45th PBA Tournament of Champions
Showcases Tour’s Elite

When the Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of Champions was introduced in 1962 by PBA founder Eddie Elias and the organization’s tournament committee, it provided the PBA Tour with an elite platform to showcase an exclusive field of champions.

The 45th PBA Tournament of Champions, to be conducted Jan. 19-24 at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas, will feature 63 players who have earned their right to compete in the second major of the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season by virtue of winning a PBA title. The finals will be televised live on ESPN on Jan. 24 at 1 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Pacific).

With an event that has a rich tradition and a stellar field of players there are many storylines. Here are a few especially noteworthy stories:

*Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., will once again make PBA Tour history by becoming the first woman to compete in a Tournament of Champions. She earned her berth by winning the first PBA Women’s World Championship. Kulick originally made history by becoming the first woman to qualify for the PBA’s Exempt Tour in 2006.

*Tom Smallwood, of Saginaw, Mich., who earned a Tour exemption after being laid off from his job at General Motors last spring, will try to win his second major after winning the PBA World Championship in December in storybook fashion against reigning Player of the Year Wes Malott.

*At age 50, Hall of Famer and all-time PBA Tour titles leader Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla., is still trying for his first Tournament of Champions win. As one of the few things the 46-time titlist has yet to accomplish in his career, a Tournament of Champions win would enable him to complete the Triple Crown (PBA World Championship, U.S. Open and Tournament of Champions) Grand Slam (Triple Crown plus the USBC Masters) and Super Slam (Grand Slam plus the Touring Players Championship).

*Australian two-handed specialist Jason Belmonte will compete in his first Tournament of Champions after winning his first Tour title in 2008-09.

*Thirteen-time PBA Tour Champion Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, Fla., will be looking to defend his 2009 Tournament of Champions title.

*Jason Couch of Clermont, Fla., is the only player to have won three consecutive Tournament of Champions titles and will be looking to become the first bowler to win it four times.

The Tournament of Champions is open exclusively to Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt-player champions; the winners of the most recent PBA Regional Players Championship and Regional Players Invitational; the United States Bowling Congress Masters winner; the USBC Senior Masters, PBA Senior U.S. Open and PBA World Championship winners; all Tournament of Champions past winners, PBA Hall of Famers, and for the first time, the PBA Women’s World Championship titlist.

The first Tournament of Champions was conducted in 1962 in Indianapolis. The event was not conducted in 1963 and ’64 but moved to Akron, Ohio, in 1965 where it was conducted until 1994. Since then, it has been conducted in various locations.

Additional in-depth coverage of the PBA Tournament of Champions and all Tour events is available by subscribing to pba.com’s Xtra Frame video service. Subscription information is available by visiting pba.com/xtraframe.

45th PBA Tournament of Champions Schedule
Red Rock Lanes, Las Vegas, Nev.
(All times Pacific)

Tuesday, Jan.19
1 p.m. - Practice

Wednesday, Jan. 20
10 a.m. - Qualifying Round 1 (8 Games)
5 p.m.- Qualifying Round 2 (8 Games)

Thursday, Jan. 21
10 a.m. - Qualifying Round 3 (8 Games)
Cut to the top 24
5 p.m. - Match Play Round 1 (8 Games)

Friday, Jan. 22
11 a.m. - Match Play Round 2 (8 Games)
5 p.m. - Match Play Round 3 (8 games, top 4 advance to ESPN finals)

Saturday, Jan. 23
Pro-am squads: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 3:30 p.m.
Autograph Session: 2 - p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 24
10 a.m. - Live ESPN TV finals

HOLMAN, TERRELL-KEARNEY ELECTED
TO USBC HALL OF FAME

A pair of two-time U.S. Open champions, one from the 1980s, the other from the 2000s, have been elected to the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in a worldwide ballot of the Superior Performance category.

