On Sunday, March 19, from 6 to 10 p.m., Lucky Lanes will host the Remember Ricky bowling tournament to honor the memory of Ricky Burgstrom.

After the sudden loss of their friend, Ricky, at the age of 22 in an automobile accident in November 2021, a group of 10 of Ricky’s friends came together to honor his memory with a connection to one of his greatest loves, bowling. Chris Buchanan, Drew Coniglio, Zack Crandall, Jack Gaken, Vince Gullo, Troy Lemiszko, Ryan Sheldon, Cam Voss, Luke Voss, and Azeem Zaidi dedicated their efforts to do something special for their fallen friend.

On top of his love for the sport, Ricky Burgstrom was an accomplished bowler. A high school bowling standout at Fredonia, Ricky also competed in the Junior Gold Championships, a national bowling competition. Ricky also bowled numerous perfect 300 games.

Shortly before his death, he was trying to secure a specific bowling ball. The ball Ricky had his heart set on was a white Supreme ball with a red label. In the last post Ricky made on social media before his death, he shared a photo of the ball, along with his post attached, in all-caps, “I need assistance with this. I need this.”

Pictured is the bowling ball signed in honor of Ricky Burgstrom.

After his passing, Ricky’s friends put their time and effort into securing the ball, just as Ricky did in securing various items for others through his networking skills online.

Once the group of friends acquired the ball, they reached out to a professional bowler, Jason Belmonte, for his help in making the tribute to Ricky even more meaningful. Belmonte, the winner of the World Tenpin Masters tournament in 2007, was also a bronze medalist at the World Tenpin Bowling Championships in 2006 and 2014. He ranks seventh all-time in victories on the PBA Tour with 30 titles.

Because of Ricky’s time spent reaching out in the past, Belmonte formed a relationship with Ricky before his passing, so it did not take much persuasion to get his help — even with him based across the world in Australia.

Belmonte signed the ball, “To my mate Ricky! We will never forget you and we will always miss you! Your mate, (signed) Jason Belmonte.”

The group of 10 friends presented the signed bowling ball to Ricky’s family one night at the Burgstrom family’s home. The group all shared stories about Ricky and their bonds with him, in what the family described as “sincere accounts that formed the foundation of their friendship.”

Submitted Photos Ricky Burgstrom is shown after receiving an award.

“We wish we did that more,” Rick Burgstrom said.

After that night, Ricky’s parents, Brenda and Rick, wanted to find a way to share not just Ricky’s memory with the community, but also the friendships he shared with the group of 10 friends who went the extra mile to honor his memory. To do so, the Remember Ricky tournament was founded.

“The bowling is a secondary thing. We just want to talk to people and catch up, have fun together, and let people know what his friends did,” Rick Burgstrom said. “Those 10 guys, they didn’t have to do that. … You don’t see those things anymore.”

The Burgstrom family also said in a statement, “We hope to extend our thanks to them publicly for their actions. We want them to know how much this act of kindness means to us and our family. It is our sincere hope that they do not need to go through the loss of another friend for a long time, but know that their actions mean the world to their family and friends.”