BOWLERO KYRENE

champs & finalists

            Gage Baker completed a weekend sweep, while Aizen Ponce made a long trip very worth it, winning JBT titles in exciting Arizona Conference action at Chandler’s Bowlero Kyrene.

            Scratch bowlers competed in the ‘use what you bring’ variant, where you chose your arsenal, but had to use every ball you chose as the strike ball, emphasizing physical adjustments and versatility.  In the stepladder, you could choose two balls, but had to use each ball for five strike balls in each match.  Every finalist chose to use two balls, and showcased their skills, beginning with Jon Abgania’s 225-203 win over Aiden Ruiz-Jimenez.  That set up a rematch of yesterday’s title match, and the result was the same, with Gage Baker defeating Jon to advance to the final. 

            Top seed Noah Hsieh finished third in handicap on Saturday, and made the jump to scratch today, partially because he wanted to try the format, and partially the previous day’s result dictating it.  The move was a huge success, as a big second round jumped him all the way to the lead.  However he ran into a runaway train in Baker, who kept getting stronger, and overpowered Hsieh in the title match, sweeping the weekend and matching his age with his 17^th career JBT title.

            Liam Hesse squeezed into the handicap finals, jumping Matthew Krause with a big last game, and blasted a 260 in round one of the stepladder- but it wasn’t enough, as Aizen Ponce, one of a bunch of Hawaiians visiting both GCU and JBT, came up with 262 to advance.  He then got by Carson Cotton, yesterday’s runner-up, to reach the title match,

            Top seed Ethan Chaus awaited, leading a very high-scoring top of the standings in an otherwise medium-scoring event.  He struggled early but made a great comeback to bring the final down to the final frame.  There, Ponce calmly made a single pin spare, and locked up the first title of his JBT career with the win.  

            A Hawaiian we already know well from previous visits was victorious in the Girls Scratch subdivision, as Khloe Lara beat local Oliva Gee for that win.  U17 went to rising Arizona talent Christian Ortega, beating Hsieh in an earlier match for that title.

            Thanks as always to JJ Newell and the Kyrene team for hosting our Tour.  Kyrene held JBT event #1 in 1996, and this was event #2153- wow!  Want in on all this fun for all ages and skill levels?  Just check out our schedule and email your reservations today!

Date: Sunday October 11, 2026  (This is ONE tournament that is one day long, open to anyone age 21 & under as of 8/1/26). 

Start Time: Bowling begins at 9 AM.  Check-in no later than 30 minutes before squad time.  Check-in is usually open 90 minutes to 2 hours before start time.

Re-entries?:  There's only one qualifying squad, so there are no re-entries this event..

Reservations:  Please email director@bowljbt.com to reserve a spot.   In your email, please give us your name, which event(s) you are signing up for, and which division you are planning to bowl (scratch or handicap; you can change this later).   You can prepay (not required) at the 'Prepaying' section of this website.  Reservations (paid or unpaid) must check in no later than 15 minutes before start time.  At that time, all bowlers will be taken on a first come, first serve basis until the field is full.

Format: Qualifying round is 5 games.  40% of each division advance to three more games, with the top 4 bowling the stepladder finals.  In addition, scratch bowlers will use the "Use Whatcha Bring" format!  In that format, you can declare up to 5 balls to use for round one, but must use each ball you declare as the strike ball for a full game. 

Divisions/ Averages:  Scratch or handicap.  It is the bowlers' choice of division.  Also, everyone age 16 or under as of 8/1/26, with a 170+ JBT average, is automatically entered in the U-17 side event.   Also, every female with a 150+ JBT average is automatically entered in the Girls Scratch side event.   If this is your first JBT event (and choose to bowl handicap), we will be asking for average info.  In most cases, your highest average from any current form of organized competition of at least 15 games is what we need.  If you bowl in multiple leagues / clubs, bring everything and we'll sort it out for you.  If you don't have 15+ games in any organized competition this season, we need your finishing 25-26 average(s), and any 2026 summer averages.  After your first JBT event, your average is re-rated before every JBT event according to JBT rules.  Please see JBT Rule 13 for complete details.

Points:  This event counts for Arizona and All-Conference points.  Points qualify you for the big money season-ending Invitationals and Touring Players Championship, so get all you can.  Visit the 'statistics' section of the website to check on your points.  At the end of the season, the top 40 in this conference's points advance to their respective Invitationals.

Entry fee: $60, $63 if paid on-site by credit card.  Scholarship brackets are available for $2 each.  Raffle tickets for bowling balls from the brands of Brunswick, and our PowerBowl and '31' jackpots, are available on-site. 

Scholarships: 1:6 in each division earn scholarships, scratch and handicap.  Minimum prizes are $300, $150, $100, $60.  Also, bowlers who finish in the top 40 in points this season in this conference qualify for the Invitational, which features $1,000 for first place.  Bowlers who finish in the top 20 in a conference's points race after the Invitational, or the top 120 in all-conference points after the last Invitational, qualify for the 2027 Touring Players Championship, featuring $3,100 for first.

Lane conditions: conditions vary from event to event, and are not posted prior to the event (unless otherwise announced).  Some events do not post the pattern until after qualifying, or even at all.  Be ready for anything- it makes you a better bowler!  Check out previous patterns and corresponding cut scores at the 'lane conditions' section of this website to get a good idea of what you might expect.

Dress code:  Anything goes EXCEPT tank tops, gym shorts, clothing promoting alcohol, drugs, or firearms, or excessively ripped or short clothing, subject solely to the director's discretion.  However, bowlers wearing slacks or dress shorts/skirts, and a 'name shirt' or PBA-style 'dye-sub' shirt, or college or high school team shirt, earn an extra 10 points on their season-long points total.  If you're not sure about dress code, check with us.  If you're new to us, the vast majority of the bowlers do dress in the 'bonus' dress code, and those points become very important, so plan accordingly.

RESERVED BOWLERS:

This reservation is an expectation that you will be bowling.  PLEASE do not forget to contact us if you need to cancel or adjust your reservation.  Repeated 'no-shows' may result in you not being able to reserve a spot.  This list may not be updated after the Friday of the event as we travel, etc.