Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Bowling Highlights Column 1-30-09

2009 NY State Men's Tournament In Jeopardy

The applications blanks have arrived at local bowling establishments but plans for the United States Bowling Congress to hold a Men's (Open) 2009 State Championship Tournament in New York are now in jeopardy as a result of actions taken by members of the former New York State Bowling Association and its board of directors.
The tournament has been scheduled for April 18-May 24 at the AMF Pin-O-Rama in Utica. Checks and entry blanks were to be sent to USBC, Attn: Rules, 621 Six Flags Dr., Arlington, TX 76011 and information is available at 1-800-514-2695, ext. 3155.
Last October, USBC revoked the charter of the NYSBA after it was discovered that the NYSBA board of directors consistently failed to follow procedures designed to protect member interests and safeguard funds. The procedures, including verification of bank accounts, are required by USBC rules and policies. The dereliction of duty by NYSBA board members enabled Stephen Donahue of Weedsport, N.Y., the former manager of the NYSBA, to steal approximately $274,000 entrusted to the NYSBA. Donahue recently pleaded guilty to felony grand larceny.
The stolen funds included prize funds for members who bowled in the 2008 State Championship Tournament. Because the embezzlement resulted in a loss of funds sufficient to pay bowlers, USBC intended to use its own funds to make up the difference. USBC was on the verge of paying all members still owed money from the embezzled prize fund for the 2008 State Championship Tournament.
Several weeks ago, a lawsuit initiated by the former NYSBA and its board of directors was returned to state court in New York after a federal court declined to exercise jurisdiction over the matter. Using the state court lawsuit, the NYSBA has blocked USBC from paying members still owed money for the 2008 State Championship Tournament.
Additionally, USBC planned to step in and operate a 2009 State Championship Tournament for member bowlers in New York. However, the former NYSBA is also using the lawsuit to block the USBC from conducting the tournament.
"The singular goal for USBC is to provide services and benefits to bowlers in New York including the 2009 State Tournament," USBC Chief Operating Officer Kevin Dornberger said. "Sadly, the former NYSBA board of directors wants to hold bowlers hostage to advance their own agenda."
"First the NYSBA board failed in their duties to protect member interests and safeguard funds, now they are being uncooperative in all efforts to get the bowlers back their money," Dornberger explained. "USBC plans to initiate disciplinary procedures against all former NYSBA board members involved in this matter at the appropriate time."
A state court hearing regarding the lawsuit brought by the former NYSBAand its board or directors is scheduled for Feb. 23.
"Our hope is that the court will end this matter and allow USBC to pay members the money they are owed and hold the 2009 State Tournament in Utica as scheduled," Dornberger said.
Most of the over 85,000 people who were members of the former the NYSBAshould see no noticeable effect. Individual New York members will continue to have competition certified while remaining in good standing with USBC with all rights and privileges.
The issues involving NYSBA do not affect members or programs of the NewYork State USBC Women's Bowling Association (NYSWBA) or the New York StateUSBC Youth Association.
PBA On TV Sunday At 2

Patrick Allen won the Professional Bowlers Association's H&R Block Tournament of Champions at Red Rock Lanes at Las Vegas, Nev., last Sunday afternoon, but he didn't feel very good about it.
The Wesley Chapel, Fla., left-hander slipped past his fellow southpaw, close friend and Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour roommate Rhino Page of Topeka, Kan., 267-263, to win his second career major championship and his second title in three weeks. It meant a $50,000 payday and a two-year PBA Tour exemption in the crowning event of the PBA's 50th Anniversary Gala week.
The victory for Allen, who was the top qualifier making his PBA record-tying fifth consecutive television appearance, continued an amazing turn-around after a dismal start to the season.
"After the first six weeks, I was on the verge of bowling for my job. I was bowling terrible. But I had a practice session with Doug Kent and things began to click after that."
The PBA takes a week off this week but the Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship will be seen Sunday on ESPN at 2 p.m. ET
The PBA returns to action next week, Feb. 3-8, with the Denny's Dick Weber Open at Fountain Valley, CA.
Tournament Entries
Close Tomorrow

Tournament entries for the Tri-County NY USBC Association Open (Men's) and Women's Championship Tournament close tomorrow (January 31) post marked 2-1-09 will be accepted.
Both the Open (Men's) Championship tournament and the Women's Championship tournament run on the same dates, Saturday February 28 and March 1, 7 and 8.
Team events are Saturday, Feb. 28 at 12:30 and 3 p.m. and Sunday, March 8 at 9:30, 11:30 and 2 p.m.
Doubles and singles are Sunday March 1 at 9 a.m., 12 noon and 2 p.m. and on Saturday March 7 at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Entry fee for women is $20 per person and for the Men's Open its $25 per bowler.
An Adult Mixed Championship Tournament is scheduled for Saturday February 21 at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 22 at 12:30 p.m. Entry fee is $25 per person.
Mail entry with check of money order to Tri-County NY USBC Association, 405 Ave. E, Matamoras, PA. 18366.
Information is available by calling Association Manager Michele Bensley at 845-239-0163.

Adult/Jr. Tourney
Winners Announced

Second and third place winners of the Youth Association Adult/Jr. no-tap tournament held at Middletown Lanes last Sunday included Michael and Vinnie Scuderi taking second place in the Jr./Mjr. division and James Durland and Mal Press winning third place in the same division.

Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

Bowlers: This week's tip is a reminder that although there are so many aggressive, high performance balls available, the main component of the sport is having a sharp game and becoming a shot maker.
Lane conditions have become very soft and that combination with today's bowling balls has led to high scoring conditions making the majority of today's bowlers very complacent about working on their physical game. However, the sport of bowling is making a comeback as can be seen in some of the newer Sport Bowling Leagues so knowing how to adjust to varying lane conditions and understanding how to use today's bowling balls is only part of the equation.
For those bowlers who want to maximize their potential in this sport, I cannot stress enough the importance of finding a qualified and certified bowling instructor. Even more preferable, you should work wit an instructor who uses video technology to completely analyze your game.
For example, we use the Brunswick Pro Trainer system which gives us the ability to replay a student's shots in slow motion, show them what adjustments need to be made and compare them to the highest caliber bowlers in the world....best of all....the student is able to take a video home to study and watch at their convenience.
The knowledge you gain from a Certified Instructor is knowledge that will be useful to you and will stay with you throughout your bowling life.
Mike Luongo is technically certified through IBPSIA as a Pro Shop Operator and Master Instructor. He is also a Silver Level Coach with the USBC and is also the Northeast Regional Sales Manager with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached at 314-1694 or via e-mail at mikespro@warwick.net

Local Scores

Callicoon Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Hortonville Ladies league include a 187 by Rebecca Rhodes, Barbara Pingel 225, 517 and Lil Zieres 501.
In the Tuesday Delaware Valley Men's league Mark Hawley scored a 220, Bob Cady 219, 221, 604, Damien Vanluven 214, Mark Herbert 213, 203, 613, Ed Leroy 209, 232, Steve Lagoda 231, Jon Wayne 219, Tad Doscher 202 and Roger Miller 230.
In the Wednesday Mixed Businessmen league Alan Rutledge scored a 204, Kory Keesler 213, Dave Maus 200, Gavin Saltzberg 202, Roger Widmann 200, Mark Hawley 209, Laresko Niifa 221, 225, 624, Shirley Townsend 184, Tom Russell 225, Paul Minton 213, 225 and Frank Emmens 204.

Fox Bowling Center

Recent highlight scores in the Wednesday Men's Independent league include a 246, 245, 236, 727 by Andrew Bullis, Howie Couse 249, 211, 239, 699, Ed Milk Jr. 204, 236, 246, 686, Shawn Tracy 266, 640, Neil Mosher 04, 231, 204, 639, Charlie Reichenbaugh 202, 233, 633, Lee Stanton 224, 206, 618, Frank Couse 228, 202, 610, Donald Marino 207, 202, 603, Tony Wright 202, 222, 600, Jon Stanton 234, Bill Gleim 224 and David Benedict 222.
In the Deposit Men's National league Al Bullis Sr. scored a 249, 232, 227, 708, Andrew Bullis 226, 220, 628, Howey Couse Jr. 242, Craig Conklin 225 and Rich Lenio 235.
In the Friday Mixed Couples league Paul Fritz scored a 246, 236, 676, Daniel Wormuth 205, 205, 238, 648, Carl Davis 217, 234, 638, Bill Gleim 216, 206, 604, Rick Mills 224, Gary Resti 229, Greg Keesler 211, Sandy Winans 192 and Hope Jones 183.

Kiamesha Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Men's league includes a 204, 237, 622 by Nate Sanders, David Graham 200, Lloyd Bridges 202, Chuck McAllister 231, 277, 674, Keith Smith 206, 224, John Fischer 213, Steve Rivera 202, Jim Patterson 210, Wayne Piernos 221, 200, 611, Kevin Stackhouse 201, 224, Mike Mulligan 213, Roy Sweeney 213, Danny Ricco 234, Mike Weiner 266, 212, 658, Jim VanAken 224, 226, 624, Jason Jones 257, 204, 627, John Hoffmann 235, 607, Rudy Belanchia 247, 214, 200, 661, Peter Mitro 202, Jo Jo Van Keuren 226, 234, 211, 671, Nolan Levine 204, Richard Levine 245, 635, Mike Cardo 211, 203, Tim Bilyeu 258, 604, Joey Smith 204, Robert Hamilton 216, 213, 607, Donald Durland 266, 206, 669, Paul Durland 249, 640, Jaryl Scott 234, Mark Wegener 236, 222, 236, 694, Tim McIntyre 204, 207, Bobby Cooper 201, Al Caycho 200, James Ratner 214, 233, 219, 666, Kort Wheeler 253, 232, 666, Frank Scuderi 202, Mickey Lake 203, Eddie Lake 202, Rick Lake 213, 264, 246, 723, Paul Curry 215, 207, 582 and Allen Jones 259, 216, 673.
In the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters league Debra Blackford scored a 186, Carol MacAdam 203, 516, Vinnie Collura 245, 214, 638, Rob Keesler 212, Matt Cooper 212, 208, Ed Guthrie 249, 617, Mary Lee Williams 182, 208, 532, Joan Lake 181, Dorian Jennings 208, 191, 571, Jack Rustic 244, 618, George Kelley 257, 214, 213, 684, Russ Keesler 204, 211, 216, 631, Stan Gilmore 208, 201, Andrea Grossman 187, 186, 519, Larry Berens 203, David Graham 216, 204, 235, 655, Tom Cooney 240, Debbie Durland 217, 253, 642, Kevin Stackhouse 200, Roberta Yakin 190, 234, 593, John Fischer 225, 233, 252, 710, John Hoffmann 236, 215, 299, 750, Charles Blackburn 202, Dale Sonnenschein 258, 209, 644, Barbara Yeomans 193 and Barbara Merton 181, 530.
In the Wednesday Men's league Shane Conner scored a 201, Donald Durland 289, 249, 257, 795, Matthew Fallon 200, 227, 204, 631, Jon Wilhelm 233, 216, 261, 710, Gregory Fallon 226, 279, 200, 705, Tim McIntyre 216, 245, 236, 697, Rick Lara 290, 266, 744, Charles McAllister 235, 216, 632, George Battle Jr. 220, 203, 601, Frank Muller Jr. 205, Larry Berens 211, 225, 632, Dean Shattuck 247, 200, 640, Paul Durland 217, 200, Art Eggleton 244, John Hoffmann 279, 205, 238, 722, Tom Belgiovene 226, Vinnie Collura 248, 612, Richard Hendricks 212, Pedro Agapito 241, Dan Ricco 205, Al Caycho 223, Mike Weiner 212, 212, 619, Eddie Lake 236, 204, 200, 640, Wayne Atkins 243, William Danchak 226 and Frank DiCostanzo 247, 225, 664.
In the Thursday Ladies league Camille Carpinone scored a 200, 510, Rita Burdick 198, Christina Schultz 181, Liz Burgio 185, Liz Stubits 197, 187, 538, Connie McKenley 210, 554, April Aldrich 187, 501, Francine Kaiser 189, Pat Shuart 185, 503, Anna Sawyer 189, 528, Marie Frunzi 195, 181, 518, Joan Lake 202, 524 and Lisa Cartwright 181, 502.
In the Saturday Morning Youth leagues, in the Pee Wees division, George VanAken scored a 87, Emma Jones 78 and Renee Schreiber 81. In the Bantams division, Shivan Patel scored 106 and Nathaniel Edwards 133, 109. In the Preps division Mikayla DeGraw scored 103, 106, Michael Hope 132, 97, 121, Nicole Scudari 70, 68, Sarah Rustic 97, 116, Shaym Patel 111, 88, Parth Patel 118, 126, , Rup Patel 143 and Makenze Shaver 66. In the Jr./Mjrs. division Jared Friedman scored 154, 156, Tyler Foxwell 131, Matt Edwards 121, 135, Bryden Fraser 106, 108, Michael Scuderi 173, 165, 214, Shane Dietchman 151, 181, Shivani Patel 142, Kishan Patel 146, Chase Israel 135, Shawn Sinistorie183, 181, Eddie Walsh 205, Sarah Durland 158, Megan McCormack 105, 125, 130, Matthew Brown 96, 99 and Isiah Rosado 100.

