BRIGHAM CITY, Utah – Despite a Tropical Storm, Boardwalk Bowl hosted the final and largest Storm Youth Championship of 2022 with five first-time champions and a first-ever tie for the SYC title in the U18 Girls division.
The ninth event of the 2022 SYC Tour was held in Orlando November 11-13, 2022. A total of 200 youth bowlers competed in three five-game rounds on three different Kegel patterns in six different divisions determined by gender and age (U18 Boys, U18 Girls, U15 Boys, U15 Girls, U12 Boys, U12 Girls) for a national title and a portion of the $19,725.00 scholarship fund. Bowlers traveled from 32 different states, including Canada and Puerto Rico.
The format of the SYC rewards consistency and the overall champions are decided based on the 15-game total pinfall. In addition to the overall champions, the top three bowlers in each division were presented a gold, silver, or bronze medal after each round.
The champions of the 2022 SYC Florida event were Jayne Juhasz (U12 Girls), Kristofer Wagner (U12 Boys), Larielle Tharps (U15 Girls), Pedro Diaz-Gonzalez (U15 Boys), Morgan Kline and Brenna Hartzler (U18 Girls), and Garrett Andrus (U18 Boys).
“The anticipation of an SYC starts the moment the confirmation email hits each SYC family’s inbox on registration day,” Leanne Hulsenberg, Tournament and Events Manager at Storm Products said. “In Florida, many new families were welcomed into our ever-growing SYC family as they experienced an event for the first time. When the initial nerves and anticipation pass, that’s when the memories start to be made. As that last pin falls at the end of 15 games, the bowling is over but the friendships created will last much longer. Finding a welcoming and supportive community to depend on even when the pins decide not to fall isn’t something we put in our tournament guide, but we find it is present at each and every SYC event that you attend. Yes, we have competition and learning experiences but we also create memories to last a lifetime for kids and their families. That’s what the SYCs are all about.”
The Medalists on the KEGEL Short Pattern: U12 Boys – Kristofer Wagner, Treavor Mason, Tyler Anderson; U12 Girls – Jayne Juhasz, Lydia Gordon, Ellie Kate Murray; U15 Boys – Gavin Murray, Pedro Diaz-Gonzalez, Christian Mouton; U15 Girls – Camdyn Nielsen, Larielle Tharps, Carly Rhodes; U18 Boys – Garrett Andrus, Anthony Hornick, Kyle Dunne; U18 Girls – Haley Lindley, Ashtyn Yoches, Brenna Hartzler.
The Medalists on the KEGEL Medium Pattern: U12 Boys – Kristofer Wagner, Tyler Anderson, Alex Westring; U12 Girls – Jayne Juhasz, Ellie Kate Murray, Jennifer Squires-Hevel; U15 Boys – Jos Weems, Pedro Diaz-Gonzalez, Hunter Moffitt; U15 Girls – Larielle Tharps, Anna Antony, Carly Rhodes; U18 Boys – Aaron Booth, Aidan Furukawa, Anthony Hornick; U18 Girls – Abigail Starkey, Kaitlyn Stull, Morgan Kline.
The Medalists on the KEGEL Long Pattern: U12 Boys – Kristofer Wagner, Alex Westring, Treavor Mason; U12 Girls – Jayne Juhasz, Lydia Gordon, Jennifer Squires-Hevel; U15 Boys – Jackson Veitch, Emmanuel Guevara, Pedro Diaz-Gonzalez; U15 Girls – Larielle Tharps, Carly Rhodes, Amelia Droste; U18 Boys – Aidan Furukawa, Rylan Breese, Andru Blaney/Trevor Ashby; U18 Girls – Alyssa Marlowe, Kaylie Dixon, Abigail Burke/Morgan Kline.
