Monday, February 28, 2011

Here & There Column 3-1-11

Eliminate Liberty Village Court

There really is no need to keep a village court in operation in the Village of Liberty unless folks decide that "politics as usual" should prevail over cost savings to village taxpayers.
If voters and residents of the village think that the village court issue just recently cropped up it's interesting to learn that those on the village board who support retention of the village court were informed over a year ago that adjustments made to the court bank account failed because funds in the system were out of balance with the bank balance.
What started out to be the legal process to abolish its court system and have the Town of Liberty take over court operations appears now to have become a difference in political opinion with three Republicans on the village board, Mayor Richard Winters along with Trustees Shirley Lindsley and Corinne McGuire voting to abolish the court system and two Democrat village board trustees, Louis Alvarez and Joan Stoddard voting against the move.
Democrat Village Justice Harold Bauman somewhat added to the political side of this issue by voicing opposing to the merger.
Three members of the board approving a resolution January 10 automatically placing a resolution on the March 15 ballot.
The political trend today and endorsed heavily by Gov. Andrew Cuomo is towards consolidation of local governments and this is what Mayor Winters and Trustees Lindsley and McGuire are working towards. Politicians who continue to think that government can continue the way it has in the past are out of step with reality and the financial crisis all governments are faced with today. States, counties and most local governments are broke and elimination and consolidation of this costly court system is the only way to go.
Letting the folks (taxpayers and residents) make the decision is definitely the way to go and the issue is quite simple.....It should be what it is......an issue which is presently costing the Village of Liberty anywhere from $28,000 to $50,000 a year and consolidation of the village and town court services would eliminate $150,000 in expenditures from the financially strapped village and village residents would not lose any of the court services.
As a result of working towards resolving the court issue talk overheard recently at a Liberty restaurant centered around the subject of a 2008 study involving merging of services or the village being dissolved and the very simple fact that the folks in both the town and village cannot afford any increase in taxes.
It's unbelievable to think that both the Village and Town of Liberty cannot work together for the benefit of all their constituents.
Liberty Village voters have a simple issue to decide here. One doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to see that the village can save taxpayers dollars by doing away with their present court system.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Bowling Highlights Column 2-25-11

59th Fox Tournament Scheduled

The 59th annual Fox Bowling Center Handicap Tournament at Hancock, NY will begin on March 26 and will run through May 1.
The tournament is open to men, woman and mixed team, doubles and singles events.
For Saturday events, March 26, bowling times are 12:30 and 4 p.m. and for April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, bowling times are 12:30, 4 and 7 p.m. There are no doubles and singles events on May 1.
Sunday bowling times are March 7, April 3, 10, 17 and May 1 at 1 p.m.
Each squad will feature a 50/50 raffle and prize money is paid high over average scratch in an individual series, each squad, any event.
First place team cash prizes based on 120 entries include handicap team $2,011, women only scratch $225 and men only scratch $1,000. First place doubles scratch and handicap is both $200.
The tournament also offers an optional event best two out of three games scratch (must be bowled in team event). First place for men is $250 and $75 for women. This event paid over $1,200 in prizes last year.
Total tournament prize money paid last year was over $12,150.
Team event entry fee is $130, singles event is $26 per person and doubles event is $52 per person. The optional event is $3 additional per bowler.
All entries must be accompanied by total entry fee.
Tournament director is Bill Gleim and he can be reached at 607-637-4401.

The Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

Bowlers: This week's tip is for any bowler who ends up out of balance at the foul line when delivering a bowling ball.
If you find yourself unable to finish your delivery in a strong , balanced position, it may be a result of your follow through,It is very important that when you follow through on your delivery, you do not reach out with your arm, but up with your follow through.
The reason? If you reach out, the weight of the ball will pull your upper body forward and may cause you to lose your balance.
However, if you reach up, you can stay planted in a strong , solid position to deliver your bowling ball with accuracy and leverage.
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 an Advisor along with being involved with Special Events with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by telephone at 435-720-7939 or via email at mikel@stormbowling.com

PBA News

The 68th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open is being staged in North Brunswick, NJ this week.
Live telecast begins Friday (Feb. 25) at 6 p.m.. on ESPN2 and on Saturday (Feb. 26) at 10 p.m.on ESPN2. The Sunday finals is at 3 p.m. on ESPN.

This column is written by Ed Townsend, a public relations consultant to the amateur and professional sport of bowling and to several bowling writers associations. If you have a topic that would make good reading or have league and tournament scores and information, Ed can be reached by phone at 845-439-8177, vie email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com, by fax at 845-230-8674. For an expanded version of this bowling column, please visit our Web Page at http://bght.blogspot.com This column is also available on Facebook.
LOCAL BOWLING SCORES
BY ED TOWNSEND

Beechwood Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Ladies League included a 168 game and a 176 game by Jackie Gieger, Wendy Finn 152, Amanda Irwin 152, Dot McCormack 157, Debbie Murphy 157, Jodsy Schanil 152, 159, Barbara Cady 156, 166, Diane Conroy 150 and Diane Staves 151, 173.
In the Tuesday Ladies League, Joyce Brooks 181, Debbie Loughrey 170, 161, 468, Pat Peters 167, 487 and Lillian Zieres 467.

Fox Bowling Center

Recent highlight scores in the Tuesday Ladies Early Birds League included a 180 game, a 209 game and a 523 series by Linda Ferris, Dawn Mclenon 501, Trisha Peterson 211, Jen Smith 232, 567, Brianna Walker 235, 548 and Becky Williams 188, 516.
In the Wednesday Men’s Independent League, Steve Aitken 234, 663, Al Bullis Sr. 610, Cody Conway 235, 241, 268, 744, Frank Couse Sr. 232, 234, 693, Frank Couse Jr. 236, 660, Jim Dibble 235, 299, 749, Jack Hazen 632, Gregory Keesler 249, 643, Ryan Kille 246, 232, 665, Josh Milucky 228, 227, 669, Neil Mosher 227, 671, Walt Oralls 619, Mitch Persbacker 244, 612, Rich Rigas 618, Paul Siegler 602, Tim Smith 625, Zuke Wormuth 232, 671 and Jay Wormuth 256, 650.
In the Thursday Men’s Deposit National League, Andy Bullis 235, 674, Craig Conklin 247, 237, 708, Matt Conklin 245, 236, 695, Mike Costello 652, Frank Couse Sr. 234, Jeff Curtis 612, Carl Davis 236, 648, Chet Delameter 243, 236, 658, Jim Dibble 279, 682, Greg Keesler 247, 655, Dan Koch 231, John Lanner 232, 626, Rich Lenio 231, 615, Matt May 605, Rick Mills 234, Neil Mosher 248, 662, Dan Wormuth 229, 668 and Jeremy Wormuth 249, 232, 657.
In the Friday Mixed Doubles Couples League, Andie Rose Bullis 189, Howard Couse Sr. 245, Frank Couse Sr. 232, 613, Carl Davis 243, 236, 681, Crystal Ellis 214, Hope Jones 190, 506, Bonnie LaDuke 198, 513, Dave Lester 628, John Marino Jr. 268, 614, Dana McGraw 183, 198, 532, Mark McGraw 227, Dawn Mclenon 194, Kathy Mills 180, Sheri Oralls 184, 197, 522, Walt Oralls 243, 231, 679, Jen Smith 203, 211, 210, 624, Tim Smith 609, Jay Wormuth 635 and Jeremy Wormuth 225, 613.
In the Sunday Afternoon Mixed Fun League, Dave Mills 234, Savanna Mills (youth girls’ scores) 160, 138, 421 and Parker Tiffany (youth boys’ scores) 236, 195, 171, 602.

Kiamesha Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Men’s League included a 225 game and 610 series by Craig Wilhelm, Al Caycho 227, 639, Jon Wilhelm 269, 278, 737, John Hoffmann 225, 227, 629, Rick Lake 247, 268, 729, Jack Moylan 255, 226, 695, Robert Sze 227, 631, Kort Wheeler 225, 249, 689, James Ratner 233, 245, 254, 732, Keith Hackett 279, 674, Ronnie Totten 226, 298, 220, 744, Kevin Stackhouse 625, Donald Durland 265, 287, 766, Jaryl Scott 258, 681, Vinnie Collura 233, 672, David Graham 235, 649, Nate Sanders 246, 227, 678, John Fischer 238, Larry Berens 609, Dean Shattuck 606, Timothy Minton 235, 225, Gregory Fallon 248, 644, Frank Scuderi 612, Matt Fallon 257, 229, 672 and Steven Rivera 235.
In the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters League, Edward Welsh 269, 255, 739, Russ Keesler 247, 688, Shane Cunningham 243, 233, 678, Ryan Lepke 266, 676, Jon Wilhelm 232, 236, 662, Laresko Niifa 225, 616, Ed Guthrie 248, 616, Kris Gwiozdowski 612, Frank DiConstanzo 610, Craig Wilhelm 245, 606, Stan Gilmore 602, Mike Friedman 228, Debbie Durland 192, 206, 193, 591, Andrea Grosssman 180, 213, 569, Mary Lee Williams 212, 539, Linda Schaefer 183, 183, 525, Lisa Cartwright 180, 181, 516, Carena Collura 189, 510, Heather Dobell 503 and Joan Lake 181, 181.
In the Wednesday Men’s League, Paul Durland 257, 647, Steve Belgiovene 238, Tom Belgiovene 248, 236, 241, 725, John Hoffmann 256, 227, 683, Kevin Stackhouse 244, 641, Eddie Lake 233, 238, 233, 704, David Graham 231, Craig Wilhelm 231, 605, Cecil Walters 234, 627, Shane Deitchman 231, Shane Sinislorie 266, 641, Nick Price 247, Edward Walsh 233, 231, 685, Jody Farquhar 243, 610, Matt Fallon 238, 234, 671, Jon Wilhelm 247, 647, Richard Bradford 225, 247, 230, 702, Donald Durland 238, 280, 278, 796, Shane Cunningham 235, 673 and Kyle Shivers 277, 237, 268, 782.
In the Thursday Ladies League, Liz Stubits 189, 524, Valerie Fersch 188, 184, 509, Pat Shuart 181, 514, Debbie Durland 223, 180, 203, 606, Mary Lee Williams 213, 203, 567, Tracey Barres 220, 180, 566, Bonnie Geraine 195, 549, Joan Lake 204, 194, 202, 600, Barbara Durbak 193, 181, 545, Christine Schultz 214, 519, Christine Loucks 188, Jennifer Parisi 200 and Mardette Wilcox 206, 537.
In the Friday Night Mixed League, David Graham 268, 691, Eddie Lake 225, 246, 685, Jaryl Scott 245, 654, Alpesh Patel 235, 237, 653, Paul Berens 244, 235, 650, Frank Emmens 248, 631, Frank Scuderi 630, Leroy Williams 624, Tom Palmer 249, 621, Dan Ricco 236, 610, Roy Sweeney 609, Matthew Jahn 608, Larry Berens 225, Joan Lake 208, 203, 206, 617, Antionette Rau 234, 211, 594, Mary Lee Williams 185, 192, 209, 586, Mary Ann Drobysh-Berens 194, 223, 584, Laura Palmer 188, 204, 552, Carolyn Williams 180, 191, 536, Trasey Barres 194, 201, 534, Christa Sweeney 182, 180, 532, Cathy Carpenter 187, 198, 527, Tolakii Deylii 187, 522, Linda Schaefer 196, 521, Barbara Yeomans 183, 506 and Jillian Kuchar 207.

