Congrats to Rich Orf for winning the Gran Prix tournament at St. Charles of the weekend. It was bowled on the hardest of hard conditions, 40 foot flat pattern, like the US Open.

Which gets a BIG salute to tournament director Reynold Blondin. This is the 29th season of Gran Prix Tournaments. What's different and new is that the Regular Division (all ages can bowl) events are all bowled on Kegel Challenge Series patterns, harder than a house shot but a bit more forgiving than the PBA patterns. 

The senior Gran Prix Tournaments still bowl on easier house patterns. I find that ironic - older bowlers complain scores are off the charts with resin reactives, and that young bowlers aren't as good as they were at the same age.

But more often than not, bowlers choose to bowl on the easy china but wonder why, when they go to the USBC national tournament, can't average more than 175.

Reynold Blondin gets 4 hambones (is that 16 strikes in a row?) for providing us the Gran Prix Kegel Challenge Series. You'll have to watch the PBA telecasts to find out what a hambone is, if you don't know.

So how good is this format? Reynold's tournaments are getting 40 entries and more each time. The PBA this year started marketing its PBA experience tournaments. They are a bust - many got ZERO entries and others were just cancelled for lack of interest.

Reynold gets it. The PBA doesn't - although they are trying.

 11/09/2008 GPT-St. Charles Classic - St. Charles Lanes

Stepladder Finals 

Yarbrough Tony          191   Williams Jeff              208
Wedemeier Mike        216   Williams Jeff              203
Flanagan Mike            220   Wedemeier Mike       267
Orf Rich                        216    Wedemeier Mike       180

Bowler, Hometown                                             Prize     10 Games  

1 Orf Rich, O'Fallon, IL                                       $  750.00  2173     

2 Wedemeier Mike, O'Fallon, MO                     $  375.00  2104     

3 Flanagan Mike, St. Peters, MO                      $  250.00  2143

4 Williams Jeff, Cape Girardeau, MO              $  200.00  2034     

5 Yarbrough Tony, Rogersville, MO                  $  180.00  2087 

6 Stiegemeier Dwayne, St. Charles, MO         $  160.00  2027 

7 Rau Randy, Belleville, IL                                 $  145.00  2002 

8 Hendrixson Ned, St. Louis, MO                     $  135.00  1987 

9 Hargrove Brian, Imperial, MO                         $  125.00  1986 

10 Marable Bob, Pagedale, MO                        $  115.00  1973 

11 Patterson Jeffery, Belleville, IL                    $  110.00  1954 

12 Bohannon Tom, Forsyth, MO                       $  105.00  1952 

Top Senior - Wolff Dale, Wildwood, MO (Senior)   $   70.00  1855 
               
           Visionary Bowling Ball Winner - James Propst

           Trio Bowlers Supply accessory kit winner - Troy Goettel