The Overall Medalists: U12 Boys – Kristofer Wagner (Champion), Treavor Mason, Tyler Anderson; U12 Girls – Jayne Juhasz (Champion), Lydia Gordon, Ellie Kate Murray; U15 Boys – Pedro Diaz-Gonzalez (Champion), Gavin Murray, Jos Weems; U15 Girls – Larielle Tharps (Champion), Carly Rhodes, Camdyn Nielsen; U18 Boys – Garrett Andrus (Champion), Aidan Furukawa, Andru Blaney; U18 Girls – Morgan Kline/Brenna Hartzler (Co-Champions), Kaitlyn Stull, Abigail Starkey.
The owners of IAM Bowling, Kenny and Kathy Keegan provide the apparel for the SYC. IAM Bowling is the official jersey partner and merchandiser of the SYC and creates customized jerseys to help commemorate each of the SYC events. They have also awarded additional I AM Bowling Scholarships randomly at each event. 6 youth athletes were awarded $100.00 each at SYC Florida. Those winners were – Jayne Juhasz, Christian Loudin, Kylie Scheele, Trystan Aralar, Bethany Strong and Talon Newton.
In 2022, PBA Jr. has sponsored the “Never Give Up Scholarship.” At each event in 2022, the bowler in each age division with the highest five game total during the final round of the tournament will receive a $100 SMART Scholarship. The SYC Florida winners were Kristofer Wagner, Jayne Juhasz, Jackson Veitch, Larielle Tharps, Aidan Furukawa, and Alyssa Marlowe.
Every bowler who entered the tournament received a Storm Infinite Physix bowling ball to add to their tournament arsenal and were given the opportunity to have it drilled at the BowlersMart Pro Shop at Boardwalk Bowl.
As with all SYC events, there is an educational component during the weekend. Kegel Training Center offered the SYC athletes the option to attend a special SYC Warm-Up Clinic with the Kegel coaches before the start of the SYC. Before practice session on Friday, bowlers and parents enjoyed a Q & A session with Hall of Famer, Norm Duke. Duke answered questions, offered advice and took photos with all of the kids in attendance. He was also available all weekend as he awarded the medals to each of the round winners and took photos with the SYC champions on Sunday.
Champions being crowned is a highlight of each event, but perhaps the biggest champions are the cancer patients that benefit from the money raised by linking the SYC with Ballard vs the Big “C” (BVBC), a non-profit founded by bowling Hall-of-Famers, Del and Carolyn Ballard. Each event supports BVBC in numerous ways. Every entry includes a $10 donation to BVBC. On-site at each SYC, Carolyn and Del Ballard items for a raffle to raise additional funds. Since 2017, the SYC has raised more than $100,000 for BVBC 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.
We are proud to partner with great companies to enhance the SYC experience at events including Storm, IAM Bowling, PBA Junior, RAZE Eyewear, Kegel, Turbo 2-n-1 Grips, 3G Shoes, Quality Respite and Home Care Inc., Ballard’s Bowling Academy and Master Industries. Scores are also uploaded live through the official scoring system of the SYC, BowlMetrix.
In 2023, the SYC schedule will again have nine events featuring six new host bowling communities. We intentionally take the SYC events to new cities each year in a quest to bring national events closer to home for more families.
2023 SYC Schedule:
February 18-19, 2023 – South Point Bowling Plaza, Las Vegas, NV
March 18-19, 2023 – All Star lanes, Baton Rouge, LA
April 15-16, 2023 – ABC Gates Lanes, Rochester, NY
May 27-28, 2023 – Kingpin Lanes, Jeffersontown, KY
June 16-18, 2023 – Woodland Bowl, Expo Bowl, Western Bowl, Indianapolis, IN
August 19-20, 2023 – Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley, Green Bay, WI
September 16-17, 2023 – National Bowling Stadium, Reno, NV
October 14-15, 2023 – East Providence Lanes, East Providence, RI
November 4-5, 2023 – Planet Fun, Little River Lanes, Shallotte, NC, Little River, SC
For more information on the SYC visit www.stormbowling.com/SYC.