Liberty Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Sunday Mixed League included Rich Winters Sr. with a 220 game, a 213 game and a 611 series, Bob Feeney 265, 609, Thomas Fix 198, 203, 579, Jerry Scandore 244, 573 and Robert Cady 225, 198.
In the Monday Men’s League, Pete Meachum 202, 215, 268, 685, Thomas Fix 232, 222, 197, 651, Ralph Coney 205, 213, 228, 646, Jason Jones Sr. 212, 210, 202, 624, Ed Blume Sr. 213, 211, 198, 622, Kyle Stevens 218, 212, 611, Paul Minton 230, 218, 609, Rudy Belanchia 109, 222, 596, Chris Stevens 229, 570, Andy Cooke 243, Chris McKay 211, Ray Stanishia 211, Carl Houghtaling 207, Walt Edwards 190, 205, Jason Jones Jr. 199 and Ed Blume Jr. 193.
In the Shop Rite League, Bryan Thomas 174, 160, 445, Pam Potter 164, 150, 430, James Thomas 158, Fred Seaman 155, 145, 402, Lou Baggatta 153, 145, 402, Brandon Hinkley 153, 152, 431, Billy Parkingson 151, 132, 407, Mary Heinle 146, Barbara Brundage 141, 140, Scott Potter 131, Sue DeMestrio 126, 122, Jamie Sosis 123, 110, 102, 335, Joanne Lotz 122, 78, Bobby Waters 122, 116, Colleen Freer 120, 116, 108, 344, Jeff Frey 119, 86, 119, 324, Heather Hinkley 114, 101, Judy Didinsky 111, Josh Burk 107, 78, 74, Katie Ahart 103, 95, Beverly Parsons 102, 98, Betty Whitehead 94, 82, 94, May Meyers 90 and Colleen Lewis 73.
In the Wednesday Men’s League, Kyle Stevens 239, 226, 236, 701, Thomas Fix 206, 221, 236, 663, Anthony Atkins 236, 246, 659, Paul Minton 215, 223, 622, Dwayne Cabrera 210, 214, 597, Chris Stevens 210, 200, 592, Jim Fiore 198, 205, 587, Jason Jones Jr. 223, 222, 587, Ralph Coney 225, 190, 586, Wayne Fox 213, 584, Herbie Sklar 216, Ed Blume Sr. 214, Justin Lopez 212, John Lopez 210, Juan Lopez 209, 194, Jerry Scandore 205, Scott Austin 203, Merlin Bound 203, Chuck McAllister 203, Glenn Norris 202, Pete Meachum 198, Rich Bivins 193, Keith Smith 193 and Tony Mears 191.
In the Thursday Ladies League, Betty Schleiermacher 197, 181, 516, Cindy Smith 201, 514, Krissy Goldsmith 174, 494, Billie Jo Bound 170, 490, JoAnne Wright 177, Darlene Mantzouratos 173, Dawn Gorton 170 and Audrey Woolard 170..
In the Friday Mixed League, Robert Fix III 208, 191, 201, 600, Wendy Swan 175, 176, 503, Alan LaBounty 211, 199, Rich Kushner 204, Jim Fiore 195, Maureen Crescitelli 173 and Betty Dole 171.
In the Saturday Mixed League, Kyle Stevens 248, 196, 268, 712, Jon Wayne 210, 224, 203, 627, Thomas Fix 211, 224, 607, Herbie Sklar 223, 198, 590, Walt Edwards 193, 213, 587, Angie Desmond 189, 484, Keith Smith 248, Lary Goldenberg 204, Anthony Atkins 194, 198, Shannon Carman 196, Kevin Norris 194 and Geo Crary 191.
In the Liberty Elks Bumper League, Colin Flynn 61, Paige Ottino 58 and Alli Dworetsky 39.
In the Liberty Elks Bantam League, Owen Siegel 121, 84, 205, Marie Lyons 108, 77, 185, Sean McMahon 108, 99, 207, Lindie Siegel 84, David Schiff 73, 60, 133, Dara Schiff 72, Jarod Hellerer 70, Gabriel Florez 69, 61, 130, Myan Florez 63, Corrine Hellerer 62, 45, 107, Kayla McMahon 61, 58, 119, Kyle Flynn 61, 46, 107 and Emma Dworetsky 44.
In the Liberty Elks Teenage League, Ryan Feeney 185, 133, 145, 459, Brendan Sigel 180, 163, 142, 485, Anthony Kolarik 177, 430, Louie Brahm 149, 149, 437, Ryan McDowell 139, 111, Robby Lyons 135, Cameron Reichenbaugh 128, Thomas McCausland 127, 124, Hanrii Padu 126, Robby Allegretta 121, Robby Feeney 120, Nick Carriere 107, Glen McCausland 104 and Dylan Rivera 100.


TAYLOR SWIFT BOWLS OVER

JUSTIN BIEBER TO BECOME CELEBRITY
INDUCTEE INTO INTERNATIONAL
BOWLING MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME

The public has spoken and country music sensation Taylor Swift is the fan's choice as the 2010 celebrity inductee into the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. With nearly 1.3 million votes cast online at www.gobowling.com, Swift topped pop star Justin Bieber in a hotly contested race to forever secure her place in bowling history. Swift and Bieber were among nine celebrity nominees selected by the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA) for their public support of the sport of bowling. Placing at a distant third to Swift and Bieber was comic legend and former "King Pin" star Bill Murray who went on a late run to amass nearly 20,000 online votes during National Bowling Week (July 31 to August 7), an impressive total, but not nearly enough to catch Swift or Bieber who each garnered more than 600,000 votes. Rounding out the bottom of the competition was late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon who netted just 623 votes. The results of the Celebrity Hall of Fame vote were first reported in the August 23rd issue of OK! Magazine.

"In many ways Taylor Swift perfectly represents the current face of bowling, especially as the sport enjoys unprecedented growth in popularity among youth, women and young adults," said Steve Johnson, executive director of the BPAA. "While we are grateful to Justin Bieber and all of our candidates for their enthusiasm for our great sport, we are tremendously proud to welcome Ms. Swift as our celebrity inductee into the Hall of Fame and we extend our deepest congratulations to her and the hundreds of thousands of fans who cast votes on her behalf."

For the first time in bowling history, the industry opened the Hall of Fame celebrity induction process to the fans - and the votes rolled in. Since the fan polls opened July 12, nearly 1.3 million votes were cast in a fierce competition that has seen the front-runner position shift multiple times between Swift and Bieber. Additionally, underscoring the global popularity of bowling, the BPAA reported that votes were cast by individuals in all 50 states and across 113 countries.

As released today by the BPAA and OK! Magazine, below are the final vote tallies among the nine Celebrity Hall of Fame nominees:

1. Taylor Swift..............................................................613,324 votes
2. Justin Bieber.............................................................608,015 votes
3. Bill Murray..................................................................21,451 votes
4. Jeff Bridges................................................................14,754 votes
5. Pauley Perrette.............................................................9,472 votes
6. Kim Kardashian............................................................3,628 votes
7. Dwight Howard................................................................779 votes
8. Chris Paul.......................................................................663 votes
9. Jimmy Fallon...................................................................623 votes

Below is bowling background information on the celebrity nominees:

· Taylor Swift - Since country music star Taylor Swift's rise to fame, she has been frequently spotted and photographed hitting the lanes with celebrity friends like Selena Gomez and Cory Monteith.

· Justin Bieber - Teenage heart throb Justin Bieber demonstrated his love of bowling in the music video for his smash hit single "Baby," that has garnered nearly 232 million views on YouTube. Bieber also hosted a bowling-themed release party in New York City for his album "My World 2.0," where he defeated R&B star and New York radio personality Nick Cannon in a bowling showdown.

· Jeff Bridges - Oscar award-winning actor Jeff Bridges starred as "The Dude" in the 1998 critically acclaimed bowling film "The Big Lebowski." In Bridges' role he reinvented "cool" and the movie has since become a cult classic.

· Bill Murray - Comic genius Bill Murray starred as the memorable Ernie McCracken in the 1996 comedy "King Pin." Since his role as the flamboyant McCracken, Murray has been a bowling icon with the popularity of his character living on through millions of Internet views.

· Pauley Perrette - Perrette is best known for her portrayal as the lovable and upbeat gothic forensic scientist Abbey Sciuto who regularly enjoys bowling with nuns in the hit CBS series NCIS.

· Kim Kardashian - Photographs of Kim Kardashian at bowling centers and charity bowling events have graced the covers of celebrity magazines and tabloids nationwide. Kardashian also showed her skills on the lanes with sister Khloe on her hit reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."

· Dwight Howard - A true bowling aficionado, NBA all-star center Dwight Howard frequently hosts charity bowling tournaments in Orlando and has been honored in the pages of U.S. Bowler Magazine for his support of the sport.

· Chris Paul - NBA all-star point guard Chris Paul is an avid bowler who has served as an advocate and youth ambassador for the United States Bowling Congress. Paul, who dubs bowling his "second favorite sport" regularly runs a celebrity invitational pro-am bowling tournament on the PBA tour that pairs celebrities with professional bowlers.

· Jimmy Fallon - The former Saturday Night Live star turned late night talk show host regularly conducts zany segments with celebrity guests including Grapefruit Bowling with Jennifer Anniston, Drew Barrymore's bowling ball lick and a perennial show favorite - Human Bowling.
PBA’s Xtra Frame Gets
Major Upgrade through
Partnership with NeuLion


The Professional Bowlers Association has entered into a partnership agreement with NeuLion, Inc., which will dramatically improve video quality, ease of viewing and provide numerous other improvements to the PBA’s Xtra Frame online video streaming service when it debuts in September.

As part of its ongoing goal to make Xtra Frame the world leader in online bowling content, the PBA has entered into a partnership with the world leader in providing live and on-demand sports and variety programming delivered via broadband to the international Internet community.

NeuLion, which provides its digital services to the National Football League, National Hockey League and a number of NCAA teams among others, will become the platform for PBA’s Xtra Frame. Bowling fans will continue to “connect” to Xtra Frame through pba.com, the PBA’s official website, but will find the new Xtra Frame home page will have a dramatically different look and will offer a new series of online experiences including enhanced video quality, pause and rewind of live streams, highlights, chat, exclusive on-demand content and more.

“Partnering with an established industry leader such as NeuLion is another step in the rapid, continual growth in quality, scope and viewership of Xtra Frame,” said PBA COO and Deputy Commissioner Tom Clark. “Our fans are going to love the added features and benefits and will feel closer to PBA action than ever before. We selected NeuLion because it gives us a single-solution provider and its experience in the sports marketplace is important to us.”


PBA’s effort to enhance its digital business stemmed from the need to unlock the social potential of the sport for the casual and avid fan in the wake of Xtra Frame’s steadily growing popularity. NeuLion’s cutting-edge technology dovetails perfectly with the PBA’s expansion into the social networking world, and the PBA’s official website will provide the launch pad for interaction with the bowling community around the world.


As an example, because bowling is a leading recreational sport in Japan, Xtra Frame will be available for fans in Japan and NeuLion will implement its multi-language support services to offer landing pages, sign up promotions and order flow in Japanese.

The NeuLion platform also will provide the PBA with new opportunities to provide subscribers with a wider variety of subscription options, and the ability to view content without the need to install special software.

“The NeuLion Platform will offer the PBA additional features in the future for e-commerce, auction and mobile video. As we partner with PBA and build its digital business, bowling fans will find more and more products and services available,” said Chris Wagner, Executive Vice President of NeuLion.

The new PBA video service will launch in September, and will be fully operational for daily coverage of the PBA World Series of Bowling, Oct. 24-Nov. 6, at South Point Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nev., the kickoff event of the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Here & There Column 2-22-11

Jury Duty Is Everyone's Responsibility

While serving jury duty a number of years ago a friend of mine remarked to me, "why did you let them choose you as a juror, I give them every excuse I can just to get out of it."
Sitting back trying to analyze those remarks I simply stated it's our responsibility to serve when you are summoned to serve in supreme, county, district or city courts.
And your given the opportunity to ask for one automatic postponement so fulfill your responsibility to serve the court system.
I had a friend town justice tell me many years ago that folks in the United States should be reminded that in some countries those taken into custody are not given the opportunity to have a jury decide their fate. Jurors are an important part of our great judicial system.....pitch in and make it work for all of us.
Folks have remarked in general conversation that they never signed up for jury duty and do not understand that their name can be selected at random from lists obtained from the Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Labor, voter registration lists and New York State Income Tax filers. If you collect unemployment insurance or family assistance your name will be also be on file.
What some folks do not understand is that jury duty is not only their responsibility but is also mandatory and for those who think they can get away with it there can be both civil or criminal penalties.
Believe me folks, jury duty does not hurt and at times it's a great educational experience and if you are working your employer must allow you time off from work to serve as a juror.
Your not going to get rich on jury duty pay as it's only $40 per day and in many cases your employer will continue your salary.
Next time you get jury notice don't blow it off, become a responsible citizen and become part of the family of more than 600,000 people who serve annually in New York State.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Bowling Highlights Column 2-18-11

Eddie Lake

Gregory Fallon



Fallon And Lake Score 800 Series

Forty-four year-old Gregory Fallon of Ellenville and 47-year-old Monticello bowler Eddie Lake recorded 800 plus series recently in league play at Kiamesha Lanes.
Fallon blasted the maples for a 835 on February 2 in the Wednesday Men's league off single games of 280, 279, 276 on lanes 7 and 8 using a Storm Virtural Gravity bowling ball.
His previous high series was a 792 and his current average is 227.
Fallon has been bowling for 26 years and presently only bowls in this one league with the Goin Postal team consisting of team members Matt Fallon, Jon Wilhelm, Richard Bradford and Donald Durland.
Gregory is single and the father of four sons, Matt, Adam, Alex and Grey.
He is employed as a postal carrier with the Kingston NY Post Office.
Lake recorded an 817 series on February 7 in the Monday Men's league off single games of 269, 258, 290 using his old Hammer bowling ball.
He presently has a 233 average in the Monday Men's league and a 225 average in the Wednesday Men's league and a 220 plus average in the Friday Mixed Doubles league.
Eddie has 12 career 300 games and continues to prove the fact that some of the old bowling equipment can still do the job.
His high 856 series was bowled in 2004 in the Wednesday Men's league at Kiamesha Lanes.
Lake is single and comes from a well known Sullivan County bowling family with brother Ricky Lake and mother Joan Lake.

The 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 good 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 with an instructor who uses video technology to completely analyze your game.
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 the IBPSIA as a Pro Shop Operator and Master Instructor. He is also a Silver Level Coach with the USBC and is an Advisor along with being involved with Special Events with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by telephone at 435-720-7939 or via email at mikel@stormbowling.com

PBA News

Tom Hess defeated Jack Jurek, 225-214 to win the 2011 Bayer United States Bowling Congress Masters last Sunday afternoon on ESPN.



This column is written by Ed Townsend, a public relations consultant to the amateur and professional sport of bowling and to several bowling writers associations. If you have a topic that would make good reading, or have league and tournament scores and information, Ed can be reached by phone at 845-439-8177, via e-mail at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com and by fax at 845-230-8674. For a more expanded version of the bowling column, please visit our Web Page at http://bght.blogspot.com/ This column is also available on Facebook.
LOCAL BOWLING SCORES
BY ED TOWNSEND

Beechwood Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Ladies League included Jackie Gieger with a 185 game, a 167 game and a 505 series, Jodi Gulley 154, Lori Kimmes 163, 152, Barbara Cady 177, 186, 502, Wendy Finn 163, 197, Jody Schanil 150, 162 and Karen Borowski 150.
In the Tuesday Ladies League, Lillian Zieres 208, 177, 542, Kelly Gombito 179, Barbara Cady 173 and Debbie Loughrey 172.

Fox Bowling Center

Recent highlight scores in the Tuesday Ladies Early Birds League included Brianna Walker with a 242 game and 543 series, Barb Christian 188, Liz Marino 192 and Jen Smith 187.
In the Wednesday Men’s Independent League, Steve Aitken 234, 232, 645, Ed Akselrad 232, Tom Anderson 225, 622, Audrey Boice 287, 701, Al Bullis Sr. 227, Marc Cetta 226, Dale Conklin 260, 617, Cody Conway 228, Brandon Drumm 617, Art Gately 600, Craig Gehrig 231, Dylan Green 244, 640, Jack Hazen 245, 610, Gregory Keesler 225, 608, Donnie Marino 255, 225, 693, Mark McGraw Jr. 230, Josh Milucky 245, 630, Walt Oralls 246, 649, Mitch Persbacker 606, Rich Rigas 245, 639, Tim Smith 245, 605, Jeremy Wormuth 225, 619 and Tony Wright 237, 663.
In the Thursday Men’s Deposit National League, Al Bullis Jr. 637, Andy Bullis 231, 248, 640, Dale Conklin 232, 626, Matt Conklin 237, Howey Couse Jr.. 236, 665, Frank Couse Sr. 623, Greg Keesler 229, 634, Jay Wormuth 231, 233, 645 and Jeremy Wormuth 255, 275, 733.
In the Friday Mixed Doubles Couples League, Andy Bullis 244, 627, Howey Couse Jr. 290, 255, 763, Frank Couse Sr. 245, 659, Anne Couse 184, 197, 234, 615, Carl Davis 247, 648, Crystal Ellis 235, 228, 603, Bob Ellis 269, 615, Hope Jones 213, 199, 555, Dana McGraw 224, 517, Rick Mills 257, 645, Sheri Oralls 188, 192, 547, Walt Oralls 245, 256, 681, Tim Smith 227, 622, Sandy Winans 189, 500, Dan Wormuth 288, 225, 718 and Michelle Wormuth 246, 553.
In the Sunday Afternoon Mixed Fun League, Matt Johnson 258, 660, Rick Mills 236, 650 and Savanna Mills (youth girls’ scores) 145, 125, 186, 456.

Kiamesha Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Men’s League included a 259 game, a 236 game and a 675 series by Craig Wilhelm, Al Caycho 227, Jon Wilhelm 617, James VanAken 238, 245, 703, Josh Strang 232, Tom Belgiovene 248, 671, John Hoffmann 255, 225, 701, Mike Mulligan 244, 606, Dan Ricco 236, 235, 663, Mike Weiner 239, 657, Roy Sweeney 233, 604, Eddie Lake 234, 258, 226, 718, Rick Lake 230, 626, Jack Moylan 252, 664, Robert Sze 255, 602, Kort Wheeler 226, 266, 709, Keith Hackett 619, Ronnie Totten 244, 687, Kevin Stackhouse 231, 256, 696, Laresko Niifa 225, 622, Paul Durland 244, 642, Donald Durland 259, 678, Jaryl Scott 234, 660, Dave Graham 256, 237, 662, John Fischer 612, Leroy Williams 238, 639, Frank Muller Jr. 227, Larry Berens 237, 622, Dean Shattuck 257, 678, Tim Minton 229, 649, Wayne Atkins 258, 236, 705, Vincent Scuderi 245, 625, James Piontek 241, Frank Scuderi 229, 646, Steven Rivera 247, 615 and Corey VanKeuren 225, 638.
In the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters League, Edward Walsh 269, 739, Ryan Lepke 266, Russ Keesler 688, Ed Guthrie 248, Shane Cunningham 678, Andrea Grossman 213, 569, Debbie Durland 206, 192, 193, 591 and Mary Lee Williams 212, 539.
In the Wednesday Men’s League, James VanAken 625, Tom Belgiovene 600, John Hoffmann 268, 686, George Battle Jr. 233, 236, 675, Laresko Niifa 269, 658, Eddie Lake 268, 226, 676, Michael Mahusky 235, 624, Craig Wilhelm 236, 648, Kenny Atkins 258, 655, Cecil Walters 631, Vincent Scuderi 606, Josh Deitchman 232, Shawn Sinistorie 254, 660, Nick Price 235, 637, Edward Walsh 225, 236, 649, Jody Farquhar 227, 609, Rick Lara 255, Gregory Fallon 258, 666, Jon Wilhelm 226, 247, 661, Rich Bradford 236, 238, 690 and Donald Durland 236, 247, 686.
In the Thursday Ladies League, Pat Gibson 180, 172, 508, Debbie Durland 226, 191, 585, Mary Lee Williams 235, 192, 585, Jennifer Parisi 182, Cheryl Neist 178, 236, 559, Barbara Durbak 223, 193, 182, 598, Tracey Barres 189, 178, 530, Kathy King 202 and Frank Kaiser 183, 165, 190, 538.

