THE HISTORY OF THE JUNIOR BOWLER

On November 1, 1975, the first tournament in Junior Bowlers Tour history was held at Lodi Lanes in Lodi, NJ. Rob DeLuca topped a field of 71 bowlers to win that first handicap event (there was no scratch division).

After the success of that first event, it was decided to run another tournament. The second JBT event was held eight weeks later at Bowla Bowla in Bergenfield, NJ. This high-scoring event had the largest turnout of the season (83) and was highlighted by Brian Scott's 266 game and 1073 five-game qualifying series -- the highest game and series of the season. Brian finished second to Rick Pagan, who rolled the highest eight-game scratch series of the season of 1636.

As the season went on, the tournaments were scheduled more frequently. The JBT ran it's first tournament in New York in January and visited Connecticut for the first time in April. A total of 16 events were held during the season, with the last three regular events including a scratch division.

Bob Barbarino defeated Bobby Fuscarino in the title match of the first scratch tournament, held at Wallington Lanes in Wallington, NJ. Barbarino had the highest qualifying totals of the day with 960 for five games and 1525 for eight games. Fuscarino had the two highest games of the tournament of 213 (in the step-ladder) and 212 (high game of the qualifying round).

Larry Walker won the first JBT Invitational Tournament, the season-ending event in August. Steve Borcsik led the point standings and was the JBT Bowler-of-the-Year. Bob Barbarino led the season's averages with 180.

During the season, eight bowlers broke the 1000 mark scratch for five games and seven bowled over 1600 scratch for eight games. There were four games over 250. Seven bowlers averaged 170 or better.

Twenty-two tournaments with both a scratch and a handicap division were held in the JBT's second season. Fourteen events were held in New Jersey, seven in New York and one in Connecticut. A new entry record was set in October when 97 bowlers competed in the tournament at Paramus Bowling, in Paramus, NJ.

Mark Hatton won four scratch titles, led the point standings and averaged 181 to earn Bowler-of-the-Year honors in the scratch division. Scott Marks finished second in the point standings. Ken Clarke Jr. finished second in the average race at 179 and rolled the high game of the season of 289. In the handicap division, Kevin Scott won three titles, Debbie Biesel led the point standings and Curt Pezzano was the Bowler-of-the-Year.

Scores improved in the second season as six bowlers had games better than 250, and it took a 172 average to make the top ten list. However, nobody was able to top the 1073 five-game series posted by Brian Scott the prior season. There were also some low scoring events, such as one event when the high five-game qualifying series was 879. In another tournament, the scratch leader after 8 games was -123 and the qualifying score to make the scratch finals was -238.

The schedule was cut back slightly to 19 tournaments in the 1977-78 season. On November 19 at Paramus Bowling, 104 bowlers competed which set the new entry record, a second record was set that day with a total of 37 scratch bowlers.

A consistent performance by Chris Keller enabled him to win the scratch division point title despite not winning a tournament. Frank Bishopp won one tournament and the handicap division point title. Keller and Bishopp also won Bowler-of-the-Year honors. Andy Stone set a new record by averaging an amazing 189, five points more than his closest competitor. Nine bowlers averaged better than 180.

Tony Paciello set a new record for the qualifying round with a five-game total of 1113, and four bowlers tossed games over 260. It wasn't all big scores, however.....the most memorable of the low-scoring tournaments was the event where only three of the 16 games in the finals topped 169 (and 5 were below 128); the final scores in the title matches were 160-147 in the scratch division and 127-114 in the handicap division.

At the conclusion of the season, the first JBT Tournament of All-Time Champions was held at Leisure Lanes in Fairfield, NJ. Thirty-eight bowlers competed and Tim McLaughlin earned his third title and became the 100th champion crowned by the JBT.

Dave Srock set a new JBT record with his 195 average and won three tournaments to earn scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year. Kevin Gaskill also won three tournaments and Bobby Beckerman won two tournaments and the point title. Andy Stone, Ralph Devone, and Angelo Ciavarella also won twice each.

A new entry record was set at Eclipse Lanes in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ on April 7th when 112 bowler particpated. A new scratch record entry count of 45 was reached several times during the season.

A new record entry count of 135 was set at Bowler City in Hackensack, NJ on December 22, only to be broken three months later (March 22) by the 140 entries at Garden State Bowl in Union, NJ. Entries topped 100 in 17 events (plus 2 more at 99), and a new scratch record of 61 entries was recorded in the Bowler City event.

On April 18-19, the JBT chartered a bus which brought 40 junior bowlers from New Jersey and New York to Bradley Bowl in Windsor Locks, CT for the tournament that had been added to the JBT schedule. It was the furthest the JBT had ever traveled at that point and it proved to be an amazing success, with 125 entries. The success of that event laid the groundwork for the expansion of the JBT into other states and conferences.

Sergio Alvarez was the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year, winning four titles and topping the point standings with a record 819 points. Sergio finished fourth in the hotly-contested average race with 191 -- Jerry Borris posted the high average of 193.

Laura DuLisse earned the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award on the strength of her steady performance throughout the season. Laura finished fourth in the point standings, won a title and qualified for the semi-finals in 18 of her 21 events. B-O-Y runner-up Charlie Wright topped the handicap division point standings.

On April 26th at Leisure Lanes in Fairfield, NJ, Jim Behan rolled the highest game in JBT history when he opened the tournament with a 297. It was the first time a JBT bowler had ever started with the first eleven strikes. Jim's fame was somewhat short-lived however, when John Schnupp opened the semi-finals with the first 300 game in JBT history. Later in the season, Charlie Wright rolled a 298 and Larry Granto had a 297.

Clay Pezzano set the new record for the 5-game qualifying round with 1132 at Eclipse Lanes in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ on March 29th. That total was topped by Chris Molloy's 1153 in the April event at Bradley Bowl. Molloy's record stood for a week and was topped at the Leisure Lanes event by Mike Jasnau's 1185.

The Tournament of All-Time Champions grew slightly to 49 entries and only one adult, Randy Eng, made the 8-person finals. Randy prevented a junior bowler from becoming the first winner of this event when he edged Ray Mooney for the title. Steve Covello, a regular on the tour and the JBT News' cartoonist, became the first handicap division bowler to make the finals of the tournament.

Another season of growth saw the expansion of the JBT, with the formation of the New England Conference. Four tournaments were held in that first season and Mike Jasnau swept all four of the scratch division events.

Mike had a fine season everywhere, as he won the scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year in the "original" conference of the JBT, which covered New Jersey, New York, and still ran several events in Connecticut. Mike won two tournaments, finished second in the point standings and set a JBT record with his 199.6 average. B-O-Y runner-up Larry Granto was edged for the award, despite his record 5 titles, point championship and second best average.

Larry Granto set a new record for the five-game qualifying round when he rolled 1220 at King Pin Alleys in West Nyack, NY. Steve Covello and Scott Duff shared high game honors for the season, each rolling a 299.

Angelo Ciavarella won two scratch tournaments during the season, choosing a good time to get on a roll. He won the Invitational Tournament to finish the regular season, and a week later won the Tournament of Champions, becoming the first junior bowler to ever win the event.

For the first time, a bowler (actually 3 bowlers) averaged better than 200 for the season. Angelo Ciavarella set the record with his 206+ average, he was followed by Greg Popowich who averaged 205 and Steve Covello who averaged 201.

Another first was the tie for Bowler-of-the-Year in the scratch division. Greg Popowich won the point title, edging Angelo Ciavarella by eleven points. Angelo returned the favor in the average race, winning by slightly more than a point. Angelo won four tournaments, while Greg won three, including the Invitational.

Scores continued to increase as three bowlers topped the 1200 mark for the five-game qualifying round. For the first time, there were four occasions during the season when a bowler rolled the first eleven strikes. Pete Athanasoulis had a 298, Steve Roth had a 299, and the two 300's for the season were both rolled by Parker Bohn III.

Two of the closest finishes in the point standings left the final results in doubt until the last tournament of the season. The scratch division point race ended with only 32 points separating first and fourth place. Eric Oglesby won the point title, edging John Flaherty, Tom Jordan and Ken Fishman. Jeff Barnett led the point standings in the handicap division, with John Richardson and Frank Moran close behind. Twenty-three points separated the top three handicap division bowlers.

Angelo Ciavarella improved on the JBT season record he already held by averaging better than 208. Angelo also rolled the only 300 of the season in the step-ladder finals of the opening day event at Eclipse Lanes in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. He followed that 300 with the next ten strikes (in a 289 game) in the next match. He finished with a 231 game in the championship match for an 820 series and the title.

Angelo Ciavarella and Charlie Bruno each won four scratch tournaments during the season. Tom DeLutz Jr. won three consecutive scratch tournaments in June and then finished the season winning the Tournament of Champions; only the second time a junior had won the event.

A total of nine tournaments were held in the growing New England Conference. Mike Lichstein edged Bob Burlone for the scratch division point title, Chad Zima won the handicap division point title over Pete Falso, and Eric Oglesby won high average with 198.

