Veterans, servicemembers bowl for dollars

9-Tap Tour Veterans Day Tournament features special cash pot just for veterans, active-duty servicemembers

Somer Breeze-Hanson/Northwest Guardian

While many Soldiers and Families left Joint Base Lewis-McChord for the long Veterans Day weekend, some stayed close to home.

Sergeant Andrew O’Connor was just one of 129 entries at the 9-Tap Tour Veterans Day Tournament at Bowl Arena Lanes on Lewis Main Saturday. The tournament not only featured a cash pot just for veterans and active duty Soldiers, but it was O’Connor’s first bowling tournament since he had shoulder surgery eight months ago.

O’Connor has been bowling on the 9-Tap Tour for more than a year. 9-Tap is the largest bowling tour operated in the Northwest. With about 40 tournaments a year, the tour is geared toward average bowlers and excludes bowlers who average more than a 210 score. For Saturday’s tournament, bowlers competed in three squads that began at noon and ended at 5 p.m.

The Veterans Day tournament has been held on post the last few years, and with the assistance of local sponsors this year’s tournament had a record-sized side pot of $1,000 for the veteran entries. The tournament took up about half of Bowl Arena Lanes and also included civilian bowlers.

“It’s really nice to have a special pot for all the vets,” O’Connor said.

While O’Connor fell short of taking a piece of the cash prize home, 69-year-old Air Force veteran Jerry Bleckov finished with the top game. His wife Kathy Bleckov finished third overall.

Tong Nguyen was the overall champion, winning his ninth career tour title and raising his career earnings to $37,067. Overall $10,413 was paid out Saturday.

The bowlers competing were diverse in military backgrounds and age. Back in the early 1980s, Earl Kleist bowled for the All-Army team. Now the 65-year-old competes on the 9-Tap Tour, which he joined in 2002. He has so far won six titles and has made $28,193 in earnings. Kleist tied for fifth with Steve Bowyer for the veterans side pot.

Kleist, who has a “Support the Veterans” sticker on the back window of his truck, was happy to participate in an event that honors the troops.

“I am very patriotic,” he said. “My father was retired military in the Air Force. We support the military. We cannot do without the military.”

Brian Selck was about to join the All-Army bowling team in 2003 when he was deployed. Now the retired Soldier competes on the tour.

There are four tournaments left in the tour this year. The tour is on pace to pay out a record-setting $400,000 at the end of the year. For more information about the 9-Tap Tour and upcoming tournaments visit www.9taptour.com.

Tournament results

Champion: Tong Nguyen

Veterans top game: Jerry Bleckov

2nd: Willie Downing

3rd: Gary Woldt

4th: Michelle Scheitzach

5th: Earl Kleist and Steve Bowyer