A Hitter Memorial tournament honoring the late Mark Henry has been scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 20 at Bowl-A-Vard Lanes.

Amanda Reithmeyer of the Madison Area USBC and the Madison Area Scratch Tour said in a message to 11thFrame.com that she will be hosting the tournament with Henry’s niece, Lindsay Lamb.

Reithmeyer said she and Lamb will be getting Henry’s formatting and team list so more details can be released soon. I will update this story as more information is released.

This will be the only Hitter Memorial, Reithmeyer said, although she added that Dustin Meisel has shown interest in continuing the tournament under a new name in the future.

Henry and Dustin’s father Darold Meisel, a USBC, Wisconsin and Madison Hall of Famer, were close friends and Henry annually gave out the Darold Meisel Sportsmanship Award.

Anyone with questions should contact Reithmeyer at 608-320-7001 or areithmeyer@madisonba.com.

The popular Henry Hitter 3-Man Tournament has been held for 35 of the past 36 years, missing only the COVID-19 pandemic season of 2020-21.

The tournament attracts many of the top bowlers from Wisconsin and some from Illinois for great competition and camaraderie. The latter is truly the key to the event as there isn’t huge prize money or demanding lane conditions — it’s more a grand holiday bowler gathering.

How popular can be seen in the demand by bowlers to get in, which has resulted in Henry, a Madison Area USBC Hall of Famer, having a waiting list for years.

The format has been 40 teams competing in four games of qualifying, with the top 16 advancing to bracket match play.

The entry fee has been $225 per team, with first at $1,800, second $900, third and fourth $450 each, fifth through eighth $360 each, and ninth through 16^th $225 each.

Henry was killed and his wife Cherise was critically injured on May 2 when their vehicle was rear-ended by a semi on Interstate 39 south of Rockford, Illinois, as I reported in this story. Cherise is at a rehab facility as she continues her recovery and looks to head home. You can follow her recovery at her Caring Bridge page.

The Henrys were traveling home to Cottage Grove from the USBC Open Championships in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

I still have trouble believing that Hitter is gone and that he won’t be calling me with some idea to promote bowling and/or his tournament.

I look forward to honoring his memory on Dec. 20.