The JBT had it's busiest season as the New Jersey Conference included 24 tournaments for the fifth consecutive season and the New England Conference expanded to an 18 tournament schedule. A Thanksgiving Weekend tournament was introduced and the Tournament of Champions brought the season total to an all-time high of 44 events.

Tom DeLutz Jr. won three tournaments, the point title, and finished second in average to capture scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Rick Graham had high average of 207, edging DeLutz and third place finisher Tom Jordan, by less than a point. Jordan won six tournaments during the season.

Rich Burman, Rick Graham and Larry Margolin each rolled a 300 during the New Jersey season. Mike Lichstein and Bob Kuliga had 300 games in the New England Conference. Eddie Gallagher and Tom Jordan had 299 games.

For the first time, the New England Conference named a Bowler-of-the-Year. Mike Lichstein and Brenda Handy were the winners in the scratch and handicap divisions, respectively. Mike won three tournaments and the point title, while Brenda won a tournament and finished second in the point race, behind Paul Stallard.

Opening day in the New Jersey Conference was held at Eclipse Lanes in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. Unfortunately, a combination of machine malfunctions forced the semi-finals to be moved to another center for the first (and so far, only) time in JBT history. Feibel's Recreation in Teaneck, NJ hosted the semi-finals and finals of this strange event.

On December 1st at Danbury Bowlarama in Danbury, CT, Terri Slipski became the first female to roll a 300 in JBT competititon. At the same time, Terri became the first bowler in the handicap division to roll a 300 game.

On January 12, the JBT visited Astro Bowl in Clifton, NJ. As in every tournament, the finalists were announced after the semi-finals and asked to report to specified lanes. For some reason which is still unknown, only 3 of the handicap finalists appeared. Several announcements were made to locate alternates, but most people had left the center and only one alternate (8th place qualifier Dawn Szabo) could be found. The finals were held with only four bowlers and of course, Dawn climbed the shortened ladder for the victory.

Dave Carter was named the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year in the New Jersey Conference. Dave won five tournaments (including the Invitational), won the point title and set a new JBT record with his 209.22 average...barely edging Mike Lichstein's 209.13. Two-time winner and point champion Chris Leyen was the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year. Mike Lothrop and Tony Ament rolled 300 games.

In New England, two bowlers dominated the scratch division. Mike Lichstein earned Bowler-of-the-Year honors as the point champion, average runner-up (204) and winner of five tournaments. Mike Lothrop finished second in the point standings, had high average of 206 and also won five events. Point champion Tom Tetrault was the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year. Terri Slipski had the only 300 during the season.

Frank Dalli Jr. won the Tournament of Champions, which marked the third consecutive season a junior bowler had won the event. After eight T of C events, four had been won by adults and four by juniors.

Dave Carter repeated as New Jersey scratch Bowler-of-the-Year, winning six tournaments, the point title and finishing second in average with 209. Mike Lichstein won five tournaments and broke Dave's year-old record by averaging 211 for the season. Stefanie Marek won one tournament and the point title and was named handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

In the New England Conference scratch division, Mike Lothrop and Mike Lichstein again battled throughout the season, with Lothrop winning Bowler-of-the-Year. Each bowler averaged the same as the prior season (Lothrop - 206, Lichstein - 204), and between them, the two won 12 of 20 tournaments held (Lothrop - 7, Lichstein - 5). Lothrop won the point title, with Lichstein as runner-up. Jay Gagne was the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year with two tournament titles and the point championship.

Scott Oliver became the first New York Conference Bowler-of-the-Year, winning one tournament, the point title and finishing second in average to Jonny Santiago. Billy Armstrong won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, winning one tournament and the point title. Brother Keith Armstrong finished second in the point standings.

There were many highly-skilled left-handed bowlers competing on a regular basis during this season and the most talked-about tournament during the season was held at Echo Lanes in Mountainside, NJ on October 26th. It was righty Stan Dobrinski Jr. who was the topic of conversation for his 10th place finish in the scratch division -- the only right-handed bowler in the top fourteen finishers.

Three areas of expansion were tested in the JBT during this season. Six tournaments were held in the new Pennsylvania Conference, two tournaments were held in Delaware, and six Massachusetts tournaments were run independent of the New England Conference. These additional tournaments helped set a new record of 72 singles tournaments during the season.

Patrick Allen dominated the scratch division as no bowler had ever done before. On his way to New Jersey Conference Bowler-of-the-Year honors, Patrick won a record ten tournaments, averaged 209 (runner-up Scott Oliver averaged 202) and topped the point standings with a 1023 total (runner-up Bob Gramarosso had 618). In his 24 tournaments, Patrick made the finals 19 times. Although she didn't win a tournament, Wendy Kuipers won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year with a consistent year-long performance. Wendy finished first in the point standings, followed by Ian Cutler and LynnAnne Christie. Ian and LynnAnne are now Mr. & Mrs. Cutler and later became directors for the JBT New England Conference tournaments.

Mike Lothrop won his second consecutive New England scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year. Mike won five tournaments, the point title and had high average of 205. Shawn Houle finished second in average at 201 and won three tournaments. In the handicap division, Jeff Krajewski won the point title and had several runner-up finishes to earn Bowler-of-the-Year.

John Jawor won the New York Conference scratch Bowler-of-the-Year award. John won a tournament, had the high average of 188 and finished second in the point standings (behind Bob Gramarosso and Tony DeOliveira). Chris Liotta was the Bowler-of-the-Year in the handicap division, winning one tournament and the point title.

Lisa Kofroth became the first female scratch champion in JBT history when she won at 222 Dutch Lanes on January 24th. Along with his ten New Jersey titles, Patrick Allen added two New England victories, one in New York and one in Pennsylvania for an amazing total of 14 for the season. Kevin Poppiti, Tim Kriner, Scott Gonzalez and Tom Hubbard Jr. rolled 300 games during the season.

Although the Massachusetts conference lasted only one season, the Pennsylvania and Delaware (renamed Delaware Valley) conferences grew. The Pennsylvania Conference increased from 6 to 16 events and the Delaware Valley Conference grew to 6 events. A new record of 81 singles tournaments were held during the season.

Chris Sole was the New Jersey Conference scratch Bowler-of-the-Year, winning three titles, the point championship and finishing second in average at 202 (Kevin Poppiti averaged 204). Chris also had a 300 game and a 299 in New Jersey Conference competition. Dave Nagelhout won two tournaments and the point title to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

In the New England Conference, Scott Gonzalez and Rich Hanna were the scratch and handicap division Bowlers-of-the-Year, respectively. Each won the point title for their division, Scott won five scratch titles and Rich won two handicap titles. Scott also led the averages with 197. Mark Salka had the only 300 in the New England Conference.

John Beldy won two titles and the point championship to earn scratch Bowler-of-the-Year for the New York Conference. He finished second in average at 189 (Tom Brennan had high average of 191). Anthony Oliver won a close battle for the point title and handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

The first Pennsylvania Conference Bowler-of-the-Year awards went to Dennis Reale and Dan Sheaffer. Each bowler won one title and the point championship. Dennis also finished third in a close average race with 198 (Tim Kriner won with 199).

Although no Delaware Valley Conference Bowler-of-the-Year was named due to the small number of events, Kevin Poppiti deserves to be recognized for his point title, top average of 212 and two 300 games. Rick Griffiths won the handicap division point title.

In the category of strange and significant occurrences....On Halloween, Chris Sole won a New England Conference event rolling a 299 in the title match --- while at the same time Jason Tiso was doing one pin better, rolling a 300 in the title match of a New York Conference event.......Gabe Kamphausen won the scratch division event at Bowler City in Hackensack, NJ on December 5th. He has been remembered for something other than the victory however. Gabe rolled a 300 game in the third game of the qualifying round and repeated the effort in the second game of the step-ladder finals; becoming the first (and still only) bowler to roll two 300 games in a regular-season JBT tournament.....On June 11th, the JBT made it's first trip to Showboat Lanes in Atlantic City, NJ, the hopes for 80-100 entries turned out to be a little bit pessimistic as (a record) 97 scratch division and (a record) 217 handicap division bowlers competed. The 314 total entries doubled the previous high.

This season brought one of the biggest changes ever in the Junior Bowlers Tour -- the addition of scholarship prizes. The $12,000 awarded by the JBT was one of the largest amounts anywhere in the country. A combination of season-long performance and the first JBT Challenge Tournament determined the recipients of scholarship winnings.

This season also brought a big jump in the number of tournaments for the JBT. The New Jersey Conference increased from 24 to 30 events, New England went from 20 to 24, New York added two events to return to 16, Pennsylvania went from 16 to 24, and the Delaware Valley Conference doubled to 12. A few additional special tournaments, including the Challenge Tournament, brought the season's total to a new record 109 singles events.

