Thursday, March 13, 2008

PBA Rookie sensation Rhino Page, right, accepts the Go RVing championship trophy from PBA Tour Director Kirk von Krueger following his 244-220 victory over Jack Jurek in last Sunday's Tour stop in Norwich, CT.

New York's Jurek Needed A Win

Through the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Go RVing Classic at Norwich, CT last week Lackawanna (near Buffalo) New York's Jack Jurek was producing winning scores in the rounds of 16 and 8.
After winning the round of 8 match and with the projection that he had made the ESPN TV championship round Sunday afternoon it was a pleasant surprise to find Jack sitting down next two us during Saturday morning breakfast at the same motel that my wife and I along with Bob Cady and Barbara Korthright of Livingston Manor were staying at in Niantic, CT.
We shared general bowling conversation with Jack who noted that this is the first time the PBA tour had bowled on the new Kegal synthetic lanes installed at the Norwich Bowling & Entertainment Center.
In the tour's 49-year history this is the first time the Denny's PBA Tour ever took its show to Norwich, although the Tour has had an event in the state of Connecticut in seven consecutive seasons. The Mohegan Sun Arena (visited by us Saturday night) in nearby Uncasville, played host to the Tour the last six seasons. The Tour has two more years at Norwich.
Jack also pointed out that one of the brand named balls he uses is MoRich and that he know very well MoRich Northeast Technical Advisor Mike Luongo, a regular Bowling Tip contributor to this column who was also present at the Norwich center on Friday.
Jack said that the new Kegal synthetic surface and the PBA Chameleons (PBA Oil Pattern for the week) made many of the professionals use the "gutter shot" in which bowlers rolled their bowling balls very close to the gutter.
Newark NY Professional Doug Kent also talked with us about the lanes and his life on tour this year which we will feature in next week's column.
Jurek noted when asked about next year said that he definitely was looking at what could be his last three weeks on the Denny's PBA Tour because of the long drought he has had on the Tour.
Jurek in the round of 8 defeated Steve Harman 4-3 with gams of 203,-206, 194-210, 227-213, 199-236, 229-173, 239-141 and he won the last game 247-245 to advance to the TV round on Sunday.
Coming into his first TV match Sunday with Mike Edwards Jurek was out of the cut in 42nd for a 2008-09 exemption at season's end.
Jurek during the 2007-07 season was ranked 17.
"Double J" as he is nicknamed, enjoys hockey and lists Pete Weber as his toughest opponent. He won the 1984 AMF World Cup Championship in Sydney, Australia and in 1984 was named the Bowlers Journal Amateur of the Year.
During the 2006-07 Jack enjoyed his best year on Tour, setting career highs in match play appearance, TV finals, average and season earnings.
The popular pro-shop owner and operator at the Bowler's Choice Pro Shop in the Transit Lanes, Williamsville, won his lone Denny's PBA Tour title in the 1995 PBA Turns Classic in Windsor Locks, Conn. He has made six other television appearances in his career and has made match play in 59 of his 232 career Denny's Tour events and has cashed 124 times.
Jack also owns 11 PBA Regional Tour titles.
We wished him the best in last Sunday's Championship TV match against rookie sensation Rhino Page but reminded him that we had to show no partiality once we took our front row press seats for the Sunday TV afternoon championship matches.

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