08/21/2026
CAL WHITMORE TRI-CITY CLASSIC LEAGUE
AMERICA’S OLDEST LEAGUE
2026-27 – OUR 127th SEASON
WEEKLY RECAP – WEEK # 1
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
TRI-CITY CLASSIC OPENS LEISURE LANES 50TH SEASON
We’re off and running. The Tri-City Classic kicked off campaign #127 on Thursday, August 20th. It was a special evening, as the league helped host center Leisure Lanes begin their 50th season of operations, with the Tri-City Classic being there for all 50 of those.
It was back on September 15, 1977 that the Tri-City Classic first competed at Leisure Lanes, a newly built 24-lane center in Northwest Davenport. And this season, we celebrate the opening of season #127, while Leisure Lanes begins their celebratory 50th season of operation.
In an opening ceremony prior to competition, several dignitaries were introduced. Original owner Loretta Harmon Martinson, who – along with her late husband Henderson “Hindu” Harmon built Leisure Lanes in 1977, was on hand. They sold the bowling center in 1980 to Don & Arlene Warner, who were owners from 1980-1997. (Warner was unable to attend.) Brett Baldwin, who owned Leisure from 1997-2013 was on hand, as was current owner Rob Roseman Jr. Also on hand was Mick Spies; he helped pour the very concrete for Leisure’s foundation, and who is working at Leisure for his 50th season.
Former league members Don Johnson and Gary Garnaas were also present. Johnson fired the first 300 at Leisure Lanes, with that coming on December 21, 1978; that was the first 300 in our league since closing night of the 1957-58 season. Garnaas stroked a 279 triplicate on December 13, 1979, and that was the first 800 at Leisure Lanes, as well as Quad-City history. It also tied the American Bowling Congress all-time record for highest triplicate score. Ironically, Garnaas’ opponent on December 13, 1979 was Leisure Lanes owner Henderson “Hindu” Harmon, who shot 537 – exactly 300 pins less than Garnaas.
In our league’s first half-century, the league competed at different bowling centers each week, as most centers back then were not large enough to host our league. In 1951 – for the first time – all teams bowled at the same center, and that’s the way it has gone for the past 76 seasons – with the past 50 at Leisure Lanes. The Tri-City Classic has been proud to call Leisure home since 1977!
HIGHEST SCORING OPENING NIGHT EVER
This week’s 64 members and subs combined their talents to average 680.51. This established a new record for highest opening night average, eclipsing the previous record of 67.28 (set on August 22, 2024). 22 players topped 700, while just 2 bowlers were under 600. Only 4 players failed to break 625. Last season, just 5 nights during the season were higher than this season’s opening night scoring pace.
WEEK #1 – AUGUST 20, 2026
GAME #1 AVERAGE = 233.01
GAME #2 AVERAGE = 226.81
GAME #3 AVERAGE = 220.68
NIGHLY AVERAGE = 680.51
THE PAST 10 SEASON’S OPENING NIGHT LEAGUE AVERAGE & SCORING LEADER
August 20, 2026 = 680.51 - EVAN WHITE - 814
August 21, 2025 = 656.92 - JOSH CANTRILL & BLAKE FRIES - 773
August 22, 2024 = 677.28 - KENDRIC SIDERS - 831
August 24, 2023 = 653.32 - BLAKE FRIES - 751
August 25, 2022 = 644.79 - CHRIS WILEY - 759
August 26, 2021 = 651.34 - JOE ROSEMAN - 806
August 27, 2020 = 647.41 - RICK BARLETT - 804
August 29, 2019 = 645.53 - BLAKE ELDRIDGE - 765
August 30, 2018 = 656.33 - JOSH CANTRILL - 785
August 31, 2017 = 656.85 - JOEL CARTER, 771
Sub Evan White was the opening night scoring leader. The 2-hander from Western Iowa had games of 278, 290 and 246 for his 814 gem. Over the past 3 seasons, this was White’s 5th time subbing, but it was his first time leading the league in scoring.
There have now been 435 800’s in Tri-City Classic history, with White becoming the 130th different bowler to roll an 800 in Tri-City Classic competition.
Rick Barlett earned high game honors by firing an improbable 300. The league veteran – bowling on a broken ankle – strung 12 strikes in his nightcap, which became the 884th perfect game in league annals. Barlett himself, has cranked out 16 of those.
At the team level, M & L Properties’ 2903 was the top team series, while Rose Bowl had 1065 for high team game honors. Rose Bowl looked like they were on their way to a new scoring record, firing games of 1037 and 1065. Unfortunately, their score came crashing down almost as fast as the Hindenburg, closing with 781. (By the way, our 4-player team scoring record under the draft format is 3057.)
There were only 3 subs in the lineup this week. Besides Evan White, former member Bobby Lienen returned with 691, while Brek Strobel hit 657. This was Strobel’s first-ever appearance in the league. For those keeping track, these 3 subs were filling in for Brian Andresen, Ben Slicklen and Hunter Lawrence.