Marshall Holman, 55, of Medford, Ore., and Kim Terrell-Kearney, 44, of Grand Prairie, Texas, will join John Handegard and Betty Barnes, who were elected in November by the USBC Hall of Fame Committee in the Veterans and Meritorious Service categories, respectively. All will be inducted May 12 at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas. It will be the first outdoor induction ceremony in USBC history and will be preceded the previous night by a special dinner in downtown Fort Worth. The public is invited to both events with free admission to the inductions.

NICKOLAI NAMED USBC YOUTH
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Karl Nickolai, who has led the Michigan State University bowling program for the last 25 years, has been selected to receive the USBC Youth Volunteer of the Year Award by the USBC Youth Committee.

The prestigious award is annually presented to an adult volunteer who has displayed outstanding efforts to foster, organize and promote certified youth bowling programs at the local, state and/or national level for the last seven or more years.

In addition to his work at Michigan State, Nickolai has helped to promote collegiate bowling through his Web site, CollegeBowling.com. He also currently serves as president of the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association (NCBCA), a position he has held for nearly 15 years. He has been with the organization since 1985.

“I have always enjoyed my work with the MSU Intercollegiate Bowling Program, the NCBCA and the CollegeBowling.com Web site,” Nickolai said. “I am very honored to have been nominated and selected for the USBC Youth Volunteer Award.”

Nickolai makes a 70-mile commute from his hometown of Waterford, Mich., to the university in East Lansing to coach the Michigan State bowling team. He conducts tryouts in addition to taking the team to tournaments.

He launched CollegeBowling.com in 1997, when there were a limited number of Web sites for bowling teams but not a site dedicated to the coverage of collegiate bowling. CollegeBowling.com has allowed fans to follow their favorite teams and sport.

In 1998, Nickolai developed the Online Team Power Ranking (OTPR), an objective point system for ranking all schools with college bowling teams based on regular-season tournament performance. He credits Joe Ciccone, a former Arizona State University and Erie Community College bowler who is a current PBA member, with helping to develop a system that provides a meaningful team ranking throughout the season.

He also devised the concept of a college bowling “average differential” to measure athlete performance against an event field rather than by just tracking traditional bowling averages. The average differential allows athletes to be fairly compared across different events with different lane conditions.

In 1998-1999, he was selected for the Gordon Teigen Meritorious Service Award, presented annually by the NCBCA to an individual in recognition of outstanding service to collegiate bowling, for his work on CollegeBowling.com. In 2000-2001, he was the first recipient of the NCBCA Men’s Coach of the Year, now known as the NCBCA Kerm Helmer Men’s Coach of the Year award.

“Karl’s time spent coaching and successes, along with his countless hours and resources volunteered in non-coaching situations, make him an excellent candidate,” wrote Steve Lawson in his recommendation of Nickolai.

On the lanes, Nickolai had an 877 series (299-300-278) in January 1997, which at the time was the Greater Detroit Bowling Association city record and remains fourth on the all-time Detroit list. He also rolled an 827 series in 1996, which included consecutive 300 games (227-300-300).

Nickolai will be presented the USBC Youth Volunteer of the Year Award during the USBC Convention, April 28-May 1 in Reno, Nev. To learn more about USBC awards and this year’s USBC Convention, visit BOWL.com.

United States Bowling Congress
The 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.

New high performance ball most
tested in the brand’s history;
features new core, finish

