4th Tom Knudsen Memorial

The fourth annual Tom Knudsen Memorial brought in 40 men and 10 women despite the threat of a winter storm that eventually hit Northern Montana.

The memorial event that celebrates the life of Thomas Knudsen, who passed away in September of 2015, also served as a fundraiser for David Jaynes of Wagner who was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma (a form of cancer) earlier this fall.

"We had an excellent turnout for the fundraiser for him," said Susan "Peanut" Green, owner of the Mint Bar. "When things kind of calm down, I want to do a silent auction for Mikey here because he has got a long road ahead of him dealing with that cancer that he has. We are going to try to help him out as much as we can."

The men's event was won on Sunday, November 10, by Wolf Point's Landyn Ackerman, a first-time attendee of the memorial, who defeated Bill Main of Fort Belknap. Third place went to Gerry Brabeck Jr., of Cour d'Alene, Idaho. and fourth place went to Mark Schuster of Billings.

Ackerman shared a special memory that he had with Knudsen during Ackermen's sophomore year of high school in 2000.

"It feels good," said Ackerman, who is a member of the Fort Peck Tribes. "I knew this guy (Knudsen) when I was a sophomore in high school. I gave him a star quilt at a basketball tournament. So, I thought I would come and pay my respects, so this is me paying my respects, taking first."

Ackerman and Main went toe to toe in the championship round, with Ackerman winning the first of three needed wins, followed by a second-round win by Main. Ackerman won the third game and Main con the fourth. Ackerman eventually won the set. Ackerman is no stranger to the Mint Bar, having won the annual Kings of the Hi-Line Tournament three times in past years.

Main, a long-time friend of Knudsen took home second place for the third time out of four events.

"It's a pretty good deal for Tom and we sure like to come out and support the memory of Tom," Main said. "It's a good thing for him. It's pretty amazing and Peanut (Green) does a good job."

Third place went to Gerry Brabeck Jr., of Billings and fourth place went to Mark Schuster of Billings.

The Women's Championship was won by Havre's Tawnya Bilger, who defeated Green. Third place went to Trisha McCorkle of Malta.

Being a friend of Tom Knudsen, Green shared what it meant to host the tournament.

"Tom shot league pool with us," Green said. "He quit for a while but would still sub. He was a great guy. He was really fun to be around and really fun to shoot pool around. It's a good time for his friends and new friends and Tom would have just loved this. It's a great time to just remember him and think about our buddy that is no longer with us."

Green had been running the memorial since it began 2016, but before this year had not participated as a competitor. She shared what it meant to place second in the event.

"I shocked myself," Green said. "I'm impressed because I don't do tournaments."

The event started on Saturday, November 9, at 9 a.m. and went on until midnight. Day two started on Sunday, November 10, at around 9:30 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m.

Earlier in the tournament, Brabeck had defeated Schuster, who he traveled with from Billings. The duo are good friends who were pitted against each other.

"It seems like when you go on the road to play a tournament with a friend you always end up playing each other at some point," Brabeck said.

Though he missed the tournament last year, the 2017 event left an impression on Brabeck who has played in Malta numerous times.

"This is a great tournament," Brabeck said. "I love it. The race to three wins is pretty tough but I love it. There are always great people. I love coming up on the Hi-Line and playing. I know most of these guys from playing here through the years."