Tom Brennan was the New Jersey Conference Bowler-of-the-Year, winning four titles, the point championship and posting the high average of 203. Stanley Marszat was the Bowler-of-the-Year in the handicap division, winning two titles and the point championship.

Vin Marulli was the winner of the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year in New England. Vin also won four titles, the point championship and also had the high average for the season of 194. Two-time champion Chris McGirr was the Bowler-of-the-Year in the handicap division.

Chris Ziesig won three tournaments during the season, which enabled him to capture the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year for the New York Conference. Richard Fey won the point title on the way to the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award.

In the Pennsylvania Conference, Mark Boris and Jeff Daubert were the Bowler-of-the-Year for the scratch and handicap division, respectively. Each won four titles during the season and each finished third in the point standings of their division.Mark also had the second high average of 197, behind Brett Reigh's 199.

The first Bowler-of-the-Year awards for the Delaware Valley Conference went to John Spence in the scratch division and Keith Poppiti in the handicap division. John won five titles and the point championship, and finished second in average at 199. Tom Norris led with 200. Keith won one tournament during the season (the Invitational) which enabled him to tie for the point title with Paul Sanfrancesco.

Five 300's were rolled during the season. Josh Mass, Ken Bailynson, Dave Nagelhout and Tim Mack registered theirs in the New Jersey Conference. Terry Miller had his in the Pennsylvania Conference.

John Mullen (scratch) and Dan Cavalli (handicap) won the first JBT Challenge Tournament, held at Bowler City in Hackensack, NJ, and each won the top scholarship prize for their division of $2,000.

John Minner, who had begun the season by winning the first three New Jersey Conference events, captured his fourth title of the season by topping a record 97-person Tournament of All-Time Champions field.

Declining entries and scheduling problems forced the suspension of the New York Conference for one season. With the exception of the New Jersey Conference, which remained at 30 tournaments, all other conferences increased the number of events. A total of 103 singles tournaments were conducted during the season.

Dennis Reale was the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year in the New Jersey Conference. Dennis won six tournaments and the point title and finished third in average at 202 (Tim Mack led at 206). Ed Lipinski's second place finish in the point standings helped earn him the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award.

Rich Hanna became the first person to win Bowler-of-the-Year in both divisions, winning the scratch award in the New England Conference two years after having won in the handicap division. Rich won three titles, the point championship and led the averages with 199. Mike Morrissey won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award based on his two titles and runner-up finish in the point standings.

In the Pennsylvania Conference, Dennis Reale had a season similar to the one he had in New Jersey which earned him the same result -- Bowler-of-the-Year. Dennis also won six Pennsylvania Conference tournaments, the point title and finished with the high average of 206. Steve Conn won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year after finishing second in the point standings.

Rob Charles won one tournament and the point title to earn scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year for the Delaware Valley Conference. Chris Galati won the point title of the handicap division and was the Bowler-of-the-Year.

The Challenge Tournament was held at Nutmeg Bowl in Fairfield, CT. Tony Bilello won the scratch division, while Randy McCormick won the handicap division. A total of 196 bowlers competed in the tournament.

Five 300 games were recorded during the season. John Taliercio and Rob Charles had the two 300's in the New Jersey Conference, Eric England and Scott Kinkaid had the two 300's in the Pennsylvania Conference, and Jeff Krajewski had his in the New England Conference.

With the return of the New York Conference, a new record of 117 singles tournaments was reached. The availability of three, four and sometimes five tournaments in a weekend decreased the average number of entries of earlier years, but the total entries continued to rise as the JBT offered more events.

Chris Forry won the Bowler-of-the-Year in the scratch division of the New Jersey Conference. Chris won five tournaments and the point title and finished second in the average race at 203 (Rob Charles was at 205). Mike O'Brien won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, winning three tournaments and the handicap divison point title.

David Reali won six titles to earn Bowler-of-the-Year in the scratch division of the New England Conference. David finished third in the point standings and had the high average of 199 (second best was 191). Jim Fogarty won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, having won a tournament and finished second in the point standings.

Mike Caputo and Stephen Czaikowski won Bowler-of-the-Year honors in the New York Conference for the scratch and handicap divisions, respectively. Mike won four tournaments and the point title in the scratch division, while Stephen finished fourth in a tight handicap division point race.

Rob Charles won seven tournaments and averaged a Pennsylvania Conference record 210 to win the scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year. Rob also finished 4th in the point standings. Brian McIntyre won one tournament and finished second in the point standings to win the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

In the Delaware Valley Conference, Tom Godlewski won one tournament on the way to the point title and finished fourth in a very close average race at 198 (Rob Charles topped the averages at 200), to win the scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year. Bryan Wilson was the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year. Bryan shared the point title with Melissa Lewis.

The JBT Challenge Tournament repeated the 196 entries of the prior year, with this season's event being held at Leisure Lanes in Lancaster, PA. Louis Gaudio won the scratch division and Mike Collins won the handicap division of the tournament.

A single-season high of seven 300 games were rolled during the season. Jerry Berke Jr., Laurie Ross, Rob Charles, Brian Satkowski, Brian Ziesig, Frank Guzewicz and Pete Tredwell each recorded perfect games.

Most of the conference schedules remained exactly the same as the previous season. A few additions in the New York Conference enabled a new record of 119 singles tournaments to be reached. At this point, there was rarely a weekend day when a JBT event was not being held somewhere.

Mike Mullin was the dominant bowler in the JBT, winning 14 singles titles, seven of which were in the New Jersey Conference where he was the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Mike won the point title with a record 1068 points and led the averages with 211. Mike's final title of the season was the Tournament of All-Time Champions -- only the fifth time in fifteen years this event was won by a junior bowler. Jonathan Matunas was the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, winning two tournaments and the point title.

Mike Morrissey won the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year award in the New England Conference, winning five titles and the point championship. Mike finished with the second highest average of 195.2, just behind average leader Bryan Manno at 195.9. Ralph Cerminara won a close race for handicap Bowler-of-the-Year, finishing third in the point standings and winning one title. Keith DeMaine won the point title and two New England Conference singles events.

In the New York Conference, Brian Ziesig won the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Brian finished second in the point standings (behind Gil Zalayet), won one tournament and led the averages at 197. He also tied for high game in the conference with a 299. David Feder won the handicap Bowler-of-the-Year award with one singles title and the point title.

Sal Casciano was the scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year in Pennsylvania, winning two singles events and the point title. He finished second in the average race at 203 (behind Jason Lower's 204). Sal's most impressive victory of the season however, may have come in a New Jersey Conference tournament when he topped a record-tying scratch field of 133 bowlers (out of a record 394 total bowlers) at Showboat Lanes in Atlantic City. Tyrone Brown won three titles and the point championship to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year honors.

In the Delaware Valley Conference, Greg Porter won two tournaments, the point title and finished third in the averages at 194 (Ryan Anderson led with 203) to earn the scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year award. Michelle Lank had a steady season-long performance to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year. She finished fifth in a very close point race, which was won by Scott Pierce.

A huge 263-person Challenge Tournament at Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick, NJ ended with Vinny Sheehan and Keith DeMaine as the champions of the scratch and handicap divisions, respectively. It was DeMaine's third victory of the season. Sheehan earned the top scratch scholarship prize for the season of $2,000 while Demaine and Akin Sellers, split the top two handicap prizes, winning $1,625 each. More than $24,000 was awarded in scholarships for the season, a new JBT record.

Perhaps overshadowed by Mike Mullin's big season were some other bowlers who earned multiple titles in their travels to several different conferences. Jerry Berke Jr. won seven titles (4 in NJ), Jeff Kubasak had six titles (3 in NJ, 3 in DE), Bryan Manno had five titles (3 in NE) and Mark Mentone had five titles (4 in NE).

Once again, the schedule remained very much the same as the prior year. One additional tournament, the Firecracker Classic, was introduced. This brought the season total to a record 120 singles tournaments.

Bryan Manno was the dominant bowler of the season, with a new record 16 scratch titles (8 each in New York and New England). Bryan won the Bowler-of-the-Year award for the New York Conference; winning the point title by almost 200 points and finishing second in average at 205.3 (Mark Mentone set a conference record with 205.7). Jason Haag was the New York Conference handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, winning three titles and finishing second in the point standings. Bill Colmer won the handicap division point title.

In the New England Conference, a fierce battle for Bowler-of-the-Year saw Darren Fitzsimons edge both Mentone and Manno. Although Manno won eight titles and had high average of 203, he finished third in the point standings. Mentone won the point title and four tournaments in the New England Conference (of his ten total titles) and finished third in average at 199.2. Fitzsimons finished second in the point standings, fourth in average at 199.0 and won four events. Chris Carlson won three tournaments and the point title to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Brian Landau won three tournaments and the scratch division point title in New Jersey to capture the Bowler-of-the-Year award for the conference. Brian also finished second in the average race at 203 (Mark Mentone had 209). Joey Bonser won one title and the point championship to earn the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award.

