For 45 years, the New Year Singles Classic was kind of like the United States Postal Service.
Neither rain, sleet or snow could stop the tournament from being held.
That won’t be the case this time around during the pandemic. SILive.com announced early last week that the popular tournament was being cancelled, and tournament director Jim Elliott Saturday spoke about the cancellation for the first time.
“This pandemic has done what was never done in 45 years despite snow storms, blizzards, and deaths in family,” said Elliott, whose Classic is always held soon after the New Year. “Based on suggestions from the CDC, safety precautions that must be followed at Rab’s limiting the number that can bowl at one time and the overall feelings of tournament bowlers having to bowl with masks this is the most practical decision to make. We do not want bowlers getting sick because of a bowling event.”
Elliott said the event will return in 2022.
“There are much worse problems that have come up such as health conditions, unemployment, and so on,” he said. “These are more important. We’ll be back next year.”
Bayonne, N.J., resident Steve Soss won the 45th annual event last January, beating Islander Tim McAuliffe, 246-238, in dramatic fashion when McAuliffe threw a gutter ball on his final shot.
The pandemic also cancelled Donny Walters’ Staten Island Singles Classic last spring.