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Valley League
Rocky Mountain Gaming
Bozeman, MT
by: Don “Cheese” Akerlow
March 12, 13 and 14, 2010 the Valley League Tournament was held in 3 locations in Belgrade, Montana. The league had 21 five person teams, which has grown in less and 6 years from only 8 teams and finding it difficult to get those, to what is now the largest league in the Bozeman VNEA system. Don Lutes the league operator for the last 20 odd years will be retiring after this year. Rich Petty will be taking over as league operator in 2011. Rich wants to initiate new growth and new ideas that he wants to include from the players. Now back to the tournament.
The Frontier #1 team who finished 2nd in league standing but with the top shooter Rich Robinson and had a second player Scott Williams as the #5 shooter, had won it’s way to the point. All matches were a 15 game rotating format, each player playing 3 different opponents on the other team. The finals saw the Frontier #1 meeting up against the Lucky Cuss #1 who won league this year and had 3 of the top 6 players in the league Top Shooter category. The Frontier had been beaten by the Lucky Cuss when they met during league handily, but had been shooting well throughout the tournament to capture the hot seat. The Lucky Cuss had beaten out the 5th place league team Hub #1 who, now with their defeat came in 3rd.
In the finals you play a 25 game rotating format, each 5 players on one team plays the other 5 players and this is for prize money and the trip to Las Vegas that includes your rooms at the Riviera, travel money and entry into the 30th Annual VNEA International Championships. Although other teams can pay their way into the championship, the Bozeman VNEA leagues from the very start 30 years ago have a unique way of sending teams to Las Vegas to participate. You earn your way there with the expenses paid as I mentioned previously. This has become a badge of honor if we did not win the championship to go with our expenses paid, we did not go.
The Frontier #1 is my old team and I was there rooting them on every shot as well as taking some photos of the tournament. I haven’t played for the past 2 years and was naturally rooting my old team on. With 3 games left the Frontier #1 was down 17 points. You get 1 point per ball and 3 points for the 8 ball, total of 10. Your opponent would get 1 point for each ball pocketed. The Lucky Cuss was able to pull off the victory and the Frontier team looked somewhat dejected. I wasn’t unable to stay because I had my grandchildren at my house and wanted to get back to them but was torn also to lend my support to my former team. I asked one of my former teammates to give me a call when it’s over and it was about 9:30 Sunday night when he called and told me the news, “We won, we won, we pulled it off” I congratulated him and told him to tell the team the same.
They will be down in Las Vegas May 27-June 5 as well we will be there with OTBnTV.com to Live Stream the VNEA 30th Anniversary.
(photo above Frontier #1: (l to r) Rich Robinson, Shaye McMillian, Francis Panion, Scott Williams, Jeff Pickett)
(click for Valley League Photos)
LEAGUE STANDINGS
1. 2651 Lucky Cuss #1
(League Champions pictured right: Lucky Cuss #1:
(l to r) Gary Schram, Travis Steward, Dan Reeves, Mike Hughes, Jamey Lewis)
2. 2577 Frontier #1
3. 2479 Hub #5
4. 2458 Friendly Tavern
5. 2455 Hub #1
6. 2442 Sports Depot #2
7. 2426 Hub #2
8. 2394 Legion Manhattan #2
9. 2390 Hub #4
10. 2376 Wolfs Den
11. 2358 Hub #3
12. 2339 Oasis
13. 2319 Town Club #1
14. 2316 Sports Depot #1
15. 2297 Town Club #2
16. 2282 Lucky Cuss #2
17. 2261 Plaza Bar #1
18. 2244 Legion Manhattan #1
19. 2224 Lucky Palms
20. 2203 Broken Arrow #1
21. 2153 Plaza Bar #2
TOP TEN SHOOTERS
1. 549 Rich Robinson (pictured right)
2. 544 Gary Schram
3. 528 Dave Tomko
4. 519 Jamey Lewis
5. 518 Scott Williams
6. 517 Travis Steward
7. 513 Lee Highline
7. 513 Rob Lemke
9. 512 Pat Perin
10. 511 Cathy Hansen
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Rocky Mountain Gaming
Bozeman’s Women’s League Championship
March 20-21, 2010
held at the Cats Paw
WOMEN’S LEAGUE STANDINGS
1. 2104 – Eagles #3
(photo right Eagles 3: (l to r) Janet Dunks, Cathy Hellwitz, Molly Jones, Becka Larkin, Barbara Walker, Lindsey Nord)
2. 2057 – Cats Paw #2
3. 2021 – Hub #2
(photo below 2nd place tournament - Hub #2: (l to r) Amanda Bray, Misty DeBates, Sarah Massey, Cat Hansen)
4. 1990 – Hub #1
5. 1910 – Broken Arrow
6. 1861 – Crystal
7. 1826 – Scoop
8. 1824 – Cats Paw #1
9. 1802 – Eagles #1
10. 1800 – Eagles #2
11. 1776 – Cats Paw #3
TOP TEN SHOOTERS
1. Loreen Carey – 529 (photo right on the left)
1. Molly Jones – 529 (photo right on the right)
3. Becka Larkin – 528
3. Amanda Bray – 528
5. Tina Hansen – 527
6. Cindy Barbula – 523
7. Misty DeBates – 517
7. Cathy Hansen – 517
9. Susie Mcrae – 512
10. Marnie Lappe – 509
(click for Women's League Photos)
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