This column is written by Ed Townsend, a consultant to the professional sport of bowling. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Tri-County NY USBC where he serves as Chairman of the Publicity Committee. If you have a topic that you believe would make good reading or have league scores or tournament information, Ed can be reached at 845-439-8177 or by sending an e-mail to bowlgolfect1@yahoo.com For a much more expanded edition of our bowling column visit our Web site at http://bght.blogspot.com
Patrick Allen

Page’s Miscue Helps Allen Win H&R Block Tournament of Champions
Errant Shot in the 10th Means Second Major Title for Red-Hot Top Qualifier

Patrick Allen won the Professional Bowlers Association’s H&R Block Tournament of Champions at Red Rock Lanes last Sunday, but he didn’t feel very good about it.

The Wesley Chapel, Fla., left-hander slipped past his fellow southpaw, close friend and Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour roommate Rhino Page of Topeka, Kan., 267-263, to win his second career major championship and his second title in three weeks. It meant a $50,000 payday and a two-year PBA Tour exemption in the crowning event of the PBA’s 50th Anniversary Gala week.

Allen had a hard time shaking off the fact that his buddy basically handed him the glory by making an errant shot on his second shot in the 10th frame. Needing only a nine-count spare after striking on his first shot in the final frame, Page – the PBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year – called for a re-rack to calm himself. Not realizing he had already used the two re-racks he was allowed, he glanced at the 25-second shot clock before re-composing himself.

“Rhino got the ball a little too far left. It came off his hand with nothing on it,” Allen said. “I could see it was a bad shot.”

Page missed the headpin, knocking down four pins and his dream of winning his first major title disappeared.

“I knew the shot was in trouble when it came off my hand,” Page said. “I got distracted with the time clock, but sometimes you have to learn the hard way. I still had a great week. I’ll take second after not making the cut the previous three weeks.”

“He out-bowled me until that shot,” Allen said. “I really feel for him. You don’t win out here if you don’t get some breaks, but that’s not the way you want to win. I got a huge break two weeks ago against Walter Ray Williams Jr., but to be honest, I didn’t feel as bad for Walter Ray. He’s got 45 titles. You have to get breaks to beat him."

“Over the past few weeks, everything has been going my way,” Allen added. “It was an honor to be here the whole week. Winning the Tournament of Champions, especially this week, is something I’ll never forget. It was an honor just to be here this week.”

The victory for Allen, who was the top qualifier making his PBA record-tying fifth consecutive television appearance, continued an amazing turn-around after a dismal start to the season.

“After the first six weeks, I was on the verge of bowling for my job. I was bowling terrible. But I had a practice session with Doug Kent and things began to click after that.”

Right-hander Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, defeated lefty Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, 276-203, in the opening stepladder match, but back-to-back 4-6-7-10 splits in the semifinal match against Page ended Malott’s bid for a third title in six weeks. Page won, 243-200.

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR
H&R BLOCK TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Red Rock Lanes, Las Vegas, Nev.
January 25, 2009

Final Standings
1, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla. 267 (one game) $50,000
2, Rhino Page, Topeka, Kan. 506 (two games) $25,000
3, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas 476 (two games) $10,000
4, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas 203 (one game) $6,000

Stepladder Results
Match One – Malott def. Scroggins, 276-203.
Semifinal Match – Page def. Malott, 243-200
Championship – Allen def. Page, 267-263
Experts Select Earl Anthony as Greatest Player in PBA History
Walter Ray Williams Jr. Finishes Second in PBA’s 50th Anniversary Voting

The late Earl Anthony, who left an indelible legacy on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour as its first career millionaire, was announced as the greatest player in the PBA’s first 50 years Sunday, capping the tour’s weeklong 50th anniversary celebration at Red Rock Resort, Casino and Spa.

Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla., the man who finally eclipsed Anthony’s total of 43 career PBA titles, finished second in voting conducted by a national panel of bowling experts.

Earl “would have been thrilled, very honored,” said Susie Anthony, the late Earl Anthony’s wife. “If Earl were here, he would probably say he wasn’t deserving. He wouldn’t turn it down, but he’d be very humble.”

“He would have been humble in public, thrilled in private,” Anthony’s son Mike added.

Finishing second wasn’t much of a disappointment to Williams, who now has 45 PBA titles, more than $4 million in career earnings and is still one of the PBA Tour’s most feared competitors.

“I feel Earl’s record is better than mine because it was more condensed,” Williams said. “Earl bowled 14 years and 400 or so events. I’ve bowled well over 600 by now, maybe 700. Some people will argue Earl’s era was tougher, but others will argue my era was tougher. The reality is, people threw the ball differently in each era. That’s the way the game is played.”

“I’m very pleased to be No. 2,” Williams continued. “If Dick Weber would have had 45 titles at the time Earl was still bowling, he probably would have kept on bowling because he would have wanted someone to chase. As it was, he retired because no one had close to the number of titles he had. He didn’t have anything to shoot for.”

“Some people don’t remember that Earl was Player of the Year in 1983, the year he retired,” said Williams, who is one of the PBA’s best historians. “And he didn’t even bowl a full season that year.”


PROFESSIONAL BOWLERS ASSOCIATION
50 GREATEST PLAYERS IN PBA HISTORY
1. Earl Anthony
2. Walter Ray Williams Jr.
3. Dick Weber
4. Pete Weber
5. Mark Roth
6. Mike Aulby
7. Norm Duke
8. Don Johnson
9. Marshall Holman
10. Parker Bohn III
11. Don Carter
12. Billy Hardwick
13. Brian Voss
14. Dick Ritger
15. Nelson Burton Jr.
16. John Petraglia
17. Carmen Salvino
18. Wayne Webb
19. Dave Davis
20. Dave Soutar
21. Amleto Monacelli
22. Mike Durbin
23. Dave Husted
24. Jason Couch
25. Steve Cook
26. Chris Barnes
27. Jim Stefanich
28. Harry Smith
29. Del Ballard Jr.
30. Tommy Jones
31. Wayne Zahn
32. Jim Godman
33. George Pappas
34. David Ozio
35. Randy Pedersen
36. Dave Ferraro
37. Bill Allen
38. Larry Laub
39. Mike McGrath
40. Tom Baker
41. Joe Berardi
42. Danny Wiseman
43. Doug Kent
44. Patrick Allen
45. John Guenther
46. Gary Dickinson
47. Barry Asher
48. Tommy Hudson
49. Mika Koivuniemi
50. Bob Strampe
TEAM USA'S BARNES, NATION TO COMPETE IN WORLD GAMES

ARLINGTON, Texas - Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, and Stefanie Nation of Arlington, Texas, will represent Team USA at the 2009 World Games this summer in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei.

Bowling is one of more than 30 sports not currently included in the Olympics that will be showcased in the World Games for 11 days beginning July 16. Eight countries from each of the three zones (American, Asian and European) of the World Tenpin Bowling Association will represent bowling by sending one male and one female athlete.

The event will mark the second Team USA appearance in as many years for Barnes, the Player of the Year in the Professional Bowlers Association for the 2007-08 season, who returned to the team last year after a 10-year hiatus. Professionals were granted the ability to compete in international competition in August 2007.

"The World Games is one of the events I never got to participate in during my first go around with Team USA," said Barnes, who won a team gold medal and trios bronze medal at the 2008 World Tenpin Bowling Association World Men's Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, last August. "I'm very much looking forward to representing Team USA again, and this is one of the events I've been waiting a long time to compete in."

Nation, a five-time Team USA member, recently competed in the PBA Women's Series. In seven events, she won once and finished second twice and hopes that success will help guide her at the World Games.

"Bowling well in the Women's Series definitely boosted my confidence, and I hope that carries me forward the rest of the year," said Nation, who helped the United States to the team silver medal at the 2007 WTBA World Women's Championships in her last international appearance. "It's an honor to be chosen from a team of such elite athletes to compete in the World Games."

Classified as one of four precision sports, bowling competition in the World Games is broken up into two events - singles and mixed doubles. The other precision sports are archery, billiards and bocce.

In addition to the United States, the American Zone will be represented by Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and El Salvador. The Asian Zone will send Chinese Taipei, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Philippines, China and Hong Kong, while the European Zone countries will be Austria, England, Finland, Germany, Belgium, France, Norway and South Africa.

For more information on the World Games, visit the official Web site of the event at www.worldgames2009.tw.

United States Bowling CongressThe United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to nearly 2.5 million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience.
Stars of PBA Come Out to Welcome Newest Hall of Famers
Top Players in PBA History Share Stage at Stunning PBA 50th Anniversary Gala

LAS VEGAS, Nev. In the words of virtually everyone who was a part of the PBA’s 50th Anniversary Gala in Las Vegas, it was an event they will never forget. Many said the Gala at Red Rock Resort, Casino and Spa on Jan. 25 was the greatest night in the history of the Professional Bowlers Association.