Kevin Karp led the point standings and won two tournaments to earn Bowler-of-the-Year in the scratch division of the Pennsylvania Conference. Kevin also finished fourth in a close race at 199 (Jason Lower led at 203). Mike Slatky won two titles and point championship to win the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

In the Delaware Valley Conference, Jamie Spence won one title, the point championship and finished third in average at 192.8 (Louis Franzetti won at 194.3) to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Don Pyle won a tournament and finished third in the point race to win Bowler-of-the-Year for the handicap division. Tom Fulks won the handicap division point title.

Among the other impressive seasons were: Louis Franzetti - eight titles (4 in New Jersey); Charles Gonzalez - six titles in 4 difference conferences; Kyle Hatter - four titles (3 in Pennsylvania). Five 300 games were recorded by: Jerry Lower, Matt Eisner, James Blymire, John Ellis and Jim Tomek Jr.

One of the season's most unusual situations took place when Joe Sprague fired a 289 game in his first game of the step-ladder finals at Nutmeg Bowl. He followed that with a 279, however that match ended in a tie with Bryan Manno. After their first two-frame roll-off ended in a 49-49 tie, Bryan defeated Joe 50-37, leaving Joe with a 568 two-game score......but no opportunity to bowl a third game to attempt to reach 800.

Joe Ciccone defeated Jim Tomek Jr. in the title match of the Firecracker Classic. After their match ended in a 223 tie, Joe won the two-frame roll-off to earn the $2,000 first place prize; the largest scholarship awarded in a single JBT event at that time.

A total of 248 bowlers competed in the Challenge Tournament at LaMartinique Lanes in Stratford, NJ. Jerry Lower won the scratch division and Jeremiah Ragunath won the handicap title. A new record of $30,002 was awarded in scholarship prizes for the season. Bryan Manno earned the top season-long prize of $2,000, followed by Tom Fierro and Jim Knoll at $1,650 each.

The season ended with a thrilling Tournament of All-Time Champions as junior bowler Amy Harris (bowling in her FIRST scratch JBT event) became the first female to win this tournament. She defeated season-long superstar Bryan Manno in the title match. Another female, Jennifer Swanson, finished third.

A small change in the number of tournaments in each conference resulted in an overall increase to a new record of 122 singles events. Another record was set in the number of 300's in a season. The previous high of seven was more than doubled when nineteen 300 games were rolled in 1993-1994.

New Jersey Conference scratch Bowler-of-the-Year Mike O'Brien recorded the most victories of any bowler during the season with nine, eight of which were in New Jersey. Mike also won the point and average title (210). Jeff Kubasak was second in points and average and won four New Jersey tournaments. In the handicap division, John Cockcroft won three tournaments and the point title to earn Bowler-of-the-Year honors.

Darren Fitzsimons made it back-to-back Bowler-of-the-Year crowns with his three New England Conference victories (out of 5 total wins), point title and average title (203). Chris Wilson won two tournaments and led the point standings to win the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award.

Sam Gass won six Pennsylvania Conference titles and led the point standings to earn Bowler-of-the-Year for the scratch division. Sam also finished second in average at 206.6 (behind Jim Tomek's 207.0). Jim won four PA scratch titles (out of 5 total wins) and finished fourth in the point race. Sean Wyandt won two titles and finished second in the point standings to win Bowler-of-the-Year for the handicap division.

In the New York Conference, Adam Novick won two titles and led the point standings to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Adam finished third in average at 195 behind Joe San Filippo's 209. Jason Shuster won three tournaments and the point title for handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year honors.

Lee Vanderhoef earned two (of his 4 total) titles in the Delaware Valley Conference and won the point title to earn scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year. Jeff Kubasak led the averages at 211 and won four scratch events in this conference. Greg Chapman earned handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, winning one title and the point championship.

Jerry Lower won the second (and final) Firecracker Classic, defeating Jim Tomek Jr., 216-214, in the title match. Jerry took home the top scholarship prize of $2,000 and for the second consecutive season Jim had to settle for the $1,000 runner-up prize. The prior year Joe Ciccone had defeated Jim in a two frame roll-off in the championship game. The tournament was replaced two years later with the Touring Players Power Ranking Championship Tournament.

Other bowlers with more than two titles were David Bastek with four; and Bill Eldridge, Billy Munch, Jeff Hemer, Jennifer Swanson, Jim Savasta, Kenny Goldstein, Kevin Karp and Louis Franzetti with three each.

Billy Munch (scratch) and Ken Augusto (handicap) won the Challenge Tournament held at Sayville Lanes in Sayville, NY and once again the scholarship record was topped, reaching $41,076 in 1993-1994.

The Junior Bowlers Tour grew to six conferences this season with it's expansion into Maryland. An all-time high of 125 singles tournaments (a record that still stands today) were conducted during the season.

Jeff Kubasak won two New Jersey Conference scratch titles (of his six total), led the point standings and had the high average of 206 to win Bowler-of-the-Year. Louis Franzetti also won six scratch titles (5 in New Jersey), finished second in the point standings and third in average at 204 to make in a very close B-O-Y race. Ronn Vigh was the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year with one title and a runner-up finish in the point race (to Amy Pasternack).

Lee Vanderhoef was the other six-time champion during the season, winning three events in Pennsylvania to earn Bowler-of-the-Year honors. Vanderhoef also led the point standings and finished fourth in average at 200 (Louis Franzetti led with 207). Alanna Gargano won a title and finished third in the point standings to win Bowler-of-the-Year in the handicap division. Sean Wyandt led the handicap division in points.

Kevin Mulvihill won four New England Conference tournaments (of five total) and easily won the point title to earn the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year award. Mulvihill also led the averages at 195. In the handicap division, Ryan Connelly won one tournament and finished second in the point standings (3 points behind leader Gary Kurensky) to win Bowler-of-the-Year.

Robert Rowe III was the New York Conference scratch Bowler-of-the-Year, winning two tournaments (plus the JBT Masters Tournament) and the point title. Rowe finished second in average at 201. Jason Rudish led at 204. Future scratch superstar David Botcowsky won the handicap division point title which led to his earning Bowler-of-the-Year honors.

Keith Poppiti won a title (of his three total) and led the point standings in the Delaware Valley Conference to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Poppiti finished second in average at 202 (Lee Wentzel led with 204). Rich Bebber was the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, winning three titles in the conference (of four total) and the point championship.

Keith Poppiti duplicated his Bowler-of-the-Year efforts in his travels to the new Maryland Conference. Poppiti won one MD scratch tournament, led the point standings and led the average race at 203. Shawn Hoffman won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year with one tournament victory and the point title.

Lee Wentzel, Pat Sandomenico Jr., Steve Bendetto and Walter Hastings III each won five titles during the season. J.D. Santalucia and Tim Bilski each won four tournaments. There was a sharp drop in the number of 300 games rolled in the JBT singles events, with only 5 perfect games being recorded.

A new record of $57,839 was awarded in scholarship prizes. Jeff Kubasak led the way with $1,612. Kubasak topped off his great season by winning the Tournament of All-Time Champions, his 26th career JBT title.

In this season, the Maryland Conference schedule increased while the New York Conference shortened it's schedule for a variety of reasons. The Touring Players Power Ranking Championship began this season, bringing together the top 32 scratch bowlers from all of the conference for an all-day, 21-game test.

Jason Rudish dominated the abbreviated New York schedule, winning nine of the thirteen scratch tournaments. Jason also added a New Jersey Conference title to reach ten for the season. He easily won the point title and his record-setting 216 average was well ahead of the next best average of 204. Joining Jason as Bowler-of-the-Year winner was handicap division point champion Tim O'Brien, who won one tournament during the season.

Another ten-time champion was Lee Wentzel, who won six events in the Pennsylvania Conference leading to his earning Bowler-of-the-Year honors for the scratch division. Wentzel also ran away with the point title and finished second in average at 207.3 (Lee Vanderhoef had 207.4). Sherry Neff won one tournament and the point title to win handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Ricky LaRouche won nine tournaments (eight in New England) and had high average of 204 to win the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year for the New England Conference. He also won the point title by an amazing 262 points. Two-time champion Mike Malone won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year. Mike finished second in the point race to Jon Morin.

John Asbaty had the high average of 208, won one tournament and the point title to earn Bowler-of-the-Year for the scratch division of the New Jersey Conference. Brett Shapiro won two tournaments and finished second in the point standings (to Greg Chapman) to win handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

In the Delaware Valley Conference, Walter Hastings III led the averages at 205, finished second in the point standings (5 points behind Don Pyle) and won two (of his total of seven for the season) titles in the conference to win the scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year. David Bunting won one title and led the point standings to win the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Jeff Hemer won one of his four titles of the season in the Maryland Conference, won the point title and had the high average of 213 to win the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Travis Fisher won one tournament and finished second in the point standings to earn the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award.

