Bowling Highlights Column 12-30-11

PBA Xtra Frame Tour Only Events

Professional Bowling Association (PBA) Tour fans hopefully have computers because several upcoming tournaments will only be available on pba.com's Xtra Frame.
Ricart Ford in Columbus, Ohio, will be the title sponsor of the Professional Bowlers Association’s Ricart Ford Open presented by Columbia 300, Feb. 17-19 at Sequoia Lanes in Columbus. The tournament will be the third of four PBA Tour Xtra Frame tournaments on the 2011-12 PBA Tour schedule.
The tournament will be webcast live, exclusively on pba.com’s Xtra Frame
online bowling channel, from start to finish.
Great commentary is provided by "The Bowling Doctor" Jeff Mark.
The newly-created Xtra Frame Tour will also include the Cheetah Openpresented by Ebonite, Jan. 21-22, in Fountain Valley, Calif.; the DetroitOpen presented by Track, March 11-12, in Allen Park, Mich., and the DickWeber PBA Playoffs presented by Hammer, March 31-April 1, in Indianapolis.PBA Tour titles and berths in the Round of 36 for the 2012 PBA Tournamentof Champions will be awarded in all four events.
The PBA Ricart Ford Open will also offer a $10,000 first prize. Thetournament is open to all comers with a $350 entry fee for PBA members anda $400 fee for non-members. It will pay a prize fund of $66,000 based on afield of 130, with one in three players cashing.
Thanks to the extensive live online coverage of Xtra Frame Tour events,PBA fans will be able to witness the pressures and drama of a complete PBATour event from qualifying through match play, concluding with thestepladder finals.
Xtra Frame also will provide live coverage of the preliminary rounds ofthe Tour’s three major championships: the USBC Masters, Jan. 23-29, in LasVegas; the U.S. Open, Feb. 20-26 in North Brunswick, N.J., and the PBATournament of Champions, April 8-15, in Las Vegas.
Xtra Frame is available for a $7.99 monthly or 12-month subscription rateof $64.99 which includes year-round coverage of PBA activities, includingPBA Tour, Senior Tour and selected PBA Regional events. The full-yearpackage provides subscribers with hundreds of player and industry leaderinterviews, new product introductions, coaching tips and human interestfeatures, and access to Xtra Frame’s huge archive of past PBA events plusmuch more.
To sign up for Xtra Frame, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame logo.

Happy New Year

We wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

The Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

Bowlers: This week's tip will help you understand correct shoulder alignment when throwing your strike ball and in making spares.
When throwing a bowling ball, the shoulders should not necessarily be straight (perpendicular) in relation to the lane.
Instead, they should be aligned straight to the target mark you are trying to hit. This is called pro setting the angle of the shoulders.
There are three rules regarding shoulder alignment:
1. When playing straight down the boards, your shoulders should be straight in relation to the lane.
2. When making shots to the right of the head pin, open your shoulders in relation to the lane.
3. When making shots to the left of the head pin, close your shoulders in relation to the lane.
Doing this is easy if you imagine that there is a three-foot arrow poised on the right shoulder (or left shoulder if you are left handed).
Simply point the arrow at the target and the angle will automatically be correct.
Note: Your arm swing should never change, instead, adjust the angle of the shoulders so that your arm swing is in line with the target.
Mike Luongo is a certified IBPSIA Pro Shop Operator, Master Instructor, USBC Silver Level Coach and an Advisor-Special Events assistant with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. Have a question, call him at 435-720-7939 or email at mikel@stormbowling.com

This column is written by Ed Townsend, a public relations consultant to the amateur-professional sport of bowling and to several bowling writers associations. League and tournament information and scores can be sent to 845-439-8177, via email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com and by fax at 845-205-4474. We are also available at http://bght.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook.

IDENTIFICATION OF ABOVE PHOTO

Professional Bowlers Association Xtra Frame commentator "The Bowling Doctor" Jeff Mark works the TV program keyboard. His knowledge of the game and equipment is outstanding.