Bowling Highlights

 Liz Johnson Is Part Of Bowling's Return

                                                                         

   The Professional Bowling Associatio0n (PBA) returns to the television screen this Sunday afternoon and Liz Johnson will make women's bowling history with her second TV appearance.
  The PBA Cheetah Championship presented by PBA Bowling Challenge Mobile Game begins nearly five months of ESPN television coverage with Sunday's 1 p.m. match.
  ESPN will televise four one-hour "animal pattern" championship events from GEICO World Series of Bowling  (WSOB) giving bowling fans a first look at the brand new state of the art South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas.
  The WSOB coverage begins with the PBA Cheetah Championship which will be followed on consecutive Sunday's by the Viper Championship, Chameleon Championship, Scorpion Championship and the final PNA tour event of the 2014 season--the PBA World Championship which will be televised live from the Plaza at 1 p.m. January 11.
  Dick Allen of Columbia, South Carolina averaged 244.36 for 14 games to earn the top qualifying berth for this championship but a bigger story developed a couple of lanes away when Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, NY completed a charge out of 24th place at the end of the first round to finish fourth and become the first woman to advance to a second PBA Tour national television finals.
  Johnson was the first woman ever to appear on a PBA Tour television show when she finished second in the 2004 Banquet Open in Wyoming, Mich., losing in the title match to 15-time PBA Tour titlist Tommy Jones.
  After a 190 game in her second game Johnson caught fire, rolling games of 279, 245, 279, 258 and 248 to track down PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber and knock him out of the four-player television finals by 43 pins. Her total pinfall was 3,354.
  Sunday's match also includes Brad Angelo of Lockport, NY who returned to competition after a year of battling injuries to qualify for second with 3,414 pins and Anthony Pepe of Elmhurst, NY who advanced to his first PBA TV final in third place  with 3,412 pins.

                                                                  Ed's Outlook

  Many bowlers and bowling fans often ask me about the oil patterns used by the Professional Bowlers Association and with the start of the Cheetah Championship this Sunday the PBA will be laying down the Cheetah pattern as part of their "animal patterns."
  Simply put the Cheetah pattern is 35 feet in length and many of the PBA profeswsionals agree that you play this shot as close to the channel (gutter) as this pattern will allow bowlers to adjust to carry down.
  Some bowlers when adjusting to lane break down (the oil pattern changes and the ball hooks differently when the pattern changes) change to a weaker ball (one that will not hook as much) and they will roll the ball in the same area but more deeper on the lane.
  Bowlers will stay near the channel (gutter) using the 1-3 boards from the gutter. Some pros like to play straight up the boards with little hook on this pattern--and Liz Johnson is an accurate straight up the boards type of bowler and likes this pattern.

  Ed Townsend, a PR consultant to the sport of bowling, writes and compiles the information for this column. If you have league scores, tournament information. score a 300 game or 800 series or even bowl your age, call Ed at 845-439-8177, 845-866-0333, email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com, fax at 845-205-4474. View this column and all of Ed's pictures at http://bght/blogspot.com. We are also on Facebook and Twitter.

                                                         Bowling Tip
                                                By Mike Luongo

  Bowling indeed has become one of the most popular sports in the world and it is a team sport that has become  one of the most played nowadays.
  This week we will talk about how to play bowling using the proper technique.
  The steps to follow are as follows:
  1. How to hold the ball is very important. Get your palm placed under the ball where the finger holes are located.
  2. Releasing the ball is another important step. Release at the bottom of your downswing, let the ball roll off your hand...do not force it especially don't muscle the ball.
  3. Where to aim the bowling ball....establish a target...aiming is something you must feel and sometimes that is something you cannot properly define.
  4. How to walk the approach. This means finding the proper position between the preparation and your walking towards the foul line. Make it simple and comfortable. The common approach is the four-step approach but you may feel more comfortable with a longer or shorter approach.
  5. All of this should be fun and not a job. Enjoy it and you will learn more easily.
  Mike Luongo is a certified IBPSIA Pro Shop Operator, Master Instructor, USBC Silver Level Coach and an Advisor-Special Evens 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