Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer Swing at a Glance

The PBA Tour returns to Oklahoma for the first time since 2005 when the Grand Casino Resort and Hotel host the Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer Swing at FireLake Bowling Center and the Grand Event Center in Shawnee, OK, May 17-25. Four PBA Tour events conducted in one week: The Summer Swing will include four PBA Tour title events – the Wolf, Bear and Badger Opens, the PBA Oklahoma Open – and the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort Summer King of the Swing special event involving the four tour event winners plus a “wild card” player.
 

Understanding the PBA “animal patterns”:  The Badger, Wolf and Bear Open tournaments are an expansion of events using animal pattern-themed lane conditions which the PBA introduced in 2005. A variety of lane conditioning patterns test the versatility of the players and demonstrate the variety of scoring challenges PBA players face. The use of animal names give PBA members, grassroots league bowlers and fans an easier way to identify specific types of conditions.

           

The Badger is the longest animal pattern ever used in PBA competition (it features an application of oil 52 feet down a 60-foot lane). Conversely, the Wolf is the shortest animal pattern ever (32 feet). The Bear uses a flat pattern of oil applied across the lane to a medium length (40 feet). It is similar to the U.S. Open pattern which is considered the most difficult test in professional bowling.

           

The way lane oil is applied (in shape and volume) to the playing surface of a lane is a strong factor in the scoring pace of a professional bowling tournament, testing the skills necessary for success and the strategic approach the players must employee: angle of attack, ball speed, amount of hook and other considerations.

 
CBS Sports Network telecasts: The finals of all five events will be conducted in a stadium setting on lanes installed in the Grand Events Center. Finals will be conducted on Saturday, May 24, at 11 a.m. (Wolf Open), 2:30 p.m. (Bear Open) and 6 p.m. (Badger Open) and on Sunday at noon (Oklahoma Open) and 3:30 p.m.) Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort King of the Swing. Finals will be recorded for delayed broadcast by CBS Sports Network. 

PBA World Championships Sunday

Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Trials

Fresh off his victory Monday in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Regional Players Championship, Joe Ciccone of Buffalo, NY, charged into the third-round lead in the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Trials at Thunderbowl Lanes Friday.

Ciccone, 34, is bowling to regain a PBA Tour exemption he lost after six years
on tour. He was in fourth place after two rounds and finished the Chameleon lane condition round with a 27-game total of 6,038 pins, a 223 average. First-round leader Cassidy Schaub of Ashland, OH, remained in second place with 5,925 pins.

“After winning the Regional Players Championship, everything has been rolling,”
Ciccone said. “I don’t mind when things go good. Success is good no matter what
and can prepare you for more success down the road.

“I used the same ball today that I used in the Regional Players (Championship) tournament,” he added. “A few weeks of bowling regionals has given me a better feel that has carried over this week.

“The biggest thing about this week was getting a spot in the Tournament of
Champions by winning the Regional Players Championship. I have always wanted a chance to bowl in that event since I was just a kid.”

Ciccone, who experienced the multi-lane condition format used in the Tour Trials
when he bowled in the Etonic Marathon Open on the national tour last season,
said that event is helping him this week.

“I am trying to take the experience I learned in Indianapolis where he had a
similar format,” the former Erie Community College and Arizona State University All-American said. “My target is to be among the top eight or 12 every day. That was my thought leading into this event and I will take that forward over the next two days.”

Rounding out the top five were Thomas Smallwood of Flushing, MI, with 5,917
pins; second-round leader Stevie Weber of Chalmette, LA, with 5,907 pins, and
George Lambert IV of Hamilton, Ontario, with a 5,897 total.

Eight PBA Tour exemptions are at stake in the five-day, 45-game Tour Trials
which continues through Sunday. The field of 97 U.S. and international players
will bowl nine more games Saturday and Sunday over the next three days on the
Scorpion and Shark patterns, respectively. Total pinfall for 45 games will
determine the exempt berths.

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR TRIALS
Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich., May 29

