Heartland Bowl was a busy place over the weekend as it hosted its ninth annual No Tap memorial tournament, bringing together bowlers from across the province in a fun and informal setting from Friday to Sunday, March 11-13.
"The full name of the tournament is actually the 9th Annual Scratch/Handicap Ray Plante/Elmer Gallaugher memorial tournament, which I came up with after losing my brother Elmer in 2007," said main organizer and owner of Heartland Bowl, Robert Gallaugher. "Elmer loved to bowl and always had a great time bowling, and Ray is someone I have known for years, but he passed away on the day of my grand opening of the Heartland Bowl, which he had built in 1978."
Gallaugher explained that Ray Plante was a bowler so that is why he put his name on the Scratch side, which is for the more serious and better bowlers, while the Handicap side was for the people that don't bowl as well but have a great time anyways, which fit his brother.
"Elmer was a decent bowler but having a good time was way more important to him," added Gallaugher. "This year the tournament was a success as there were 100 entries, although in 2015 we've had only 99 and in 2014, 103, which has been the highest till date."
Registration entry per bowler was slated to be $60 and there were 50/50 draws held to raise funds for the local youth bowlers, whom Gallaugher always tries and supports.
"We raised $250 this year for them," said Gallaugher. "Stettler's Dave Philpot won both sides, picking up $700 on each side for a total of $1,400 for the weekend."
Philpot is only the second person to do that in nine years.
"His daughter Nicole won the Handicap side in 2010," added Gallaugher.
Among the other Scratch winners were Allan Hurst from Edmonton and Gary Baird from Red Deer, who tied second place and earned $350 each.
In fourth place was Brandon Cockburn from Leduc with $200, followed by Michelle Manton from Lethbridge with $100, while the defending champion Geno Ziebarth from Mulhurst came in the sixth positon, winning $75.
Among the Handicap winners in second place was Colleen Maloney from Wetaskiwin, winning $400, followed by third-place winner Michelle Manton from Lethbridge with $300 plus high game of 435 for $50, in fourth place was Brad Wiebe from Stettler with $200, in fifth place was Heather Jobsalso from Stettler with $100, and in sixth place was Sarah Simmons from Calgary winning $75.