BRIGHAM CITY, Utah – The Storm Youth Championships (SYC) returned to Smyrna, Tennessee, July 24-26, for the Storm Youth Championships (SYC) Music City event. The youth bowlers competed in three five-game rounds on three different Kegel patterns in five different divisions determined by gender and age (U20 Boys, U20 Girls, U15 Boys, U15 Girls, U12 Mixed Division) for a national title and a portion of the $14,850 scholarship fund. The format of the SYC rewards consistency and the overall champions are decided based on total pinfall.
The champion in our U12 Division was Braden McDonough of Texas who led this mixed division by 158 pins to earn his second SYC title. Nate Trentler, of Maryland, dominated the U15 Boys division leading the field by 153 pins earning his first title. His best block was the long pattern averaging nearly 234. Maribeth Baker, of Pennsylvania, earned the gold medal on both the short pattern and long pattern to take home her first title in the U15 Girls division. In the U20 Division, two past SYC Champions, Mabel Cummins of Illinois and Spencer Robarge of Missouri outlasted the competition to continue to collect SYC titles to add to their resumes. Cummins, a collegiate player at Vanderbilt University, competing in her last youth event stayed consistent across three patterns to earn her fifth SYC title. Robarge dominated the U20 Boys field leading by 210 pins and averaging 229.5 across the three challenging KEGEL patterns to claim his eighth SYC title. Robarge has earned the most SYC titles of all of our SYC athletes over the years.
In addition to the overall champions, the top three bowlers in each division were presented a gold, silver, or bronze medal after each round.
Overall Medalists: U12 Mixed – Braden McDonough (gold), Henry Hind (silver), Gavin Murray (bronze). U15 Boys– Nate Trentler (gold), Josh Maslanich (silver), Jacob Ballenger (bronze). U15 Girls– Maribeth Baker (gold), Victoria Varano (silver), Katelyn Abigania (bronze). U20 Boys– Spencer Robarge (gold), James Bennett (silver), Brett Lloyd (bronze). U20 Girls– Mabel Cummins (gold), Brooke Roberts (silver), Kiara Abanto (bronze).
The Medalists on the KEGEL Short Pattern: U12 Mixed – Braden McDonough (gold), Cameron Morton (silver), Matteo Quintero (bronze). U15 Boys– Dylan Murray (gold), Aidan Furukawa (silver), Caleb Zamora (bronze). U15 Girls– Maribeth Baker (gold), Katelyn Abigania (silver), Rachel Moore (bronze). U20 Boys– Spencer Robarge (gold), Kirk Mowl (silver), Brett Lloyd (bronze). U20 Girls– Mabel Cummins (gold), Brooke Roberts (silver), Kiara Abanto (bronze).
The Medalists on the KEGEL Medium Pattern: U12 Mixed – Braden McDonough (gold), Nathaniel Lloyd (silver), Henry Hind (bronze). U15 Boys– Josh Maslanich (gold), Nate Trentler (silver), Carson Barnes (bronze). U15 Girls– Victoria Varano (gold), Katelyn Abigania (silver), Karina Capron (bronze). U20 Boys– Spencer Robarge (gold), James Bennett (silver), Jason Tundidor (bronze). U20 Girls– Mabel Cummins (gold), Brooke Roberts (silver), Michaela Morgan (bronze).
The Medalists on the KEGEL Long Pattern: U12 Mixed – Gavin Murray (gold), Braden McDonough (silver), Mason Heiligenmann (bronze). U15 Boys– Nate Trentler (gold), Spencer Sullivan (silver), Jacob Ballenger (bronze). U15 Girls– Maribeth Baker (gold), Victoria Varano (silver), Karina Capron (bronze). U20 Boys– James Bennett (gold), Ian Dohan (silver), Brett Lloyd (bronze). U20 Girls– Katharina Mente (gold), Jordan Mundt (silver), Molly Marshall (bronze).
SYC Athlete, Victoria Varano rolled a 300 game on the KEGEL Medium Pattern.
Every bowler who entered the tournament received a Storm !Q Tour Emerald bowling ball and had the option to have it drilled by the staff at Bowlers Advantage Pro Shop.
Giving back is an important part of the SYC and bowlers come together to raise funds all weekend long for Ballard vs. the Big “C” which supports continued research in cancer treatment, specifically in head, neck and throat cancer through the sport of bowling. BVBC also raises money for nutritional supplements and treatments for those going through the cancer journey. $10 of every entry will go directly to BVBC to continue to fight the war against cancer.
The owners of Logo Infusion, Ken and Kathy Keegan joined us in Smyrna to provide apparel for the SYC. Logo Infusion is the official jersey partner of the SYC and creates customized jerseys to help commemorate each of our events. They have also created the Dan Keegan Scholarship for youth bowlers to earn scholarship to use towards their education throughout the year. They awarded two scholarships to SYC athletes based on their sportsmanship throughout the weekend. The winners were Erin Klemencic and Andru Blaney.
This tournament would not be possible without the generous donation from all of our sponsors, Storm, Roto Grip, Logo Infusion, Kegel, 3G Shoes, Bowlers Journal International. The event was livestreamed over the two days on the Storm Bowling Facebook Page.
Four events remain on the 2020 SYC Tour. The SYC will travel to Indianapolis for the SYC-Indy event, August 14-16. Fans can watch from their home on the Storm Bowling Facebook Page. IN September the SYC will take place at Northrock Lanes for the SYC – Wichita event on September 12-13. This event is sold-out with a waiting list. Entries open for the SYC – Costal Classic event, which will occur October 3-4 on August 31. The final event of the 2020 SYC Tour will take place in Orlando on November 7-8.
For final results of all rounds of competition and for more information on the SYC visit the Storm SYC page at www.stormbowling.com/SYC.
About Storm Products, Inc.
Storm Products Inc. continues to lead the bowling industry in innovation through our high-performance bowling equipment featuring the Storm and Roto Grip Brands. In addition to creating the highest quality of products that the top athletes choose for PBA and PWBA Tour competitions, Storm strives to continue to inspire existing bowlers, foster and develop new bowlers, and educate those in our industry to provide exemplary service to all bowlers.
About Ballard vs. The Big “C” (BVBC)
BVBC was created out of love for PBA Hall-of-Famer, Del Ballard, Jr., who has survived his battle with tonsil cancer. Since forming, BVBC has raised over $200,000 to help raises funds for continued research in cancer treatment, specifically in head, neck, and throat cancer. For more information visit http://www.ballardvsthebigc.org.