The Charleston Ballroom at Red Rock was a “Who’s Who in Bowling,” packed with superstars past-and-present, industry leaders, long-time PBA support staff members and awe-struck fans of the sport. The crowd witnessed an event-closing parade of 38 of the players named to the list of the PBA’s 50 Greatest Players and welcomed three new members of the PBA Hall of Fame.

John Handegard, a one-time plywood mill worker who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, became the first inductee into the PBA Senior Tour Hall of Fame. Handegard, who now lives in retirement in Spring, Texas, emerged from a failed career as a young PBA Tour would-be into the most successful Senior Tour player in history with 14 Senior titles. And to cap that feat, he finally won the PBA Tour title he coveted his entire life at age 57 – the oldest ever PBA Tour winner – in the 1995 Northwest Classic.

“This is really some kind of night,” Handegard beamed.

In recapping his career, Handegard told the story of his lengthy quest to become a 200 average bowler. One day he asked friend and proprietor Bill Starnes why he couldn’t break the 200 average barrier. “He told me it was because I never shot 200 games,” Handegard smiled.

“I wasn’t very good, but I wanted to follow the star. I was an absolute genius in figuring out ways to lose,” he added. “I’m absolutely astounded I’m in this room tonight.”

Del Ballard Jr., who has four major titles among his 12 PBA Tour victories, drew laughter and applause from the gathering when he said, “I want to thank the hall of fame voters for finally getting it right.”

The native Texan related a story about how he developed his unique bowling style. A bowling addict at a young age, he said he broke his right arm at age 13, but his fingers were free enough in his cast that he could “bowl” a golf ball down the hallway at home, trying to hit a hole he had cut into a shoebox.

When he proclaimed to his family that he was ready to take on the world’s best bowlers, “my dad gave me a credit card with a $5,000 balance in 1983, and he told me, ‘When that’s done, you’re done.’ That’s why I never quit.”

“I’ve been part of a lot of bowling history,” Ballard said in concluding his remarks, “but this has to be the No. 1 night of my life.”

The final inductee was Norm Duke, who had seen his record three-consecutive-major titles streak ended three days earlier. He came to the Gala with 31 titles on his resume, including titles in the PBA Triple Crown and Grand Slam events, and he’s still at the peak of his game.

Fellow PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss, Duke’s closest friend for more than 20 years on tour, introduced Duke by saying, “He showed up with a gunslinger attitude, an ‘I can beat anyone’ presence. There are dreamers who can make those things happen, and Norm did.”

Duke first raved about the autograph session earlier in the day when all 38 of the “50 Greatest” lined up on the approach at Red Rock Lanes to sign autographs for fans for two hours.

Then he recalled the reality of his career, of being the youngest player in PBA history to win a title (age 18 in Cleveland in 1983), and the void of failing to win again for the next eight years.

“I really wanted to quit after eight years out here,” he said. “When I met my wife (Karen) in 1990, I had one title. Today I have 31, so to say she wasn’t a big influence in my life…” He left the rest unsaid.

Of his young son Brandon, Duke related a story about packing up to leave to bowl in the Tournament of Champions, and telling his son he’d be gone for a week. “Brandon asked if Pete (Weber) and Walter Ray (Williams Jr.) would be there. I told him they would. Brandon looked at me and said, ‘Dad, you have no chance.’”

For a solid week, the future stars of the PBA mingled with the players and behind-the-scenes workers who built the organization. Chris Peters, Rob Glaser and Mike Slade – the former Microsoft executives who rescued the PBA from certain bankruptcy in 2000 – got a chance to experience what their investment has meant to the sport.

Here & There Colum 1-27-09

Hank Haney

Golf Show Brightens Winter For Golfers

The instructor to the #1 Player in the World will be one of several "Golf Celebrity Stage Presentations" at the February 13-15 Greater New Jersey Golf Show held at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, New Jersey.
The show is a popular mid-winter break for many New York and Tri-County area golfers.
Hank Haney has steadily built a reputation as an instructor, not only to the club level players, but to touring pros as well. He works with his students to develop as accurate plan to improve the flight of their golf ball.
By giving cause and effect analogies, couples with physical hands on examples, the student and instructor can create a relationship that will produce positive results. The correct swing plane is the basis of Hank's philosophy.
Hank has taught more than 200 touring professionals from the PGA, LPGA, Nationwide, Futures, European, Japanese and Asian tours. In professional and amateur golf, his students have won every major tournament.. His most recognizable students include Tiger Woods and two time Major winner Mark O'Meara.
He is a member of the advisory staff for Golf Digest Magazine.
Also appearing at this show will be Bobby Wilson, #1 ranked long driver in the world Brian Paviet and Peter Johncke.
All will be appearing the weekend of February 13-15 at this show which is tabbed as a consumer golf exposition, in a three-day "Golf Theme Park" that features a wide array of displays, demonstrations and interactive activities designed to educate and entertain the golf enthusiast.
Upwards of 200 booths with exhibitors from across the country are expected to attend and will offer for sale the latest in golf equipment and accessories as well as golf apparel, artwork, real estate, destination packages and much, much more.
Numerous participatory activities will also be available for golfers of all skill levels. There will be a long-drive championship, the BirdieBall Chipping challenge, a Long-Putt Competition, a $25,000 Closest To The Pin contest and a demo range where you can swing, hit and compare the latest clubs.
The hours for the show are Friday 2-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission is $10 adults, $9 seniors and free to 12 and under youth.
The show is staged and managed by North Coast Golf Show President Joe Stegh.
Driving directions are available at http://www.northcoastgolfshows.com/

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Bowling Highlights Column 1-23-09

NYS Men's Benefits Coming Directly From USBC

The president and secretary of the NYS USBC (Women's Bowling Association) has advised all NYS USBC Women's Bowling Association Presidents and Managers along with all NYS USBC Merged Associations Presidents and Managers that they are now "back to servicing our women members only on a full time basis."
In an "update information" email NYS USBC WBA, Inc. president Priscilla M. Zonneville and Association Manager Nancy Walczyk stated the following:
"USBC recently released a letter dated January 8, 2009 to the Men’s and Merged Associations in New York State to confirm their position at this time regarding how operations will be handled for the BA (formerly Men’s) associations and the women and men in the Merged Associations whose membership is affected by this decision."
The email went on to say, "When USBC revoked the BA’s Charter due to the mishandling of the funds and asked the WBA to service the BA members, we agreed at the time we would do our best to comply. Since that all happened, the situation escalated regarding the BA and USBC. The Women’s Association became the “Middle Man”, and we agree it is not the place to be while USBC and the former NYS USBC BA settle their problems. That is the reason for the changes that have taken place. End of story."
"We are now back to servicing our women members ONLY on a full time basis. We do feel that there has been a great deal of confusion through all of this and we need to reassure our members that we are fine, our tournaments and annual meeting are ready to go and if there is any doubt of this, please feel free to call us. We ask YOU as our local leaders to relay this message to the women bowlers and also promote our tournaments. The closing date for the Championship Tournament is February 17, 2009 and for the Queen’s it is March 18, 2009. There are openings on all weekends. Entry forms are available on the website or they can be obtains through our office" the email said..
Michael A. Spridco, team leader (Rules/Bonding.Tournament Chairman) for the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) in reply to the WBA email said, "there is no change for the men bowlers of New York. All members in certified leagues and tournaments will receive all benefits USBC has to offer. The only change, as of right now, there is no state (BA) (Men's Bowling Association) to support USBC services so those services will come directly from USBC."
Dave Kinney, president of the Tri-County NY USBC stated, "the situation has now changed and all services," for New York State men bowlers, " will be provided directly from," the United Stated Bowling Congress main headquarters.
Kinney added, "in this transition, USBC headquarters commitment to the members of NY is, form a new state BA Association, payout the 2008 NYSBA Championship Tournament as soon as possible, conduct the 2009 NYSBA Championship Tournament and Masters Tournament and pay all outstanding scholarships."
Forms for the NYSBA Championship Tournament and Masters Tournament should be arriving at all bowling centers soon.
The Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

This week's tip is for all bowlers, however, youth, new bowlers and bowlers who have not had a correctly fit ball will benefit the most.
Choosing the correct weight for a bowling ball is not rocket science although it is made out to be at times. A poorly fit ball ( lane ball or hack job) will take excessive grip pressure to hold onto. This makes the ball seem too heavy. A good rule to thumb, when getting a custom fit ball, is to go up two pounds over what a poorly fit ball weighs. You will be surprised at how much lighter a properly fit ball will feel. When a ball is fit properly, minimal grip pressure is needed to hold the ball, allowing you to swing the ball without putting a death grip on it. This applies to both finger tip and conventional grips. Understand that gravity, not upper body muscles should control the swing.
For youth bowlers, always err on the heavier side for several reasons. First, is is instinct to grab a ball and throw it, not roll it. If the ball is too light, it is hard to teach a youth bowler to use gravity as their friend and roll the ball. Second, children are still growing and you may get an extra year our of the ball before the youth bowler outgrows the weight. If a youth bowler is switching from conventional to finger tip grip, in this one case I would not recommend going too heavy as you do not want to make it an unpleasant experience. The best recommendation would be to re grip the old ball and get used to the grip before drilling a new ball.
Note: If a bowler, youth or adult is bowling to enjoy themselves, a conventional grip is best. If a bowler is interested in some form of competitive bowling in the future, the finger tip grip is the way to go. Remember: There is no substitute for a properly fit ball. Parents of youth bowlers, please have the fit checked at least every six months.
Mike Luongo is technically certified through IBPSIA as a Pro Shop Operator and Teacher. He is also a Silver Level Coach with the USBC and is also the Northeast Regional Sales Manager with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached at 341-1694 or via e-mail at mikespro@warwick.net
Local Scores

