region. Participation in the food drive was overwhelming, and the fact that every league and tournament in our region renewed with IGBO and paid by the October 31st deadline was simply amazing. Thank you all so much.
At the Jersey Rainbow Classic, I held a regional meeting open to IGBO reps and tournament directors. President Rob Silliman and Vice President Raffy Rodriguez were also in attendance. As a group, we discussed renewals, the Best 6 of 12 online tournament, league pins, and ideas for engaging newer bowlers in our events. It was a great conversation, and I look forward to holding more of these at upcoming tournaments.
Looking forward: I originally planned to host the next meeting at GREAT in early May. While that meeting will still take place, I’ve decided to hold an additional meeting at Mermaid in Virginia in January. I’ll post a reminder on Facebook beforehand and will coordinate with the Mermaid committee to finalize details.
Fundraising is an important part of my responsibilities. Gene did a fantastic job in the past raising money for the region by running brackets. Many of you have continued that work or partnered with sister tournaments to support each other. With that in mind, I’ll be exploring additional fundraising options. If I need assistance, I may reach out to individual tournaments or send an email blast to the region.
The Fellowship Committee has asked all of us to submit names of individuals we believe are eligible. The new form is available on the IGBO website, along with the qualifications.
Once the agenda is set for the Annual in Denver, the rep package will be sent out by Kelly, IGBO’s Secretary. If you plan to attend, please read through it carefully. If you will not be attending the tournament or the General Membership Meeting on Friday, you must send me your proxy so your league or tournament’s voice can be heard on any votes. More information will be shared in April.
As mentioned above, the next Regional Meeting will take place at Mermaid in January, followed by one at GREAT in May. I hope to see many of you there.
I will also be preparing another State of the Region email for late April. If there is something you would like me to address, please let me know via ne.region@igbo.org.
As always, I am here to assist or address any questions or concerns that you may have. If a bowler would like my contact info, please feel free to provide them with my email address. I will be more than happy to help in any way I can.
In Unity, Fellowship and Communication,
