Everything Candlepin

The Western New England Candlepin Association Pro Bowlers Tour leads off their 2012-2013 season at 12 pm this Sunday, October 14 at Fun Time Lanes in Holyoke, MA.

Dave Dupuis will be looking to defend his Bowler of the Year title from last season as big guns Steve Vadney, Brian Mayer, and the Renauds look to post some equally big numbers early on.

Each WNECA Pro Tour event consists of a 5-string qualifying round, with the top 5 qualifiers advancing to a head-to-head knockout ladder with one-string matches. The 5th place qualifier bowls the 4 seed, with the winner advancing to bowl the 3-seed, and so on until a champion is crowned.

The tour is open to anyone! A full membership covers all 6 events and costs $400 (plus a tentative $25 fee which goes directly to the final event), or you can walk-in for $100 for any of the first 5 events. The 6th and final event is exclusive to members only.

The WNECA is hoping to generate some new faces and bring back some old ones this year, and will be giving $500 directly to the members-only event as a nice incentive to join up for the full season.

Another incentive for those who are on the fence about joining is the ‘2nd-chance’ format of the members-only event. Any member who doesn’t cash during the season will bowl in their own head-to-head tournament for cash prizes! No one goes away empty-handed. There are Bowler of the Year points, some nice hardware to take home, maybe even a buck or two!

The Tour generally runs on the first Sunday of each month at 12 pm. The bowlers will discuss dates and times for the remaining stops at the first event, including the November stop as the usual date conflicts with the Worlds.

If you’d like to join the WNECA Pro Tour this season, simply show up to the first event, or call Canal Lanes at 413-527-3492. Owner Joan Yamilkoski is the tournament director.

We’ll have full written coverage of this Sunday’s event, and every event, all season long!

Oh yeah! Not that you needed another incentive to come bowl or watch, but Fun Time has been known to provide an obscene amount of pizza for the bowlers and spectators after the event…just saying!