There were 3 individual matches in which both competitors hit 700. They were Harry Hatayama III (772) vs Derrick Lewandowski (731), Lorn Crawford (720) vs Jaxon Robinson (703) and Duane Fleming (733) vs Jeff Rausch (700).
5 bowlers had more than 500 for their first 2 games led by Evan White’s 568 (278-290), while 4 players had 500 or more for their final 2 games. Brian Price’s 553 (287-266) led that quartet.
We welcome 10 rookies for the upcoming season, and 3 former members returning to our league. The 10 rookies include Kevin Magnuson, Kendric Siders, Tyler Close, Charlie Pelham, Jaxon Robinson, Noah Kidwell, Ty McCumsey, Hunter Lawrence, John Scott III and Whittney Morse. The trio of returners are Ben Slicklen, Billy Newman and Tanner Peeler. Magnuson (716) and Robinson (703) were the only rookies to surpass 700.
Over the past 55 seasons, there have now been 10 800’s fired on opening night. A quartet of players have led the league in scoring 4 times on opening night in their careers; they are Bob Cosper, Joel Carter, Dave Shackleford and Joe Roseman.
It was nice to see former 2-time individual average champ Dave Shackleford on hand as an observer this week. “Shack” was one of the premier power players in the league in the 1980’s and 90’s, racking up average titles in 1991-92 and again in 1996-97. He also finished runner-up on 4 occasions, and in all, earned 13 top 10 average appearances in his 18 seasons as a member.
MOMENT OF SILENCE OBSERVED IN HONOR OF WALLY LADEWIG
Wally Ladewig, a longtime Tri-City Classic League member, passed away at age 79 on August 4th. A moment of silence was observed to remember our departed friend. Ladewig enjoyed 28 seasons as a league member, and he also served as president of our league for 7 seasons. RIP Wally!
Exactly 45 years ago (August 20, 1981), legendary Tri-City Classic member Carl “C.B.” Schmidt passed away at the age of 92. In the vast history of our league, the right-hander was a monumental figure, leaving behind a legacy of success and friendship. Schmidt first subbed in our league in 1910, and his final season was the 1949-50 campaign. During his tenure, he was our individual average champion in 1937-38, and he was runner-up twice (in 1936-37 and 1938-39). In his lifetime, Schmidt was a prominent figure in the Quad-City corporate world as well, serving as president of the Crescent Macaroni Company for 20 years before retiring in 1957.
It was also on this date (August 20), in 1998, that Greg Jump opened the 1998-99 season by tossing games of 299, 278 and 268 for a huge 845 series, which became the highest series ever bowled in the Tri-City Classic. There have since been 20 individual series higher than 845 rolled in our league.
TOP 4 TEAM SERIES – AUGUST 20, 2026
1 – 2903 – M & L PROPERTIES
2 – 2883 – ROSE BOWL
3 – 2778 – MC CLELLAN STOCKADE
4 – 2768 – SIAM THAI CAFE
TOP 4 TEAM GAMES – AUGUST 20, 2026
1 – 1065 – ROSE BOWL
2 – 1039 – ROSE BOWL
3 – 1002 – THE OTHER BAR
4 – 995 – MC CLELLAN STOCKADE
TOP 12 INDIVIDUAL SERIES – AUGUST 20, 2026
1 – 814 – EVAN WHITE
2 – 772 – HARRY HATAYAMA
3 – 756 – JOSH ANDERSON
4 – 743 – ZACH HAINLINE
5 – 737 – ADAM MORSE
6 – 733 – LOGAN WILLIAMS
6 – 733 – JAYSON MINER
6 – 733 – DUANE FLEMING
9 – 732 – BRIAN PRICE
10 – 731 – DERRICK LEWANDOWSKI
11 – 724 – CHRIS WILEY
12 – 721 – MICHAELA KELLY
TOP 12 INDIVIDUAL GAMES – AUGUST 20, 2026
1 – 300 – RICK BARLETT
2 – 290 – EVAN WHITE
3 – 289 – MICHAELA KELLY
4 – 287 – BRIAN PRICE
5 – 279 – ROB DOMINACKI
5 – 279 – JOSH ANDERSON
5 – 279 – ADAM MORSE
5 – 279 – CHRIS MOHR
5 – 279 – HARRY HATAYAMA III
5 – 279 – DERRICK LEWANDOWSKI
5 – 279 – JAXON ROBINSON
12 – 278 – KEVIN MAGNUSON
12 – 278 – JOSH ANDERSON
12 – 278 – TODD COOK
12 – 278 – TANNER PEELER
12 – 278 – EVAN WHITE
A look back at our nightly scoring leaders on this date in our league’s history over the past 53 seasons
August 20, 1974 – Stan Erickson & Chris Lorenzen, 636
August 20, 1981 – Andy Sharp, 740
August 20, 1987 – Dave Shackleford, 737
August 20, 1998 – Greg Jump, 845
August 20, 2009 – Paul Andrew, 778
August 20, 2015 – Ryan Erickson, 741
A look back at honor scores rolled on this date in our league’s history over the past 53 years
August 20, 1998 – Greg Jump, 845
August 20, 2009 – Joe Strano, 300