If you thought the mysterious scientist “Q” armed super spy James Bond with some awe-inspiring ammunition, you haven’t seen anything yet.
The Qs at Ebonite have concocted a weapon that will become to bowlers what 007’s 0.32 Walther PPK is to him — a sure-fire winner in a no-win situation.
On Feb. 2, 2010, Ebonite will release its first high performance ball since May 2009. But, according to Ebonite Brand Manager Ed Gallagher, this isn’t just any high performance bowling ball.
“This is the most tested high performance ball we’ve ever made,” he said. “This was the best possible product we could have come to market with and I am extremely excited about this one. It is what I wanted it to be.”
Gallagher said he was given the first prototype for what would eventually become The Mission in June 2009. Six months later, the ball has seen 15 color combinations, five cores and an untold number of tests involving professional and non-professional bowlers across the country in order to make sure the ball would perform on an array of lane conditions for bowlers of all skill levels.
“The time and resources put into this product is unprecedented,” the brand manager said. “If this ball didn’t surpass the Ebonite standards it would not be released. It is vital for the brand and for the company that this ball not only epitomizes the quality and performance standards that are synonymous with the brand but exceeds them.”
Every ball released by Ebonite International, Inc. goes through rigorous testing before it is released to market. The process of making, testing and approving a ball usually takes three to four weeks per test, according to Ebonite International, Inc. Bowling Ball Engineer Ron Hickland Jr., one of many “Qs” at the company. Test bowling with a new ball takes about three days, he said.
The Mission went through this process five times, Hickland said.
The finished product resulted in a red pearl that is the accumulation of a series of never-before-done processes that makes this ball all new from the inside out.
The Mission 1.0 core is much smaller than most high performance cores and still packs a mass bias of 0.013, concentrating the weight in the center. The shape of the core keeps it clear of or less affected by a drill bit, thus maintaining its mass properties.
“The Mission 1.0 core is a balance of mass properties taken from the best core traits that yield the greatest performance qualities,” said Ebonite International, Inc. Vice President of Research and Development Randy Teitloff.
The Mission also features the XL1200 coverstock, but what is new is the finishing process the ball goes through. The ball is moved from the grinder and run through the 500 grit, 1000 grit and finally to the 2000 grit Abralon® stations giving the ball the preferred surface texture, Teitloff said.
“We wanted this ball to have a certain finish that would allow it to perform right out of the box the same as it will with several games under its belt,” he said. “The texture in the polymer allows more interaction between the ball and the lane than the lane and the ball finish, which can change with the course of use.”
The Mission is the beginning of an all new Ebonite and brings with it some features the brand has been missing, according to 15 time Professional Bowlers Association title winner and Ebonite pro staff member Jason Couch.
“The Mission has a great deal of hook and it will definitely put Ebonite back where we need to be — on top,” said Couch, who was ranked No. 24 on the PBA’s 50 Greatest Bowlers of All Time in 2009.
In the two days Couch has had the ball, he said he has practiced with it on a house pattern Saturday and on the PBA Shark Pattern on Sunday.
“I’m very pleased with it right now. The balls rolled just like the prototype balls we used in testing,” Couch said. “I’ve very excited about this product being released. It’s a ball motion we haven’t seen in our product line in awhile.”
Now, with the Mission ready to take fire, he thinks things are going to heat up.
“It’s something we haven’t had in a while and it’s definitely something I will need to use on tour,” he said. “It is the strongest motion down lane than we have ever had in our product line and it gets through the front of the lane really cleanly.”
The Mission will be released worldwide Feb. 2, 2010. To see the Mission in action, visit www.ebonite.com.
This message will self destruct in 10 … 9 … 8 …
— Ebonite is a brand of Ebonite International, Inc. Based in Hopkinsville, Ky., Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that currently services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets both domestically and internationally. The company’s consumer product brands include Ebonite, Hammer, Robby’s, Columbia 300, Track and Powerhouse™. Its commercial product brand is Ebonite Bowling Center Direct. Ebonite is a proud sponsor of The Teen Masters and the Junior Bowling Tour.