ROUND THREE (after 27 games)
1, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 6,038
2, Cassidy Schaub, Ashland, Ohio, 5,925
3, Thomas Smallwood, Flushing, Mich., 5,917
4, Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La., 5,907
5, George Lambert IV, Hamilton, Ontario 5,897
6, Mason Brantley, Detroit, Mich., 5,852
7, Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 5,807
8, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 5,800
9, Daniel Patterson, Buffalo, N.Y., 5,798
10, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 5,789
11, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., and Stuart Williams, England, 5,770
13, Dan MacLelland, Windsor, Ontario, 5,716
14, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 5,698
15, D.J. Archer, Mineral Wells, Texas, 5,697
16, Bo Goergen, Midland, Mich., 5,689
17, Mitch Beasley, Puyallup, Wash., 5,679
18, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 5,672
19, Tae-Hwa Jeong, South Korea, 5,662
20, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Hts, Ohio, & Andrew Cain, Scottsdale, AZ, 5,658
22, Billy Oatman, Chicago, 5,643
23, Sean Riccardi, Piscataway, N.J., 5,638
24, Lucas Legnani, Argentina, 5,637
25, Won-Young Choi, South Korea, 5,624
26, Chris Collins, Savannah, Ga., 5,615
27, Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 5,595
28, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 5,570
29, Thomas Wall III, Fayetteville, N.C., 5,554
30, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 5,553
31, Bill Rowe, Hamilton, Ontario, 5,549
32, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 5,545
33, Tim Behrendt, St Louis, Mo., 5,540
34, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 5,537
35, Frank Testa, Akron, Ohio, 5,533
36, Shannon Buchan, Waterloo, Iowa, 5,527
37, David Williams Jr., Omaha, Neb., 5,517
38, George Frilingos, Australia, 5,506
39, Seo Hak Jung, South Korea, and Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 5,498
41, Gregory Thompson Jr., Dayton, Ohio, 5,493
42, Jason Poli, West Des Moines, Iowa, 5,492
43, Robert Piroozshad, Huntington Beach, Calif., 5,486
44, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 5,456
45, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 5,450
46, Matthew O'Grady, South Amboy, N.J., 5,433
47, Brian Kjergaard, Fulton, Ill., 5,430
48, John Cicero, Colorado Springs, Colo., 5,422
49, Joe Bailey, Pittsburgh, Pa., 5,419
50, Bobby Hall II, Landover, Md., 5,416
51, Johnny Petraglia Jr., Youngstown, Ohio, 5,411
52, Jason Mahr, Spring Hill, Fla., 5,403
53, Jason Hurd, St Petersburg, Fla., 5,402
54, Mike Keily, Lakewood, Colo., 5,398
55, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 5,384
56, Jason Wojnar, Chicago, 5,379
57, Jeremy Boyer, Desloge, Mo., 5,357
58, Nick Weber, St. Charles, Mo., 5,355
59, Jeffrey Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 5,354
60, Jong Soo Park, South Korea, 5,351
61, Matt Freiberg, Somerset, N.J., 5,349
62, Paul Pinto, Philadelphia, 5,346
63, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 5,333
64, Daniel Freeman, Indianapolis, 5,329
65, Dru LaJoy, Cohoes, N.Y., 5,328
66, James Wallace, Hicksville, N.Y., 5,323
67, Rudy Kasimakis, Baldwyn, Miss., 5,320
68, Quinton Bohlen, Decorah, Iowa, 5,306
69, Craig LeMond, Jasper, Ind., 5,298
70, David Simard, Granby, Quebec, 5,289
71, Jason Dee, Brampton, Ontario, 5,273
72, Jim Tomek Jr., Camp Hill, Pa., 5,263
73, Kyung-Shin Park, South Korea, 5,262
74, Seby Silvestri, Louisville, Ky., 5,260
75, Walter Schaub II, Schaumburg, Ill., 5,242
76, Curtis Foss, Medina, N.Y., 5,196
77, Nick Kokenos, St. Clair Shores, Mich., 5,184
78, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 5,175
79, Steven Lach, Sloan, N.Y., 5,139
80, Bryan Paul, Brooklyn, N.Y., 5,116
81, Chris Hansen, Chicago, 5,095
82, Kevin Andes, Somerset, Mass, 5,093
83, Chris Cundiff, Portage, Ind., 5,087
84, Tim Bell, Garden City, Mich., 5,085
85, Michael Wall, Fayetteville, N.C., 5,057
86, J.T. Jackson, Valley Village, Calif., 5,000
87, Jamie Ceasar, Columbus, Ohio, 4,935
88, John Wilcox, Woodinville, Wash., 4,912
89, Aaron Halash, Scottsdale, Ariz., 4,886
90, Ivo Raul Chiriboga, Miami, 4,874
91, Chris Polizzi, Spring Hill, Fla., 4,838
92, Ron Williams, Marana, Ariz, 4,822
93, Geordin Krupski, Newtonville, N.J., 4,787
94, Jack Nealon, Bowie, Md., 4,766
95, Jim Fenimore, Mishawaka, Ind., 4,577
96, Tom Sorce, Blasdell, N.Y., 5,141
97, Michael Norris, Livonia, Mich., 4,218

Sunday Professional Bowling Kickoff

Just before this Sunday’s Professional Bowling Association's 2008-09 season kickoff telecast at 1:00pm on ESPN (Chris Paul Celebrity Invitational), bowling fans can go back in time 15 years and view highlights of the 1993 Greater Harrisburg Open championship round. That edited one-hour program will begin at 12 noon Eastern on ESPN Classic.

Click for the complete PBA Tour television schedule on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic.