PBA League Expands With Two All-Female Teams

The PBA League is set to expand again and this time it will happen in historic fashion.

The PBA announced Tuesday it will add two teams made up entirely of women to the 2020 PBA League and will hold a special draft to determine the team rosters.

The Miami Waves, coached by PBA champion Bob Learn Jr., and the Phoenix Fury, coached by PWBA great Kim Terrell-Kearney, will be the first all-female teams in PBA League history.

The special draft will take place July 7 at 4 p.m. Eastern live exclusively on FloBowling. Each team will draft five players from a pool of the top 35 players from the 2019 PWBA Tour points list.

While it will mark the first time the PBA League has all-female teams, it will not be the first time women have competed in the league since it was established in 2013.

Kelly Kulick competed for the NYC KingPins, Liz Johnson for the Portland Lumberjacks and Danielle McEwan for the Motown Muscle. None of the current team rosters have any female bowlers.

The 2020 PBA League competition was originally scheduled to be held in July but due to the coronavirus pandemic has been postponed. The PBA has said the event will take place this year at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine, and will make an announcement soon.

Two other expansion teams, the Brew City Ballers and Las Vegas High Rollers, were added to the league for 2020. Those teams already filled out their rosters as part of the 2020 PBA League Draft that was conducted in May.

With 12 teams now, the PBA League will be broken up into two six-team divisions.

The Carter Division will feature the Dallas Strikers, Philadelphia Hitmen, Brooklyn Styles, Silver Lake Atom Splitters, Las Vegas High Rollers and Phoenix Fury.

In the Anthony Division, the NYC Kingpins, Motown Muscle, Portland Lumberjacks, L.A. X, Brew City Ballers and Miami Waves will battle.

Women’s Teams Draft Eligible Players

Here are the players eligible to be drafted, made up of the top 35 from the 2019 PWBA points list.

Pos	Player	Points
1	Shannon O'Keefe	148,125
2	Danielle McEwan	117,085
3	Dasha Kovalova	109,970
4	Liz Johnson	84,325
5	Clara Guerrero	83,190
6	Jordan Richard	80,795
7	Missy Parkin	78,512.5
8	Liz Kuhlkin	77,650
9	Stefanie Johnson	74,945
10	Maria José Rodriguez	70,170
11	Bryanna Coté	69,135
12	Shannon Pluhowsky	67,480
13	Cherie Tan	66,875
14	Josie Barnes	62,310
15	Tannya Roumimper	60,780
16	Birgit Poppler	55,905
17	Diana Zavjalova	55,047.5
18	Valerie Bercier	52,162.5
19	Kelly Kulick	50,420
20	Sydney Brummett	50,325
21	Verity Crawley	48,815
22	Giselle Poss	44,000
23	Sandra Gongora	43,402.5
24	Shayna Ng	42,550
25	Julia Bond	40,970
26	Erin McCarthy	37,300
27	Rocio Restrepo	36,065
28	Ashly Galante	33,680
29	Jen Higgins	32,705
30	Gazmine Mason	32,570
31	Lindsay Boomershine	31,370
32	Daria Pajak	30,845
33	Jodi Woessner	29,395

Dates, Contenders Set For PBA King Of The Lanes

When it was announced the PBA King of the Lanes was returning in July, it was assumed reigning king Wes Malott would be back to defend his crown.

Malott will indeed be back, but he will face a monumental test from established pros, rising stars, hall of famers and PWBA players if he wants to keep his perch.

The PBA announced the field of contenders along with broadcast details Thursday for another prime-time special event. The King of the Lanes will take place July 20-22 with six hours of live shows on FS1 (United States) and FloBowling (international).

During the original run of the PBA King of Bowling in 2009, Malott had an undefeated five-day run as the king and bowled two televised 300 games during that stretch. There have been other iterations of the King series and Malott has successfully defended his crown each time.

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The first King of the Lanes show, which will air July 20 at 8 p.m. Eastern, will feature bowling legends Norm Duke and Walter Ray Williams Jr. facing off in the contenders match for the right to take on Malott.

On the second show (July 20, 9 p.m. Eastern), Anthony Simonsen and EJ Tackett will battle in the contenders match taking on the reigning king, which will be either Malott, Duke or Williams.

Bill O’Neill will face Sean Rash in the contenders match on the third show (July 21, 7 p.m. Eastern) for the right to challenge the king. On the fourth show (July 21, 8 p.m. Eastern), Jakob Butturff and Clara Guerrero will face off as contenders.

The final night of broadcasts will see Kris Prather take on Gazmine Mason on July 22 at 8 p.m. Eastern for the right to battle the king. The final contenders match will showcase Kyle Troup against Pete Weber on July 22 at 9 p.m. Eastern.

All matches will be traditional 10-frame bowling games to determine winners.

The PBA King of the Lanes will be the back portion of a six-day stretch of live televised bowling. The PBA Tour Finals will take place July 18-19 on CBS Sports Network (United States) and FloBowling (international).

PBA King of the Lanes 

All times Eastern

Monday, July 20

King of the Lanes 1 – 8-9 p.m.Contenders match: Norm Duke vs. Walter Ray Williams Jr.
King match 1: King Wes Malott vs. contenders match winner

King of the Lanes 2 – 9-10 p.m.
Contenders match: Anthony Simonsen vs. EJ Tackett
King match 2: Winner from King 1 match vs. contenders match winner

Tuesday, July 21

King of the Lanes 3 – 7-8 p.m.Contenders match: Bill O'Neill vs. Sean Rash
King match 3: Winner from King 2 match vs. contenders match winner

King of the Lanes 4 – 8-9 p.m.
Contenders match: Jakob Butturff vs. Clara Guerrero
King match 4: Winner from King 3 match vs. contenders match winner

Wednesday, July 22

King of the Lanes 5 – 8-9 p.m.
Contenders match: Kris Prather vs. Gazmine Mason
King match 5: Winner from King 4 match vs. contenders match winner

King of the Lanes 6 – 9-10 p.m.Contenders match: Kyle Troup vs. Pete Weber
King match 6: Winner from King 5 match vs. contenders match winner

NYSEG Stadium To Host Graduation Weekend

Binghamton, NY – The Binghamton Rumble Ponies will host their first ever Graduation Weekend at NYSEG Stadium from June 26th – June 28th. The Rumble Ponies will host Chenango Forks High School (June 26th), Maine Endwell High School (June 27), and Binghamton High School (June 28th) for Graduation Ceremonies,

“It was important for us to work with the schools and host Graduation Weekend at NYSEG Stadium,” said Managing Director, John Bayne. “The Seniors have worked hard for this moment, and students and proud parents deserve a Graduation ceremony. The Rumble Ponies are happy we can partner with the local school districts to shine a spotlight on these graduates.”

In accordance with the guidance from Governor Andrew Cuomo all groups will be limited to 150 people, proper sanitation and social distancing will be observed.   All spectators, graduates, administrators, and support staff will also be required to wear a face mask while attending the ceremonies. 

NYSEG Stadium will be thoroughly sanitized between sessions to ensure the health and safety of all attending Graduation Weekend.

“This is a real community event and shows how strong the Southern Tier is,” said Bayne. “Without the assistance of the sponsors none of this would have been possible.”  Sponsors for the event include: BAE Systems, FE Jones Construction, M&T Bank, The Smith Group, Friends of Donna Lupardo, Insurance Office of America, IBM, Price Chopper, Servpro, Visions Federal Credit Union, NBT Bank, Blaze Pizza, and J&K Plumbing & Heating.

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are the Double-A Affiliate of the New York Mets. For more information follow along with the Ponies on Facebook facebook.com/RumblePoniesBB, or on Twitter at @RumblePoniesBB.

PBA TOUR RETURNS

The PBA returned this month with a pair of non-title special events, but in July, for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, a PBA Tour title will be on the line.

The 2020 PBA Tour Finals will return July 18-19 with eight players competing at Bowlero Jupiter in Florida live on CBS Sports Network (United States) and FloBowling (international).

The players competing in the event include defending champion EJ Tackett, Anthony Simonsen, Bill O’Neill, Sean Rash, Jakob Butturff, Kris Prather, Kyle Troup and Norm Duke.

Players were selected for the event based on points over the past two seasons, concluding with the last event to award a PBA Tour title, the PBA World Championship on March 15.

Jason Belmonte, who leads the points list, is unable to attend the event due to travel restrictions because of the pandemic. That allowed Duke, who was ninth in points, to earn a spot in the event.

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The PBA Tour Finals will consist of nine hours of live coverage. Two qualifying rounds, each lasting two hours, will be broadcast on July 18. On July 19, two two-hour group stepladders will be followed by a one-hour championship match.

According to the PBA’s news release put out Monday, the PBA Tour Finals will incorporate the same format as the past two years, with the eight-player field divided into two four-player groups. The field will bowl four games of qualifying in their respective groups. The four-game pinfall totals for each player will be used to determine the seeding for a separate stepladder finals in each group. The final match of each group’s stepladder will be a Race to Two Points match with each game worth one point and, if the two games are split, the final point is awarded via a 9th and 10th frame roll off. The two group winners will then meet in another Race to Two Points championship match that will also use a 9th and 10th frame roll-off should there be a tie after two games.

The four total pinfall seeding rounds will air Saturday, July 18, at noon and 2 p.m. ET and will determine the order for the Group 1 stepladder matches at noon ET on Sunday, July 19, and the Group 2 stepladder at 2 p.m. ET. The winners of each group stepladder will the face off in the championship match Sunday, July 19, at 4 p.m. ET.

PBA Tour Finals

TV: CBS Sports Network (United States), FloBowling (international)
Where: Bowlero Jupiter, Florida
When:
Saturday, July 18Noon (ET) – Group 1 total pinfall round (four games)
2 p.m. (ET) – Group 2 total pinfall round (four games)
Sunday, July 19Noon (ET) – Group 1 Stepladder Finals
2 p.m. (ET) – Group 2 Stepladder Finals
4 p.m. (ET) – Championship Match

Qualifiers

(Top 8 in PBA Tour points for 2019 and 2020 seasons combined, through March 15)

1. *Jason Belmonte, Australia 61,485.00 (unable to attend)
2. Anthony Simonsen, Little Elm, Texas 47,085.00
3. EJ Tackett, Bluffton, Ind. 44,950.00
4. Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa. 42,507.50
5. Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill. 41,360.00
6. Jakob Butturff, Tempe, Ariz. 38,175.00
7. Kristopher Prather, Plainfield, Ill. 37,280.00
8. Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C. 31,755.00
9. Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla. 31,132.50 (moves up to take 8th position with Belmonte unable to attend)

USBC ISSUES FINAL ADJUSTED BOWLING BALL HARDNESS SPECIFICATION

ARLINGTON, Texas – The United States Bowling Congress issued final specification changes for bowling ball hardness after reviewing comments from manufacturers.

In April, USBC announced a proposal to raise minimum hardness to 73D for all models and to eliminate the use of field tests to check bowling ball hardness because of challenges related to workability, temperature control and variances in testing devices. The changes now are final.

Based upon comments from manufacturers, USBC will extend the implementation timeline. Manufacturers will be granted ball approval at the current 72D limit through Dec. 31, 2020 and will be required to discontinue additional production of models previously approved below 73D by July 31, 2022.

Visit BOWL.com/EquipAndSpecs for the 2020 Hardness Research Report and related research.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). USBC conducts championship events nationwide including the largest participation sporting events in the world – the USBC Open and Women's Championships – and professional events such as the USBC Masters and USBC Queens.

Founded in 1895, today USBC and its 1,638 state and local associations proudly serve more than a million members. USBC is headquartered in Arlington, Texas, working toward a future for the sport. The online home for USBC is BOWL.com.

LAS VEGAS TO HOST 2022 USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

ARLINGTON, Texas – The United States Bowling Congress Open Championships will head to Las Vegas in 2022 with the South Point Bowling Plaza serving as the host venue.

The event previously was scheduled to be conducted in a newly built facility in Houston but because of business interruptions caused by COVID-19, the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority and USBC mutually agreed it is not feasible for Houston to host the event in 2022.

The Sports Authority planned to have a new building in a dynamic North Houston setting completed by January 2022. Plans had been approved and was on schedule until the economic disruption from the pandemic made the project timeline unworkable.

“The USBC is an incredible partner and we are disappointed that we will not be able to host this prestigious event,’’ said Sports Authority CEO Janis Burke. “Our organizations put in years of planning on the building and event, but we hope to have a chance to host the USBC Open Championships in the future.’’

USBC and HCHSA plan to work toward a new agreement for Houston to host the Open Championships in the future. Currently, the next available date is 2028.

“We continue to believe Houston is an ideal city for the Open Championships and the partnership with the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority has been strong through these unexpected challenges,” USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said. “Thankfully, South Point in Las Vegas stepped up to provide their amazing venue for 2022, once again showing tremendous support for our tournament bowlers.”  

With the schedule change, the Open Championships will be conducted at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas in 2021 and 2022. The event is the world’s largest participatory event, attracting over 50,000 bowlers who compete over a four-month period.

Visit BOWL.com/OpenChamp for more information on the Open Championships.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). USBC conducts championship events nationwide including the largest participation sporting events in the world – the USBC Open and Women's Championships – and professional events such as the USBC Masters and USBC Queens.

Founded in 1895, today USBC and its 1,638 state and local associations proudly serve more than a million members. USBC is headquartered in Arlington, Texas, working toward a future for the sport. The online home for USBC is BOWL.com.

SURVEY SHOWS A MAJORITY OF USBC MEMBERS PLAN TO BOWL IN FALL LEAGUES

ARLINGTON, Texas – A survey of United States Bowling Congress members conducted in late May found an overwhelming majority of bowlers were planning to bowl in a fall league when the 2020-2021 season starts in August.

USBC asked its members to respond to a one-question survey that asked: Assuming local government allows your bowling center to open and operate leagues, do you plan on bowling in leagues(s) this fall?

Respondents were asked to select from three possible answers: Yes, No or Unsure.

USBC received more than 47,000 responses in the first week, with 75% answering “Yes” and just 5% responding “No” as to whether they planned to bowl in a fall league.

With 20% of members responding as “Unsure”, the timing of the survey in late May could have been a factor. The survey was sent prior to the opening of bowling centers in many states, and respondents likely were not aware of any restrictions and how their center planned to address a return to bowling.

When the 20% responding “Unsure”, plus those who answered “No”, were directed to a follow-up question asking the reason, an overwhelming majority (80%) answered it was because of health and safety concerns.

The survey was distributed to USBC members through email, the USBC Facebook page, a pop-up on the BOWL.com homepage and in the weekly BowlTV newsletter. More than 47,000 answered in response to the email, while the remaining distribution channels delivered a combined 525 responses.

Statistically, USBC has a 99% confidence level, with less than a 1% margin of error, of the survey results and that it is a relevant and accurate representation of the entire USBC membership.

The survey also showed responses were slightly different depending on age and gender, as 78% of those age 59 or younger plan to bowl in a fall league, and men (77%) were four percent more likely to respond “Yes” to bowling this fall compared with women (73%).

Visit BOWL.com/USBCSurveys for the full results of the survey and to see a state-by-state breakdown.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). USBC conducts championship events nationwide including the largest participation sporting events in the world – the USBC Open and Women's Championships – and professional events such as the USBC Masters and USBC Queens.

Founded in 1895, today USBC and its 1,638 state and local associations proudly serve more than a million members. USBC is headquartered in Arlington, Texas, working toward a future for the sport. The online home for USBC is BOWL.com.