WECKBA would like to congratulate Dylin Hunter for winning the Molson Masters OPEN Division and Mark Morand for winning the Molson Masters SENIORS Division. This year’s tournament was the 64th and was completed on Sat. Feb. 16, 2019.

This Molson Masters is a tournament with a very long rich history. It has been hosted at Palace Recreation, Crescent Lanes, Revs Bowlero, and now at Revs Rose Bowl. It is important that the local bowling community thank Nick Stein (Tournament Director), Wendy Aqwa (Tournament Coordinator), and Tournament Sponsors (Molsons, Revs Rose Bowl, Storm Bowling) for all their hard work hosting this tournament.

Fred Phillips led the Open Finalists. Gary Hooper, the defending champion, was seeking his 4th title but needed to win four matches as the number five seed. Joining Phillips and Hooper in the finals was Ryan Boismier the number two seed (2nd time to finals), Dylin Hunter the number three seed (1st time in finals), and Shawn Legge the number four seed (1st time to finals).

The Senior finalists featured two former champs, one seeking his 3rd title and another bowler his 2nd title. David Forfitt (2013) was number one seed, Marc Pouget (2014, 2018) was the defending champion and the number two seed, Mark Morand was the number three seed, and Marc Hall was the number four seed.

The Molson Masters runs over 4 weekends. There is a Senior Division (55+) and an Open Division. The tournament starts with 2 weeks of qualifying, followed by one week of Match Play, then the fourth week is the TV Step Ladder Finals. To qualify in the Senior Division bowlers bowl 4 games over 4 pairs of lanes while the Open Division participants complete 5 games over 5 pairs of lanes. This year the Senior Division and the Open Division alternated the bowling match-play in the step-ladder finals.

Since average bowlers want to better understand the minds and the process of elite bowlers, as they prepare for competitive events, I decided to change the interview questions in hope that the regular bowler might learn something from them.

1. How do you prepare yourself for tournament competition (mental process and physically)?
2. What aspect of your game is the most difficult to master and what do you think is your greatest strength?
3. How would you best sum up the Molson Masters tournament – What did you learn about yourselfcompeting in this tournament?
4. What has bowling taught you that carries to other areas of your life?
5. Is there anything else you would like to add?

SENIOR DIVISION – For Match Play – the top 15 Senior bowlers, plus last year’s Senior Champion, are divided into 4 groups of 4 bowlers each. They bowl each bowler once in their division. Then they bowl a final position round within their own group. Each time a bowler wins their match he earns a 30 pin bonus added to their score. They move over to a new pair of lanes for each new game bowled. The top Senior bowler from each of the 4 Senior Division groups advance to the TV step ladder finals.

Senior Division – Match Play – Final Results

Senior Division – Step-Ladder – TV Finals

In the Senior step ladder finals, the results were as follows:

Marc Hall (168) vs Mark Morand (182)

Mark Morand (199) vs Marc Pouget (155)

Mark Morand (201) vs Dave Forfitt (180)
– Mark Morand is 2019 Senior Molson Masters Champion

Marc Hall prepares for a tournament by arriving early, sticking to the same routine and stretching his muscles. Hall finds the most difficult aspect of his game is trying to stay consistent and his timing. His greatest strength is his attitude (Never Say Die). The Molson Masters tournament was the first time Marc ever competed in the event. He indicated that he learned that he belongs here, but he just needs to fight his nerves for next time around. He found the Molson Masters to be a great learning experience. What bowling taught him that carries through to his life is the need to have patience and it is never too late to excel. His match play record was 3-1. He qualified 11th with 774 series and this was his 1st time in the TV Finals. He averaged 187 in Match Play.

Mark Morand prepares for tournament competition by using a tube of Voltaren, a knee brace, and elbow support. Morand indicated that the two things he found the most difficult is making a ten pin spare and using proper speed to control accuracy and consistency. The Molson Masters tournament requires adjustment on difficult oil patterns. Mark has learned to respect other bowlers and the importance of team togetherness. His match play record was 3-1. He qualified 6th with 789 series and this was his 2nd time in the TV Finals. He averaged 201 in Match Play.

