63rd Annual Beat the Champs Contest

Sponsored by:

The Illinois State BPA, Storm and Coolwick

Developed in 1960, the Beat the Champs Tournament continues to be the premier event of the Illinois State Tournaments, generating more than 14,000 entries annually and awarding $10,000 first-place prizes to the winners of both the Men’s and Women’s Divisions. The tournament also features four Youth Divisions, which collectively award $4,000 in scholarships to SMART. The in-house preliminary rounds kick off on the first Sunday in December and run for seven consecutive days. Qualifying rounds begin in mid-February, and contestants who advance to this stage will be notified near the end of January.

Prizes

Adult – Guaranteed $10,000 each to the winners of the Men’s and Women’s Divisions

Youth – Guaranteed $4,000 in Scholarships ($1,000 each division)

Target Show Live Stream

January 15th, 2026 Arena Lanes
Doors Open: 3:30 p.m.
Seating By: 4:30 p.m.
First Ball: 5:00 p.m.

Open To The Public

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Our official champs for the 63rd annual BTC tournament are:

Adult - Pete Weber
Adult - Leanne Hulsenberg
Youth - Jos Weems
Youth - Anna Antony

Our target show viewers may watch the live-stream, see the recording after the fact right here on beatthechamps.com or come visit us in person! Yes that's right this target show is open to the public!

Adult Leagues that enter at 100% entry automatically advance someone from their league. If the Adult Division Champions come from a 100% entry league, the league will be awarded a $500 bonus for their league’s prize fund.

For just $7.00 you get a shot at winning all kinds of fantastic prizes, including $10,000 cash! Only $5.00 per bowler if your league participates 100%!

This year’s tournament donations will be made to the Bowlers to V.

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