Jeff Kubasak completed his JBT career with six victories during the season to become the all-time leader with 32 titles, passing Mike Mullin who had 27. Sean Sanchioni won five New England Conference tournaments and Louis Franzetti won four tournaments (three PA, one NJ). Three-time champions during the season were: Adrienne Goodrich, Brian Carberry, Brian Wilbert, Glenn Watson, John Spear Jr., Justin Bychkowski and Kevin Karp.

Ryan May (scratch) and Jesse Zimmerman (handicap) were the winners of the JBT Challenge Tournament, held at Leisure Lanes in Lancaster, PA. The event drew 181 entries and awarded over $15,000 in scholarship prizes. The season total of $80,213 in scholarships awarded once again exceeded the previous record. Lee Wentzel was the top individual, winning a total of $3,172 for the season.

Tim McAuliffe won the 19th Annual Tournament of All-Time Champions, defeating Robert Rowe III in the title match. Tim had qualified for the tournament just two weeks earlier when he won his first JBT title.

Two major events were added this season. The Thanksgiving Classic at Baker Lanes in Cherry Hill, NJ and the JBT Las Vegas Open at Showboat Lanes in Las Vegas, NV began their runs with big prizes, big excitement and big success. The New York Conference began a two-year hiatus, but would return in the fall of 1998. The temporary loss of the New York Conference reduced the total number of singles tournaments to 108.

Scott Thornton became the first person to win Bowler-of-the-Year in more than one Conference. Scott won one tournament, the point title and finished fourth in average at 206 (Walter Hastings III led with 212) to earn the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year award in the Pennsylvania Conference. Adam Royse won one tournament and the point title for the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award.

In the Delaware Valley Conference, Scott Thornton won two more events (of five total), the point title and finished third in average at 200 (Lee Wentzel was high at 209) for scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Jeremy Hyatt won two tournaments and finished second in the point standings (behind Joe Hlavac) to win the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award.

Lee Wentzel won a total of ten scratch titles and was among the top three finishers for Bowler-of-the-Year in four difference conferences. He won Bowler-of-the-Year in the Maryland Conference, where he won two of his titles, had high average and finished second in points (behind Elvin Davison), LeRoy Anderson won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award with one title and the point championship.

Mike Frattini won four titles, led the point standings and had high average of 204 to win the New England Conference scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Mike Malone won two tournaments and the point title to earn the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award.

In the New Jersey Conference, Robert Piroozshad won three tournaments and the point title for Bowler-of-the-Year honors. He also finished third in an amazing average race at 202.5 (John Asbaty won with 202.8, Lee Wentzel was at 202.7). Shaun Mayer won three tournaments and the point title for the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Glenn Watson won six tournaments, including the JBT Masters Tournament. Mike Fagan won four tournaments, including the Touring Players Power Rankings Championship. Lance Myers also won four events. Three-time champions were: Andrew Adams, Joe Hlavac, John Asbaty, Roy Dietrich, and Tim McAuliffe.

Lee Wentzel (scratch) and Mike Blakeney (handicap) won the new Thanksgiving Classic, while Ryan Page (scratch) and Ian King (handicap) were the champions of the JBT's first visit to Las Vegas.

The large prize funds at the Challenge, Thanksgiving and Las Vegas helped the magic $100,000 scholarship mark to be broken, increasing the previous all-time record to $106,277 for the season. Lee Wentzel led all bowlers with a total of $5,254 earned, followed by Walter Hastings III at $3,241. Over 500 bowlers earned scholarship prizes during the season.

Joe Kearney defeated John Spence in the title match of the 20th Annual Tournament of All-Time Champions, stopping John's bid to become the first two-time winner of the T of C. Joe's victory gave the adults a 12-8 lead in the series.

Tommy Haag earned the most titles during the season with nine. Five of these wins came in the Pennsylvania Conference where he won scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year. Tommy led the point standings and finished third in average at 211.3 (Bill O'Neill led with 214.1). Also among Tommy's victories was the Touring Players Power Ranking Championship. Kevin Boyer won two titles and led the point standings to earn Pennsylvania Conference Bowler-of-the-Year in the handicap division.

Sean Sanchioni dominated the scratch division of the New England Conference, winning seven of his eight titles for the season there. Sean led the point standings and had high average of 211.4. Sean also won the JBT Masters Tournament and rolled a 300 during the season. Shaun Landry won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award with one title in the conference and the point championship. Shaun also won the Thanksgiving Classic and the Challenge Tournament on the way to becoming the first handicap division bowler to lead the season in scholarship earnings.

Robert Piroozshad won six titles during the season, three of which were in the New Jersey Conference where he also led the point standings and the averages (208.0) to earn scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. He also rolled a 300 in a Pennsylvania Conference event. Charles Molluzzo finished second in the point standings (to Ken MacWhinney) and won a title to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year in New Jersey.

Scott Thornton won four Maryland Conference scratch titles (out of 5 total), led the points and finished third in average at 208.7 to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. The average race was one of the closest in JBT history with Andy Carson leading at 208.92 followed by Ryan Snyder at 208.9. Anthony Dolan won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award on the strength of his two victories and point championship.

In the Delaware Valley Conference, Don Pyle won two titles, led the point standings and led the averages at 207.5 to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Don won a total of 5 tournaments during the season, including the Thanksgiving Classic and the Tournament of All-Time Champions. Travis Bara led the point standings and won a tournament to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Bill O'Neill led all other bowlers with six titles during the season. Five-time champions were Matt Burley, Andy Carson, Mike Fagan and Ryan Snyder. Included in Ryan's victories was the Challenge Tournament.

The season ended on a very sad note when long-time JBT director (and friend to everyone) Paul Forry passed away. Paul had been a promoter, pro shop operator and coach along with his work with the JBT. In his honor, the Paul Forry Memorial Tournament would begin the following season.

The return of the New York Conference added 12 tournaments to the schedule, bringing the season total up to 122 singles events. A record $107,367 was awarded in scholarship prizes during the season.

Perhaps the greatest individual season in JBT history was recorded when Bill O'Neill won 17 scratch titles. Bill did most of his bowling in the Pennsylvania and Delaware Valley (winning Bowler-of-the-Year in both conferences), but won titles in four different conferences. Not surprisingly, he also led in scholarship winnings with $3610.

Bill O'Neill won eight titles, led the point standings and finished second in average in the Pennsylvania Conference. His 217.6 average was topped only by Tommy Haag's 218.2. Bill also added two 300 games to his accomplishments in this conference. Justin Emig won two tournaments and led the point standings to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

The Delaware Valley Conference also belonged to Bill O'Neill where he won six events, led the point standings and led the averages with 221.5. Jason Thornton won two titles in the conference (of his 3 total) and led the points to win handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Meanwhile, another bowler was having a great season in a different geographic area of the JBT. Justin Bychkowski won ten scratch titles, in what would have been the best season of any bowler in most other years. Justin also won Bowler-of-the-Year in two conferences, New England and New York.

Justin Bychowski won eight titles in the New England Conference. Justin also won the point title and had high average of 209.7. Steve Strezsak won four titles and finished second in the point standings (behind A.J. Kerestury) to win the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award.

In the New York Conference, Justin Bychkowski won two tournaments, the point title and finished third in average at 205.6. David Botcowsky led with 214.7 and won three tournaments. Amanda Beck won two tournaments and led the point standings to earn Bowler-of-the-Year in the handicap division.

David Botcowsky won two titles (out of his season total of seven) in the New Jersey Conference, led the point standings and finished second in average at 204.4 to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Ryan Snyder led with 213.3. George Robinson won a title in the conference and the point title for handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year honors. George also won the JBT Masters Tournament.

Scott Thornton repeated as the scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year in the Maryland Conference. Scott won three titles and the point championship as well as finishing second in average at 214.9. Ryan Snyder led with 215.7. Scott also rolled two 300 games in the conference. Tom Sibiski won three tournaments and tied for the point title to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Matt Burley won six titles during the season and rolled a 300 game. Tommy Haag won five titles and had a 300 game. Ryan Snyder won five titles and led the averages in two conferences. Billy Little won five titles and John Cockcroft won four titles.

The Tournament of All-Time Champions was won by Steve Covello. It was Steve's eighth career JBT victory and came just 17 years, 3 months and 14 days after his most recent title. The time between Steve's last two JBT wins is a record that will be very difficult to break. Steve's win also gave the adults a 13-9 lead in the series.

The introduction of the Buddies Pro Shop Open was one of the highlights of the 25th season of the Junior Bowlers Tour. Three bowlers tied with the season-best eight titles, a new record was set for scholarship money awarded and several Girls Scratch Tournaments were conducted.

Ed Rini won Bowler-of-the-Year in two conferences. He led the Delaware Valley Conference point standings and finished 3rd in a tight average race with 210.2 (Dan Hutchison won with 210.7, Scott Thornton had 210.3). Ed also won two titles in the conference. Jared Pierce won two titles and the point title to win the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Ed also won the point title in the Maryland Conference and finished second in average with 213.7 (to Dan Hutchison's 214.8). He won one tournament in the conference to earn the Bowler-of-the-Year award. Jennifer Gue won a title and led the point standings to win Bowler-of-the-Year in the handicap division.