Here & There Column 1-5-10

Klatsch Talks Health Bill & Terrorism

Throw in a great variety of Christmas cookies and our famous home-made oven baked donuts with some specially blended coffee and our end of the year Sullivan County Coffee Klatsch enjoyed not only delicious refreshments but some pretty intense discussion on how the new proposed health bill was approved and the Christmas Day airline terrorism attack.
Our klatsch, consisting of four Democrats, three Republicans and one Independent showed some sincere concern after witnessing the effort to take down Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day and that the suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has claimed links to al-Qaida.
Several in our group expressed their amazement that terrorism does not fit into the category of man-caused disasters and that this December 25 act was purely and simply terrorism from al-Qaida.
"We most certainly are putting ourselves at risk and we must have increased security because those terrorists and their terrorism from al-Qaida is not going to stop," was a comment made by one of our klatsch members.
The klatsch was unanimous in their feelings that the United States has let our guard down and it's going to take more then not allowing airline passengers use of the rest rooms one hour before a flight lands to deter terrorism attacks.
Two members of our coffee klatsch are former politicians and they expressed great remorse that pork projects have been used to buy Senate votes with our tax dollars in regard to the U.S. Senate health bill.
Our general discussion on the health bill is that there is some good legislation in this bill but the use of pork projects and questionable vote-buying deals to get it passed was unethical and totally wrong and that this is why a number of states attorney generals are considering a challenge to the so-called Nebraska compromise that helped secure Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson's support for the bill and shields Nebraska from the expected $45 million annual cost of expanding Medicaid programs.
Our klatsch all agreed that taxpayers here in Sullivan County and throughout New York State would be footing some of the bill for this so-called Nebraska compromise. NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has been asked to help in this challenge and Gov. David Paterson is quoted as saying, "it leaves New York in the lurch, I don't think anyone with any integrity can deny that's what's going on.....we'll lose over $1 billion dollars if they don't fix that health care reform act."
The klatsch endorsed the theory that public awareness and participation must increase in 2010.

Bowling Highlights Column 1-1-10

Fourth Career 300 For Dean Shattuck

Monticello right-handed power bowler Dean Shattuck is a competent knowledgeable kegler and his keen savvy of lane conditions along with the recent purchase of a new bowling ball produced his fourth career 300 game December 23 in the Kiamesha Lanes Wednesday Men's league.
The perfect game was bowled on lanes 5 and 6.
Several years ago he was one of the strong proponents of a shot change for the Wednesday Men's league at Kiamesha Lanes.
Dean noted that there was a need to change the oil pattern (or lane shot) because of the fact that the former easy house pattern produced averages that were not real.
"We needed a truer shot pattern", Shattuck noted at that time.
Several weeks ago Dean purchased a new MoRich LevRG bowling ball and the change proved successful December 23 when in the first game of the night he pounded the maples for 12 strikes in a row. All 12 strikes were in the pocket but Dean did acknowledge that two were on the "light" side but carried.
The December 23 scores for the 47-year-old Shattuck were 300, 231, 213, 744.
Dean's third career 300 was bowled on January 30, 2008, also in the Wednesday Men's league at Kiamesha Lanes with scores of 300, 238, 237, 771.
His previous high series was a 792. He scored his second career 300 game on February 21, 2007 in the Wednesday Men's league at Kiamesha Lanes.
Dean is a member of the board of directors of the Tri-County NY USBC and this is the only league he bowls in. He maintains a 223 average.
He bowls with the Trade Star In't team comprised of George Battle Jr, Frank Muller Jr. Alan Jones and Larry Berens. Dean has been bowling for over 27 years.
Dean is married to Kelly and they have one daughter, Karla.
Employed as an electrician in Rockland County Dean also owns and operates his own electrical contracting business.

The Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo
Bowlers: This weeks tip will help you execute and repeat good shots by having your body set properly so that you can use the laws of physics to roll the ball and eliminate tension in your swing.
As I've mentioned in previous columns, too much upper body and head movement make it very difficult to repeat shots.
The purpose of the stance is to place the body in an athletic position, eliminate all unnecessary movements during the approach and reduce TENSION.
Resting forearms against the body, in the stance, will help reduce tension in the upper body.
How do we do this?
Here are the four steps in the proper order for setting posture.
1. Set the feet (toward your break point).
2. Set your head (tilted over the ball).
3. Set your posterior (this is your balance point as you are swinging a heavy object).
4. Set the ball position close as noted above.
You are now in position to start a smooth approach. Maintain your body position and let the ball swing under your shoulder. You will find this easy to repeat shot after shot.
Note: Watch the PBA and note the body positions but keep in mind that your exact body position may vary to accommodate different physiology. Also, if your ball does not fit, it will be difficult to eliminate tension from your swing.
Mike Luongo is technically certified through IBPSIA as a Pro Shop Operator and Teacher. He is also a Silver Level Coach with the USBC and is a Sales Advisor and Special Events Coordinator with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached at 341-1694 or via e-mail at mikespro@warwick.net