Kiamesha Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Men's league include a 246, 204, 638 by Nate Sanders, David Graham 26, 224, 664, Chuck McAllister 214, Keith Smith 202, 203, 602, John Fischer 212, 208, Art Stevens 245, 610, Wayne Piernos 216, Jay Shapiro 203, Roy Sweeney 230, 201, 614, Dan Ricco 207, Mike Weiner 235, 214, 627, Jim VanAken 226, 204, 645, Jason Jones 204, 214, Tom Belgiovene 224, 218, 608, John Hoffmann 248, 239. 257, 744, Rudy Belanchia 258, 202, 279, 739, Pete Mitro 230, 216, 602, Serifin Rodriguez 201, Jo Jo Van Keuren 227, 224, 624, Keith Shaddock 213, Richard Levine 224, 236, 632, Tim Bilyeu 214, 237, 259, 710, Harrison Cherry 236, 223, 639, Joey Smith 211, Robert Hamilton 238, 615, Donald Durland 226, 212, 211, 649, Paul Durland 204, Jaryl Scott 236, 225, 648, Mark Wegener 244, 279, 703, Tim McIntyre 236, 225, 648, Al Caycho 200, Jack Moylan 225, 605, Rob Sze 267, 606, James Ratner 212, Kort Wheeler 233, 223, 630, Angel Rodriguez 245, 235, 200, 680, Eddie Lake 219, Rick Lake 249, 205, 224, 678, Billy Curry Jr. 220, Danny Curry 213, Paul Curry and Allan Jones 205, 205.
In the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters league Cara Nicholson scored a 209, 515, Pat Mulhern 238, 214, 583, Neil Bell Jr. 202, 213, Bryan Babcock 237. 635, Doug VanKeuren 214, Mary Lee Williams 191, 243, 193, 627, Joan Lake 206. 193, 536, Dorian Jennings 223, 554, Peter Scannell 203, Jack Rustic 210, 246, 641, George Kelley 216, Shane Cunningham 214, John Reuss III a 223, Stan Gilmore 206, Lisa Cartwright 193, 529, Larry Berens 220, Pat Cooney 190, Tom Cooney 249, 234, 645, Debbie Durland 202, 195, 198, 595, Kevin Stackhouse 203, 202, John Fischer 200, 205, 203, 608, John Hoffmann 224, 258, 236, 718, Robert Yakin Sr. 200, 216, Chet Smith 226, Charles Blackburn 208, Donna DuBois 189, 514, Cliff Starr 212, Gregory Merton 230 and Joshua Wharton 204.
In the Wednesday Men's league Matthew Fallon scored a 265, Donald Durland 249, 203, 227, 679, Richard Bradford 215, 225, 600, Jon Wilhelm 206, 221, 617, Jason Jones Jr. 236, 230, Rick Lake 233, 226, 632, Steven Rivera 203, Dale Sonnenschein 212, Daniel Van Aken 234, 214, 630, Peter Mitro 218, 235, 214, 667, Tim McIntyre 233, 202, 237, 672, Rick Lara 220, Josh Strang 227, 225, 623, Frank Fippinger 208, Frank Muller Jr. 248, Allan Jones 247, 256, 695, Larry Berens 205, 213, 234, 652, Dean Shattuck 246, 203, 626, Paul Durland 220, John Hoffmann 267, 247, 234, 748, Art Eggleton 247, Tom Belgiovene 225, 234, 637, Rich Hendricks 202, 208, 225, 635, Pedro Agapito 248, 222, 658, Al Caycho 247, 221, 219, 687, Mike Weiner 203, 200, 206, 609, Shaun Lyons 233, Anthony Atkins 245, Wayne Atkins 214, 223, 630, Eddie Lake 252, 248, 212, 712, William Danchak 225, 223, 602, Chris Magie 205 and Frank DiCostanzo 210.
In the Thursday Ladies league Camille Carpinone scored a 189, 192, 506, Debbie Durland 206, 258, 621, Barb Merton 189, Kathleen Heins 215, Stephanie Davis 187, Valerie Fersch 187, Marie Frunzi 207, Joan Lake 509 and Lisa Cartwright 181, 506.
In the Saturday Morning Youth leagues, in the Pee Wees division T. Porter 89, A. Edwards 63, R. Schreiber 83 and G. VanAken 77. In the Bantams division S. Patel 105 and N. Edwards 100, 142. In the Preps division S. Patel 113, 126, P. Patel 121, 124, R. Patel 121, N. Goldsmith 103, 131, M Shaver 93, M DeGraw 112, 140, M/ Hope 96, N. Scudari 91 and S. Rustic 100, 125. In the Jr.Mjrs. division S. Sinistorie 202, E. Walsh 217, 208, J. Durland 204, P. Agapito III a 190, J. Friedman 150, K. Gessman 129, M. Gerow 199, S. Durland 121, 127, M. Brown 100, S. Patel 159, K. Patel 177 and J. Moss 189.

Callicoon Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Ladies Hortonville league include a 213 by Ginny Connell, Jane Benson 182, Debbie Schick 187, Becky Williams 180, Ingrid Ott 192, Dee Dee Schrader 187, Debra Loughrey 185, Donna Dubois 198, 515 and Lil Zieres 180, 221, 558.
In the Tuesday Delaware Valley Men's league Tad Doscher scored a 222, Jeremy Gulley 222, Charlie Reichenback 225, Mark Hawley 265, 212, 676, John Fink 200, Joel Turner 211, 207, Karl Adams 208, 212, 610, Damien Vanleuven 209, Tom Bisig 205 and Wally Warren 202.
In the Wednesday Mixed Businessmen league Laresko Niifa scored a 210, Alan Rudledge 200, John Fink 225, Ed Townsend 201 and Phil Jacoby 235.

Fox Bowling Center

Recent highlight scores in the Tuesday Ladies Early Birds league include a 190, 244, 602 by Nikki Andriano, Jennifer Raymond 212, 514, Kathleen Maltese 185, 507 and JoAnn Thomas 183.
In the Wednesday Men's Independent league Robert Johnson scored a 247, 259, 695, Donald Marino 269, 221, 681, Neil Mosher 255, 205, 647, James Dibble 239, 213, 643, Brian Drumm 205, 219, 219, 643, Tony Wright 245, 212, 624, Daniel Wormuth 209, 228, 618, Cody Conway 231, 613, Allen Bullis Sr. 211, 214, 608, Frank Couse 221, 603, Ryan Kille 218, Brad Lobdell 229, Charlie Richenbaugh 224, Richard Layton 263, Arthur Gately 225, Francis Wormuth 224, Frank Couse Sr. 221 and John Milucky 220.
In the Thursday Men's Deposit National league Jeff Curtis scored a 233, 290, 690, Paul Ignatovich 213, 239, 232, 684, Carl Davis 212, 258, 627, Al Bullis Jr. 214, 220, 625, Paul Fritz 258, 601, Robert Johnson 253, Al Bullis Sr. 243 and John Lanner 221.
In the Friday Mixed Doubles Couples league Daniel Wormuth scored a 255, 205, 651, Nick Hazen 218, 225, 635, Howard Couse 204, 215, 611, Anne Couse 192, 547, Mark McGraw 219, Paul Fritz 219, Brian Robinson 219, Scott Ellis 212, Catherine Resti 227, 504 and Dawn Mclenon 186.
In the Sunday Mixed Fun league Ray Cornwell scored a 223, 615, Jean Mills 190, 193, 523 and Savanna Mills a youth high score of 126.

This column is written by Ed Townsend, a consultant to the professional sport of bowling. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Tri-County NY USBC where he serves as Publicity Chairman. If you have a topic that you believe would make good reading or have league scores or tournament information, Ed can be reached at 845-439-8177 or by sending an e-mail to bowlgolfect1@yahoo.com For a much more expanded version of our bowling column visit our Web site at http://bght.blogspot.com

Malott Successfully Defends PBA Bayer Earl Anthony Medford Classic Title
Perfect Finish Helps Macpherson top Nation in PBA Women’s Series Regular Season Finale

Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, moved into the Lumber Liquidators PBA Player of the Year points lead last Sunday afternoon when he successfully defended his Bayer Earl Anthony Medford Classic title with a 239-201 victory over top qualifier Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., at Lava Lanes, at Medford, ORE.

Malott, the No. 4 qualifier, won three straight matches on his way to the $25,000 first prize, his fifth career title and his second title of the 2008-09 season. Two open frames by Jones to start the championship match helped Malott take a 33-pin lead after three frames and five strikes in a row to finish the game clinched the victory.

"It wasn't an easy test to get through those guys on the show today,” Malott said. “I said to myself do what you know how to do and that's what I did.

"Now that I have defended my title here in Medford, I am meeting some goals I set for myself,” Malott said. “I wanted to win two titles in a season and five titles in my career. Now that I have defended, I can set my sights on Player of the Year."

The win gave Malott a 10-point lead over Norm Duke in the Player of the Year points race.

Jones, who made his first TV appearance since winning the Geico Classic in West Babylon, N.Y., last March, made a valiant bid to get back into the match, but he couldn’t put together a sustained string of strikes to cut into Malott’s lead. Jones earned $13,000 as runner-up.

In the final PBA Women’s Series event of the 2008-09 season, newly-elected United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Wendy Macpherson of Henderson, Nev., closed with four strikes in a row and won a 199-184 slugfest when Stefanie Nation of Arlington, Texas, failed to convert the 1-2-4-8 in the 10th frame.

"I did the best I could do to get strikes,” Macpherson said. “The last part of the game I closed in on the pocket and gave myself a chance."

Sitting on the bench, however, she knew she needed help to win. Nation’s errant shot in the 10th frame was the break Macpherson needed.

"I had done the math. I knew what was possible,” the 20-time Professional Women’s Bowling Association titlist said. “I have been on both sides of that situation. You never like to win that way, but I left the game feeling I did everything I could to win.

"In the six minutes after I stepped off the lanes I received 34 text messages. My response was, ‘Wow!’"

For Macpherson, who got into the event as an alternate, it was her first USBC-sponsored Women’s Series title. She also earned $10,000 and a spot in the upcoming Women’s Shootout. Nation, who earned $6,000, was seeking her second Women’s Series title. She won her first in the Pepsi Viper Women’s Championship in Omaha, Neb., to start the women’s season.

In the opening match of the telecast, Malott threw strikes in six of his first seven frames to end Patrick Allen’s hopes for back-to-back titles, 234-195. Allen, from Wesley Chapel, Fla., earned $5,500 for fourth place.

In the men’s semifinal match, Malott struck on eight of his first nine shots for a 255-246 victory over Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa. O’Neill, who is still vying for his first PBA Tour title, took home $6,500 for third place.

The next stop on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour will be the H&R Block PBA Tournament of Champions which got underway Wednesday at Red Rock Resort and Lanes in Las Vegas. Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., will head an elite field of 60 PBA champions in his quest for an unprecedented fourth consecutive PBA “major” title. TV finals on ESPN are at 12:30 ET

Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour
2009 Bayer Earl Anthony Medford Classic
Lava Lanes, Medford, Ore.
Sunday, Jan. 18

Final Standings1, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas 728 (3 games) $25,000
2, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C. 201 (1 game) $13,000
3, Bill O’Neill, Levittown, Pa. 246 (1 game) $6,500
4, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla. 195 (1 game) $5,500

Stepladder Results
Match One – Malott def. Allen, 234-195
Semifinal Match – Malott def. O’Neill, 255-246
Championship – Malott def. Jones, 239-201

PBA WOMEN’S SERIES
Championship Match
Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, Nev. ($10,000) def. Stefanie Nation, Arlington, Texas ($6,000), 199-184.
THE ONE PEARL FROM EBONITE PROVIDES PERFORMANCE ON STEROIDS

What do you get when you take Ebonite’s proven The One and add in some muscle for extra length, more hook and more aggressive performance? The One Pearl…its The One on steroids. “By pearlizing The One’s GB 10.7 cover on The One Pearl, we’ve created an unbelievable product with more power, more length and a sharper approach to the pins for even more pin carry,” said Ed Gallagher, Ebonite brand manager. “Bowlers love The One and we’ve seen the scores to prove it. It won’t be long until The One Pearl finds its way into the bag of every Ebonite bowler.” GB 10.7 is designed for competitive bowlers facing heavier concentrations of oil. By adding performance pearl and finishing with 4000-grit Abralon® and Powerhouse™ Factory Finish, The One Pearl’s cover has even more power behind every rotation and the flare potential is off the charts. Ideal for playing both inside and outside angles, The One rates a high 41 out of 50 on Ebonite’s Overall Hook Potential scale. The One Pearl sports the Centrex Symmetrical High Mass Bias design found in The One series and is a vibrant Purple/Black and Red Pearl. Available now in 12 – 16 pounds, Bowl to Win with The One Pearl. For more information, visit www.ebonite.com. Based in Hopkinsville, Kent., Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that currently services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets both domestically and internationally. The company's consumer product brands include Ebonite, Hammer, Robby's, Columbia 300, Track and Powerhouse™. Its commercial product brands are Ebonite VanTech Capital Equipment and Ebonite Bowling Center Direct.
LOOK INTO USBC, BOWLING'S FUTURE AT NATIONWIDE TOWN HALL MEETINGS

The United States Bowling Congress is taking its
show on the road in a series of nationwide town hall meetings in late
February and early March.