Justin Bychkowski won the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year award in the New York Conference for the second consecutive season. Justin won four titles, the point championship and finished second in average to David Botcowsky (216.4-216.1). A.J. Fragola won two titles and finished third in the point standings (behind Zach Harkin and Amy Bohleber) to earn the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

In the New Jersey Conference, Casey Creutz won four tournaments, the point title and had high average of 211.9. He also included a 300 game in his Bowler-of-the-Year performance. Scott Schultz won two titles and finished second in the point standings (to George Robinson) to win the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award.

Jon Van Hees won three New England Conference titles, the point championship and led the averages at 213.3 to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Handicap division point champion Ryan Criscuolo won four titles in the conference, earning him Bowler-of-the-Year.

In the Pennsylvania Conference, Adam Subach won two titles and the point championship on his way to scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Adam finished second to Ed Rini in average (216.8-213.0). Matt Stumpf won one tournament and tied with Amy Slagel for the point title to win handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Along with Ed Rini, Scott Thornton and David Botcowsky were eight-time champions during the season. Justin Bychkowski won a total of six events; while Casey Creutz, Alex Cavagnaro and Jon Van Hees each won five times.

$137,483 in scholarships were awarded, once again setting a record for any junior tournament organization in the world. Scott Thornton led with $4,940 in winnings followed by Adam Subach with $3,882 and Alex Cavagnaro with $3,682.

Scott Thornton won a total of eleven titles during the season, five of which were in the Delaware Valley Conference where he was the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Scott won the point title and had the high average of 211. Scott also finished second (PA), third (NJ) and third (MD) in B-O-Y races in other conferences. In the handicap division, David Knight Jr. won one title (of three total) and led the point standings to earn handicap Bowler-of-the-Year honors.

Adam Subach won six titles (of his 9 total for the season) in the Pennsylvania Conference to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Adam ran away with the point title by almost 300 points (Adam had 1145), had high average of 218 and rolled a 300 game. Korey Schmoyer won two tournaments and finished second (to Tina Zaza) in the point standings to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Alex Cavagnaro accomplished the rare feat of winning Bowler-of-the-Year honors in two conferences. Alex won three titles, the point championship and had high average of 216 in the New York Conference to edge David Botcosky (2nd in points, 2nd in average at 215, five NY titles). George Bristol won the point title and two tournaments (of his 5 total) to win handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year for the New York Conference.

In the New England Conference, Alex also won three tournaments, the point title and finished second in average (218-217 to Chris Hall) for his other B-O-Y victory. Ali Dihmes won two tournaments and the point title to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year for the New England Conference. Chris Hall rolled three 300 games in the conference during the season.

Evan Rachbuch was the Bowler-of-the-Year in the scratch division of the New Jersey conference. Evan won five (of his 8 total) tournaments in NJ, finished second in the point standings (to Kevin Harrity) and second in average (to David O'Sullivan). George Robinson won two tournaments and the point title to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year honors.

In the final season of the Maryland Conference, Brandon Bush (scratch) and Chris Terrebonne (handicap) each won a tournament and the point title for Bowler-of-the-Year honors. Scott Thornton had the high average of 218.

David Botcowsky (scratch) and George Bristol (handicap) topped off their fine seasons with victories in the JBT Challenge Tournament. Scott Thornton became the first East Coast bowler to win the Las Vegas Open, helping him to the top spot on the scholarship winnings list with a record-setting $5,838.

Roy Bartolomeo won seven titles, including the Buddies Pro Shop Open. Jon Van Hees won six titles, David O'Sullivan won four and Erin Gore became the first female to win the grueling Touring Players Power Ranking Championship Tournament.

One of Jon Van Hees victories came at Mid-State Bowl, during which he set the all-time JBT record of 1360 for his five qualifying games. To put that number in perspective....imagine bowling 800 for your first three games, then adding 279 and 279 for games four and five. You STILL didn't match Jon's total!

Three bowlers' names stand out when recapping this season. Adam Subach was the dominant bowler of the season, winning 12 titles and three Bowler-of-the-Year awards. David O'Sullivan won three major events during the year. And Scott Thornton completed his spectacular JBT career with four titles during the season, bringing his lifetime total to a record 38 titles.

Adam Subach won five times in the New Jersey Conference, led the point standings and finished second in average at 214 (to Kevin Harrity's 215), to win the Bowler-of-the-Year award. In the handicap division, Brian Sanders won Bowler-of-the-Year capturing two titles and finishing third in the point standings. Greg Hilyard won the point title.

Adam won five more titles in the Pennsylvania Conference, topped the point standings and finished third in a tight average race (Brandon Bush-216, Scott Thornton-216, Adam Subach-215) to claim another Bowler-of the-Year award. Carl Handwerk was the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, based on his point title and two victories. Jerred Poff rolled two 300 games (and a 299) in the conference.

The Delaware Valley Conference was Adam's third Bowler-of-the-Year title. Adam won a tournament, survived the closest point race in history (Subach-292, Tim Foy Jr.-291, Jon Masur-291) and finished fourth in average at 206. Scott Thornton led the averages with 211. Marty Neal won a tournament and the point title to capture the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Steve Novak was the New York Conference Bowler-of-the-Year award after winning three NY titles (of his 5 total for the year), leading the point standings and finishing second in average at 212. Tim Modavis led the averages with 215. Dan Dabkowski won two tournaments and the point title to earn Bowler-of-the-Year in the handicap division of the New York Conference.

In the New England conference, Chris Hall won three titles, led the point standings and had high average of 215 to win the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. In the handicap division, Victor Pappolla won two titles and finished second in the point standings (to Ali Dihmes) to earn Bowler-of-the-Year honors.

David O'Sullivan won seven titles during the season, including the Thanksgiving Classic, the Touring Players Power Ranking Championship and the JBT Challenge Tournament. Dan Kryzak won six titles, one of which was the Buddies Pro Shop Open. Kevin Harrity also won six titles, spread out among four different conferences.

Another six-time winner was Chris Czyzewicz and included in Chris' wins was the first Super Match Game Tournament. This exciting scratch event was made even more unusual by the fact that it was conducted through the middle of the night over two consecutive evenings/mornings. The Super Match Game Tournament is now one of the most anticipated events of the season.

Scott Thornton also won four JBT titles in his final season, bringing his career total to 38. This put Scott on top of the all-time titles list, with Jeff Kubasak now in second place with 32. Scott also earned more than $20,000 in scholarship prizes throughout his JBT career.

This season saw another changing of the guard, with some of the recent stars leaving the JBT but quickly being replaced by new ones. Mike Wodzinski collected a dozen titles in four conferences; LeRoy Anderson won 9 times (including the Touring Players Power Ranking Championship); Matt O'Grady won 8 times (including the Thanksgiving Classic) and Steve Novak won 8 times. Ronald Martin won a record six handicap division titles including the Masters and the Challenge Tournament.

Mike Wodzinski won 7 of his 12 titles in the New York Conference, where he was the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. He also led the point standings and averaged a JBT-record 226.2 for the season. Mike also rolled three 300 games in the conference (of his 4 total). Ian Thomas won two titles and the point championship to win the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year. Anthony Pepe and Scott Schultz each had a pair of 300 games in the conference.

LeRoy Anderson won 6 times in the Pennsylvania Conference, where he also won the point championship and led the averages with 222 to win the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year award. Kyle Haughwout led the handicap division point standings and won one tournament (of his 3 total) in Pennsylvania to also earn Bowler-of-the-Year honors. Brandon Moon had two 300 games in the conference.

In New Jersey, Matt O'Grady won five times, led the point standings and had high average of 216 to become the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year, while Jeremy Peterson won a tournament and the point title to win handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Matt took home his second B-O-Y award in the Delaware Valley Conference, where he won a tournament, led the point standings and led the averages with 214. Brandon Spicer was the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year based on his point title and three tournament victories in the conference.

In the New England Conference, Anthony Serrantino won four handicap division titles and led the point standings to earn Bowler-of-the-Year. Anthony's four handicap wins in a conference tied a JBT record. Nick Kallner came up with a big victory in the Invitational to edge Tom Hansen for scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Nick finished second in the points (to Tom) and was fourth in the average race at 205 (Roy Bartolomeo Jr. led with 215). Dan Kryzak won five tournaments and had two 300 games during the season.

Another new event was introduced this season, the Bowlers of Eastern Scholarship Tours (BEST) tournament combined the forces of all of the major tournament organizations of the Northeast (and some other parts of the country) to give scratch bowlers yet another opportunity to earn large scholarship prizes. Steven Black made his trip from Arizona worthwhile as he topped a field of 121 bowlers to earn the record $5,000 first place scholarship prize.

