08/21/2026
🎙️👑🎳 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… THE WAIT IS OVER!
On the Season Finale Thursday-night edition of King or Queen of the Lanes, under the lights at Riverside Lanes, history was made.
For weeks, the title changed hands.
Champion after champion.
But tonight…
👑 WE FINALLY HAVE OUR FIRST REPEAT WINNER! 👑
Don’t panic—King or Queen of the Lanes isn’t going anywhere! The title will return on Fridays and sometimes Saturdays, keep in mind this is posted on a weekly basis. Stay tuned for the next chapter!
Tonight, 24 incredible bowlers stepped onto the lanes to battle the 40-foot ABT #2 pattern—and they didn’t just show up…
THEY SHOWED OUT. 🔥
After four intense games of qualifying, only four remained:
👑 #1 Beau Smith — 1015
🎳 #2 Will Shy — 1010
🎳 #3 Larry Bernard — 953
🎳 #4 Todd Shively — 951
The stepladder began with Todd Shively facing Larry Bernard.
Todd fired a strong 221—but Larry answered with a 244 to advance!
Next up: Larry Bernard versus Will Shy.
Larry had momentum.
Will had the higher seed.
Only one could survive.
When the final pin fell, Larry’s 226 defeated Will’s 205, sending Larry into the championship match!
And waiting at the top…
15-YEAR-OLD YOUTH BOWLER BEAU SMITH. 👑
One game.
One title.
One final Thursday-night champion.
Larry delivered a solid 231—but Beau was about to do something unforgettable.
Strike after strike after strike…
The building watched.
The pressure climbed.
Ten strikes.
Then eleven.
One final shot stood between Beau and perfection.
He stepped onto the approach…
Threw the ball…
AND ALL TEN PINS DISAPPEARED.
🔥 300. PERFECT GAME. CHAMPIONSHIP WON. HISTORY MADE. 🔥
You couldn’t write a better story.
Earlier this season, Beau earned his first King or Queen of the Lanes title by defeating his own dad with a 278 scratch game.
Now, in his return to the championship match, he fired a PERFECT 300 to become the first repeat winner of the season!
FROM 278 AGAINST DAD TO 300 FOR THE REPEAT TITLE. 🔥
And did we mention that Beau is only 15 YEARS OLD?
Beau is a proud member of the Riverside Youth Program and was recently selected to join the Virginia AllStars. Tonight, he stepped into a field filled with talented adult bowlers, earned the #1 seed with a 1015 qualifying total and delivered perfection when the title was on the line.
That is talent.
That is composure.
That is the future of bowling. 🎳
🏆 FINAL RESULTS:
🥇 BEAU SMITH — REPEAT CHAMPION
🥈 Larry Bernard
🥉 Will Shy
4️⃣ Todd Shively
What a way to close the Thursday-night chapter.
Twenty-four bowlers.
One unforgettable stepladder.
One perfect championship game.
One 15-year-old repeat King.
Our youth bowlers aren’t simply waiting for their turn—they’re stepping onto the lanes, competing, improving and proving that they belong right now.
Bowling has an incredibly bright future, and we are proud to watch these young athletes work, grow and chase their dreams. Supporting youth bowling means supporting the future of the sport we all love—and tonight, that future stood at the top of the standings.
Congratulations, Beau Smith! 👑
And congratulations to every youth bowler who continues to show up, put in the work and compete fearlessly.
Keep going.
Keep learning.
Keep believing.
YOUR TIME ISN’T COMING…
YOUR TIME IS ALREADY HERE. 🔥
Thank you to every bowler who competed, supported this event and helped make Thursday nights so special!
Thursday’s chapter may be over…
But the title is not finished.
FRIDAYS OR SATURDAYS ARE NEXT.
Stay tuned, bowling fans—the next episode of King or Queen of the Lanes is coming! 👑🎳🔥