State and local association board and general members are invited to
hear information on the present and future direction of the sport and
organization. Session dates and cities are:

Feb. 25 - Arlington, Texas
Feb. 28 - Edison, N.J.; Minneapolis; Indianapolis;
Olympic/Tacoma, Wash.; Baltimore/Washington, D.C.
March 1 - Detroit; Syracuse, Chicago, Sacramento,
Calif.
March 7 - St. Louis; Los Angeles; San Antonio; Orlando,
Fla.
March 8 - Las Vegas; Denver; Atlanta; Houston

Specific times and locations will be sent to association leaders in
each area and also available on bowl.com soon. Sessions are free and no
registration is required.

Topics to be discussed include USBC's move to the International
Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas; the future of youth bowling
including Bowlopolis; new membership options; dues structuring;
communication and delivery systems; financial summary; awards and USBC
Board of Directors decisions.

Following the formal presentation, there will be plenty of time for
questions and answers from the audience.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body,
ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides
programs and services to nearly 2.5 million adult and youth members and
enhances the bowling experience.
Wes Malott is Mr. Versatility in PBA Experience Tour Events
PBA Player of the Year Candidate Finds Success on PBA Oil Patterns

Through his outstanding performances in events that showcased the PBA Tour’s six lane conditions, Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, has been crowned Mr. Versatility by winning the first-ever PBA Tour Versatility Swing points competition.

Designed to showcase the most versatile players, the Versatility Swing is based on players’ performances in the six PBA Experience lane condition championships during the 2008-09 series.

Malott won the title by finishing with 117,609 points in the six events, winning two tournaments and making the ESPN-televised finals three other times. His finishes in the six Versatility Swing events were as follows: Pepsi Viper Championship, fourth; Chameleon Championship, third; CLR Carmen Salvino Scorpion Championship, first; Cheetah Championship, 12th; Lumber Liquidators Shark Championship, second, and Bayer Earl Anthony Medford Classic, first. The Anthony event used a newly-created Earl Anthony lane conditioning pattern.

As Versatility winner, Malott earns an automatic berth in the 18-player Six Flags Summer Shootout series to air later this year on ESPN. The Summer Shootout also will include the top eight players in points from the “Extreme Swing” and seven other players to be named later.

Each event in the Versatility Swing used a different lane condition and each had the same format: 14 games of qualifying followed by 18 games of round robin match play with the top four advancing to the stepladder finals.

2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Versatility Swing – Points
1, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 117,609
2, Bill O’Neill, Levittown, Pa., 75,744
3, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 70,048
4, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 65,023
5, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 63,632
6, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 60,350
7, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 56,184
8, Rhino Page, Topeka, Kan., 55,162
9, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 54,313
10, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 54,312


About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and will award over $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Motel 6, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com.

About the PBA Experience
USBC Sport Bowling's PBA Experience program provides bowlers the opportunity to experience a unique challenge, satisfy their competitive nature and improve their bowling skills. PBA Experience leagues and tournaments are contested on the same challenging lane conditions professional bowlers battle on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour. Success on these conditions requires accuracy, consistency, and versatility. For more information on PBA Experience leagues and tournaments, please visit the Sport Bowling section of bowl.com or PBAExperience.org.

About the USBC
The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to nearly 2.5 million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience. For more information, log on to bowl.com. Bowl with US
Clark to Assume Role of PBA Deputy Commissioner in May
Chief Operating Officer Will Oversee Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Competitions and Media

Tom Clark will be handed new responsibilities as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer of the Professional Bowlers Association on May 1, PBA Commissioner and CEO Fred Schreyer announced today.

Clark, who has served as PBA COO and Vice President of Marketing since May 2008 will assume primary responsibility for all Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, PBA Senior Tour and PBA Regional Tour competitions as well as television, marketing and communications.

“Since joining the PBA in May 2008 Tom has played a major role in shaping our strategic direction and positioning the PBA for success,” Schreyer said. “As we continue the celebration of our 50th Anniversary Season, I am pleased to know that moving forward Tom will play an even larger role in creating additional opportunities for the PBA and its players.”

Clark has signed Gemini Sport Marketing as the official jersey of the PBA Tour, introduced compelling new tournament formats, television and marketing strategies and created the Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational. Clark also led several initiatives this season surrounding the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the PBA Tour.

“I love the PBA, its great history and its potential for the future. I look forward to bringing maximum enjoyment to the fans and value for our sponsors,” said Clark. “Working with Fred Schreyer, our dedicated staff, television partner ESPN and the world’s best players, we are about to embark on the next 50 years of the PBA Tour with a great passion to elevate the PBA’s status in the world of sports and sports entertainment to where it belongs.”

Clark, a former sports assignment editor at USA Today from 2000-2005, was named the Bowlers Journal Person of the Year in 2005 and was the Billiards and Bowling Institute of America’s Industry Service Award recipient in 2008. Prior to coming to the PBA, Clark was the United States Bowling Congress Vice President of Marketing and Communications from 2005-2008. Clark is on the Bowling Writers Association of America board of directors and serves on The Bowling Foundation’s public awareness committee.

While with the USBC, he signed NBA player Chris Paul as an official spokesman for bowling. Clark also helped revitalize women’s professional bowling by leading the rebirth of the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007 which led to the launch of the PBA Women’s Series presented by USBC. Under Clark’s direction bowling returned to broadcast network television after 10 years as USBC’s Clash of Bowling Champions aired on CBS last May. Clark also served as the editor of US Bowler and US Youth Bowler leading the public relations effort for bowling’s national governing body. He also continued to write, penning articles and columns for publications including Bowlers Journal International.

Clark, 39, grew up in Syracuse, N.Y., and bowled collegiately at Buffalo State College. Before working for USA Today he was sports editor, managing editor and executive editor for southeast newspapers in the Media General chain. He resides in Muskego, Wis., with his wife Kelli and two children.


About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and will award over $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Motel 6, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com.

Here & There Column 1-20-09

Composting & Regionalizing Jails

Government's working together for the betterment of life for its taxpayers could pay off very well it studies presently underway to consider trash composting and counties joining together to study regionalizing jails become a reality.
A trip to Delaware County in December to see that county's composting system revealed that except for construction and demolition debris and furniture all household garbage goes into the composting facility first and that by using this system Delaware County has extended the life of its landfill 25 years.
Delaware County sells the compost for $15 a yard and it can be used for landscaping but not approved for gardening.
The overall construction costs is high but there appears at the present time no concrete solutions for dealing with the increasingly expensive and controversial Sullivan County Landfill.
A study regarding a regional approach to county jail services has surfaced which will find out whether or not it would be cost-effective and feasible to share jail facilities, services and/or personnel.
Sullivan County as we all know is facing a state mandate to build a new jail but if a study shows that it would be feasible to instead build a regional jail system this could very well result in a reduction of the overall cost with the jail project and hopefully would reduce the burden on Sullivan County taxpayers.
Municipalities, county's and the State of New York working together and consolidating services and efforts is the major step in removing the high tax burden we all now face.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Bowling Highlights Column 1-16-09

Mike Luongo featured on the front page of the November issue of Bowlers Journal ProShop Operator magazine. Photo is by Pro Shop Operator/Tom Bushey.

Luongo Featured In Bowlers Journal Proshop Operator

Storm and Roto Grip's Northeast Regional Sales Manager Mike Luongo was featured recently on the front page of the Bowlers Journal Proshop Operator, the official publication of IBPSIA.
His photo taken by Tom Bushey appeared on the front cover of the November 2008 magazine and a story written by Daniel P. Smith appeared on three inside pages.
Mike is also the author of the "Bowling Tip" in our "Bowling Highlights" column. Storm Products Inc. are manufacturers of high performance bowling equipment and are located in Bingham City, UT..
Luongo has close to 30-years of experience in the bowling industry. He is a Silver Level instructor with the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) and is currently an IBPSIA board member and certified through that organization as a Pro Shop Operator and Master Instructor.
The magazine article written by Smith stated on the front page cover, "Helping Hands, Mike Luongo has learned the value of neighborhood shops working together."
Daniel Smith in his opening remarks focused on the fact that "media reports tell one story. Wall street's in upheaval, people are losing their jobs and families across the country are tightening their budgets," but that seasoned pro shop operators " see people turning to bowling in the face of an economic downturn...their way to escape."
Smith quotes several pro shop operators who emphasized the importance of "establishing working relationships with nearby pro shops and by waving competition aside in favor of a more powerful end result----a pleased customer and the happier the customer is the more you can keep them bowling."
Smith notes that "Mike Luongo , a longtime pro shop operator in New York's Hudson Valley is considered a pioneer of such inter-shop relationships and in the late 1990's got involved with IBPSIA's education program and noticed that too many operators were concerned with a competitor's undercutting practices, rather than a better understanding of the game and it's equipment."
Luongo in the article said, "these fighting contests were hurting everybody and the whole thing is to help the sport. We all need to be on the same page and that is to service bowlers."
Smith pointed out that "Luongo turned the talk into action and more by accident than design, Luongo emerged a mini-supplier for other pro shops in the region." "It began as he took advantage of trade show deals and expanded his own inventory...at one time Luongo had as many as 1,500 balls in stock."
"He became known as the man to turn to if a customer wanted a specific item and wanted it quick," Smith wrote.
Smith wrote that "as the economic crunch hits, Luongo sees an even greater need for such relationships between pro shops and associations that can lead to improved efficiencies and customer satisfaction."
Luongo is quoted by Smith as saying, "we need to drop the idea that we can individually monopolize a given market and instead have a common goal that we can better the sport."
Smith pointed out that "Luongo has turned over the operation of his pro shop (located at Middletown Lanes) to his son Mickey and the warehouse management duties to his wife, Linda." The Luongo's live in the Middletown area.
The photo credit for this story goes to Pro Shop Operator/Tom Bushey and all written quotes are credited to Pro Shop Operator and originally written by Daniel P. Smith.

The Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

This tip is for all bowlers regardless of age or level of play.
So very often today bowlers find themselves off balance at the foul line.
While there are many reasons for this, what you may not realize is that most bad finishes are a result of a bad start.
The tip: Check your first step and see if it's too long. This will cause you to push the ball away too far and then your feet will have to play "catch up" to keep you from falling down.
Try a smaller first step next time.....it may help.
Mike Luongo is technically certified through IBPSIA as a Pro Shop Operator and Master Instructor. He is also a Silver Level Coach with the USBC and is also the Northeast Regional Sales Manager with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached at 341-1694 or via e-mail at mikespro@warwick.net

Local Scores

Callicoon Lanes

Recent highlights scores in the Monday Hortonville Ladies league include a 183 by Betty Baker, Sue Naughton 181, 192, 545, Joan Gabriel 192, Lil Zieres 201, 530 and Susan Heinicle 231.
In the Tuesday Delaware Valley Men's league Tad Doscher scored a 220, Mark Hawley 213, 202, Steve Lagoda 229, Joel Turner 213, 601, Josh Mulucky 224, Karl Adams 216, Tom Biseg 201, Damien Vanluven 225, 608, Mark Herbert 217, Scott Herbert 203 and Kris Rasmussen 221.

Kiamesha Lanes

Recent highight scores in the Monday Men's league include a 217, 225 by Nate Sanders, David Graham 217, 243, 658, Chuck McAllister 241, 227, 672, Keith Smith 204, 204, 607, Francisco Martinez 218, John Fischer 217, 225, 214, 656, Bill Helms 235, Roy Sweeney 203, Danny Ricco 203, Mike Weiner 212, 289, 234, 735, Jim VanAken 257, 256, 684, Jason Jones 255, 210, 624, Tom Belgiovene 204, John Hoffmann 217, 236, 259, 712, Rudy Belanchia 223, Peter Mitro 224, 237, 204, 665, Serafin Rodriguez 204, 226, 600, Jo Jo VanKeuren 225, 619, Keith Shaddock 203, Richard Levine 227, 219, Mike Cardo 245, Tim Bilyeu 235, 227, 632, Harrison Cherry 201, George Budd 227, 201, 223, 651, Anthony Marino 214, Donald Durland 224, 288, 702, Paul Durland 213, 212, Jaryl Scott 214, 257, 667, Mark Wegener 215, 280, 689, Al Caycho 214, 245, 640, Tim McIntyre 203, 248, 203, 654, Jack Moylan 280, 207, 663, Rob Sze 208, 204, James Ratner 202, 234, 620, Kort Wheeler 216, 218, 631, Angel Roddriguez 215, 600, Frank Scuderi 255, 220, 627, Mickey Lake 203, Rick Lake 200, 203, 600 and Paul Curry 224.
In the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters league Deora Blackford scored a 212, Carol MacAdam 191, 531, Neil Bell Jr. 212, Mary Lee Williams 181, 515, Joan Lake 185, 510, Dorian Jennings 215, 531, Pete Scannell 235, Scott Squires 200, Shane Cunningham 201, 223, 209, 633, Russ Keesler 215, 226, 627, Crystal Price 209, 220, 595, Lisa Cartwright 188, 502, Andrea Grossman 194, 523, Larry Berens 209, 214, 231, 654, Debbie Durland 185, 531, John Hoffmann 216, 236, 217, 669, Robert Yakin Sr. 208, 211, Donna DuBois 189, 187, 210, 586, Gregora Merton 200, 223, 607 and Fran Kaiser 190.
In the Wednesday Men's league Donald Durland scored a 266, 647, Matthew Fallon 224, 203, 622, Richard Bradford 203, Jon Wilhelm 207, 201, 200, 608, Rick Lake 202, 279, 235, 716, Steven Rivera 244, 602, Tim McIntyre 221, 244, 226, 691, Rick Lara 202, Vincent Scuderi 204, Charles McAllister 224, Allan Jones 202, 237, 632, Dean Shattuck 224, 203, Art Eggleton 221, John Hoffmann 212, 237, 266, 715, Tom Belgiovene 203, 236, 226, 665, Vinnie Collura 226, 256, 224, 706, Richard Hendricks 222, Pedro Agapito 200, Dan Ricco 213, 202, 613, Al Caycho 221, 201, 227, 649, Mike Weiner 228, Kenny Atkins 205, Shaun Lyons 202, Wayne Atkins 214, William Danchak 204, Chris Magie 214 and Frank DiCostanzo 227, 216, 605.
In the Saturday Morning Yough leagues, in the Pee Wees division T. Porter 85, R. Schreiber 66 and E. James 74. In the Bantams division S. Patel 128. In the Preps division M. DeGraw scored a 127, M. Hope 102, S. Rustic 103, 107, S. Patel 93, 114, P. Patel 143, 179, R. Patel 148 and N. Goldsmith 135, 158. In the Jr./Mjrs division S. Patel 183, 162, K. Patel 166, C. Israel 154, 127, 138, J. Friedman 143, 158, T. Foxwell 151, 153, K. Gessman 132, 134, M. Edwards 131, 160, B. Fraser 116, 150, S. Durland 135, M. Brown 182, M. Scuderi 151, 177, 211, N. Price 221, 231 and C. Ciliberto 111.

Fox Bowling Center

Recent highlight scores in the Tuesday Ladies Early Birds league includes a 183, 514 by Kathleen Maltese, Melinda Ferris 181, 511, Tammy Kane 182, 509, Nikki Andriano 199, 500, Chris Lamoreaux 200 and Kathleen Stanton 182.
In the Wednesday Men's Independent league Paul Ignatovich scored a 236, 233, 661, Don Marino 205, 244, 626, Craig Gehrig 210, 234, 617, Carl Davis 220, 204, 613, Howie Couse 210, 244, 607, Thomas Anderson 217, 604, Andrew Bullis 245, Glenn Bowker 246, Joel Keeiser 233, Ryan Kille 224 and Steven Jacobi 228.
In the Thursday Men's Deposit league Greg Keesler scored a 250, Lenn Davis 214, Rick Mills 203, 203, Andrew Bullis 217, Howey Couse Jr. 206, Steve Hopkins 200, Dale Conklin 230, Rich Lenio 201 and Rob Bolster 202.
In the Friday Mixed Couples league Paul Fritz scored a 290, 259, 734, Brian Robinson 234, 205, 631, Howard Couse 206, 226, 628, James Dibble 200, 218, 615, Andy Bullis 236, 611, Mark McGraw 225, Greg Keesler 233, Rick Mills 267, Daniel Wormuth 221, Bill Gleim 213, Robert Ellis 200, Anne Couse 232, 560 and Cecil Spencer 213.
In the Sunday Afternoon Mixed Fun league Marty Haeussler scored a 252, 234, 678, Don Marino 246, 246, 678, Fred Shakelton 243, 209, 202, 654, Ray Cornwell 215, 602, Dave Mills 219, Rick Mills 210 and Julie Cornwell 180, 518.

This column is written by Ed Townsend, a consultant to the professional sport of bowling. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Tri-County NY USBC where he serves as Publicity Chairman. If you have a topic that you believe would make good reading or have league scores or tournament information, Ed can be reached at 845-439-8177 or by sending an email to bowlgolfect1@yahoo.com For a much more expanded version of our bowling column visit our Web page at http://bght.blogspot.com/












Patrick Allen

Patrick Allen Wins PBA National Bowling Stadium Championship
Victory for Allen after Walter Ray Williams Jr. leaves 8-10 Spilt in Final Frame

Patrick Allen stumbled as he approached the finish line, but a colossal bad break for Walter Ray Williams Jr., the Professional Bowlers Association’s all-time titles leader, handed Allen the Lumber Liquidators PBA National Bowling Stadium Championship last Sunday afternoon at Reno, Nev.

Allen defeated Williams, 225-223, when Williams left a pocket 8-10 split on his second shot in the 10th frame of the title match. A fourth consecutive strike would have meant victory for the 45-time PBA champion after spares by Allen in the ninth and 10th frames gave Williams a chance for a come-from-behind victory.

“After Walter Ray labeled the first one in the tenth, I was just praying for a rolloff,” Allen said. “He is the all-time titles leader because he performs when he needs to. The second shot looked good off his hand. Having that happen to win is something you can’t even imagine.”

Allen, who picked up his 11th career title and first of the 2008-09 season, earned $25,000 and locked up an exemption for the 2009-2010 season. Williams won $13,000 for second place.

“I drifted a hair left on the second ball and didn’t get it to the right spot, seeing the 8-pin standing was like somebody shot me,” Williams said. “I got a few good breaks this week, I just needed one more.”

The tournament was the first in PBA Tour history to employ different lane conditioning patterns on each lane during the match play and ESPN-televised championship rounds. The left lane was conditioned with the PBA’s 44-foot-long Shark pattern while the right lane featured a 36-foot Cheetah pattern, forcing the players to make separate bowling ball and angle-of-attack choices for each lane.

“I knew if I could get lined up right, I would be all right,” Allen said. “Bowling on the mixed patterns against O’Neill, Barnes, Malott and Walter Ray could be the biggest challenge I have ever faced.”

In the opening stepladder match, Allen ended 2006 PBA Rookie of the Year Bill O’Neill’s bid for his first title, 218-200. O’Neill, a former Saginaw Valley State University collegiate All-American from Levittown, Pa., earned $5,000 for fifth place. Leaving and failing to convert the 1-2-4-6-10 “washout” in the fourth frame proved to be O’Neill’s undoing.

Allen then eliminated reigning PBA Player of the Year Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, 267-236. The key shot in the match was Barnes’ missed 7 pin spare attempt in the ninth frame after he had rallied to take a one-pin lead. Barnes, a 10-time PBA champion, earned $5,500 for fourth place.

The 38-year-old left-hander advanced to the title match against Williams after a 268-215 romp past red-hot Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas. Malott, the 2008-09 Player of the Year points leader, was never a factor after Allen started the match with seven strikes. Malott earned $6,500 for third place.

The next stop on the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour will be the Bayer Earl Anthony Classic at Lava Lanes in Medford, Ore., starting Tuesday. The tournament will be contested on a new, specially-designed “Earl Anthony” lane condition and it will include the final PBA Women’s Series tournament of the season. ESPN will televise the women’s and PBA Exempt Tour finals Sunday at 1 p.m. (Eastern Time).


Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour – National Bowling Stadium ChampionshipNational Bowling Stadium – Reno, Nev.
Championship Round – Total/Games/Earnings
1. Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla. 975 (4 games) $25,000
2. Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla. 223 (1 game) $13,000
3. Wes Mallott, Pflugerville, Texas 215 (1 game) $ 6,500
4. Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas 236 (1 game) $ 5,500
5. Bill O’Neill, Levittown, Pa. 200 (1 game) $ 5,000
SCORES – In the first match, Allen def. O’Neill, 218-200; in the second match Allen def. Barnes 268-236; in the third match Allen def. Mallott, 268-215; and in the final, Allen def. Williams, 225-223.
ROTH, PETRAGLIA, MACPHERSON ELECTED TO USBC HALL OF FAME

Three of the most successful players in professional
bowling history have been elected to the United States Bowling Congress
Hall of Fame in the Superior Performance category.