Marc Pouget indicated that he starts thinking about the Molson Masters at the beginning of the bowling season. He prepares for a tournament by going over bowling equipment and working out three days a week at the gym. He works on different exercises to strengthen his bowling. About a month before he starts to focus on the tournament. Pouget stated that “Staying focused is the hardest for me because I am still trying to enjoy myself and have fun at the same time. Also blocking out distractions is difficult as there are many along the way.” TheMolson Masters is what he bowls for all year and it is one of his greatest challenges for which he is proud to say he has made six TV Finals in a row. Hard work and dedication have allowed him to get to this point. What Marc has learned that carries him through life is that you need to be humble, learn patience, enjoy life and the moment of success. Marc relies on family support especially from his wife of 40 years. He loves being part of this bowling community. His match play record was 3-1. Pouget was Defending Champ and was in the TV Finals for a record 6th consecutive time. He averaged 203 in Match Play.

Dave Forfitt practices as much as possible. He revealed that it is important to stay open minded to deal with things while competing. Lane transition is hardest especially on patterns you know nothing about (tournament shots). His greatest strength he feels are his luck, timing and accuracy. Dave feels that the Molson Masters is a fun tournament that allows him to compete with league friends in a tournament setting that not many of them do often. Dave indicated “Bowling has taught me that you should only worry about things that you can control, and outside of that just be yourself.” Dave was Senior Champ in 2013 and Runner-up in 2014. His match play record was 3-1. He qualified 1st with 854 series and this was his 3rd time in the TV Finals. He averaged 215 in Match Play.

OPEN DIVISION – For Match Play – the top 39 Open bowlers, plus last year’s Open Champion, are divided into five groups of eight bowlers each. They bowl each bowler once in their division. Then they bowl a final position round within their own group. Each time a bowler wins their match they get a 30 pin bonus added to

their score. You move over to a new pair of lanes for each new game bowled. The top Open bowler from each of the 5 Open Division groups advance to the TV step ladder finals.

Open Division – Match Play – Finals

Open Division – Step-Ladder – TV Finals

In the Open step ladder finals, the results were as follows:

Gary Hooper Jr (237) vs Shawn Legge (180)

Gary Hooper Jr (203) vs Dylin Hunter (287)

Dylin Hunter (268) vs Ryan Boismier (186)

Dylin Hunter (206) vs Fred Phillips (201)
– Dylin Hunter is 2019 Open Molson Masters Champion

Gary Hooper JR mentally pictures himself losing, which takes the pressure off and helps him to focus on winning. Gary tries to do proper stretching to warm up. Hooper finds it most difficult to keep his cool when bowling bad. His greatest strengths are versatility and a willingness to keep learning to improve. The Molson Masters Tournament is just a fun local tournament to be a participant. Gary maintains that ” bowling has taught me to treat people with respect.” His match play record was 7-1. Gary was Open Champ 2014, 2017, and 2018. He was Defending Champion and this was his 8th time in the TV Finals – attempting to become 3rd male bowler to win 3 consecutive titles and only the 2nd male bowler with more than 3 championships. He averaged 208 in Match Play.

Shawn Legge mentally tries to treat each game and each shot individually. Legge tries to stay focused on ball reaction so he can make the appropriate adjustments. Physically, he just tries to do some targeted stretching to keep his body loose. Shawn indicated “The part of my game I’m trying to master happens to be a straighter line,up the boards and keeping my angles in front of me which is what I’ve been playing on this shot so far.” Hefeels his greatest strength is his spare game. Legge tries to take something away from every tournament. Hesaid the Molson Master’s gave him the opportunity to play a part of the lane that he struggles with and does not get to see that often. Bowling has taught him to never give up. He admitted that, “You learn patience, and to never stop fighting even when it’s over. You learn something about yourself on the lane that you can make use of next time.” Shawn wanted to thank everyone that has ever helped him to get where he is today. He also wanted to thank those who have doubted him, for they have pushed him to become better, practice harder, and always try to improve himself as a person and a bowler. His match play record was 5-3. He qualified 9th with 1052 series and this was his 1st time in the TV Finals. He averaged 221 in Match Play.

