Scores heating up at 2025 Bowlers Journal Championships
April 09, 2025
PHOTO (from left): Derek Magno and Jack Vault
NOTE: Story updated April 10.
BATON ROUGE, La. – A busy week at the 2025 Bowlers Journal Championships has resulted in multiple lead changes in the Open Division and several perfect performances at All Star Lanes.
In Open Singles, Jack Vault of North Syracuse, New York, posted bookend 278s on April 8 to take over the lead with 790. He rolled 234 in Game 2.
Baton Rouge’s Alan Addison had held the top spot since March 27 with 780 (222-258-300).
Vault’s big performance was paired with a 732 series from two-time United States Bowling Congress Open Championships titlist Derek Magno of Cicero, New York, to also record the first 1,500 in Open Doubles – 1,522.
Magno – the 2024 Regular All-Events champion – started with 204 before tossing the eighth perfect game at the 2025 event (and fifth 300 since April 4). He closed the set with 228.
Vault noted that he liked the look closer to the gutter at All Star Lanes, which helped him put together some big numbers.
“I had some good friction on the ditch at All Star, and that played a huge part in game play,” Vault said. “We are anticipating the shot being much tighter at the River Center based on what we saw at the (Bowlers) Journal, so it was a great tune-up.”
Magno knew Vault’s look was strong, and he was excited to be able to add a solid number of his own.
“Jack had gotten a good look at the lanes, bowling the (Bowlers) Journal multiple times, and that really helped us out in taking the lead,” Magno said. “We were able to put together two good sets, and hopefully it holds up.
“If the lanes at the River Center are how we’re envisioning them, hopefully it equals a good day for all 10 of us in doubles and singles.”
Both Magno and Vault will be on the lanes for doubles and singles at the 2025 USBC Open Championships on April 10 during the 3:15 p.m. Central squad.
They now get to see how their scores at All Star Lanes stack up against the competition.
“Winning the Bowlers Journal might be the best thing I have ever done in my career,” Vault said. “If I was able to win it with Derek, it would be even more special. He is someone that I have looked up to since I was a little kid, so getting to bowl with him is awesome.”
Vault and Magno passed the 1,478 posted April 4 by Bill Machin and Chelsea Sporkia of Eugene, Oregon.
The performance by Machin and Sporkia was highlighted with a 300 game from each player during the set. Machin kicked things off with 12 strikes, and he finished with 204 and 213 for a 717 set. Sporkia started with 204 before settling in for 257 in Game 2 and a perfect finish to Game 3 for 761.
Bill Machin and Chelsea Sporkia
Machin wasn’t thrilled with his ball reaction to start the set, but the right-hander kept making small adjustments to keep the strikes going in Game 1.
“Honestly, I didn’t feel too good about my ball reaction in the beginning,” said Machin, who added sets of 654 in team, 592 in singles and 583 in doubles for an all-events score of 1,829 at the 2025 USBC Open Championships. “I got away with a shot in the second frame, and I kind of made a little adjustment after six frames. We were all throwing urethane on the pair, which tightened up the middle and really dried it up outside. I moved a little bit and started getting better ball reaction toward the end.
“That last shot was pretty rough. It was really hard to throw that shot. You can’t tell in the video, but I was shaking like crazy. I was surprised I got in on line, and it looked pretty good.”
Sporkia was excited to see the big game from Machin, after he had noted some previous struggles at past editions of the Bowlers Journal Championships.
“He told me before we started that he’s never shot 700 at the Bowlers Journal, which was crazy for me to hear because I know he’s a great bowler,” Sporkia said. “It was a big moment. I was cheering him on, and it was very exciting. I’ve seen him shoot 300 plenty of times, but this one was special, especially after traveling all the way from Oregon.”
Sporkia is a southpaw and was the lone left-hander on the pair at All Star Lanes. Her look continued to get better as the block went on.
“My idea was to play up the outside with my (Storm) Ion Max,” said Sporkia, who had sets of 654 in team, 637 in doubles and 623 in singles at the Raising Cane’s River Center for a 1,914 total. “It was a little squirrelly at the beginning, and I also wasn’t settled in yet. I didn’t have a lot of hold and had to be really perfect the first game. The longer I bowled on it, though, the better the shot got for me. I let it come to me, and it paid off.
“I’ve shot 300 before, but I was extra nervous on this one. It’s a bigger stage, so that already added some pressure. Plus, knowing that Bill had already done it in the first game, it would be a really special moment for us. I’ve left a lot of single pins on the final shot for 299 recently, so I told myself that instead of trying to be perfect, have fun, roll the ball and see what happens. Luckily, it was on my side this time.”
Machin was nervous, too, but he felt confident all 10 would cooperate for Sporkia as soon as she let the ball go.
“She’s had a lot of opportunities to shoot 300, and it seems like she’s been getting a lot of bad breaks on the last shot,” Machin said. “So, I was really nervous for her. But, I knew it was going to strike as soon as she let it go. She had been throwing it really well, and it was a very, very happy moment.”
Although their run at the top of the standings was a little shorter than they hoped, the couple will remember their performance for another reason, too.
“We have a baby on the way,” Sporkia said. “I’m due in early July. It’s surreal that we both came all the way from Oregon to shoot 300 in the same set at the Bowlers Journal. It's a feeling we won’t forget.”
Sheldon Frye of McDonough, Georgia, and Mike Tratnik of New Braunfels, Texas, also recorded perfect games at the Bowlers Journal Championships this week.
Frye posted 12 strikes in his final game April 5 for a 708 series.
Tratnik started his set with 300 on April 6, finishing with 700.
Mike Tratnik
To find more information and results for the 2025 Bowlers Journal Championships, be sure to visit BOWL.com/Side-Tournaments.
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers and 11,600 five-player teams competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
NOTE: Story updated April 10.
BATON ROUGE, La. – A busy week at the 2025 Bowlers Journal Championships has resulted in multiple lead changes in the Open Division and several perfect performances at All Star Lanes.
In Open Singles, Jack Vault of North Syracuse, New York, posted bookend 278s on April 8 to take over the lead with 790. He rolled 234 in Game 2.
Baton Rouge’s Alan Addison had held the top spot since March 27 with 780 (222-258-300).
Vault’s big performance was paired with a 732 series from two-time United States Bowling Congress Open Championships titlist Derek Magno of Cicero, New York, to also record the first 1,500 in Open Doubles – 1,522.
Magno – the 2024 Regular All-Events champion – started with 204 before tossing the eighth perfect game at the 2025 event (and fifth 300 since April 4). He closed the set with 228.
Vault noted that he liked the look closer to the gutter at All Star Lanes, which helped him put together some big numbers.
“I had some good friction on the ditch at All Star, and that played a huge part in game play,” Vault said. “We are anticipating the shot being much tighter at the River Center based on what we saw at the (Bowlers) Journal, so it was a great tune-up.”
Magno knew Vault’s look was strong, and he was excited to be able to add a solid number of his own.
“Jack had gotten a good look at the lanes, bowling the (Bowlers) Journal multiple times, and that really helped us out in taking the lead,” Magno said. “We were able to put together two good sets, and hopefully it holds up.
“If the lanes at the River Center are how we’re envisioning them, hopefully it equals a good day for all 10 of us in doubles and singles.”
Both Magno and Vault will be on the lanes for doubles and singles at the 2025 USBC Open Championships on April 10 during the 3:15 p.m. Central squad.
They now get to see how their scores at All Star Lanes stack up against the competition.
“Winning the Bowlers Journal might be the best thing I have ever done in my career,” Vault said. “If I was able to win it with Derek, it would be even more special. He is someone that I have looked up to since I was a little kid, so getting to bowl with him is awesome.”
Vault and Magno passed the 1,478 posted April 4 by Bill Machin and Chelsea Sporkia of Eugene, Oregon.
The performance by Machin and Sporkia was highlighted with a 300 game from each player during the set. Machin kicked things off with 12 strikes, and he finished with 204 and 213 for a 717 set. Sporkia started with 204 before settling in for 257 in Game 2 and a perfect finish to Game 3 for 761.
Bill Machin and Chelsea Sporkia
Machin wasn’t thrilled with his ball reaction to start the set, but the right-hander kept making small adjustments to keep the strikes going in Game 1.
“Honestly, I didn’t feel too good about my ball reaction in the beginning,” said Machin, who added sets of 654 in team, 592 in singles and 583 in doubles for an all-events score of 1,829 at the 2025 USBC Open Championships. “I got away with a shot in the second frame, and I kind of made a little adjustment after six frames. We were all throwing urethane on the pair, which tightened up the middle and really dried it up outside. I moved a little bit and started getting better ball reaction toward the end.
“That last shot was pretty rough. It was really hard to throw that shot. You can’t tell in the video, but I was shaking like crazy. I was surprised I got in on line, and it looked pretty good.”
Sporkia was excited to see the big game from Machin, after he had noted some previous struggles at past editions of the Bowlers Journal Championships.
“He told me before we started that he’s never shot 700 at the Bowlers Journal, which was crazy for me to hear because I know he’s a great bowler,” Sporkia said. “It was a big moment. I was cheering him on, and it was very exciting. I’ve seen him shoot 300 plenty of times, but this one was special, especially after traveling all the way from Oregon.”
Sporkia is a southpaw and was the lone left-hander on the pair at All Star Lanes. Her look continued to get better as the block went on.
“My idea was to play up the outside with my (Storm) Ion Max,” said Sporkia, who had sets of 654 in team, 637 in doubles and 623 in singles at the Raising Cane’s River Center for a 1,914 total. “It was a little squirrelly at the beginning, and I also wasn’t settled in yet. I didn’t have a lot of hold and had to be really perfect the first game. The longer I bowled on it, though, the better the shot got for me. I let it come to me, and it paid off.
“I’ve shot 300 before, but I was extra nervous on this one. It’s a bigger stage, so that already added some pressure. Plus, knowing that Bill had already done it in the first game, it would be a really special moment for us. I’ve left a lot of single pins on the final shot for 299 recently, so I told myself that instead of trying to be perfect, have fun, roll the ball and see what happens. Luckily, it was on my side this time.”
Machin was nervous, too, but he felt confident all 10 would cooperate for Sporkia as soon as she let the ball go.
“She’s had a lot of opportunities to shoot 300, and it seems like she’s been getting a lot of bad breaks on the last shot,” Machin said. “So, I was really nervous for her. But, I knew it was going to strike as soon as she let it go. She had been throwing it really well, and it was a very, very happy moment.”
Although their run at the top of the standings was a little shorter than they hoped, the couple will remember their performance for another reason, too.
“We have a baby on the way,” Sporkia said. “I’m due in early July. It’s surreal that we both came all the way from Oregon to shoot 300 in the same set at the Bowlers Journal. It's a feeling we won’t forget.”
Sheldon Frye of McDonough, Georgia, and Mike Tratnik of New Braunfels, Texas, also recorded perfect games at the Bowlers Journal Championships this week.
Frye posted 12 strikes in his final game April 5 for a 708 series.
Tratnik started his set with 300 on April 6, finishing with 700.
Mike Tratnik
To find more information and results for the 2025 Bowlers Journal Championships, be sure to visit BOWL.com/Side-Tournaments.
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers and 11,600 five-player teams competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.