Congrats go out to local bowler Mike Marchak who defeated Alan Higueros in the championship match to claim the $1000 1st place prize. Top five finishes were as follows:

1st Mike Marchak $1000 http://s944.photobucket.com/albums/ad287/arlingtonopen/?action=view¤t=IMG_0014.jpg
2nd Alan Higueros $500 http://s944.photobucket.com/albums/ad287/arlingtonopen/?action=view¤t=IMG_0014.jpg#!oZZ2QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs944.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fad287%2Farlingtonopen%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3DIMG_0012.jpg%26
3rd Steve Greenspan $250 http://s944.photobucket.com/albums/ad287/arlingtonopen/?action=view¤t=IMG_0014.jpg#!oZZ3QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs944.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fad287%2Farlingtonopen%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3DIMG_0010.jpg%26
4th James Miller $100
5th Shuan Ciesielski $50


Overall the tournament was successful enough to see a second year, however we have acknowledged that there were a few snags here and there, and things we could have changed and done better with the format (next year we will carry pins over to the semi-final round and all semi-finalists will cash), but for this being our first year, and the first tournament i''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''ve run, let alone be a part of, it went much better than we imagined it would''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''ve. After having 7 pre pays the night before, we  managed a good 42 entries the day of. Some bowlers made it out from as far away as Wisconsin, Indiana, and even Michigan. I think the pattern went over well with most bowlers, it proved challenging and fair, but not overly difficult. With 42 bowlers the high series for qualifying was 698 and the low was a high 400. The cut score to 21 bowlers was 574. We ran 8 brackets, and a handful of side pots for the qualifying round.

As this was the first time Arlington Lanes has run an in house tournament in well over five years, we were taking a risk that luckily paid off.  However, we understand that quite a few changes will need to take place next year to ensure that a good number of bowlers will like to return next year.  The first, and most important change that we will be making is a move from a 3 game qualifier to a 4 game, where bowlers will switch pairs after two games, and we will carry over pins to the semi-final round.  Another change, to better organize the tournament and make it more professional will be to have a set number of bowlers, regardless of entries who will make the semi-final and be guaranteed cash for doing so.  Another issue that came to our attention was the possibility of bowlers being able to practice on the shot before the tournament started.  It was no one''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s intention to let this happen, and it will be written in the rules, and strongly enforced that pre tournament practice, even if on lanes that the tournament is not using, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.  Another issue that arose, was the bracket and side pot payout ratio, for next year all brackets and pots will be paying out a minimum of two spots.  

The following is a proposed format for what can make the tournament better in its 2nd year

**PROPOSAL FOR THE 2ND ANNUAL ARLINGTON OPEN FORMAT**

All bowlers are randomly assigned starting lanes for the qualifying squad. Each bowler is allowed only 1 practice shot per lane. Qualifying consists of 4 games, switching pairs after 2 games. After qualifying, the tournament is cut to the top 18 bowlers for the semis and those 18 bowlers are guaranteed to cash. Those 18 bowlers bowl an additional 2 games with their pins carrying over from the 4 game qualifier. The top 5 six game scores are seeded into the 5 bowler stepladder final, which takes place on a single pair of lanes. Finalists bowl pba style, with the higher seed having choice of starting lane. If a bowler advances up the stepladder, they must wait while their next opponent receive 2 practice shots on each lane. If finalists oblige, the final will be video taped and put online for others to watch. After the tournament has concluded the winner also receives a complementary bottle of champagne to celebrate their winning. If the winner is under 21 they will receive a bottle of sparkling grape juice.

Here''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s a proposed breakdown of the payouts:

1st $1200
2nd $600
3rd $300
4th $200
5th $150
6th-18th $100

Please message us back, we understand that there may be issues not address in this recap, and that not all possible changes/ideas have been mentioned.

We are open to at least considering any proposed changes the bowlers may have.  Thanks again, to every entry who helped to make everything possible.  Although the first time out was quite disorganized, I''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''m sure the tournament will get better in each proceeding year, and that it is the feedback of the bowlers themselves that will continue to guide the tournament into better directions!  Thanks again to everyone, we hope to see everyone in our 2nd year where all semi-finalist are guaranteed to cash, and payouts are increased across the board!

-Mark



     


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