By BILL SNIER
AKRON — The unique format was designed to go through nine rounds before crowning a champion.
Nick Kightlinger was able to accomplish the task in seven.
The 33-year-old Erie, Pa., right-hander shot 254 in Game 7 to claim top honors in the Survival Tournaments’ Station 300 Bowlin Down the Tracks event Saturday at Station 300.
A field of 17 bowlers had one objective: Don’t get eliminated.
In the unique format, bowlers had to reach a target score each game in order to remain eligible to advance to the next round.
The initial target score on the Station 300 house oil pattern was 170; six people were unable to reach that number and were eliminated.
“I came out and bowled their event at Seven Hills last year and I really liked it and I like the idea,” said Kightlinger, who barely puts his thumb into the ball, which had been the subject of some controversy on social media platforms.
“You really are bowling against yourself more than anyone else.”
In subsequent rounds, the target score was raised by 10 pins. The field was down to just three bowlers for Round 7 — which carried a minimum target score of 230.
Kightlinger was the lone bowler in the trio to hit that total; in fact, he shot 254, which was just three pins off the high score shot on the day (257) by two players.
“Honestly, it’s all about the ball. The Hammer Effect Tour has carried me through most of my tournaments this season,” said Kightlinger, who averaged 245 in league play at Eastway and Eastland lanes in Erie.
“It looked great from the start. I just had one shaky game (187 in Game 2 when he made the target score by just seven pins), but that was just me throwing it bad.”
Also reaching the final round were 45-year-old Akron left-hander Vicktor Varner, who was competing for the first time in 40 days due to his two children, Elliott and Benson, having health issues that required hospitalizations; and 18-year-old right-hander Adam Walters, who recently graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School.
Varner struggled to a 192 on the final pair of lanes with a pair of splits and one double, while Walters had a pair of doubles but finished with 204. Kighlinger was able to run off four straight strikes from the eighth frame into the 10th to clinch the win.
“It feels good after not having bowled in 40 days … to get back our here and get back competing,” said Varner, who added his two children are doing “very well,” with Elliott being released from the hospital Friday.
“I was sore at first, but once I got back into the swing of things it’s like riding a bike. You don’t forget stuff.”
Varner said the final pair “flattened out a little bit … that’s the characteristics of this place and the nature of bowling.”
“But I’ll take third place,” he added.
Walters’ lone adult event so far was competing in the USBC Open Championships with his father, Mark, in Baton Rouge, La.
“The lanes kind of got tight at the end and I didn’t have much miss room,” said Walters, who led the Black Tigers to a Division I OHSAA state berth this season. “I tried to open up the lane, but it was too late.”
Despite finishing as runner-up, it’s part of the learning experience for the teenager.
“I’ll probably keep bowling local events, keep practicing and keep trying to get better and see where it takes me,” Walters said. “Ever since I got into bowling, I idolized Vicktor and Ryan (Liederbach) and to be able to bowl with them and beat them just feels amazing.”
As for Kightlinger, he enjoys the format so much that he is putting together his own survivor event in Erie during October.
“I just love the format and idea … they put on a good event here and I can’t complain,” said Kightinger, who says his tournament trips are limited to stops within two hours of home. “I just want to try it out there.
“I’m coming off my best season ever. It’s been an excellent year.”
NOTEBOOK: Tournament director Tim Barnett plans to begin holding Survivor Tournaments on a monthly basis beginning in July at Seven Hills Lanes in Seven Hills. The first event will be “The Bakers Revenge,” with teams of bowlers rolling Baker System style to again hit target scores to advance. Entry fee will be $90 per team, with that event set at 10 a.m. July 19. … More than 80 players had expressed interest in the Akron event, but only 17 were on hand. Barnett said he plans to request $20 nonrefundable down payments in subsequent events to better determine fields. … Four players cashed overall, with Ryan Liederbach earning the final cash spot after being eliminated in Round 6 (target score of 220) with a 192. … After six were eliminated in Round 1, two were out in Round 2 (180 target), one in Round 3 (190 target) and three in Round 4 (200 target). … Justin Wagner was the lone noncasher among five players left in Round 5 after a 158. … Players moved pairs after every game. … Triway High School graduate Emma Yoder was the lone woman in the field, being eliminated after Round 4. … there were no traditional brackets, but there were side pots for jackpots along with doubles pots, etc.
BOWLIN DOWN THE TRACKS
(Saturday, at Station 300, Akron)
Final standings: 1, Nick Kightlinger (Round 7) 254, $240 earnings; 2, Adam Walters (Round 7), 204, $120; 3, Vicktor Varner (Round 7), 192, $80; 4, Ryan Liederbach (Round 6), 192, $60.