NDBowling.com is entering its 4th season covering bowling in the high plains. We have been able to cover tournaments all over North Dakota as well as events in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba. This season, NDBowling.com will once again provide stories from several tournaments as well as the NDBowling.com Tour and Scratch Rankings. It will be a pretty tall order for the 2015-2016 season to live up to the excitement produced last season, but the possible stories make this season a must watch!
We will start out the 2015-2016 season by looking at the story lines we will be focusing on this season.
1. Will Michael Schmidt add to his already impressive total of 7 career Majors?
One of the more compelling stories each season surrounds the Career Majors Leader, Michael Schmidt. With a record 6 Manitoba Open titles and 1 NDBowling.com Classic title, Schmidt is now 2 major titles clear of the next competitor. Going into this season, Schmidt looks to not only to add to his total, but also become just the second bowler, along with Eric Parvey, to win 3 separate NDBowling.com Majors. Schmidt would need to win either the CMA Memorial Shootout in Minot or the KFYR TV Bowling Classic in Mandan to do so. Schmidt has posted top 5 finishes in each the Shootout and the KFYR and will look to close out one or both of them this season. While Schmidt is the odds on favorite to add another Manitoba Open title, the two majors still missing from his resume are likely at the top of his list this season.
2. Will Eric Parvey complete the career grand slam?
Last season, Eric Parvey captured his third major at the NDBowling.com Classic in January. The win moved Parvey into NDBowling.com history as the only bowler to win 3 separate Majors. Parvey won the Morris Anderson Memorial Shootout back in 2010, the Manitoba Open in 2013, and the NDBowling.com Classic in 2015. The focus will be on Parvey at the 2016 edition of the KFYR TV Bowling Classic to see if he can close out the career grand slam and win the one major that has eluded him. Parvey came close to winning the KFYR TV Bowling Classic in 2014 before falling to Ryan Sandvick in the title match.
3. Will Matt Smallin continue to dominate the NDBowling.com Tour?
The 2014-15 season was one of consistency from Matt Smallin. Most of us find consistency as being content with numerous cuts made and top 15 or top 10 finishes. Matt Smallin, however, takes consistency to a new level. Last season, Smallin recorded victories at the NDBowling.com Kickoff Classic, the Carrington 8 Game Singles, and the KFYR TV Bowling Classic. Smallin was able to pair his three victories with numerous top 10 finishes and impressive showings in each of the NDBowling.com Majors. Smallin earned 198.93 points which was over 60 points better than Bob Vander Vorst in 2nd. The tour returns this season with a full slate of events and only $10 to enter. Stay tuned to NDBowling.com in the next couple weeks for complete details.
4. Will we have any first time winners this season?
Last season generated a wide variety of champions. We had seasoned veterans win titles, we had younger bowlers win titles, and we even had a couple bowlers win their first titles. Clayton Mohr captured his first Major title at the Shootout last season in one of the most exciting NDBowlTV shows to date. Earlier in the season, Blake Wallstrum was dubbed King of the Hill following his victory in Minot for his first title. One of the biggest surprises, however, came at the 2015 Hemi-Bowl. Bret Kragh took down Hall of Fame caliber bowlers en route to his first title on the lanes. The opportunities are out there for everyone. Check out the upcoming events page and take your shot at some of the best bowlers in the region.
The 2015-2016 season is shaping up to be one of the best here at NDBowling.com. Stay tuned as we will take a look at the NDBowling.com Tour later this week.
Please comment below what you are looking forward to this season!
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