By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor

HOWARD – The Ninth Annual Tundra Bowl was held Saturday, April 9, at the Watering Hole in Howard.

Tundra Bowl, which is the Tecmo Super Bowl National Championship, raised about $825 for Harry Sydney’s foundation, My Brother’s Keeper.

Sydney was a former Packers player and an in-game Tecmo Super Bowl player.

Tecmo Super Bowl debuted in 1991 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

The Tundra Bowl is organized by Bay Port graduate Nate Smithson.

“I was one of the few in my generation who didn’t have a Nintendo growing up,” the 37-year-old Smithson said. “I didn’t start playing until my early 20s.”

Smithson said there are several reasons for the popularity of the game.

“Lots of people grew up on it, it’s easy to play and it’s cross-generational,” he said. “It’s a two-button game. When my son was 3 or 4 years old, he threw his first touchdown by himself on Tecmo Super Bowl. Anyone who hasn’t played before can pick it up and learn quickly. Games are also only 20 minutes long, so it’s quick.”

Smithson said the different gaming systems available now are great for graphics and aesthetics, but they’re difficult to master.

“They’re not easy and are complicated,” he said. “We try to play FIFA (soccer), and on some of the dribbles, you have to rotate both sticks and push a button at the same time.”

Smithson said he anticipates the tournament growing more in future years.

“We had 75 participants and 16 states represented this year,” he said. “We’re hoping people come back after COVID-19. Believe it or not, we don’t have a huge Green Bay presence.”

Smithson said many participants came from the Pacific Northwest, Alabama, New York, Milwaukee, Chicago, Ohio and Minnesota.

In Division 1, Dan Slattery from Chicago was the winner, while Tim Ascher from Milwaukee won in Division 2.

The 2023 Tundra Bowl is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 15.

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