Liberty Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Men’s League included Paul Minton with a 267 game, a 244 game and a 673 series, Kyle Stevens 200, 243, 628, Rudy Belanchia 209, 210, 198, 617, Bruce Garritt 204, 237, 608, Walt Edwards 211, 196, 200, 607, Jason Jones Jr. 232, 223, 599, Pete Meachum 193, 196, 202, 591, Bobby Cooper 212, Ed Blume Sr. 204, 202, Todd Houghtaling 202, Ray Stanishia 195 and Ricky Nichols 191.
In the Shop Rite League, Billy Parkingson 162, 366, Mary Heinle 155, 410, Pam Potter 150, 400, Barbara Brundage 147, 412, Fred Seaman 138, 380, Scott Potter 186, 161, 126, 468, Pam Potter 171 161, 456, Brandon Hinkley 171, 157, 146, 474, Brian Thomas 162, 147, 443, James Thomas 156, 150, 430, Billy Parkingson 151, 140, 409, Mary Heinle 147, Sue DiMestrio 129, Fred Seaman 129, Barbara Brundage 125, Bobby Waters 125, May Meyers 116, 108, Heather Hinkley 106, 102, 101, 309 and Judy Didinsky 105, 104.
In the Wednesday Men’s League, Dwayne Cabrera 213, 267, 214, 694, John Lopez 213, 236, 194, 643, Anthony Atkins 179, 204, 247, 630, Paul Minton 220, 225, 630, Ed Blume Sr. 217, 224, 617, Thomas Fix 192, 200, 212, 604, Bobby Cooper 221, 199, 601, Kyle Stevens 211, 208, 590, Pete Meachum 203, 190, 194, 587, Jason Jones Sr. 209, 190, 586, Chuck McAllister 224, 586, Scott Austin 202, 214, 585, Ralph Coney 254, 585, Chris Stevens 221, 190, 583, Lucas Stickle 232, Gene Smith 225, Rob Tuttle 214, Ryan Lepke 202, 209, Jerry Scandore 205 and Bill Mitchell 203.
In the Thursday Ladies League, Cindy Smith 203, 200, 550, Betty Schleiermacher 184, 179, 529, Cindy Short 211, 177, 524, Carly Sklar 178, 515, Kathi Smith 196, 498, Tabatha Smith 182, 171, 491, Wendy Finn 175, 482, Darlene Mantzouratos 207, Valerie Mott 190, Jane Mann 175, Lynn Winters 174, Rosa Zweck 171.
In the Friday Mixed League, Gordon Hyde 197 and Alan LaBounty 191.
In the Saturday Mixed League, Kyle Stevens 196, 299, 224, 719, Jon Wayne 279, 607, Herbie Sklar 219, 585, Thomas Fix 193, 222, 584, Anthony Atkins 190, 203, 579, Jodi Gulley 187, 502, Stew Stevens 225, John Cummings 211, Chris McKay 207, Keith Smith 192, Jolene Vail 184 and Betty Jane Stevens 182.
In the Sunday Mixed League, Bob Feeney 214, 193, 596, Thomas Fix 196, 222, 583, Dean Winters 247, Jim Fiore 228, Robert Cady 211, Jerry Scandore 211, Rich Winters Jr. 207, Rich Winters Sr. 192 and Lynn Winters 174.
In the Liberty Elks Bumper League, Alli Dworetsky 72.In the Liberty Elks Bantam League, Sean McMahon 115, Tanner Parks 100, Marie Lyons 96, Owen Siegel 96, Ian Cody 90, Myah Florez 77, Dara Schiff 69, 67, David Schiff 66, Zachary DeLong 64, Jarod Hellerer 62, Kayla McMahon 58, Gabriel Florez 53, Aidan Whitehead 45, 44, Emma Dworetsky 41 and Corrine Hellerer 38, 32.
In the Liberty Elks Teenage League, John Kolarik 195, 186, 530, Louie Brahm, 190, 158, 484, Brendan Siegel 187, 417, Alaura DeLong 177, 131, 100, 408, Robby Lyons 153, 139, 420, Anthony Kolarik 152, 387, Ryan McDowell 150, Robert Feeney 146, 126, 381, Ryan Feeney 146, Thomas McCausland 143, 121, 118, 382, Nick Carriere 143, 128, Robby Allegretta 140, Cameron Reichenbaugh 135, Glen McCausland 133, 129, Zachary Cody 123, 110, Jonathan Griesbeck 109 and Dylan Rivera 101.
Three Days of
Live TV Set as
Open Returns
to New Jersey

After a one-year absence, the 68th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open will return to Brunswick Zone Carolier in North Brunswick, N.J., Feb. 21-27, with the addition of a unique three-day schedule of live television coverage, an $80,000 guaranteed first prize and maybe a decisive role in the 2010-11 PBA Player of the Year race.

The fourth and final major championship on the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour schedule, the U.S. Open is considered by many to be the most challenging title in all of bowling to win. It is an extreme test of bowling skill, patience and perseverance. What makes the U.S. Open special is that non-professionals, men or women, international and domestic, are invited to compete against the world’s top professionals on difficult lane conditions that place a high premium on accuracy and precise shot-making.

Heading into the U.S. Open, Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, Mich., is the odds-on favorite to win Player of the Year after winning the $1 million PBA Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas on Jan. 22 to go along with a sixth-place finish in the PBA World Championship and a third-place finish Sunday in the Bayer United States Bowling Congress Masters. The 43-year-old native of Finland was PBA Player of the Year for the 2003-04 season.

Koivuniemi’s closest challenger is his close friend and tour roommate, Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, who won the PBA World Championship, finished fifth in the Tournament of Champions and tied for ninth in the Masters (thanks to an 804-698 loss to Koivuniemi that bounced him out of the double-elimination match play tournament). Barnes was Player of the Year for the 2007-08 season.

Chasing Koivuniemi and Barnes is defending U.S. Open champion Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa., who won the Pepsi Viper Championship, finished second in the PBA World Championship and ninth in the Tournament of Champions. O’Neill advanced to the 64-player match play field in the Bayer USBC Masters, but was eliminated quickly with two losses. A win the season’s final major championship could put him back into the race.

There are a lot of other players who hope to make a statement in North Brunswick, including Kelly Kulick of nearby Union, N.J., who became the PBA Tour’s first woman champion when she won the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions, and Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, who won the 2009 U.S. Open at Brunswick Zone-Carolier. Kulick, who earned the right to bowl on the PBA Tour this season as an exempt player after her Tournament of Champions victory, is coming into the U.S. Open after a 29th place finish among 256 competitors in last week’s USBC Masters in Reno, Nev.

In addition to Scroggins, other U.S. Open champions who won at Carolier include Barnes (2005), Tommy Jones (2006), Pete Weber (2007) and Norm Duke (2008). Prior to moving to Indianapolis for the 2010 event, Carolier had hosted five consecutive U.S. Opens between 2005 and 2009. Weber will be trying for a record fifth U.S. Open title.

Also at stake in North Brunswick will be competition points affecting the end-of-season Dick Weber PBA Playoffs March 8-14 in Indianapolis and the inaugural World Tenpin Bowling Association World Bowling Tour Finals next fall in Las Vegas.

For the PBA Playoffs, players are competing for points that will determine the top 72 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour players who will qualify for the event as well as how many “bye” rounds the points leaders can earn. As far as the World Bowling Tour Finals is concerned, the U.S. Open is one of seven international tournaments awarding qualifying points toward that event. The international connection is expected to attract some of the world’s premier men and women players to New Jersey.

Unique to the 2011 event will be three days of live television coverage, including an expanded six-player stepladder final, with two matches airing live on ESPN2 on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 10 p.m. Eastern. Saturday’s winner will advance to the four-player stepladder final field for Sunday’s ESPN telecast at 3 p.m. where the winner of the $80,000 top prize will be decided..


The first telecast will provide live coverage of several matches during the opening round of match play on Friday, Feb. 25, at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

Saturday’s telecast will feature the No. 6 qualifier bowling the No. 5 qualifier. The winner will then meet the No. 4 qualifier to complete the one-hour show.

The 68th U.S. Open will begin with 18 qualifying games for all players. The top 25 percent of the field will advance to an eight-game cashers’ round, and the top 24 will then bowl three eight-game match play rounds to determine the six finalists.

Bowling fans will be able to follow the U.S. Open from start to finish on pba.com’s Xtra Frame video streaming service. More than 70 hours of live coverage of U.S. Open qualifying and match play will be aired on Xtra Frame. For subscription information, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame logo.


68TH U.S. OPEN SCHEDULE
Brunswick Zone Carolier, North Brunswick, N.J., Feb. 21-27 (all times are Eastern)

Monday, Feb. 21
8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. - Practice squads
4 and 7 p.m. – Pro-Am squads

Tuesday, Feb. 22
8 a.m. - A Squad qualifying (6 games)
Noon - B Squad qualifying (6 games)
6 p.m. - C Squad qualifying (6 games)

Wednesday, Feb. 23
8 a.m. - B Squad qualifying (6 games)
Noon - C Squad qualifying (6 games)
6 p.m. - A Squad qualifying (6 games)

Thursday, Feb. 24
8 a.m. - C Squad qualifying (6 games)
Noon - A Squad qualifying (6 games)
6 p.m. - B Squad qualifying (6 games)
Top 25 percent of field advances to Cashers’ Round

Friday, Feb. 25
8 a.m. – Cashers’ Round (8 games)
Top 24 advance to match play
3 p.m. - Match Play Round 1 (6 games)
6 p.m. – Live ESPN2 coverage, final two games of Round 1 matches

Saturday, Feb. 26
8 a.m. - Match Play Round 2 (8 games)
1:30 p.m. - Match Play Round 3 (8 games; top six advance to stepladder finals)
10 p.m. – Live ESPN2 coverage
Match One: No. 6 qualifier vs. No. 5 qualifier
Match Two: Winner of Match One vs. No. 4 qualifier

Sunday, Feb. 27
3 p.m. – Live ESPN stepladder finals
Match Three: Winner of Saturday’s Match Two vs. No. 3 qualifier
Semifinal: Winner of Match Three vs. No. 2 qualifier
Championship: Winner of Semifinal Match vs. No. 1 qualifier
PBA Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open Title in 2010
Capped Breakthrough Season for Bill O’Neill


After earning Professional Bowlers Association Rookie of the Year honors in the 2005-06 season, defending Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open champion Bill O’Neill became one of the most heralded young players on Tour. But for quite awhile one thing was missing from his resume: a PBA Tour title.



While it would take four more seasons for the Southampton, Pa., resident to visit the winners circle, O’Neill never had any doubts he would eventually be a winner on the PBA Tour.



“I had what I would call a couple of sub-par seasons after the Rookie of the Year season,” O’Neill said, “And then I made seven shows in 2008-09 but even though I didn’t win, I was still confident I could get it done. I think it was just a matter of me putting a lot of pressure on myself.”



O’Neill finally got the monkey off his back when he won the 2009 PBA Chameleon Championship during the inaugural PBA World Series of Bowling in Detroit. Later in the season he won the 67th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open in Indianapolis for his first major title, defeating defending champion Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, 267-207, in the title match.



The 29-year-old O’Neill will defend his U.S. Open title against a field of more than 300 of the world’s best professional and amateur players when the 68th edition of professional bowling’s most demanding tournament returns to Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick, N.J., Feb. 22-27.



“I was confident in every tournament I bowled that I could make TV shows, but I admit to feeling extra pressure when it came to bowling on TV,” O’Neill continued. “When I won the Chameleon Championship (in 2009) it took that pressure off so when I made it back to television the next time, I was in a much more relaxed and confident frame of mind.”



O’Neill has kept the momentum going this season, winning his third career title in the Pepsi Viper Championship. He also has a runner-up finish in the PBA World Championship, a fourth-place finish in the Scorpion Championship and a ninth in the Tournament of Champions.



Despite a 44th-place finish the last time the U.S. Open was held at Brunswick Zone Carolier (2009), O’Neill is looking forward to returning to a venue he is very familiar with going back to his days bowling in youth competition.



“Generally I’ve been bowling well in majors and being relatively close to home, I’ll have a lot of friends and family there for support,” he said. “I’m very familiar with that center so I think I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing and I’m hopeful of having a good tournament..”



As the 2010-11 season enters the homestretch, PBA Tournament of Champions winner Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, Mich., is the odds-on favorite for PBA Player of the Year honors, but O’Neill says there’s still time for him to contend for the honor.



“If you had to vote for someone right now, you have to go with Mika,” O’Neill said. “But if I can win one of the three remaining events and finish the season strong I’ll make a run at it.”


Bowling fans will be able to follow the U.S. Open from start to finish on pba.com’s Xtra Frame video streaming service. More than 70 hours of live coverage of U.S. Open qualifying and match play will be aired on Xtra Frame. For subscription information, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame logo.


HISTORY OF U.S. OPEN WINNERS
2010 Bill O’Neill
2009 Mike Scroggins
2008 Norm Duke
2007 Pete Weber
2006 Tommy Jones
2005 Chris Barnes
2004 Pete Weber
2003 Walter Ray Williams Jr.
2002 No event
2001 Mika Koivuniemi
2000 Robert Smith
1999 Bob Learn Jr.
1998 Walter Ray Williams Jr.
1997 no event
1996 Dave Husted
1995 Dave Husted
1994 Justin Hromek
1993 Del Ballard Jr.
1992 Robert Lawrence
1991 Pete Weber
1990 Ron Palombi Jr.
1989 Mike Aulby
1988 Pete Weber
1987 Del Ballard Jr.
1986 Steve Cook
1985 Marshall Holman
1984 Mark Roth
1983 Gary Dickinson
1982 Dave Husted
1981 Marshall Holman
1980 Steve Martin
1979 Joe Berardi
1978 Nelson Burton Jr.
1977 Johnny Petraglia
1976 Paul Moser
1975 Steve Neff
1974 Larry Laub
1973 Mike McGrath
1972 Don Johnson
1971 Mike Limongello

BPAA ALL STAR (was converted to U.S. Open in 1971)
1970 Bobby Cooper
1969 Billy Hardwick
1968 Jim Stefanich
1967 Les Schissler
1966 Dick Weber
1965 Dick Weber
1964 Bob Strampe
1963 Dick Weber
1962 Dick Weber
1961 Bill Tucker
1960 Harry Smith
1959 Billy Welu
1958 Don Carter
1957 No event
1956 Don Carter
1955 Bill Lillard*
1955 Steve Nagy
1954 Don Carter
1953 No event
1952 Don Carter
1951 Junie McMahon
1950 Dick Hoover
1949 Junie McMahon
1948 Connie Schwoegler
1947 Andy Varipapa
1946 Andy Varipapa
1945 Joe Wilman
1944 Buddy Bomar
1943 Ned Day
1942 Connie Schwoegler
1941 John Crimmons
* Two All Stars were held in 1955
BOWL.comCONSTRUCTION
SET TO BEGIN AT USBC
WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS

During the next five weeks, The Oncenter Convention Center in Syracuse, N.Y., will be transformed into a state-of-the-art 48-lane bowling facility that will be the home of the 2011 United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships.On Monday, Feb. 21, crews started bringing in more than 30 truckloads of materials needed to construct the venue, which also includes vendor and office space, a squad room, a locker area and spectator seating.The finished product will be the biggest stage in women’s bowling, and the 2011 Women’s Championships is expected to bring more than 30,000 bowlers to Syracuse during its 88-day run from April 7-July 3.The amount of lumber required for the venue is enough to construct at least five three-bedroom homes, and more than six miles of wiring is required to handle the tournament’s electrical needs.The first piece of the installation process will be the tournament’s custom scoreboards, starting Wednesday, Feb. 23. The scoreboards are comparable to the oversized screens often found in sports venues and arenas across the country, but offer a clearer picture thanks to the latest technology. They feature enhanced graphics with 4.4 trillion colors and streaming video capabilities and make up the world’s largest mobile scoreboard of its kind.The setup also includes a 12 feet by 9 feet, high-definition video display screen over the tournament’s traditional Center Aisle.Construction on the 48 championship lanes is scheduled to begin Feb. 28.The 2011 event marks the second time the tournament will be held in a convention-center setting. Prior to last year’s event in El Paso, Texas, the tournament was contested in traditional bowling centers when not held at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. (every third year since 1997). The tournament first was held in 1916, and 2011 will be the 92nd year of competition.“The move to the convention-center setting helped boost the prestige and excitement that surrounds the Women’s Championships and really gave the event a championship feel,” said Brian Lewis, USBC Managing Director of Tournaments. “Participants enjoyed the new look in 2010, and we hope to make this year even more memorable.”The Women’s Championships returns to New York state for the first time since 1996. It previously was held in Syracuse in 1940 and 1954 with 1,185 and 4,538 five-player teams, respectively.“On behalf of the Greater Syracuse community, we are thrilled that the event we’ve been preparing for, for the past five years, is just about here,” said Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau President David Holder. “All of our industry partners, ranging from our hotels and restaurants to our attractions and taxicab drivers, are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 30,000 bowlers and their friends and family.”There still are plenty of prime bowling times available for the 2011 tournament, but the March 1 entry deadline is quickly approaching. So far, 5,660 five-player teams are scheduled to compete in 2011.For more information, visit BOWL.com/tournaments or call the tournament entries department at 800-514-2695.Sponsors for the 2011 USBC Women’s Championships sponsors include Turning Stone Resort and Casino, official brackets sponsor, Humana, official registration sponsor, Miller Lite and Molson Canadian, official beer sponsors. Supporting sponsors include Storm Bowling Products, Nationwide Insurance, The Oncenter, Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau, Caz Limo & Tours, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and Brunswick, official lane provider.For more information on the Women’s Championships, visit BOWL.com/usbcwomenschamp.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 more than two million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience.The interactive home of USBC is BOWL.com. Go to twitter.com/USBC for the fastest USBC headlines.Bowl with US

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Here & There Column 2-15-11

Economy Can't Sustain Rising Oil Prices

Folks are struggling to get by, food prices are going up, the overall economy is not good, government is stuck between a rock and a hard place, unemployment appears to be not improving and oil prices continue their steady climb upward.
It's getting to the point where you can't believe anyone.
On any given day the media is fed information that the U.S. crude supplies are falling and oil prices are going up.
The next day we are told that the crisis in Egypt is sending chills up the spine of the oil industry industry so guess what folks this gives those oil distributors the right to raise the prices immediately at the pumps.
Have we been told that the crisis in Egypt has stopped or hindered the flow of mid-east oil?
And now the latest blurb is that indications are that Saudi Arabia could be running out of oil
and might be over promising on its capacity to supply oil.
Should we here in the United States have to worry if the Saudis under deliver on output when we sit on billions of barrels of American oil near ANWR (the flat, desolate uninhabited land in Alaska)?
The message here is that someone in Washington should start immediately showing responsibility to the folks in this great country of ours that we will not longer depend on the mid-east for our heating oil and gasoline supplies (but don't hold your breath on this one).
And yet more interesting news is telling us that new drilling methods can get us into what is being referred to as previously out-of-reach oil in our western part of the U.S. and of course the big question here is could this reverse a long-time decline in domestic production of crude?.....and could this effect the present rising oil prices?
We are all being affected by the gas prices which have risen from costly to just plain aggravating. Oil prices among other commodities, rises and falls in value as the economy moves but it just appears that oil companies don't look at it this way.
The rise in fuel prices is not a sign that a healthy economy is back on track.
We would hope that it is not greed.....we need objective logical reasoning here or return as we did several years ago back to alternative heating methods and more fuel efficient vehicles.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Bowling Highlights Column 2-11-11


Wormuth Scores Two 300 Games

Nineteen-year-old Hancock bowler Jeremy Wormuth recorded his first and second perfect career 300 games recently in the Thursday Men's Deposit National league at the Fox Bowling Center in Hancock.
The two 300 games were recorded on separate nights, the first on January 20 and the second on January 27.
Jeremy started bowling as a child in the Bantam league at the Fox Bowling Center and in 8th grade bowled for the Hancock Central School team and continued bowling for the school team until he graduated in 2010.
The right-handed bowler used a 16- pound Storm Hy-Road bowling ball to record these two 300 games. In the January 27 match he added a 226 for a 715 series.
His present average is 212 and the highest series he has bowled was a 787.
Wormuth comes from a bowling family and he presently bowls three nights a week at the Fox Bowling Center in the Wednesday Men's Commercial league, the Deposit Men's National and the Friday Night Couples league with his girlfriend.
Jeremy's father, Dan Wormuth has been bowling for over 25 years and has recorded two 299 games and several 700 series during that time.
He is single, the son of Dan and Michelle Wormuth and is employed by the French Woods Golf & Country Club.

The Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

This week's tip is for all bowlers, however, youth bowlers, new bowlers and bowlers who have not had a correctly fitted 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.
Full coverage on this tip is available at http://bght.blogspot.com/
A poorly fitted ball (lane ball or hack job) will take excessive grip pressure to hold onto. This makes the ball seem too heavy.
A good rule of thumb when getting a custom fitted ball is to go up 2 pounds over what a poorly fitted ball weighs. You will be surprised at how much lighter a properly fitted ball will feel.
When a ball is fitted 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 fingertip 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, it is instinct to grab a ball and throw it, not roll it. If a 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 out of the ball before the youth bowler outgrows the weight.
In the case of a youth bowler switching from conventional to fingertip, 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, the fingertip grip is the way to go.
Remember, there is no substitute for a properly fitted 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 Master Instructor. He is also a Silver Level Coach with the USBC and is an Advisor along with being involved with Special Events with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by telephone at 435-720-7939 or via email at mikel@stormbowling.com

PBA

Australia's Jason Belmonte and NBA All-Star point guard Chris Paul successfully defended their Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational Doubles tital at Riverboat Lanes bowled last Sunday on ESPN.
The PBA tour returns to competition this Sunday with the Bayer/United States Bowling Congress Masters live at 3 p.m. on ESPN.
Full coverage of these stories is available at http://bght.blogspot.com/

This column is written by Ed Townsend, a public relations consultant to the amateur and professional sport of bowling and to several bowling writers associations. If you have a topic that would make good reading or have league and tournament scores and information, Ed can be reached at 845-439-8177, via email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com or by fax at 845-230-8674. For an expanded version of this bowling column please visit our Web Page at http://bght.blogspot.com/ This column is also available on Facebook.





LOCAL BOWLING SCORES
BY ED TOWNSEND

Beechwood Lanes

Recent highlight scores from the Monday Ladies League included a 174 game, a 175 game and a 538 series by Diane Staves, Wendy Finn 171, 167, Jackie Gieger 161, 182, Jody Gulley 157, Karen Borowski 155, 163, Beth Schmacher 150, 214, 502, Lori Kimmes 172 and Barbara Cady 179, 184, 154, 517.

Fox Bowling Center

Recent highlight scores in the Wednesday Men’s Independent League included a 236 game and 614 series by Steve Aitken, Tom Anderson 243, 620, Mike Bowker 237, 610, Al Bullis Sr. 237, 642, Dale Conklin 225, Matt Conklin 608, Cody Conway 235, 673, Frank Couse Jr. 243, 680, Jim Dibble 233, 666, Brandon Drumm 255, 650, Chuck Dunlap 225, Joey Gager 226, 644, Jack Hazen 244, 657, Steve Jacobi 617, Gregory Keesler 621, Donnie Marino 268, 226, Mark McGraw Jr. 620, Cory Newman 234, 617, Walt Oralls 233, 267, 700, Mitch Persbacker 256, 636, Tim Smith 245, 628, Brian Tiffany 242, Rodney Tweedle 234, Jonathon Wayne 264, 625, Hank Whitmore 244, 630, Zuke Wormuth 300, 726, Jeremy Wormuth 246, 664 and Jay Wormuth 247, 631.
In the Thursday Deposit National League, Al Bullis Sr. 225, 234, 649, Andy Bullis 232, 634, Dale Conklin 238, 625, Howey Couse Jr. 258, 632, Howard Couse Sr. 631, Frank Couse Sr. 236, Carl Davis 258, Jim Dibble 235, Rich Lenio 249, Matt May 244, Rick Mills 245, Harold Morgan 246, 607, Neil Mosher 247, 249, 692, Jim Valentine 228, 250, 648, Dan Wormuth 254, 237, 233, 724 and Jay Wormuth 234, 233, 639.
In the Friday Mixed Doubles Couples League, Andy Bullis 245, 613, Howey Couse Jr. 247, 247, 707, Howard Couse Sr. 229, 604, Frank Couse Sr. 226, Anne Couse 203, 543, Crystal Ellis 193, 506, Linda Ferris 180, Paul Fritz 245, 658, Hope Jones 189, 189, Amy Lester 224, 202, 220, 646, Dana McGraw 186, Mark McGraw 279, 235, 729, Walt Oralls 225, Jen Smith 190, 180, 520, Vicki Tiffany 188, Sandy Winans 190, Dan Wormuth 233, 231, 648, Jay Wormuth 623, Jeremy Wormuth 225, 236, 675 and Michelle Wormuth 187.
In the Saturday Morning Junior League, Trisha McElroy 116 and Cassandra Schoonmaker 129, 135, 118, 382.
In the Sunday Morning Bantam Mixed League, Bethany Brown 130, 111, Connor Cornwell 127, 132, Ronnie Ellis 115, 126, Leal Gotthardt 117, Thomas Schoonmaker 103 and Summer Shakelton 122, 129.
In the Sunday Afternoon Mixed Fun League, Julie Cornwell 190, Ray Cornwell 611, Marty Haeussler 613, Matt Johnson 253, 607, Don Marino 265, 678, Jean Mills 181, Rick Mills 235, 638, Roger Mills 617, Parker Tiffany (boys’ Bantam scores) 103, 124 and Shirley Townsend 199, 200, 560.

