Regional Qualifying Complete for PBA Dick Weber Playoffs

Regional qualifying has been completed and the top 18 players in six Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Regional “pods” have been determined for the end-of-season Dick Weber PBA Playoffs March 9-13 at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis.

The new Dick Weber PBA Playoffs will feature a total of 108 PBA members who have qualified through their respective Regional programs, along with the top 72 players on the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour competition points list. The $339,000 event will offer a $50,000 top prize which will be decided over a series of four television events on ESPN, including the live finale on Sunday, April 17, at 1 p.m. Eastern.

The PBA Playoffs will showcase an all-new tournament format. Within the six PBA Regional “pods” (East, South, Central,Midwest, Southwest and West/Northwest combined), 10 bowlers qualified in a season-long “Regional Players Invitational” (RPI) points competition and another eight players qualified by competing in Regional events and the PBA World Series of
Bowling between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30. The players who have earned Regional berths are listed below. They have until Jan. 30 to confirm their intentions to participate in the Playoffs.

In cases of overlaps, duplications or players who decline their spots, the next available player from that Region’s 2009-10 RPI qualifiers’ list will be eligible to fill the vacancy. Additional procedures and eligibility rules for filling any
vacancies are detailed for PBA members on pba.com.

When the Playoffs get underway on Wednesday, March 9, six Regional pods will feature 18 Regional players plus nine PBA Tour players who finish between 19th and 72nd place on the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Tour points list. PBA players will be seeded into the event based upon their points position, regardless of their home region, as the conclusion of the GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship which will be held March 1-6 at AMF Thruway Lanes in Cheektowaga, N.Y. The six highest-ranking PBA Tour players in points will earn three byes, entering play in Elimination Round Four. PBA Tour players who finish in seventh-12th place in points will earn two byes, starting competition in Elimination Round Three. Players who are 13th-18th in points will earn one bye, beginning play in Elimination Round Two.

A series of elimination rounds will cull the starting field to three survivors in each of the six Regional pods for the ESPN elimination finals that will be taped on Sunday, March 13, for delayed telecast.

The first ESPN telecast – half of the Regional Championship Round – will feature the top three survivors from the East, South and Central Region pods bowling one game, with the top player from each pod advancing. The second Regional Championship Round telecast will feature the top three from the Midwest, Southwest and West/Northwest Regions.

The Conference Championship Round will then feature East vs. South, Central vs. Midwest, and Southwest vs. West/Northwest pod winners in one-game matches, reducing the field to three.

The three Conference Championship Round survivors will return to Woodland Bowl on Sunday, April 17, to bowl for the $50,000 first prize in the live ESPN finale.

2011 DICK WEBER PBA PLAYOFF REGIONAL QUALIFIERS

PBA South Region Pod

Chris Collins, Savannah, Ga., Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., James Roberts, Richmond, Va.
Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., Matt Burden, Anderson, S.C., Josh Chambliss, Charleston, S.C., Randy Weiss,

Columbia, S.C., Kip Roberts, Glenallen, Va., Tom Baker, King, N.C., Ronnie Horton, Christiansburg, Va.
Christopher McSwain, Kings Mountain, N.C., Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., Stoney Baker, Canton, Ga., Gary Faulkner,

Norfolk, Va., Steve Taylor, Madison Heights, Va., Shawn McKee, Concord, N.C., Erik Ramos, Winter Springs, Fla.

PBA Northwest/West Region Pod

Bryon Smith, Roseberg, Ore., Thomas Ault Jr., Portland, Ore., Rob Edwards, Vancouver, Wash., Steven Black, Phoenix,

 Ariz., Jeff Frankos, San Francisco, Calif., Jon Brandon, Santa Clarita, Calif., P.J. Haggerty, Clovis, Calif.,

Greg Thompson Jr., Dayton, Ohio, Tim Porritt, Anaheim, Calif., Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., Ben Laughlin, Phoenix
Ernie Schlegel, Vancouver, Wash., Corey Husted, Milwaukie, Ore., Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., Wayne Garber,

Modesto, Calif., Dave Husted, Milwaukie, Ore., Robert Harvey, Boise, Idaho, Eric McIver, Des Moines, Wash.

PBA Central Region Pod

Nick Kokenos, St. Clair Shores, Mich., Paul Gibson, Brunswick, Ohio, Riga Kalfas, Florence, Ky., Billy Oatman, Cleveland
Brian Thompson, Flat Rock, Mich., Carleton Chambers, Detroit, Dan MacLelland, Saginaw, Mich., Jeff Roche, Dearborn,

Mich., Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, Brett Spangler, New Castle, Ind., Jack Laffey, Indianapolis, Brian Waliczek,

Birch Run, Mich., Jason Queen, Oreana, Ill., Nathan Michalowski, Burlington, Wis., Ted Rosenquist Jr., Valparaiso, Ind.
Ken Kolberg Jr., Cleveland, Ohio, Bo Goergen, Sanford, Mich., Brian Himmler, Cincinnati

PBA Midwest Region Pod

David Traber, Hebron, Ill., Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, Marc Heninger, Tonganoxie, Kan., Jason Wojnar, Chicago
Walter Schaub II, Schaumburg, Ill., Mike Steil, Wheeling, Ill., Dallas Baldridge, Lenexa, Kan., Mark London,

Ingleside, Ill., Jason Poli, West Des Moines, Iowa, Chad Maas, Waukesha, Wis., Quinton Bohlen, Decorah, Iowa
Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., John Slavich IV, Schaumburg, Ill., Chad Kloss, West Allis,

Wis., Tim Mack, Indianapolis, Brian Menini, Brookfield, Mo., Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo.

PBA Southwest Region Pod
Chris Hibbitts II, Fort Worth, Texas, David Anthony, Austin, Texas, Clint Dacy, Keller, Texas, Andy Patterson,

Tyler, Texas, Tyler Jensen, Fort Worth, Texas, Kurt Gengelbach, Carrollton, Texas, Brett Cooper, Euless, Texas
Rick Lawrence, Waxahachie, Texas, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., Andy Mortensen, Fort Smith, Ark., Jim Carter,

Keller, Texas, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, Chris Galler, San Antonio, Texas, Bill Alexander, San Angelo, Texas
Gary Skidmore, Albuquerque, N.M., Danny Neill, Allen, Texas, Corey Atkinson, Conroe, Texas, Mark Williams,

Beaumont, Texas

PBA East Region Pod
Tommy Gollick, Oberlin, Pa., P.J. Sonday, Avoca, Pa., Jim Tomek Jr., Camp Hill, Pa., Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y.,

Rick Graham, Lancaster, Pa, Terry Miller, York, Pa., Ray Edwards, Middle Island, N.Y., Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa.
Kevin Cartier, Beverly, N.J., Tom Sorce, Blasdell, N.Y., Jason Stadtler, Cherry Hill, N.J., Dan Schaden Jr., Freeland
Mike Hastings, Millsboro, Del., John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., Kevin Smith, Mechanicsburg, Pa.,

John Furey, East Windsor, N.J., Jeff Voght, Canojahaire, N.Y., Michael Tweed Sr., Camp Hill, Pa.