Local Scores

Kiamesha Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Men's league included 228 by Michael Mulligan, Gil Suarez 225, Dan Ricco 241, 644, Mike Weiner 234, 661, Jaryl Scott 235, 235, 676, Vinnie Collura 226, 621, Donald Durland 248, 630, Josh Strang 225, 618, John Hoffmann 268, 231, 690, John Fischer 232, 225, 645, William Bartley 233, 635, Dave Graham 226, 617, Jo Jo VanKeuren 237, 680, Frank Martinez 237, 244, 679, Al Caycho 614, Jon Wilhelm 246, 255, 713, Angel Rodriguez 231, Glenn Fraser 232Roy Sweeney 233, 635, Eddie Lake 237, 236, 701, Rick Lake 654, Niifa Laresko 225, 632, James Frost 236, 617, James Ratner 234, 630 and Mal Press 236, 638.
In the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters league Debra Blackford 200, 503, Russ Keesler 227, 287, 705, Carena Collura 192, 502, Carol McAdam 188, Ronda McClernon 200, Joann Ruggiero 213, Lisa Cartwright 202, 511, Jason Jones 227, 606, Fran Kaiser 191, John Lopez 267, 226, 676, Andrea Grossman 189, Tom Cooney 235, Debbie Durland 195, 181, 546, Jon Wilhelm 256, 237, 716, Ed Guthrie 245, 666, Kevin Stackhouse 234, 629, John Hoffmann 235, 255, 707, Mary Lee Williams 193, Joan Lake 180, Dorian Jennings 200, 531 and Jack Rustic 226, 647.
In the Wednesday Men's league George VanAken 254, Daniel VanAken 247, 612, Kenny Atkins 225, Kenneth Hopkins Jr. 246, Vincent Scuderi 245, Kevin Stackhouse 615, Mike Weiner 258, 669, John Lopez 246, 236, 678, Dave Porter Jr. 237, Willliam Danchak 606, George Battle Jr. 236, 237, 666, Frank Muller Jr. 605, Larry Berens 624, Dean Shattuck 279, 225, 719, Tom Belgiovene 611, John Hoffmann 237, 227, 668, Jody Farquhar 226, 620, Frank Emmens 225, 624, Michael Travis 235, 233, 680, Jason Jones Jr. 236, Eddie Lake 236, 247, 682, Matt Fallon 227, 658, Jon Wilhelm 226, 614, Richard Bradford 248, 235, 697 and Donald Durland 236, 226, 673.
In the Saturday Morning Youth leagues, in the Pee Wees division Amelia Edwards 35, Gabriella 60, George VanAken 101, Kaylen Blackford 55, Erin Brawley 46, Jenna Hendricks 79, Renee Schreiber 71. In the Preps division Ben Drillings 8, 106, Anthony Pagani 76, 72, Nathaniel Goldsmith 120, 126, Michael Hope 108, Parth Patel 140, Mikayla DeGraw 179, Nicole Scudari 142, Stacey Reuss 72, 81, Tayl'r Porter 62, 106, Rachel Drilling 37, Jonathan Wilhelm 116. In the Jr./Mjrs division Matthew Brown 133, 133, Kristy Gessman 145, Matthew Edwards 137, Shivani Patel 161, Michael Scuderi 172, 215, Pedro Agapito 193, 247, James Durland 190, Cory Ciliberto 140, 130, Jason Moss 174, 170, Amber Bock 114, 113, Bryden Fraser 122, 116, Eddie Walsh 266, 177, 204, Nick Price 225, 205.