Kiamesha Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Men’s League included a 226 game, a 257 game and a 612 series by Craig Wilhelm, Francisco Martinez 233, 620, Al Caycho 246, 662, Jon Wilhelm 619, James VanAken 268, 258, 701, Tom Belgiovene 230, 601, John Hoffmann 250, 689, Eddie Lake 247, 279, 248, 774, Rick Lake 267, 236, 688, Jack Moylan 616, Robert Sze 239, 278, 694, James Ratner 243, 634, Kort Wheeler 267, 244, 717, Keith Hackett 238, 660, Kevin Stackhouse 606, Laresko Niifa 604, Paul Durland 233, 619, Donald Durland 279, 256, 741, Jaryl Scott 255, 674, Vinnie Collura 619, Dave Graham 225, 644, George Battle 242, 619, Frank Muller Jr. 236, 647, Larry Berens 234, 657, Dean Shattuck 265, 630, Timothy Minton 233, 636, James Piontek 237, 620, Frank Scuderi 246, 669, Matt Fallon 268, 667, James Frost 235, 606, Arthur Stevens 620 and Lloyd Bridges 618.
In the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters League, Paul Durland 236, 258, 711, Mike Mahusky 245, Jack Rustic 245, 243, 712, Ed Guthrie 225, 225, 673, Debbie Durland 255, 225, 677, Dorian Jennings 190, 197, 237, 637, Andrea Grossman 214, 514, Mary Lee Williams 191, 202, 201, 594, Joan Lake 181, 187, 545, Donald Durland (bowling left-handed) 225, Laresko Niifa 242, 629, Troy Morris 604 and Joan Redington 187, 180, 540.
In the Wednesday Men’s League, James VanAken 226, 619, Paul Durland 236, 643, Steven Belgiovene 225, 235, 648, Tom Belgiovene 233, 625, John Hoffmann 248, 246, 673, Dave Graham 631, Shawn Sinistorie 228, Nick Price 247, 652, Edward Walsh 253, 246, 672, Jody Farquhar 697, Frank Emmens 236, 259, 258, 753, Gregory Fallon 235, 256, 686, Matt Fallon 236, 653, Jon Wilhelm 602, Richard Bradford 225, Donald Durland 280, 258, 762, Kyle VanWolde 225, Shane Cunningham 239, 254, 664.
In the Thursday Ladies League, Mardette Wilcox 204, Lisa Cartwright 193, 217, 541, Barbara Durbak 196, 169, 526, Sonya Robinson 182, MariJane Conklin 199, 179, 532, Joan Lake 202, 162, 202, 566, Debbie Durland 182, 205, 194, 581, Tracey Barres 183, 201, 527, Liz Stubits 186, Liz Burgio 180, Barb Merton 188 and Connie McKenley 160, 211, 503.

Liberty Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Wednesday Men’s League included Kyle Stevens 212, 256, 265, 733, Dwayne Cabrera 246, 232, 215, 693, Chris Stevens 205, 256, 224, 685, Stew Stevens 207, 254, 204, 665, Jim Fiore 246, 224, 630, Justin Lopez 195, 247, 609, Herbie Sklar 199, 234, 607, John Lopez 214, 226, 604, Ralph Coney 206, 211, 599, Chuck McAllister 199, 221, 591, Paul Minton 212, 207, 589, Thomas Fix 210, 581, Ed Blume Sr. 214, 577, Gene Smith 204, 573, Jason Jones Jr. 220, Rob Tuttle 213, Carlos Torres 211, Scott Austin 212, Wayne Fox 209, Juan Lopez 201, 207, Dan Martinetti 207 and Bobby Cooper 201.
In the Thrusday Ladies’ League, Wendy Finn 194, 180, 542, Karen Martin 178, 202, 591, Ashton Clark 171, 484, Carly Sklar 196, Maureen Hopper 191, Kathi Smith 179, Florence Good 174 and Cindy Smith 172.
In the Friday Mixed League, Jim Fiore 207, 225, 247, 679, Kyle Stevens 224, 212, 620, Alan LaBounty 207, 203, 594, Wendy Swan 186, 481 and Thomas Fix 193, 210.
In the Saturday Mixed League included Chris McKay 234, 257, 658, Kyle Stevens 236, 205, 610, John Cummings 196, 221, 598, Debbie Sklar 206, 517, Tabatha Smith 191, 172, 513, Herbie Sklar 223, Phil Norris 203, Jon Wayne 202, Kevin Norris 201, Gene Smith 200, Wendy Swan 200, Jason Jones Jr. 196, Jeremy Gulley 193, Randy Kinred 191 and Shannon Carman 173.
In the Sunday Mixed League, Kyle Stevens 254, 200, 613, Robert Cady 216, 200, 585, Justin Lopez 216, Thomas Fix 208, Jerry Scandore 198, 201 and Barbara Cady 173.
In Monday Men’s League, Kyle Stevens 236, 257, 675, Ed Blume Sr. 247, 199, 202, 648, Pete Meachum 236, 236, 640, Ralph Coney 245, 198, 631, Paul Minton 221, 216, 619, Jason Jones Sr. 245, 602, Rudy Belanchia 190, 213, 592, Chris Stevens 210, 221, 587, Carmine Santillo 203, 224, 580, Todd Houghtaling 208, 206, 579, Walt Edwards 190.
In the Liberty Elks Bumper League, Ethen Smith 66, Allie Dworetsky 56, Jake Parks 48 and Paige Ottino 38.
In the Liberty Elks Bantam League, Ian Cody 98, 181, Noah Crowley 97, 141, Sean McMahon 90, 76, 166, Marie Lyons 88, 76, 164, Owen Siegel 85, 78, 163, Tanner Parks 84, 69, 153, Myan Florez 79, 63, 142, Zachary DeLong 74, Emma Dworetsky 73, Kayla McMahon 72, 63, 135, Gabriel Florez 72, 55, 127 and Aidan Whitehead 24.
In the Liberty Elks Teenage League, Robby Lyons 182, 444, Brendan Siegel 180, 128, 164, 482, Anthony Kolarik 172, 462, Ryan McDowell 164, 131, 97, 392, Glen McCausland 163, 143, 124, 430, Robert Feeney 162, 149, 419, Dylan Rivera 156, 129,126, 411, Louie Brahm 153, 419, Ryan Feeney 151, 125, 398, Thomas McCausland 141, 132, Alaura DeLong 137, 120, 94, 361, Cameron Reichenbaugh 135, Robby Allegretta 129, Jonathan Griesbeck 129, 128, Nick Carriere 117, 115, 109, 341, Hanrii Padu 116 and Zachary Cody 107.
Belmonte, Paul Repeat as
Chris Paul PBA Celebrity
Invitational Champs


Australia’s Jason Belmonte and NBA All-Star point guard Chris Paul successfully defended their Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational Doubles title at Riverboat Lanes at the Naval Airbase Station in Belle Chasse, La., thanks to a big-time assist from the New Orleans Hornets’ assist leader.

Belmonte, the two-handed power player from Down Under, and his tournament host/NBA superstar partner combined to win the “Baker format” doubles event, 155-128, over PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke and his partner, Grammy Award-winning rap artist Lil Wayne. After plenty of high-scoring fireworks in the earlier matches, the championship match wasn’t pretty, but it came down to a strike and three spares by Paul that decided the outcome.

The special Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour event, conducted in December, aired on ESPN last Sunday in advance of the Super Bowl. In Baker doubles competition, each player alternates frames to complete a full game.

“This one was not by the hand of Belmo; it was all Chris Paul,” Belmonte said. “Last year I got three strikes in 10th to win. This time it was him. Next time hopefully we’ll both get it together.”

The third annual Chris Paul Invitational, conducted on behalf of the CP3 Foundation, featured Lil Wayne bowling with Duke, hip-hop superstar Nelly with PBA Hall of Fame partner Pete Weber, and New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush teamed up with Wes Malott. Rhino Page also joined his fellow Storm Products staff players by participating in a “Super Clash” preliminary event.

The stage for a wild day of bowling action was set early when Page took on the four celebrity stars in the “Super Clash” where each player bowled a frame and the lowest score was eliminated. Ironically, after all four celebrities struck in the first frame, Page was the first player eliminated when he left a 6-8 split on his first attempt. Eventually, Nelly won the contest by throwing five consecutive strikes to out-last Paul.

Nelly, a “thumbless” bowler, then teamed up with Weber for a stunning 280-169 romp over Bush and Malott in the first Baker doubles match. The only shot that prevented a perfect game was Weber’s 10 pin in the second frame.


“There was a lot of excitement,” Weber said. “Nelly got a couple Brooklyns in the Clash event, but after that, he had 10 in the pit. He uses two fingers, no thumb and shoots his spares the same way.

“I used to bowl in the same league with him (in St. Louis),” Weber added. “I knew if he had a good ball reaction he’d be all right. It was hard for us to miss the pocket.”

For their next match against Lil Wayne and Duke, however, Duke decided to confuse Nelly.

“Lil Wayne and I were sitting there, hoping the scoring pace would be low,” Duke said. “Then Nelly gets a five-bagger to knock out everyone out of the Clash, including Rhino, and he throws five more in the first match. He hadn’t missed for 10 shots, so things were not looking good for Lil Wayne and me. Nelly not only can bowl, but he was on a severe roll.”

“Norm made us switch lanes,” Weber said. “Nelly had lane 2 figured out, so Norm made Nelly bowl on lane 1 and he didn’t have a clue as to what to do.”

“I figured 200 would be over-achieving for us,” Duke added. “Lil Wayne needs some work. But right before we started, I had him move to the right and straighten his delivery. He threw five shots that looked like they’re going to the gutter, but they all came back to strike and we’ve got 245.. That was stratospheric.”

The strategic move helped Lil Wayne and Duke eliminate Nelly and Weber, 245-205, and advance to the title match, where Lil Wayne’s luck ran out, and Duke’s five strikes weren’t enough to save the team.

“You can only get lucky for so long,” Duke said. “That first game was all we had. We had no more magic after that.”

“Chris did a lot better than last year,” Belmonte said of Paul. “He’s not bowling as much as he’d like, but he’s just a talented sports person. If he gets his hand on a ball, no matter what game, he’ll be pretty good at it.