Mark Roth, 57, of Fulton, N.Y.; John Petraglia, 61, of Jackson, N.J.,
and Wendy Macpherson, 40, of Henderson, Nev., will be inducted during
the USBC Convention in Reno, Nev., on Friday, May 1.
Walter Ray Williams Jr. defeats Pete Weber
in Exhibition Webcast Match
Williams Jr. Triumphs Live On PBA.com’s Xtra Frame

Walter Ray Williams Jr. continued his domination over Pete Weber in televised matches using 10 out of a possible 12 strikes en route to a 257-199 exhibition victory January 7 at Reno, NV. The match marked the first-ever “Xtra Frame Game” live streaming video match on PBA.com’s Xtra Frame.

Xtra Frame is a subscription streaming video service that features live match play round coverage of regular events, exclusive interviews with PBA stars and archived coverage of ESPN telecasts. The match is now available on demand on PBA.com’s Xtra Frame.

Over 50% of the 4,000 online voters chose the clash of two of the PBA’s greatest icons. Both are Hall of Famers and were ranked in the top 5 all time in PBA history as part of the 50th Anniversary celebration (Weber was 4th, Williams remains one of the three top ranked players whose final standing is yet to be revealed).

Williams Jr. added to his record number of career titles with victory 45 at this season’s Lake County Indiana Golden Anniversary Championship. 34-time titlist Weber, after a successful offseason bowling internationally, has yet to make a telecast this year.

Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Pete Weber have perhaps the biggest current rivalry in professional bowling with Williams Jr. dominating recent TV matchups. In 2006 Williams Jr. defeated Weber, 236-213 in the title match of the PBA World Championship and defeated PDW, 289-236 in the title match of the Dydo Japan Cup.

“In effect, this is bowling’s first pay-per-view match,” said PBA COO Tom Clark. “And the fans made a great choice. Who wouldn’t want to watch Walter Ray vs. PDW under any circumstance?”

To sign up for Xtra Frame and be able to watch this exhibition match plus the other features go to pba.com. Subscription price is $5.95 per month.
About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Motel 6, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com.

Here & There Column 1-13-09

Klatch Hopes For Peace Under New President

As we entered this new year our Sullivan County 'Coffee Klatch' gave our best wishes for success to President Elect Obama but also reminded our new president and Congress of the fact that no terror attacks on our country in 2009 was indeed no accident.
As we ground the coffee beans, which is our first step in making our fresh coffee, and baked our home made donuts (we bake them in the oven and do not fry them) several in our klatch (made up of three Republicans, three Democrats and one Independent) threw out the topic of it's a good time to think about why we have not had a terrorist attack in 2008.
Has it been just plain luck as some politicians and the media would make us believe or has it been a strong intelligence community that has kept any terrorist group from striking us here within the United States.
One of our klatch members noted that an uncle of his who had worked for the FBI for some 29 years pointed out to him that the reason we have not been attacked in the more than seven years after 9-11 is the hard work of the FBI, CIA and our military.
It seems that this former FBI agent worked with other agencies to bring about sweeping changes in the intelligence community and that after 9-11 this agency became more "prevention-oriented."
Several others in our group noted they had friends who had members of their families working for the 'intelligence community' and that although everything was kept as closed secrets it has been revealed through the media that the FBI and CIA didn't talk to each other very much but in 2005 Washington established the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Va., where 200 analysts from these two organization sit side-by-side analyzing threats 24-hours a day. Here a secure video conference takes place three times a day with all member of the intelligence community to analyze threats and parcel out leads.
We talked about the fact that the USA Patriot Act most likely is a good thing because it got the FBI into sharing information with each other and with the CIA.
All seven members of the Klatch, politics aside, unanimously agreed that the Patriot Act has allowed our intelligence community to gather information that has roped in many terrorists worldwide and many plots are never hatched because terrorists have been arrested, killed or sent back to their own countries and imprisoned.
Following several cups of fresh brewed Java and oven baked donuts three in our group pointed out how critical they were of the media in this war against terrorists. They scolded the media who they said demonize those who are trying to protect us and who portray the tools that uncover clues to plots as "spying on innocent Americans."
Our klatch is not always unanimous but potential terror attacks on us here in the good old USA showed we were a pretty close knit group on this subject.
We talked about the 2008 presidential elections and agreed that al-Qaida is intent on doing as much damage as they can to us and that President Elect Obama will have to continue on the offensive and must support an organization to deal with threats before they materialize.
As we raised our coffee cups to salute a new year we emphasized strong support in the war on terror ...... because a mistake results in dead people.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Bowling Highlights Column 1-9-09

Eddie Lake with his famous old Hammer bowling ball.
Old Hammer Ball Gets Eddie Lake His 9th 300

A change back to his old Hammer bowling ball proved to be the correct move for Monticello ace bowler Eddie Lake Monday night December 29 in the Monday Men's league at Kiamesha Lanes.
Eddie had been without his 18-year-old Hammer bowling ball as it was being repaired by Mickey Luongo down at Mike's Pro Shop in Middletown. He got the repaired ball back two weeks ago and the old Hammer resulted in revising the Eddie Lake "300 game Express" as he smashed the maples for his ninth career 300 game.
This 300 game was rolled in the second game of the night as Lake finished with 213, 300, 211, 724 on lanes 5 and 6.
Ed noted this week that his old Hammer had a little larger span on it after the repairs and it took him a little time to get use to the change in the span.
During the 2007-08 bowling season Lake recorded four 300 games. Eddie had a 300 on January 21, 2008, scored another 300 in the second game of a match November 9, 2008 in the Friday Night Mixed league making it his third perfect 300 game that season.
Eddie on October 1 and October 2 , 2007, made bowling history in Sullivan County by bowling 300 games on consecutive nights. Lake on Monday October 1 in the Monday Men's league smashed the maples for a 223, 300, 277, 800 series. The next night, Tuesday October 2, while a substitute bowler in the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters league he scored a 207, 300, 235 for a 732 series. Both leagues are at Kiamesha Lanes.
Lake, 45, now has nine career perfect games and all have been bowled with this 18-year-old Hammer bowling ball.
Eddie over the years has admitted that his Hammer bowling ball was showing some wear and tear as several years ago there was a big chunk of the ball missing at the top of his finger holes, which has since been repaired. He has also said that there was no need to change to any of the new modern style balls when he had scoring success with this ball.
His high 856 series was bowled in 2004 in the Wednesday Men's league at Kiamesha Lanes.
Eddie presently bowls in the Monday and Wednesday Men's leagues and the Friday Mixed Doubles league, all at Kiamesha Lanes. Ed's present average is 211 in the Monday league.
His team mates on the Monday Men's league team sponsored by Jeff Bank include Mickey Lake, Walter Koskey and Rick Lake. Ed noted that all the strikes were in the pocket except for one that was a little high.
Lake is single and is employed as a Foreman for Green's Demolition. He comes from a well known Sullivan County bowling family with brother Ricky Lake and mother Joan Lake.
Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

Bowlers: This week's tip is for bowlers using performance bowling balls. These balls are made of urethane, urethane with reactive additives, with or without particles.
All performance balls come out of the box with either some degree of matte finish, a compounded finish or polished finish.
When a manufacturer chooses a box finish for a bowling ball, many times it is for shelf appeal. All companies want you to choose their products. What you need to know as a customer is that the cover on your performance ball can be adjusted to best fit your needs.
What does this mean for a customer? To maximize your scoring ability on a given lane condition, the coverstock of your bowling ball should match the lane condition. If your ball is grabbing the lane too early, you will need some polish. If the ball is already polished, use a higher degree of polish, preferable something with a slip agent. T his will help you get the ball down the lane with less effort. The telltale sign of a ball grabbing the lane too soon is when you see the ball start to hook and then it stops hooking.
On the other hand, if your ball is skidding too far down the lane, you will need some surface friction on the ball. How much friction you need will depend on your ball speed, rev rate and the amount of oil on the lane. The degree of matte finish could be as little as 4000 or as much as 320.
Reminder, these are adjustments to fine tune you ball reaction. It is up to your Pro Shop professional to help you purchase the ball or balls with the proper core and cover to match booth your game and the lane surface on which you bowl. Depending on how serious you are about your bowling, and how many centers you bowl in, you may need more than one ball to help you match the conditions.
And always remember: your equipment should be cleaned each time it used.
Mike Luongo is technically certified through IBPSIA as a Pro Shop Operator and Master Instructor.. He is also a Silver Level Coach with the USBC and is also the Northeast Regional Sales Manager with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, Mike an be reached by calling 341-1694 or by sending an e-mail to mikespro@warwick.net

Ed's Outlook

I love to get together with folks who share great knowledge about this sport and the subject always turns to the fact that this sport depends on all of us who participate in the sport.
Selling this sport is really as easy as letting others know how much we enjoy the sport.
All league officers, association members and officers and league bowlers should sell the sport and let non-bowlers know about the fun of bowling and we should all be out there recruiting new league members.
An interesting question we as bowlers should be asking each other is how often do we speak about bowling's benefits to friends outside of our regular bowling circle.
Just a little casual conversation about the game you love will do more to create positive change in attitudes about the sport.
Always use a positive approach and lets all try to bring in new bowlers because when this happens the sport grows and this is very important to our great game of bowling.

PBA RETURNS TO ACTION

PBA action returned to the lanes this week following the holiday break.
The Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship took place Sunday through Tuesday and the event will be televised on Sunday, February 1 on ESPN at 2 p.m. ET.
The National Bowling Stadium Championship is presently underway at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, NV with the championship round taking place this Sunday (January 11) on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET.
Local Scores

Kiamesha Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Men's league include a 214, 202 by Nate Sanders, Andrew Douglass 200, David Graham 236, 212, 215, 664, Lloyd Bridges 259, 210, 223, 692, Keith Smith 229, 214, 623, Francisco Martinez 204, Mike Mason 205, Art Stevens 210, 237, 617, Roy Sweeney 210, Danny Ricco 225, 608, Mike Weiner 247, 611, Jim VanAken 200, 209, Jason Jones 201, Tom Belgiovene 235, John Hoffmann 245, 225, 203, 673, Rudy Belanchia 243, 213, 213, 669, Serafin Rodriguez 211, Jo Jo VanKeuren 204, 268, 670, Richard Levine 205, Tim Bilyeu 237, 257, 678, Harrison Cherry 213, Joey Smith 211, 202, Robert Hamilton 234, 245, 245, 724, Donald Durland 211, 256, 258, 725, Paul Durland 214, 211, 616, Jaryl Scott 210, 225, 613, Mark Wegener 225, 224, 229, 678, Al Caycho 217, 214, 201, 632, Jack Moylan 259, 235, 225, 719, Rob Sze 223, 221, 622, James Ratner 208, 227, 255, 690, Kort Wheeler 246, 208, 223, 677, Angel Rodriguez 202, Frank Scuderi 210, Eddie Lake 215, 202, Rick Lake 225, 235, 633 and Alan Jones 201, 269.
In the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters league Pat Mulhern scored a 222, 186, 564, Neil Bell Jr. 217, Bryan Babcock 210, John Cascone 225, 207, 611, Cecil Walters 220, Mary Lee Williams 199, 520, Dorian Jennings 193, 218, 587, Joan Lake 191, 518, Dan Allen 210, Peter Scannell 224, Jack Rustic 218, 211, 621, Jim Gerrard 192, 237, Stan Gilmore 203, 206, Lisa Cartwright 188, 512, Larry Berens 211, Roy Karpp 201, Tom Cooney 214, 212, Debbie Durland 191, 214, 584, Kevin Stackhouse 216, John Fischer 210, 267, 669, John Hoffmann 226, 226, 644, Robert Yakin Sr. 202, 218, Kris Gwiozdowski 203, 226, Barbara Yeomans 191, 504 and Linda Schaefer 189.
In the Saturday Morning Youth leagues, in the Pee Wees division G. VanAken scored a 93 and T. Porter 83. In the Bantams division S. Patel 127 and N. Edwards 107. In the Preps division R. Patel scored a 136, M. Shaver 78, 78, 74 and N. Scudari 82 and 109. In the Jr./Mjrs division K. Patel scored a 166, 167, S. Patel 170, 156, S. Comfort 95, M. Scuderi 195, 183, N. Price 183, 191, S. Sinistorie 188, E. Walsh 204, 223, T. Toxwell 142, 146, K. Gessman 156, M. Edwards 141 and S. Durland 124.

Fox Bowling Center

Recent highlight scores in the Tuesday Ladies Early Birds league include a 505 by Diane Miller, Sally Ballard 201, 184, Louise Botsford 180, Kathleen Maltese 202, 538, Tammy Kane 508, Cheryle Ostrander 200, Anne Couse 191, Kate Resti 191 and Jennifer Raymond 184.
In the Friday Mixed Couples league Andy Bullis scored a 222, 253, 657, Greg Keesler 216, 201, 233, 650, James Dibble 212, 247, 647, Daniel Wormuth 214, 237, 637, Bill Gleim 246, 614, Nick Hazen 240, 605, Anne Couse 195, 225, 182, 602, Gary Resti 267, 602, Howard Couse 211, 206, Scott Ellis 209, Rick Mills 205, 216, Carl Davis 202, Cecil Spencer 202, Mark McGraw 211, Kristina Couse 202, 524, Hope Jones 502 and Dana McGraw 190.
In the Sunday Afternoon Mixed Fun league Ray Cornwell scored a 232, 207, Don Marino 267, 221, 662, Dave Mills 228, 216, 621Jean Mills 181 and Rick Mills 215, 203, 611.

Callicoon Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Hortonville Ladies league include a 181 by Joann Brockner, Donna DuBois 184, Joan Gabriel 192, 182, 521, Ginny Connell 190, Pat Peters 207, 521 and Rebecca Rhodes 202.
In the Tuesday Delaware Valley Men's league Eri;c Kubenik scored a 217, Damien Vanluven 203, Charlie Reichenback 203 and Joel Turner 213.

This column is written by Ed Townsend, who is a consultant to the professional sport of bowling. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Tri-County NY United States Bowling Congress (USBC where he serves as Publicity Chairman. If you have a topic that would make good reading or have league scores and tournament information, Ed can be reached at 845-439-8177 or by e-mail at bowlgolfect1@yahoo.com For a much more expanded edition of this bowling column visit our Web site at http://bght.blogspot.com
START THE NEW YEAR OFF WITH A POWER SWING

Bowlers who want to continue their New Year’s celebrations into the second half of the season will find performance and excitement in the new Columbia 300 Power Swing. Its powerful performance is the stuff that bowling dreams are made of. “Power Swing is the ultimate ball for anyone in search of more overall hook and control,” said Chad Murphy, brand manager. “With a brand new core and our energized NE2Maxx cover, Power Swing is strike hungry.” The latest high performance beauty from Columbia 300l, Power Swing features the new TriRib asymmetric core that provides a higher RG (2.51) plus greater differential (0.051) than the successful Resurgence. This aggressive core is covered in Columbia 300’s established NE2Maxx veneer for extra punch in medium to heavy oil. Available now in Black/Red/Silver and 12 – 16 pounds, Power Swing is on a power trip to the winner’s circle. For more information, visit www.columbia300.com. Based in Hopkinsville, Kent., Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that currently services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets both domestically and internationally. The company's consumer product brands include Ebonite, Hammer, Robby's, Columbia 300, Track and Powerhouse™. Its commercial product brands are Ebonite VanTech Capital Equipment and Ebonite Bowling Center Direct.
HAMMER 411…HOT SAUCE PEARL

The competition’s heating up and Hammer can only say, “Burn, baby, burn.” Introducing the new Hot Sauce Pearl, available February 3, 2009. “Using the established Contrusion core of the Sauce series and new Skid Flip Aggressive Edge coverstock concoction from Hammer’s R&D specialists, Hot Sauce Pearl is the most dangerous ball from Hammer this season,” said brand manager, Jeff Ussery. “Hot Sauce Pearl takes a flaming approach to the pins with enough burn to rock the house on the backend. If you can’t take the heat, go home.”Performance Specs:• Aggressive skid/flip motion for flame-throwing power and control • Skid Flip Aggressive Edge coverstock – new! • Contrusion core – low Mass Bias/Non-Symmetric • 2000-grit Abralon® finish Sanded with Powerhouse Factory Finish Polish • Black/Violet/Blue • 12 – 16 pounds • Worldwide release date: February 3, 2009 "The friction caused by Hot Sauce Pearl and its 2000-grit polished cover is enough to burn down even the toughest conditions," added Ussery. Nothing Hits Like a Hammer®. To find the pro shop nearest you, visit the Goods section of www.hammerbowling.com. Hammer is headquartered in Hopkinsville, Kent. Hammer is a proud sponsor of The National Bowling Association TNBA. ###
ROTH, PETRAGLIA, MACPHERSON ELECTED TO USBC HALL OF FAME

ARLINGTON, Texas - Three of the most successful players in professional
bowling history have been elected to the United States Bowling Congress
Hall of Fame in the Superior Performance category.

Mark Roth, 57, of Fulton, N.Y.; John Petraglia, 61, of Jackson, N.J.,
and Wendy Macpherson, 40, of Henderson, Nev., will be inducted during
the USBC Convention in Reno, Nev., on Friday, May 1.

Roth, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native, is widely credited with introducing the
high-revolution power game into the sport. Roth’s unorthodox style
produced 34 Professional Bowlers Association titles including a
remarkable 14 victories over a two-year span (1978-79). His eight titles
in 1978 stand as the most victories in a single year by a PBA player.

Roth also is a two-time PBA Senior Tour champion and banked more than
$1.6 million during his career. He won Bowling Writers Association of
America Bowler of the Year honors in 1977, вЂ˜78, вЂ˜79 and вЂ˜84 and
was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1987.

“I’m surprised. I didn’t think I’d ever get in,” Roth said.
“It’s a great honor. I got the call from USBC President Jeff BojГ©
on New Year’s Eve, so it was a great way to bring in the New Year. At
least I get to go in before I die so I can enjoy it.”

Petraglia, also a Brooklyn native, is a 14-time PBA champion and one of
five players in PBA history to complete the Triple Crown. After winning
his first PBA title at age 19, Petraglia won the Firestone Tournament of
Champions in 1971, U.S. Open in 1977 and the PBA National Championship
in 1980. Billy Hardwick, Pete Weber, Mike Aulby and Norm Duke are the
only others in the “Triple Crown Club.”

Petraglia also was part of two teams that won American Bowling Congress
Classic Team titles before the Classic Division was terminated, and he
owns six PBA Senior Tour titles. He is the only PBA bowler to win three
consecutive televised tournament titles, one of three who have won PBA
titles in five different decades, and one of 17 who have bowled
nationally-televised 300 games.

“I was very, very surprised. It was a shock, but it was wonderful
news,” Petraglia said. “I thought it would take two or three years
at least. It’s pretty special to be recognized alongside guys like
Andy Varipapa and Dick Weber and all the great players who are in the
hall.”

Petraglia and Roth were both pleased to be elected in the same year.

“Mark and I basically grew up together, even though I’m four years
older,” Petraglia said. “Mark and I won a Paramus league one year,
and the Met Classic league another year. We were good bowlers when we
were young, but you never know how things are going to turn out. Looking
back, it’s a big surprise to see what we’ve accomplished.”

Macpherson, a 20-time Professional Women’s Bowling Association
champion, made her presence known on the women’s scene as an
18-year-old amateur when she won the Women’s U.S. Open for her first
title. Since then she became the youngest woman to win the tour’s
Triple Crown, captured three USBC Queens titles, was selected Woman
Bowler of the Year four times and became the all-time earnings leader in
women’s professional bowling with $1.2 million in 2003 when the PWBA
ceased operations.

“It was a great way to begin the New Year,” Macpherson said.
“I’m honored. It’s very, very exciting.”

Macpherson also is the only woman to win a USBC Open Championships
title, firing an 812 series to win the 2006 Regular Singles crown in
Corpus Christi, Texas.

“I think it’s a combination of all the fabulous years and the many
years, 20 years, that represents your career,” she said. “I did a
little bit of reminiscing of how wonderful bowling has been to me over
the years, how much I’ve enjoyed it and been blessed to be able to do
it for so many years and am still doing it.”

She was the leading vote-getter among the 12 candidates considered by
USBC’s panel of veteran bowling writers and hall of famers, named on
146 of 158 ballots cast for 92.41 percent to easily exceed the 70
percent majority needed for election. Roth received 130 votes (82.28
percent) while Petraglia received 117 votes (74.05).

Other men’s candidates were: Marshall Holman, Medford, Ore., 105
votes (66.46); Del Ballard Jr., Keller, Texas, 59 votes (37.34); Dave
Husted, Milwaukie, Ore., 27 votes (17.09), and Amleto Monacelli,
Barquisimeto, Venezuela, 16 votes (10.13).

Other women’s candidates were: Shirley Levens, Titusville, Fla., 79
votes (50); Dede Davidson, Buellton, Calif., 65 votes (41.14); Cheryl
Robinson, Oceanside, Calif., 51 votes (32.28); and Jackie Mitskavitch,
DuBois, Pa., and Michelle Mullen, Farmington Hills, Mich., each with 20
votes (12.66).

The USBC Hall of Fame was created in 2005 by merging the former ABC and
Women’s International Bowling Congress Halls of Fame. With the three
new inductees selected by the committee, there are now 375 members of
the USBC Hall of Fame - 246 in Performance, 110 in Meritorious Service
and 19 Pioneers.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body,
ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides
programs and services to nearly 2.5 million adult and youth members and
enhances the bowling experience.