Dylin Hunter indicated that he physically just does stretching before the event. To prepare mentally he listens to music, talks to family and has fun. Dylin said keeping his feet slow, because he is a shorter person, allows him to create momentum with his legs so it helps keep the physical game in check. Hunter thinks he has the ability to play deep inside angles with his slower ball speed. He does not have to worry about blowing through the break point unless he misses right. He indicated, “The Molson Master’s tournament does live up to its namewith its long format and difficult conditions, but it can always be harder so that it can put even more prestige in becoming a Molson Champion.” What he learned about himself is that don’t ever give up because you’re in ituntil the final shot is thrown. Dylin thinks bowling has taught him that consistency rewards and hard work pays off, just as it does in life. He would like to see some tweaking the match play or qualifying round of the tournament with the addition of more games. Another possibility would be to keep everything the same but adding more oil or even less pattern so it can change the dynamic of the scoring pace. His match play record was 7-1. He qualified 2nd with 1104 series and this was his 1st time in the TV Finals. He averaged 216 in Match Play.

Ryan Boismier tries to treat the tournament like a normal league night and stay focused and relaxed and just have fun. Ryan said his strength would be the ability to bowl on multiple lane conditions. Ryan believes thatthe Molson Master’s is the bowling tournament that everyone wants to win. What bowling has taught him that carries through his life is “If you make a bad shot, it’s OK, you’ll get it back next shot or next time, it’s OK.”Ryan wanted to give thanks for the support of his family, friends, wife, and his kids. His match play record was 7-1. He qualified 1st with a 1121 series and this was his 2nd time in the TV Finals. He averaged 217 in Match Play.

Fred Phillips prepares for tournament competition by practicing. He sets up routines and goals, then slowly works through the routines to achieve those goals. He focuses on the goals and routines during practice sessions. Fred said it helps to listen to some motivational videos. Since he is a member of Good Life, he goes to the gym 3-4 times a week and body pumps, does squats working legs and doing some upper body training. Phillips says, “The hardest thing to do in tournament competition is staying in the moment, focusing on what is in front of you and doing your best.” Fred feels that “The Molson Masters is a great Tournament, one of the best in Ontario” and something he looks forward to every year. “The Molson Masters is very professionally run and has a long history which is something Windsor should be proud of.” Bowling has been a part of his life for a long time.Bowling has given Fred the chance to learn from a challenging sport, similar to all the highs and lows in your life. Phillips has had the chance to bowl all over the world, meet so many people, and experience so many different cultures so it has truly been awesome. Fred wanted to thank the Rose Bowl Staff, Nick, his bowling sponsor, Storm Bowling and all the other sponsors of this great event. Phillips spoke positively about the tournament, “Keep up the good work, you truly have something special here.” His match play record was 8-0. He qualified 8th with 1054 series and this was his 2nd time in the TV Finals. He averaged 223 in Match Play.

This year’s tournament did not disappoint as we had a mix of some prior defending champions and some relatively new bowlers to the step-ladder final. Was almost like a changing of the guard. Mixing up the match- play between Senior and Open Divisions proved to be a wise decision. Would like to give credit to Molson Masters for the pictures used in this article.

The Cogeco step-ladder final TV telecast is being broadcast on both Windsor/Leamington and Chatham Cogeco stations on numerous occastions over the next year.

It is important that we congratulate all the step-ladder final tournament participants. It was a great honour for each of these bowlers to make it to the finals. They experienced nervousness and trouble reading the lanes just like the rest of us. Each of these competitors reached a major milestone. It was fun to watch TV finals as each of these competitors has a very unique bowling style.

Catherine Wilbur

March 2019 – CTF Connection