“If you watch him on the basketball court, you can see how competitive he is. He takes the same intensity to the lanes and so do I. It doesn’t matter if it’s hoops or skee ball or whatever. It’s especially sweet when you do this against friends. I know he likes to beat his friends.”

For the PBA stars, the experience of bowling with the celebrity stars in front of a packed audience of invited guests from the military community was a thrill.

“We had fun last year, but this year was especially fun, and I think it was because of the diversity of athletes and musicians and pro bowlers,” Duke said. “It just added another level. The reaction by the military people to Lil Wayne was just amazing. He has a huge, huge following.”

“Reggie (Bush) and I had a 280 shot at us, but it was just a neat experience to be able to hang out with those guys,” Malott said. “Every year the competition gets better, but I honestly don’t know how (Paul) is going to top this one. It’s a fun event and it’s for a good cause.”

The Invitational benefits Paul’s CP3 Foundation which was founded in 2005 as a tribute to his late grandfather and the Winston-Salem, N.C., community where he grew up. The CP3 foundation has provided funding for activities ranging from a scholarship program to food drives to recreational support programs for underprivileged children in both Winston-Salem and New Orleans.

The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour returns to competition Feb. 8-13 with the Bayer/United States Bowling Congress Masters at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. The third major championship of the 2010-11 season will pay the winner $50,000. ESPN will air the finals live at 3 p.m. Eastern/noon Pacific on Sunday, Feb. 13.
THIS SUNDAY ON ESPN:
Bayer USBC Masters at 3 p.m. Eastern

The stepladder finals of the Bayer USBC Masters — the season’s third Major on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour — will be telecast on ESPN Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern.

The field of 259 of the nation’s top PBA Tour and amateur players begin the first of three rounds of qualifying today before the field is cut to the top 64 players who will compete in the grueling double elimination match play rounds beginning Thursday which will eventually determine the four player’s for Sunday’s stepladder finals.

Among the Masters storylines are:

•After a remarkable Tournament of Champions win and a fifth-place finish in the recent One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial, Mika Koivuniemi will be trying for his second Masters title having won in 2000 for his first PBA Tour title.

•Defending champion and the PBA Tour’s all-time win leader Walter Ray Williams Jr. will be trying for his third Masters title having won in 2004 and 2010. His win in last year’s Masters brought his total number of Tour wins to 47. He will also attempt to become the first player since Billy Welu in 1964-65 to win the Masters in back-to-back years.

•2011 PBA World Championship winner and 13-time Tour titlist Chris Barnes will be seeking his first Masters title after top finishes of second in 2004 and 2010, and fifth in 2000.

•35-time PBA Tour titlist Pete Weber, who finished third in the recent One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial, is also trying for his first Masters title.

Both Barnes and Weber need a Masters title to complete PBA’s Grand Slam (Tournament of Champions, U.S. Open, World Championship and Masters titles).

•While the list of winners who have won Masters is a virtual Who’s Who of bowling, many lesser-known players have also made their mark in bowling history by winning one of the sport’s most prestigious events. Who will win the coveted $50,000 first prize this year?
MAPP FAMILY ON A
MISSION WITH EBONITE

Ebonite and its Mission line of equipment continue to put honor scores on the map. In this case, it’s the Mapp family of suburban St. Louis.Father Jessie Mapp II was inspired to drill an Ebonite Mission after staffer Kelly Kulick’s victory in the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions. Kulick used a Mission to become the first woman to win a Major championship on the PBA Tour.“Her game is one of the best I’ve ever seen,” said Mapp, who is youth bowling director at Crest Bowl in Florissant, Mo.. “We watched as a family when Kelly won, and when we saw her roll that ball, I told my son, ‘We gotta get one.’”Mapp rushed out to buy a Mission, and used it to roll games of 264, 260 and 290 for an 814 series. The elder Mapp’s first 800 came in June at Crest Bowl.“It was really exciting for me,” said Mapp, who is a youth bowling director at Crest Bowl. “I didn’t know I had 800 going. We were bowling a tough team, and it was kind of forced upon me to shoot 800.”Not to be outdone was his namesake Jessie Mapp III. The 14-year-old righthander also drilled a Mission and set out to post big numbers.Those numbers came on Sunday February 6th during a high school league match at King Pin Lanes in Bridgeton, Mo. Mapp, who leads the Mid America High School League in average with 212, recorded games of 265, 257 and 279 for an 801 series, the first of his career.“It was a race between me and my dad,” said the freshman from McCluer North High School in Florrissant. “I was the first to roll a 300 game, and I wanted to beat him to 800, but he got there first.”The younger Mapp rolled his first perfect game at age 12, and recorded his second a year later. He says the 300 games prepared him for the 800 series.“The first 300, I barely got to the line because my legs were shaking,” he said. “But with the second 300, I gained more confidence, and I was calm during the 800 series.”The elder Mapp says rolling an 800 series was great, but watching his son roll 801 was surreal.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Here & There Column 2-8-11

Let's Compromise Folks

The headlines and a media campaign against layoffs really makes one believe that no one is interested in trying to compromise so that everyone doesn't get hurt.
The unions in Sullivan County are using political tactics in paid advertising which targets county legislators, the County puts forth statements that layoff notices are a reality and the union representing Sullivan County Sheriff's Office employees has filed suit against the county.
Hey......let's face it folks budget cuts are required to cut into major deficits in all municipal budgets and government has not used good financial planning methods and now everyone has to face many difficult choices.
There has been too much of the attitude of "business as usual" and we'll find a way to "tax" this program because taxpayers will no longer put up with those yearly tax increases.
No one likes to hear that belt tightening is going to be the way of the future for some years to come.
We really don't feel the unions in Sullivan County want to compromise by the fact that layoffs have been placed on the table because of the unions unwilling to forego a contractually guaranteed four percent raise and associated longevity bonuses.
Can union members who survive a layoff really feel comfortable with their fellow employees who could be out of work and forced into the unemployment lines?
Also what effect will any layoffs have on the remaining Sullivan County government workforce.?
We can't agree with county legislators who say they don't see other options.
Why not try getting an independent non-politician to sit down with both sides and work towards a compromise that both sides can live with for this coming fiscal year and then come up with strong fiscal responsibility for the future.
There is no enemy to Sullivan County taxpayers with this issue....there is enough blame for both sides and now because of a sick economy, high unemployment rate mixed with poor government fiscal planning there is an immediate need to eliminate the present media campaign fighting and use some common sense compromise.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Tournament Information

Tournament
Information

March 4-6-11-12-13 -- Tri-County NY USBC Association Open (Men's) and Women's Tournament at Liberty Lanes, Liberty, NY.
March 5 -- 12th Annual Monticello Elks Scotch Doubles Tournament at Kiamehsa Lanes, Kiamesha Lake, NY. Information call Dean Shattuck at 794-1172.
May 1 --40th Annual Eddie Beebe-Julia Maney Memorial Senior Tournament, Liberty Lanes, Liberty, NY
Information on all Tri-County USBC Tournaments is available by calling Association Manager Michele Bensley at 845-784-6630.

Bowling Highlights Column 2-4-11

USBC Tourney Deadlines Extended

Tournament season is right around the corner, and it's not too late to be part of the action at the 2011 United States Bowling Congress Women's and Open Championships.
The entry deadline for the USBC Women's Championships has been extended to March 1, while USBC Open Championships competitors now will have until March 4 to submit their entries.
The 2011 Open Championships will be the first to kick off this year as it begins its 122-day run March 4. Bowlers from all 50 states and several foreign countries will converge on the one-of-a-kind, 78-lane National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., before the tournament concludes on July 3.
More than 12,000 five-player teams already are headed for "The Biggest Little City in the World," but there's still plenty of room available for bowlers interested in trying to earn a share of the $5 million prize fund.
This year, the Women's Championships will return to New York state for the first time since 1996 and settle into Syracuse's Oncenter Complex, where 48 specially-constructed lanes and custom-built, state-of-the-art scoreboards will await more than 30,000 bowlers. The event gets underway April 7 and will run for 88 days, also concluding on July 3.
The Women's Championships received a successful makeover in 2010 and now features three average-based divisions that use a 100-percent handicap format. Between the new look of the venue and the new format, the Women's Championships is a can't-miss opportunity for women of all ages and skill levels.
"We take great pride in our championship events, and we don't want anyone to miss out on the opportunity to compete on bowling's biggest stages," said Brian Lewis, USBC Managing Director of Tournaments. "Entries for both the Open and Women's Championships have been steady as the original deadlines approached, so we want to give undecided bowlers and captains a little more time to get their teams together and join us."
For bowlers looking for extra opportunities to cash in on the championship lanes, there's always a variety of side events and jackpots available on-site, including traditional brackets, strike jackpots and side pots.
> There are still prime spots available for 2011. For more information, visit BOWL.com/tournaments or call the tournament entries department at 800-514-2695.

The Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

Bowlers: This weeks ti is for all bowlers regardless of your level and it has to do with understanding the correct body position needed to execute a bowling shot and being able to duplicate it.
Full coverage of this tip is available at http://bght.blogspot.com
If you were to stand straight on the approach, facing the pins, letting the ball hang on your hand, you could not swing the ball straight without hitting your hip with the ball.
This is impossible to do without swinging the ball around your hip because the ball is too big. This "roundhouse swing" is not able to be duplicated shot after shot.
Therefore, you might be in a position to be able to swing the ball toward your desired target without any obstacles.
The tip: Get your head as far to the right (or left if left handed) and tilt your bowling shoulder slightly downward. Contrary to what some of your bowlers might tell you, you must drop your shoulder toward the floor in order to avoid the "roundhouse swing". At the same time, slightly open your hips and shoulder and you will be able to swing your arm straight toward the target time and time again. Due to different physiologist, the exact position may vary slightly from person to person, but that correctly positioned, you can use gravity to control the tempo of your swing.
Note: If you were to shoot a game of pool, or go to a range and shoot a bow or rifle, note the position your head would have to be in to be effective in these activities. Also, next time you watch Pro Bowling on TV, make note of the bowler's body positions.
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 an Advisor along with being involved with Special Events with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by telephone at 435-720-7939 or via email at mikel@stormbowling.com

PBA NEWS

In his fourth season competing on the Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour, Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., broke through to win his first title last Sunday afternoon in the PBA One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial at Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl in Dublin, Calif. He defeated Patrick Allen 237-215.
Full coverage of this story is available at http://bght.blogspot.com


This column is written by Ed Townsend, a public relations consultant to the amateur and professional sport of bowling and to several bowling writers associations. If you have a topic that would make good reading or have league and tournament scores and information, Ed can be reached by phone at 845-439-8177, via email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com and by fax at 845-230-8674. For an expanded version of this column please visit our Web Page at http://bght.blogspot.com This column is also available on Facebook.

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LOCAL BOWLING SCORES
BY ED TOWNSEND

Beechwood Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Ladies League included a 212 game by Karen Borowski, Jody Schanil 193, 159, Jackie Gieger 175, Julie Yewchuck 150, 164, Nicole Hubert 158, Diane Conroy 157, Lori Kimmes 190, Barbara Cady 155, 156, Beth Schumacher 156, Dot McCormack 187, Tracey Puerschner 162, 159 and Wendy Finn 186.
In the Tuesday Ladies League, Lillian Zieres had a 194 game, a 168 game and a 513 series, Pat Peters 181, 478, Maureen Schlott 176, 465 and Barbara Cady 169, 461.

