by Steve Ingram, Regional Director
The Western most IGBO region is off to another exciting start this year with growing tournaments, new leaders taking over and even an exciting new tournament for the region.
We kicked off 2026 with the ever-popular Espresso Cup in Seattle. Nick Jasper and his large contingent of volunteers didn’t disappoint and hosted their largest tournament ever with 56 teams over two shifts! West Seattle Bowl is always a fun place to bowl. I mean, what other bowling center has its own tiki bar? The fun continued over at the Admiral Pub afterward with a full slate of games and even a drag dance off! The tournament director, Nick Jasper, herself, went head to head with Mike Haney and was victorious!
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Next up was the Golden Gate Classic in San Francisco back at Classic Bowl in Daly City. New directors Allison Laureano and Cathy Patterson took over the tournament director roles this year. Despite this being their first year directing the tournament, they hit the ground running and successfully implemented a new system allowing bowlers to retrieve their scores from a web app on their phone right after each game concluded! A surprise guest performer, Ruby Red Munro, all the way from the Sonoma area helped put a unique spin on the afternoon with an appearance at lunch.
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Bridgetown Invitational Tournament in Portland kicked off in mid-March. The organizers showed off their fundraising expertise and sponsorship connections resulting in a surprise for every bowler–a free bowling bag! The awards are always a unique offering and feature handmade wooden models of the area’s many bridges. This always popular tournament sold out again this year and is looking forward to when they can add capacity and accommodate even more bowlers.
Rounding out March was the Silicon Valley Invitational Tournament (SVIT) in San Jose. No one should need to show you the way to this fun and competitive tournament. 4th Street Bowl with its 50s-style coffee shop and old school lounge is a great place to bowl and hang out with friends. The famous food trucks were back this year right outside the bowling center offering lunch before the awards ceremony wrapped things up.
Lastly, it wouldn’t be spring without the California Spring Classic. This year’s tournament had the highest attendance in many years as more bowlers are returning to experience the fun that is CSC, now in its 44th year! We even had some special guests coming in from the east coast to sample what we have to offer (see image below). A unique experience with its curated craft cocktails, exciting games, and technology forward, but human-centric approach to hosting a tournament.
The remainder of Spring and upcoming Summer season promise to keep the excitement coming with a new tournament on the horizon up in Sonoma County, the Wine Country Classic. The west coast’s newest destination tournament promises to be a huge success welcoming guests to strike at the bowling center and then sip at the awards ceremony set in a beautiful vineyard!
Honor Scores Within The Region
- Jeff Goldenberg – 300 game – January 14
- Cameron Weier – 800 series – January 30
- Keith Hartman – 800 series – January 31
- Tony Odom – 300 game – January 31
- Tony Odom – 800 series – February 2
- Scott Curtis – 300 game – February 13
- Daniel Chin – 300 game – February 13
- Darryl Lee – 300 game – February 18
- Koshoy Liang – 300 game – February 19
- Doug Dunkle – 800 series – March 19
- Tim Blankenmeyer – 300 game – March 19
- Eric Brustad – 300 game – March 25
- Cory Reasons – 300 game – April 6
- Jake Patterson – 300 game – April 9