Long-time New York Conference director Mark Feiner moved west to work with the Junior Bowlers Tour Southwest organization and the transition reduced the number of New York events for a season. A total of 99 events were conducted throughout the JBT in 2003-04, the first time there were less than 100 JBT singles events in a season in sixteen years.

For the second consecutive season, Mike Wodzinski led in tournament victories with seven. Five of these wins came in the New York Conference where Mike also won the point title and finished second in the average race at 223. Scott Schultz set a JBT record with his 228.3 average. Scott also had two 300 games in the conference. Daren Marrom won two tournaments and was the point champion to earn the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award for New York.

Mike also took home Bowler-of-the-Year honors in the New Jersey Conference, winning two tournaments, the point championship and rolling a 300 game. Mike's 215.9 average was a close second to the 216.1 posted by Scott Schultz. Jeremy Peterson won three tournament and the point title to win the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year. Mark Haughwout rolled two 300 games in the conference.

Jerred Poff won 5 titles (of his 6 total) in the Pennsylvania Conference to earn scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Jerred also led the point standings and had high average of 221. Jeremy Peterson earned his second Bowler-of-the-Year of the season, winning a tournament and topping the point list. Jonathan Vavro had two 300 games in the conference.

Frank Calca won four scratch titles in the New England Conference (of his 5 total), led the point list and had high average of 214 to win Bowler-of-the-Year. In the handicap division, Andrew Kalotai won two tournaments and the point title to earn handicap Bowler-of-the-Year. Nick Major rolled two 300 games in the conference.

In the Delaware Valley Conference, Brandon Moon won a title (he also had 3 in the PA conference) and led the points to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Brandon also had the high average of 208. Diante Fields won handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, winning one tournament and finishing second in the point standings. A.J. Foy was the point champion.

Matt O'Grady won six tournaments, including the Touring Players Power Ranking Championship. Ronald Martin won five events in three different conferences. Vito Genova won the Super Match-Game Tournament along with three other events. Anthony Pepe also won four titles.

Kyle Handoga's three scratch victories included the Challenge Tournament, while Travis Celmer's three scratch wins included the Masters Tournament. Eric Rosenberger's three handicap titles included both the Masters and the Challenge Tournament. Steve Novak also won three scratch events, including the Thanksgiving Classic.

Steven Black added a second huge victory to his season when he won the Las Vegas Open, giving him a season total of $8,450 in scholarship winnings, a new record. A new overall record of $149,166 in total scholarships was awarded during the season.

Another new tournament, The Nerve-Wracker, was added to the schedule. Two scratch division bowlers and one handicap division bowler stood out throughout the season, and an important first was accomplished by another bowler. Scores continued to rise as 220+ averages became more common.

Anthony Pepe won 12 titles during the season, including the Super Match-Game and the Tournament of All-Time Champions. Six of Anthony's victories came in the New York Conference where he was the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Anthony also won the point title and finished second in the averages at 222 (Frank Calca was at 223). Dylan Pinero won a close battle for handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year. Dylan won a tournament and finished fourth in the point standings. Billy Kerkenides was the handicap division point champion. Andrew Ghirardi rolled two 300 games in the conference.

Matt O'Grady won four of his ten titles in the New Jersey Conference. He also won the point title, had the high average of 216 and rolled a 300 game to reclaim the Bowler-of-the-Year award he had won two years earlier. Brad Ward won two titles and the point championship to become the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

Marty Neal was credited with 4 victories in the scratch division of the Delaware Valley Conference and was the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Marty led the point standings and had high average of 220. Chris Laube won a title and the point championship to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year for the conference.

Michelle Peloquin became the first female to ever win a scratch JBT Bowler-of-the-Year award by dominating in the New England Conference. Michelle won three tournaments and coasted to the point title. Michelle finished second in the average race with 215, to Frank Calca's 222. In the handicap division, the season belonged to Matt Pyrch who won five titles in the conference and eight overall (a new JBT handicap record). Matt also outdistanced the field in the point race to win Bowler-of-the-Year. Nine 300 games were recorded in singles events in the conference.

Brandon Bush won two tournaments, the point title and finished second in average at 220 to win the scratch Bowler-of-the-Year award for the Pennsylvania Conference. Michelle Booth won a tournament and the point title for handicap Bowler-of-the-Year honors. Jonathan Vavro led the averages with a conference-record 227.

Frank Calca and Andrew Ghirardi each won five events during the season. One of Frank's wins was the Touring Players Power Ranking Championship. Mike Wodzinski won four times including the Thanksgiving Classic. Billy Asbury also won four events, topping off his season with the scratch title at the JBT Las Vegas Open.

David Knight Jr. was the winner of the Buddies Pro Shop Open and the $2,000 first prize gave him the top spot in the scholarship earnings for the season with $7,243. A new JBT record of $156,164 was awarded overall.

David Knight Jr. was the star and the story of the season. David won 13 titles, the most by any bowler in a single season since Bill O'Neill won 17 in the 1998-99 season. He won in four different conferences and won the Super Match-Game Tournament. David also repeated as the champion of the Buddies Pro Shop Open to finish his season, ending with an all-time JBT record $12,025 in scholarship earnings.

David won six of his titles in the New Jersey Conference, where he was Bowler-of-the-Year. He also won the point title by more than 300 points, rolled a 300 game and had the high average of 225. Dillon McKeon won three times and led the point standings to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year honors.

The New England Conference was dominated by another bowler, Alex Weglarz. Alex won six tournaments in the conference, won the point title and set a conference record with his 224.9 average enroute to Bowler-of-the-Year honors. Dennis Surmaczewicz won two tournaments and finished second in the point race to win handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year. Bruce Eschner won the handicap point title. Anthony Valentine rolled two 300's (of his 3 total) in the conference.

Robin Czyzewicz finished his JBT career with the Pennsylvania Conference Bowler-of-the-Year award. Robin won two tournaments (of his four total), finished second in the point standings (a single point behind Mandy Pezzano) and won a tight average race (Robin Czyzewicz - 212.27, Andrew Hodnicki - 212.24, Mandy Pezzano - 212.0). Benjamin Conner won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year award, winning three times (of his four total) and topping the point standings. Matt O'Grady rolled three 300 games in the conference and Jonathan Vavro had two.

Jonny Friedman had the biggest margin of victory (300+ points) in any handicap division point race in JBT history enroute to his New York Conference Bowler-of-the-Year award. Jonny won three tournaments in the conference and four overall. In the scratch division, Anthony Pepe repeated as Bowler-of-the-Year, winning two tournaments, the point title and finishing a close second to Adam Chase in the average race, 222.8-222.4.

In the Delaware Valley Conference, Kevin Kozak won twice (of his three total wins) and led the point standings to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Kevin's 215 average finished second to David Knight Jr., who set an all-time JBT record with his 230.0 average in the conference. Dale Smith won a title and the point championship to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year honors.

Billy Asbury also won three times, which included a repeat victory in the scratch division of the Junior Bowlers Tour Las Vegas Open, a tournament which draws the top bowlers from around the country.

Long-distance traveler Rich Ferraro had great success in his limited JBT participation of four events, winning the Thanksgiving Classic and the BEST Tournament and it's $5,000 top scholarship prize. Rich also finished second in the Buddies Pro Shop Open.

David Knight Jr. somehow managed to improve on his spectacular 2005-06 performance and was once again the story of the season. David's single-season accomplishments would have been a very impressive list for a career. He won sixteen titles, four of which were major events (Thanksgiving Classic, Super Match-Game, Masters, Touring Players Power Ranking Championship). He also added three Bowler-of-the-Year awards, rolled 4-300's and had two 800 series (828, 803).

David once again won six titles in the New Jersey Conference and repeated as scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. For the second consecutive season he also won the point title, led the averages with 227 and rolled a 300. Kyle Handoga finished second in the point standings and the average race and became the first bowler in JBT history to roll four 300 games in one conference in a season.

Eric Larson won two tournaments and finished second in the point standings (to Brandon Draughn) to earn New Jersey handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year. Ray Britton won four titles and finished third in the point standings.

Alex Weglarz repeated as the New England Conference scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Alex won 5 titles (of his 6 total), led the point standings and finished 4th with a 216 average. Tony Bennett won three titles, finished second in points and led the averages at 217. John King won a tight race for handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year in New England. John won a title and finished 8 points ahead of Tommy Winschel (who also won one title).

The star of the Delaware Valley Conference was handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year Tom Kulesza, who won five tournaments (including the Invitational) and ran away with the point title. Tom topped off his season with a win in the JBT Challenge Tournament. David Knight Jr. won the scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year on the strength of two tournament victories and the point title. David also led the averages at 221. Andrew Stewart won three titles, including the Invitational. Adam Bunting had three 300 games (of his 4 total) in the conference.