Fox Bowling Center

Recent highlight scores in the Tuesday Ladies Early Birds League included a 201 game and 527 series by Linda Ferris, Dana McGraw 203, Sheri Oralls 188 and Brianna Walker 184.
In the Wednesday Men’s Independent League, Tom Anderson 253, 644, Mike Blair 226, Al Bullis Sr. 229, Andrew Bullis 236, Dale Conklin 613, Jim Dibble 235, 665, Brandon Drumm 228, Brian Drumm 612, Art Gately 639, Craig Gehrig 257, 246, 684, Jack Hazen 244, B.J. Johnson 226, Gregory Keesler 236, Jerry Kulakosky 233, 625, Robert McNaught 225, 237, 654, Donnie Marino 268, 232, 713, Rich Regas 242, Tim Smith 245, 634, Zuke Wormuth 245, 627, Jeremy Wormuth 248, 269, 738 and Jay Wormuth 240, 609.
In the Thursday Deposit National Men’s League, Al Bullis Jr. 612, Al Bullis Sr. 236, 654, Andy Bullis 226, Craig Conklin 226, 267, 700, Frank Couse Sr. 257, 619, Jim Dibble 235, 644, Paul Fritz 244, 622, Greg Keesler 266, 673, John Lanner 278, 654, Rich Lenio 238, 668, Rick Mills 257, 609, Neil Mosher 257, 246, 664, Paul Siegler 235, Jim Valentine 226, 653, Dan Wormuth 225, 652 and Jay Wormuth 238, 613.
In the Friday Mixed Doubles Couples League, Peggy Brush 194, Andy Bullis 657, Howey Couse Jr. 247, 274, 726, Frank Couse Sr. 600, Anne Couse 198, 208, 579, Crystal Ellis 198, Norman Ellis 226, 635, Bonnie LaDuke 185, Dana McGraw 231, 217, 194, 642, Dawn Mclenon 202, Sheri Oralls 209, 200, 557, Walt Oralls 256, 643, Brian Tiffany 232, 609, Sandy Winans 198, 526, Dan Wormuth 235, 657, Jay Wormuth 235, 625 and Jeremy Wormuth 244, 236, 691.
In the Sunday Afternoon Mixed Fun League, Matt Johnson 226, 624, Roger Mills 256, Savanna Mills (youth girls’ scores) 141, 160, 128, 429 (and a Happy Birthday to you, Savanna), Parker Tiffany (youth boys’ scores) 103, 140, 132 and Shirley Townsend 204, 514.

Kiamesha Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Men’s League included a 250 game and 669 series by Al Caycho, Jon Wilhelm 650, James VanAken 228, 647, Josh Strang 229, 649, Tom Belgiovene 236, 666, John Hoffmann 279, 248, 709, Mike Mulligan 225, Gil Suarez 227, Dan Ricco 279, 644, Mike Weiner 608, Eddie Lake 248, 226, 678, Rick Lake 226, 245, 232, 703, Jack Moylan 269, 255, 277, 801, Robert Sze 227, 246, 691, Kort Wheeler 258, 245, 705, Keith Hackett 278, 704, Laresko Niifa 225, Paul Durland 232, 606, Jaryl Scott 225, 608, Vinnie Collura 234, 632, Donald Durland 644, Dave Graham 245, 655, Nate Sanders 268, 237, 721, John Fischer 226, 226, 236, 688, Leroy Williams 625, Frank Muller Jr. 245, 613, Larry Berens 257, 279, 754, Dean Shattuck 229, 279, 708, Gregory Fallon 226, 238, 226, 690, Kenny Atkins 647, James Frost 225, 619, Matt Fallon 609 and Frank Scuderi 227, 262, 683.
In the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters League, Brian Babcock 277, Peter Scannel 276, Joe Peabody 256, 659, Jack Rustic 682, Edward Walsh 235, 234, 672, Ed Guthrie 225, 659, Joan Redington 202, 211, 594, Andrea Grossman 208, 554, Dorian Jennings 202, Cara Nicholson 543, Joan Lake 180, 199, 521, Mary Lee Willliams 182, 529, Debbie Durland 516, Lisa Cartwright 182, 516 and Shane Cunningham 232, 665.
In the Wednesday Men’s League James Van Aken 226, 659, Steven Belgiovene 255, 672, Tom Belgiovene 226, 604, John Hoffmann 227, 621, George Battle Jr.. 258, 248, 653, Eddie Lake 227, Shane Deitchman 658, Nick Price 243, 258, 672, Edward Walsh 225, 609, Gregory Fallon 236, 226, 226, 688, Jon Wilhelm 265, 689, Richard Bradford 277, 247, 717, Donald Durland 267, 258, 268, 793, Frank Muller Jr. 236 and Shane Cunningham 247, 631.
In the Thursday Ladies League, Mari Jane Conklin 192, Mardette Wilcox 201, 203, 564, Valerie Fersch 171, 171, 507, Rudy Hoke 184, 175, 523, Rita Burdick 193, 177, 506, Debbie Durland 226, 203, 607, Barbara Durbak 194, 244, 596, Barb Merton 204, 173, 541 and Carmille Carpinone 181.
In the Saturday Morning Youth Leagues, in the Bantams Division, Brianna Bear 73, 87, Nikko Griffin-Torres 69, 68, Cameron Mann 66, 61, Tayl’r Porter 102, 103 and Renne Schreiber 67, 71. In the Preps Division, Sierra Barbiani 93, 107, Mikayla DeGraw 104, 115, 151, Nathaniel Edwards 146, 122, 96, Parth Patel 138, 117, Shivam Patel 108, 101, 114, Shyam Patel 91, 92, 116, Stacey Reuss 130 and Sarah Rustic 100, 111, 120. In the Jr./Mgr. Division, Pedro Agapito 237, 235, 216, 688, Anibal Cruz 133, 182, 137, James Durland 212, 167, 161, 540, Matthew Edwards 157, 150, 158, Jared Friedman 191, Alyssa Marino 201, 180, 150, 531, Jose Rodriguez 186, 180, 163, 529, Serafin Rodriguez 181, 216, 180, 577, Michael Scuderi 157, 243, 202, 602.

Liberty Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Men’s League included Ralph Coney with a 227 game, a 206 game and a 615 series, Andy Cook 201, 234, 613, Paul Minton 225, 212, 608, Pete Meachum 222, Kyle Stevens 203, 231, Chris Stevens 213, Rudy Belanchia 221, 205, Walt Edwards 201, Justin Lopez 235, Thomas Fix 227, Mitch Mattison 221, Ricky Nichols 207, Ray Stanishia 205, Jason Jones Jr. 202, William Bruce 201 and Ed Blume Jr. 200.
In the Wednesday Men’s League, Jim Fiore 206, 266, 670, Paul Minton 222, 214, 219, 655, Thomas Fix 204, 201, 204, 609, Dwayne Cabrera 214, 602, Keith Smith 216, 601, Wayne Fox 245, Jason Jones Jr. 222, 203, Justin Lopez 226, Kyle Stevens 205, 227, Chuck McAllister 202, 204, Pete Meachum 224, Herbie Sklar 222, Walt Edwards 211, John Lopez 208, Jason Jones Sr. 203, 202 and Chris McKay 201.
In the Thrusday Ladies League, Chrissy Schiff 180, JoAnne Wright 187, Janet Warren 191 and Diane Edwards 186.
In the Friday Mixed League, Kyle Stevens 227, 221, 258,706, Alan LaBounty 225, Thomas Fix 225, Russell Bivins 205, Bonnie Carman 187
In the Saturday Mixed League included Gene Smith 223, 223, 642, Jon Wayne 238, 233, Chris Stevens 209, 215, Kyle Stevens 223, Geo Crary 209 and Betty Jane Stevens 181.
In the Sunday Mixed League, Rich Winters Sr. 214, 203, 601, Barbara Cady 184, 506, Thomas Fix 210, Rich Winters Jr. 210, Bob Feeney 202
In the Liberty Elks Bumper League, Ethen Smith 75 and Colin Flynn 65.
In the Liberty Elks Bantam League, Marie Lyons 107, 87, 194, Ian Cody 99, Lindsie Siegel 99, 97, 196, Kayla McMahon 86, Myan Florez 76, 74, 150, Gabriel Florez 73, 57, 130, David Schiff 72, Zachary DeLong 64, Sean McMahon 64, Kylie Flynn 63 and Aidan Whitehead 28.
In the Liberty Elks Teenage League, John Kolarik 199, 520, Anthony Kolarik 194, 192, 164, 550, Robert Feeney 193, 180, 153, 526, Jonathan Griesbeck 159, Cameron Reichenbaugh 159, 122, Robby Allegretta 149, 133, 400, Louie Brahm 148, 407, Ryan McDowall 145, 133, 100, 378, Alaura DeLong 132, 105, 102, 339, Thomas McCausland 127, Zachary Cody 127, Ryan Feeney 120, Hanrii Padu 120, 109, Nick Carriere 120, 119, Dylan Rivera 119 and Glen McCausland 118.
COLUMBIA 300 WORLD BEATER
CARRIES RYAN CIMINELLI TO
FIRST PBA TOUR TITLE
DUBLIN, Sometimes the only difference between being No. 1 and being a contender is the right tool. For Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., the new Columbia 300 World Beater was the right answer at the right time, carrying him to his first Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title in the Earl Anthony Memorial at Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl in Dublin, Calif. last Sunday. Ciminelli, who had a pair of second place finishes during the 2009-10 season as a non-exempt player, earned his Tour exemption last December in the PBA Regional Players Invitational. After a slow start to his first season as an exempt player in the PBA’s World Series of Bowling, Ciminelli went to the all-new Columbia 300 World Beater during the $1 million PBA Tournament of Champions, where he finished 14th in a field of 175 PBA champions.The 24-year-old left-hander continued his torrid streak in Dublin, rolling his way into the top spot for the stepladder finals and racing to a 237-215 victory over Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, Fla., in Sunday’s title match.“With the World Beater drilled with the cg and pin up, I had a ball that would start up quicker and read the midlane but not overeact,” Ciminelli said. “Having a ball that would hook early and get through the midlane was going to be critical knowing I had to bowl the last match on TV.“With the way the lanes were breaking down, I could throw it hard and still stay in my comfort zone,” he added. “As long as the ball was reading the midlane the way I wanted, I was confident I could get to the pocket every time.”Ciminelli’s victory was the second in three weeks for Columbia 300’s hottest new ball. On Jan. 16, Chris Barnes used his World Beater to win the PBA World Championship, becoming only the sixth player in PBA history to complete the Tour’s Triple Crown.“The success we’ve seen over the last few weeks with the World Beater has been a long time coming, both for the players and for Columbia 300,” said Bugsy Kelly, Columbia 300 Brand Manager. “We’ve all been working hard to get the win, and now that we’ve been able to get a great product in our players’ hands, they can’t be beat. Ryan did a great job with his first win, and I’m sure he’ll be a player to contend with for the rest of the season.”— Columbia 300 Bowling Balls & Bowling Equipment - Based in Hopkinsville, Ky., Columbia 300 is a long-time power brand servicing the bowling world with quality and professional products. Its parent company, Ebonite International, Inc., is a privately-owned company that services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets both domestically and internationally. The company’s other consumer product brands include Ebonite,Hammer,Track, Robby’s, and Powerhouse™; its commercial product brand is Ebonite Bowling Center Direct.Photo Credits: PBA LLC