Beatthechamps

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
2026 Beat the Champs Live Stream Show
Thursday Night, January 15, 2026: 5:00 pm - 6 pm

Featuring: All-Time Greats Pete Weber, Leanne Hulsenberg, with youth sensations Jos Weems and Anna Antony.

Sponsored by: Strom Bowling, Coolwick Apparel and the Illinois State BPA.

Live Stream on at:

- YouTube Welcome to the home for bowling content!

BEAT THE CHAMPS TARGET SCORE GIFTS AVAILABLE NOW

The artist renderings, complements of Storm Bowling, are now available for those bowlers who competed in the 62nd Annual Beat the Champs Contest. Click on the image below to print a copy of the bowlers who competed in the live-streaming show that aired on January 16, 2025, Poplar Creek Bowl, Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Youth Division Target Scores
Brady McDonough --- 709
Malia Briggs --- 592

Adult Division Target Scores
Kyle Troup --- 776
Verity Crawley --- 643

The 62nd Annual Beat the Champs Target Score Show Concludes with a 300

Youth bowler Brady McDonough made history by shooting a perfect 300 to close out the 62nd Annual Beat the Champs Target Score Show. “If anyone has to sneeze, please get it out now,” Brady humorously said moments before throwing his 12th strike to seal the first-ever 300 in the history of the event, which was streamed live on YouTube.

The exhibition, held at Poplar Creek Bowl in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, housed more than 250 fans who watched bowling’s current adult and youth stars bowl to establish the averages that must be beat in order for a participant to receive a gift. The opening round of the tournament had more than 15,000 bowlers who competed in Illinois State BPA (ISBPA) member centers.

Brady had a slow start, posting a 161, but bounced back with a 248 before finishing with his perfect game, totaling 709 for the three games. His youth counterpart, Malia Briggs, began with a 245, followed with a 216, but struggled in her final game with a 131, resulting in a total of 592. Together, the youth duo posted a combined six-game total of 1301, averaging 216.83. In addition to their bowling skills, both youth bowlers are known for their generous social media following, seeing Brady with 57,000 followers, while Malia has a massive current total of 354,000.

On the adult side, professional bowlers Kyle Troup and Verity Crawley also showcased strong performances. Kyle, on fire throughout the competition, posted scores of 257, 289, and 230, totaling 776. He came close to breaking the BtC record of 815, set by Robert Lawrence in 1992, but fell 39 pins short. Verity, from England, who came to the USA to bowl at Webber International University, scored 205, 247, and 191, for a total of 643. The two professionals combined for a six-game total of 1419, averaging 236.5.

As part of the event’s charitable tradition, Charity Strikes, which combines the total number of strikes made during the 5th and 10th frames, are then multiplied by $100 to be donated to charities of the bowlers choosing. The youth bowlers, who made 14 strikes, will be donating $1,400 to the Bowlers to Veterans Link (BVL); the net proceeds generated by the tournament are also scheduled to be donated to the BVL. The adult bowlers, who registered 10 strikes, have directed $1,000 to be sent to Striking Against Breast Cancer. The Charity Strikes donations were supported by Zoa Energy Drink (for the youth bowlers) and Miller Lite (for the adult bowlers).

The event was broadcast live with commentary from USBC Hall of Famer Bill Spigner and Storm’s Product Marketing Manager Blair Blumenshied. Bowling legend Carmen Salvino made a special appearance, and PBA Commissioner Tom Clark was in attendance as well. Before the competition began, Storm’s Vice President of Marketing, Gary Hulsenberg, presented both Tom Clark and ISBPA Executive Director Keith Hamilton with a custom teal bowling ball, with a hand-painted inscription recognizing that the pair will be inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in May of this year.

The tournament is sponsored and operated by the ISBPA, Storm Bowling, and Coolwick Bowling Apparel. Bowlers who qualify to compete in the Zone Finals will be notified by their participating bowling centers within the next couple of weeks, with the finals taking place on March 16, 2025, at Hillside Bowl in Hillside, Illinois.

To watch the event, click on the link below.
https://youtube.com/live/dV4hUlC8_nU?feature=share

STORM / ISBPA BEAT THE CHAMPS TARGET SCORE SHOW
With a special thank you to Storm Bowling, sponsors of the ISBPA Annual Beat the Champs Contest, the posters below can be downloaded and printed for those tournament participants who beat the Target Scores set by Jason Belmonte, Kelly Kulick, Jos Weems and Abigail Starkey, on the January 18 Live Stream Target Score Show.

Jason Belmonte Score = 680 / Jos Weems Score = 627
Kelly Kulick Score = 553 / Abigail Starkey Score = 648

61st Beat the Champs Finals Crowns Two Burr Oak Bowl
League Bowlers as Contest Champions

The 61st Beat the Champs Adult Division finals, held at Mardi Gras Lanes, DeKalb, Ill., witnessed a pair of bowlers from the same center take home $10,000 each. Ladesha Wilson and Mario Jones both represented ISBPA and CBPA member center Burr Oak Bowl enthusiastically took home the coveted first-place prize. The contest secured more than 14,000 bowlers who competed across 45 ISBPA member bowling centers. The top finishers competed across three Zone Finals to narrow the field to the 64 final bowlers who competed on St. Patrick's Day.

Of the 64 bowlers registered to bowl, 63 participated in the finals; the Youth division, which was held prior to the Adults, had 64 of its 64 registered bowlers appear, making this year’s BtC Final the best attended in the contest’s 61-year history. The 2nd-5th place winners in both divisions each took home a Smart Television Set, with bowlers finishing between 6th and 16th took home certificates to receive event sponsor, Storm, bowling balls. The balance of the field each received a 3-Ball Roller Bag.

Once the final numbers are calculated, the net proceeds derived from the tournament operations will be donated to the Bowlers to Veterans Link. Known as the BVL within the bowling circles, BVL will direct the funds to benefit Veterans Homes throughout the State of Illinois.