David's third B-O-Y award came in the Pennsylvania Conference. He won four tournaments and the point title. His 226 average was second best in the conference (behind Bryan Reinsel's 228). Adam Kohler won the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year in Pennsylvania. Adam won two titles and led the point standings.

In the New York conference, Jon Trzcinski won three tournaments, the point title and led the averages at 224 to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Runner-up Adam Chase won two tournaments (including the Invitational) and rolled two 800 series (845,804). Eric Kennedy was the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year in the closest race of the season. Eric won two tournaments and the point title, by four points over Joe Giampapa. Joe also won 2 events. Anthony Pepe had three 300 games (of his 4 total) in the conference.

Tony Bennett had two Invitational titles (NE, PA) among his six total wins. He also had two 800 series (825,812). Mike Wodzinski won six titles during the season. Ernie Lukacs and Emily Phillips each won 4 times.

In other major events, Tommy Winschel won the Masters, Anthony Pepe won the Nerve-Wracker, Giancarlos Marrero won the JBT Challenge Tournament and Matt O'Grady won the Tournament of All-Time Champions

David Knight Jr. led in scholarship earnings for the season with $9,869, followed by Jon Buckert with $6,948, Tom Kulesza $3,957, Mike Wodzinski $3,851, Tony Bennett $3,834 and Alex Weglarz $3,771.

Fifty 300 games were recorded during the season along with 21 series of 800 or better. Kyle Handoga led the way with five 300's and an 817 series. Adam Bunting, Adam Chase, David Knight Jr. and Anthony Pepe each had four 300 games. Chase, Knight and Tony Bennett each had two 800 series, with Chase's 845 the highest total of the season.

Alex earned the scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year award for the New England Conference for the third consecutive season, where he won eight of his titles. He also won the point title by almost 200 points and his 224 average was more than 10 pins better than the next best bowler. Dennis Surmaczewicz won a title and finished second in the point standings to win Bowler-of-the-Year for the handicap division.

Anthony Pepe was the New York Conference scratch Bowler-of-the-Year for the third time in the past four seasons. He won seven of his nine titles for the season in the conference, won the point title and set an all-time record by averaging 235.5 for the season. He also added a victory in the Super Match-Game Tournament, had four 300 games and three 800 series (JBT's season-high 838, 818 and 805). Nicole Meyers won two titles and the point championship to earn the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year for the conference.

David Knight Jr. won four Delaware Valley Conference titles (of his six total) to repeat as scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. David also won the point title in the conference and had the highest average. Tom Kulesza was also a repeat Bowler-of-the-Year winner for the conference, winning handicap division honors as the point champion and a two-time winner.

The closest Bowler-of-the-Year race was in the scratch division of the New Jersey Conference where Kyle Handoga edged Ernie Lukacs by the smallest of margins. Kyle won three events and the point title and finished second to Ernie in the average race. Ernie won four titles in the conference including the last two tournaments of the season to make it a photo finish. Eric Larson repeated as the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, winning two tournaments and the point title along the way.

Travis Celmer was the Bowler-of-the-Year in the abbreviated scratch-only Pennsylvania Conference. Travis won two tournaments and had the high average for the conference. He also won the JBT Thanksgiving Classic.

In other major events, Tony DeSantis won the Nerve-Wracker, Billy Bittenbender won the Touring Players Power Ranking Championship and in an exciting finish, Kevin Harrity topped Will Phillips for the Tournament of All-Time Champions title, 238-237.

A total of $164,206 in scholarships were awarded during the season, bring the JBT's all-time total up to $1,933,024. Anthony Pepe led in earnings at $6,186 followed by Jody Cravotta at $5,150, Alex Weglarz with $4,811 and Kyle Handoga with $4,488.

Forty-seven 300 games and 14 series of 800 or better were recorded during the season. Billy Bittenbender had two perfect games in one day at LaMartinique Lanes and Andrew Stewart had four 300's during the season.

For the fourth consecutive season, Alex earned the scratch division Bowler-of-the-Year award for the New England Conference. Alex had five wins in New England, won the point title and finished third in average at 219. Rai Doblmeier led the averages with 225. Bradley Johnson was the New England Conference handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, winning one tournament and the point title.

Joe Novara won seven titles during the season, two of them coming in the New York Conference where he also won the point title to earn scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. His 226 average was second to Adam Chase. In the handicap division Allyson Schuster won a close three-way battle for Bowler-of-the-Year. Allyson won two titles in the conference and finished second in the point standings.

In the New Jersey Conference, Ernie Lukacs made up for a near-miss the prior season by winning scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Ernie won two tournaments and the point title, and finished second in average to Joe Novara, 224-220. Isiah Tolbert won the point title and a tournament to become the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year.

The Delaware Valley Conference saw two close Bowler-of-the-Year races. Will Phillips won a tournament, the point title and led the averages at 217 to win in the scratch division. Meanwhile Aidan Leyen edged sister Bryanna for the handicap honors. Aidan finished second in the point standings and won a tournament.

Greg Ostrander won five tournaments during the season (3 in Delaware Valley, 2 in New Jersey) and was the runner-up for Bowler-of-the-Year in both conferences. Dan Brezo won four title, two each in New York and New Jersey. Jeff Szabo also won four titles, 3 regular-season New Jersey events plus the Ebonite One-Ball Tournament. Three-time champions were Bryanna Leyen who won the Masters, Jason Cornog who won the Touring Players Power Ranking Championship, Nicole Sussman who won the Thanksgiving Classic, Andrew Phillips won won the Ebonite One-Ball Tournament, Darren Andretta, Anthony Fiorenzo, Tommy Grunwald and Jeremy Milito.

The final three-time champion was Adam Chase whose titles included the BEST Tournament, which earned him the top individual scholarship prize of the season of $5,000. Chase led all bowlers in season-long earnings with a total of $7,380. Alex Weglarz was next at $5,926, Joe Novara had $4,697, Super Match-Game champion Travis Celmer had $4,680, Las Vegas Open Champion Josh Blanchard had $4,475, and Chris Bardol closed the season out with a victory at the Buddies Pro Shop Open to finish the season at $3,880. A total of $167,261 in scholarships was awarded during the season.

In other major events, Ryan Branson won the Masters and Alex Weglarz won the Thanksgiving Classic. Chylzee won the handicap division of the Las Vegas Open. Jeremy Domingo won the Nerve-Wracker. Casey Irvin (scratch) and Holt Crutchfield (handicap) won the JBT Challenge Tournament.

Greg Ostrander won five tournaments in New Jersey (of his overall total of nine). Greg added the point title and high average of 232 to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year in the conference. Darren Flynn won five New Jersey events (of his 7 total) and finished second in the point race, while Phil King won six New Jersey events and finished second in averages at 228. Jack Cook was the handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year, winning one tournament and finishing second in the point standings to Raychel Waltz.

Greg made it two Bowler-of-the-Year crowns by repeating the feat in the Delaware Valley Conference. Greg won four conference events, the point title and finished second in average to Jason Cornog, 222-221. For the second consecutive season, the same family battled for handicap Bowler-of-the-Year, with Tristan Leyen edging twin brother Aidan. Tristan finished second to Aidan in the point race, but his two conference titles was the key to his win.

Nick Marien was the dominant scratch bowler in the New England Conference throughout the season. Nick won four times, led the point standings by almost 200 points and his 220 average was the highest in the conference by 6 pins. Ray Turner won three tournaments and the point title to earn handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year. Lex Lagace also won three handicap titles in the conference.

Alex Garger turned in a big season in the New York Conference to win scratch Bowler-of-the-Year. Alex won three conference events, the point title and had high average of 227. Alex added the Super Match-Game title to his accomplishments for the season. Point runner-up Jeremy Milito also won three New York Conference scratch titles. The handicap division Bowler-of-the-Year was Steven Hamlin won finished second in the point standings (to Conor Calio) and won the season-ending New York Invitational Tournament.

Other multiple winners were led by Will Phillips who won four titles including the Touring Players Power Ranking Championship and the Ebonite One-Ball Tournament. Jason Cornog won three times, including the Nerve-Wracker. Matt Dobbins, Connor Druhm and Kameron O'Neill each won three titles. Christian Stout was also a three-time handicap division champion, which included two of the biggest events of the season - The Challenge Tournament and the JBT Masters Tournament.

Handicap winners in other major events were George King (Super Match-Game Tournament), Kevin Dawkins (Thanksgiving Classic), Ken Thompson (Ebonite One-Ball Tournament) and Holden Luke (Las Vegas Open).

Two bowlers repeated their victories in major events for their only wins of the season. Alex Weglarz repeated at the Thanksgiving Classic and Adam Chase topped the most powerful field of the season at the BEST Tournament.

The win at the BEST Tournament made Adam Chase the leader in scholarship earnings for the season with $5,686. Greg Ostrander was close behind at $5,628, followed by Phil King ($4,149), Devin Bidwell ($4,010) and Darren Flynn (3,681). A total of $145,606 in scholarships were awarded during the season.