Fox Bowling Center

Recent highlight scores in the Wednesday Men's Independent league include a 231 by Al Bullis Sr., Cody Conway 225, 647, Frank Couse Sr. 650, Frank Couse Jr. 244, 245, 691, Jim Dibble 233, 234, 279, 746, Brian Drumm 247, 664, Anthony Gately 237, Craig Gehrig 225, Dylan Green 226, 619, Mark Hawley 620, Jack Hazen 232, 628, Rob Johnson 269, 670, Pat Kille 237, 632, Jerry Kulakosky 225, Donnie Marino 243, 622, Neil Mosher 612, Mitch Persbacker 633, Josh Rice 234, Hank Whitmore 601, Zuke Wormuth 235, 606 and Jay Wormuth 248, 663.
In the Friday Mixed Couples league Stacy Briggs 181, Andy Bullis 618, Anne Couse 183, 516, Howey Couse 226, 659, Elizabeth Gleim 185, Bill Gleim 269, 227, 225, 721, Mike Horton 227, Gino Jones 267, 231, 233, 731, Julie Martin 182, 202, 530, Jen Smith 182 and Dan Wormuth 225, 649.
In the Sunday Afternoon Mixed Fun league Marty Haeussler 235, John Hoffmann 235, 633, Rodney "Taylor" Jester (youth boys) 195, 507, Matt Johnson 239, 627, Donnie Marino 255, 243, 248, 746, Savanna Mills (youth girls) 136, 133, 134, 403.

Beechwood Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Ladies league include a 205 by Lori Kimmes, Diane Conroy 179, Tracey Puerschner 161, 183, 177, 521, Wendy Adams 196, 179 and Wendy Finn 189.
In the Tuesday Ladies league Debbie Loughrey 184, 458, Joyce Brooks 177, 458, Maureen Schlott 173 and Rebecca Rhodes 460.

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 439-8177, via e-mail at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com and by fax at 230-8674. For a more expanded version of the bowling column, please visit our Web Page at http://bght.blogspot.com/

PBA Announces Nine-Tournament
Senior Tour Schedule For 2010

The Professional Bowlers Association has announced its nine-tournament PBA Senior Tour schedule for 2010 beginning with the PBA Senior Dayton Classic April 17-20 and ending with the PBA Senior Jackson Open Aug. 21-24.

The schedule will once again include two majors, the PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by the Suncoast and the United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters, which will be conducted June 6-11 and June 13-18, respectively.

Ron Mohr of Eagle River, Alaska, will be looking to defend his 2009 Senior Player of the Year honor.

Mohr, 53, entering his third year on the Senior Tour, won the PBA Jackson Senior Open and PBA Dayton Senior Open, kicking off the 2009 season with his first two titles in back-to-back weeks. He won his third title at the Senior Dick Weber Open in Lansing, Mich.
PBA Hall of Famer Wayne Webb will be looking to win his third consecutive Senior U.S. Open title while Dale Traber hopes to defend his United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters win.

PBA Hall of Famer and all-time Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour winner Walter Ray Williams Jr. is eligible to compete on the 2010 Senior Tour after recently turning 50.


2010 PBA Senior Tour Schedule

April 17-20 – PBA Senior Dayton Classic, Capri Lanes, Dayton, Ohio
April 24-27 – PBA Senior Columbus Open, HPL Lanes, Columbus, Ohio
May 2-5 – PBA Senior Mooresville Miller High Life Classic, George Pappas Victory Lanes, Mooresville, N.C.
May 30-June 2 – PBA Senior Northern California Classic, Harvest Park Bowl, Brentwood, Calif.
June 6-11 – PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by the Suncoast, Suncoast Bowling Center, Las Vegas
June 13-18 – United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters, South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas
Aug. 9-12 – PBA Senior Lake County Indiana Open, Olympia Lanes, Hammond, Ind.
Aug. 14-17 – PBA Senior Decatur Open, Spare Time Lanes, Decatur, Ill.
Aug. 21-24 – PBA Senior Jackson Open, Airport Lanes, Jackson, Mich.