MOJAVE INVITATIONAL

champs and finalists

            Gyrus Alo and Allen Ricafrente each earned $1,000 top scholarships as champions if the 2024 JBT Mojave Invitational, hosted by Las Vegas' Gold Coast Bowling Center.

            After qualifying, sixteen bowlers advanced to triple elimination matchplay, creating do-or-die moments all through the center every game.  Top seed Jason Gootziet just edged Gavin Fernandez for the #1 spot, but was uneven min matchplay, bowing out in round six.  Gavin's round eight exit was good enough to pass Nathan Harnit for the final points lead, earning him Bowler of the Year honors.  With four bowlers left in game nine, Alo eliminated Justin Erickson, which earned him a bye while Cayden Matherly and Zach Greim would play a semifinal match.  Cayden eliminated Zach (finally) in that round, setting up a single game title match which came down to the wire.  Needing a mark to win, Cayden unfortunately missed a tenth frame spare, and 14 year-old Gyrus found himself a 172-171 winner, good for a landmark first career JBT title!

            Top seeds fared pretty well in the handicap division, with top qualifier Evelynn Bollea, 3 seed Brayden Sibilla, #4 Ricarfrete, and #8 Pablo Ypina surviving to round eight.  In that round, Bollea eliminated Ypina, while Bollea stayed alive by beating Ricafrente, giving Evelynn a second bye, while Allen then eliminated Brayden, setting up a one-game final.  In that match, Ricafrente stayed in control, winning it for his first singles and second career JBT title.  Bowler of the Year was up for grabs at the start of the day and remained so all the way through the bracket, where a high enough finish or even high game bonus points could put anyone over the top.  In the end, William Chondro's 12th place finish plus the day's high game (282) was just enough to edge Ypina, Ricafrente, and Brayden Miller for the honor.

            Girls Scratch went to Kendall Bollea with a win over Lindsay Greim, while Fernandez beat Gootzeit for the U17 Invite title- but Jason's top seed points were enough to just hold off Gavin for Bowler of the Year despite the win.  Almost $10,000 was awarded on the weekend to the talented bowlers of all ages and skill levels.  Thanks to Luis and the team at Gold Coast for a great hosting job!  The top 20 in scratch and handicap Mojave points now advance to the TPC, joining the other four JBT conferences to play for our most prestigious title!

Date: Sunday June 9, 2024  (This is ONE tournament that is one day long, open only to those who qualified for it based on their performance this season (see below). 

Start Time: Bowling begins at 9 AM.

Re-entries?:  There's only one qualifying squad, so there are no re-entries this event..

Reservations:  There is no need to reserve a spot, since it's an Invitational.  The tournament will not sell out- if you qualified, we will have room for you.   You can prepay (not required) at the 'Prepaying' section of this website. 

Eligibility: The Mojave Invitational is open to anyone who EITHER had TWO top-5 finishes in Mojave Conference events this season, OR finished in the top 32 in the Mojave Conference points standings after the last regular season Mojave Conference event (6/8 at Gold Coast).  Also, simultaneous with the main Invitational are the Girls Scratch and U17 Invitationals;  (it is possible you may qualify for only the Girls and/or U17 Invites but not the main Invite; in that case you still bowl the qualifying round but cannot make the main Invite cut).   Visit the 'statistics' section of the website to check on your points.

Format: Qualifying round is 5 games.  The top 5 season-long point scorers earn a bye into the finals (but are still playing for their seeding within the finals). The next 11 bowlers also qualify for the finals, for a total of 16 finalists.  Finals are triple elimination matchplay- keep bowling until you lose three times, which will eventually leave only one bowler- the champion- standing.

Divisions/ Averages:  Scratch or handicap.  It is the bowlers' choice of division, regardless of which division you bowled in to qualify for this event.

Points:  This event counts for TRIPLE Mojave and All-Conference points.  After the Invitational, the top 20 in the final Mojave Conference points standings advance to the Touring Players Championship, July 25-28 in Las Vegas, with $2,800 scratch and handicap first place scholarships.   Visit the 'statistics' section of the website to check on your points.

Entry fee: $60.  Scholarship brackets are available for $2 each.  Raffle tickets for Ebonite bowling balls, and our PowerBowl and '28' jackpots, are available on-site. 

Sponsor Incentive bonuses:  1) IAM Bowling: Bowlers making the final match of an event (scratch or handicap) wearing an IAM patch (good), any IAM shirt (better), or an IAM JBT shirt (best) earn point bonuses towards a $5,000 IAM incentive jackpot.  (The IAM patch is requested to be worn by all bowlers).   2) Virtue Bowling: Bowlers making the final match of an event (scratch or handicap, win or lose), using a Virtue Bowling shirt or patch, and a Virtue drilled ball, earn a $25 Virtue gift card.  

Scholarships: 1:6 in each division earn scholarships, scratch and handicap.  Minimum prizes are $1,000, $500, $250, $125, $100.  The top 5 in points heading into the event earn a minimum $60 scholarship regardless of finish in the event.

Lane conditions: conditions vary from event to event, and are not posted prior to the event (unless otherwise announced).  Some events do not post the pattern until after qualifying.  Be ready for anything- it makes you a better bowler!  Check out previous patterns and corresponding cut scores at the 'lane conditions' section of this website.

Dress code:  Anything goes EXCEPT tank tops, gym shorts, clothing promoting alcohol, drugs, or firearms, or excessively ripped or short clothing, subject solely to the director's discretion.  However, bowlers wearing slacks or dress shorts/skirts, and a 'name shirt' or PBA-style 'dye-sub' shirt, or college or high school team shirt, earn an extra 10 points on their season-long points total.  If you're not sure about dress code, check with us.  If you're new to us, the vast majority of the bowlers do dress in the 'bonus' dress code, and those points become very important, so plan accordingly.

We hope you qualify for this prestigious event- do not miss it if you do!