PBA World Series of Bowling

The most intense five weeks of bowling competition in Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)
history is about to begin in suburban Detroit, and it’s going to be a high-stakes event beyond
awarding 12 titles and more than $2 million in prize money.

When the inaugural PBA World Series of Bowling concludes on Sept. 6 at Thunderbowl Lanes in
Allen Park, MI, six Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour titles will be decided along with five PBA
Women’s Series presented by BOWL.COM titles and one PBA Senior Tour title – the PBA
Senior World Championship. The World Series also will produce the four finalists for the PBA
World Championship, which will conclude with a live ESPN telecast on Dec. 13 in Wichita, KS.

● Beyond the traditional outcomes, five winners of the PBA Tour’s Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon,
Scorpion and Shark Championships will earn berths in a new post-season PBA Experience
Showdown presented by BOWL.COM. The so-called “animal pattern” champions will bowl a special
event with United States Bowling Congress (USBC) PBA Experience league bowlers who will be
selected during the upcoming season. At stake will be $100,000 in prize money.

● The top 32 PBA Tour players based upon points after seven World Series of Bowling events will
advance to the new Xtra Frame Match Play League. The qualifying players will be assigned to four
eight-player divisions and they’ll bowl head-to-head matches in Medford, OR, on Jan. 6; Earl
Anthony’s Dublin Bowl in Dublin, CA, on Jan. 13; Brunswick Zone-Wheat Ridge in Wheat Ridge, CO,
on Feb. 17; Sequoia Pro Bowl in Columbus, OH, on March 2, and Norwich Bowling and Entertainment
in Norwich, CT, on March 17. On March 24, the four division winners based upon won-lost records
will bowl semifinal and final rounds at AMF Babylon Lanes in West Babylon, NY. The Xtra Frame
league champion will earn $25,000, and all of the unique league’s action will be “aired” on pba.com’s 
subscription-based bowling channel, Xtra Frame.

● The PBA World Series of Bowling will mean exemptions to bowl on the Lumber Liquidators PBA
Tour during the 2010-11 season for as many as seven different players. PBA Tour exemptions will be
awarded to winners of the Motor City Open as well as the five PBA Experience lane conditioning
championships and the PBA World Championship, which will conclude on Dec. 13.

● Five of the six women who will advance to the post-season PBA Women’s Series Showdown
presented by BOWL.COM will be decided. The winners of the Viper, Chameleon, Scorpion, Shark
and PBA Women’s World Championships will earn “Showdown” spots (runners-up will win the
berths if there are multiple champions).

● A special $10,000 Lumber Leader bonus will be presented to the most versatile qualifier in the
World Series, based upon a total of 109 games bowled on seven different lane patterns in Lumber
Liquidators PBA Tour events.

● Performances in Detroit will have a strong influence on the 2009-10 PBA Player of the Year points
race, and the 2009 Bowling Writers Association of America (BWAA) Woman Bowler of the Year
competition. The PBA Senior World Championship will be the concluding event in the 2009 PBA
Senior Bowler of the Year race.

Add in Tour Qualifying Rounds (TQR's), three special events for non-exempt players and five
“sweepers,” and the World Series will also provide players eying a future on the PBA Tour with
golden opportunities to test their skills and maybe even pad their bank accounts to fund their future
tour ambitions.

Not forgotten are America’s bowling fans, who will be treated to five weeks of non-stop action,
whether they attend the World Series in person, follow all of the activities on Xtra Frame which will
cover the event with 100 hours of live streaming video, or watch the championship telecasts
beginning Oct. 25 on ESPN.

“There has never been an event like this in bowling history,” said PBA Deputy Commissioner Tom
Clark. “We are bringing together the greatest bowlers in our sport for five weeks in the bowling capital
of America. It’s going to be a dream event.”

For detailed schedule and ticket information, visit the PBA’s dedicated World Series of Bowling
website. To sign up for Xtra Frame, visit www.pba.com.

Motiv Previews New TR2

The TR2 is a heavy oil ball. From MOTIV™ "the TR2 carves through deep oil and punishes the pins". It features the Thrust™ inner core, NeoMark™ Graphics, and MOTIVat-R™ reactive coverstock.

The MOTIV ™ TR2 provides a strong arcing reaction and stores energy for a punishing finish. The Thrust™ inner core RG is 2.54 with a differential of .052 (15# ball).

The TR2 bowling ball cover has been equipped with MOTIVat-R™ reactive urethane. The deep blue cover is wet sanded at the factory to an 800 finish for more traction through heavy oil. Motiv cautions: "This finish builds up a great deal of friction. If this box finish is used on medium oil the ball could roll out straight on the backend. For medium oil, a 4000 sanded finish is recommended. You may even want to polish it up for a little more length." Click for more about the MOTIV ™ TR2

ore reverberates energy as it explodes through the pins

2009-10 ESPN Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Schedule

Oct. 25 – PBA Women’s World Championship, PBA Senior World Championship and PBA 
                Trick Shot Invitational, 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 5 at Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, MI)
Nov. 1 – Motor City Open, Taylor Lanes, Taylor, Mich., 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 5 at Thunderbowl Lanes)
Nov. 8 – PBA Cheetah Championship, 1 p.m. (taped Aug. 12 and 13 at Thunderbowl Lanes)
Nov. 15 – *PBA Viper Championship, 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 5 at Thunderbowl Lanes)
Nov. 22 – *PBA Chameleon Championship, 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 6 at Thunderbowl Lanes)
Nov. 29 – *PBA Scorpion Championship, 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 6 at Thunderbowl Lanes)
Dec. 6 – *PBA Shark Championship, 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 6 at Thunderbowl Lanes)
Dec. 13 – PBA World Championship, Northrock Lanes, 1 p.m., Wichita, KS
Jan. 3 – Red, White and Blue Open presented by USBC, 1 p.m. (taped Dec. 13 at Northrock Lanes in
           Wichita, KS)
Jan. 10 – Don & Paula Carter Mixed Doubles, Lava Lanes, Medford, OR, 1 p.m.,
Jan. 17 – Earl Anthony Memorial Classic, Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl Dublin, CA 1 p.m.,
Jan. 24 – PBA Tournament of Champions, Red Rock Lanes, Las Vegas, NV 1 p.m.
Jan. 31 – Dick Weber Open, Fountain Bowl, Fountain Valley, CA, noon
Feb. 7 – Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational, 2 p.m. (taped Sept. 25 at AMF Winston-Salem
           Lanes, Winston-Salem, NC)
Feb. 14 – USBC Masters, National Bowling Stadium, Reno, NV, 3 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Gemini Championship, Brunswick Zone Wheat Ridge, Wheat Ridge, CO, 1 p.m.
Feb. 28 – 67th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open, Woodland Bowl, IN, 12:30 p.m.
March 7 – Don Johnson Buckeye State Eliminator, Sequoia Pro Bowl, Columbus, OH, 3 p.m.
March 21 – PBA Match Play Championship, Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center, Norwich, CN, 1 p.m.
March 28 – Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship, AMF Babylon Lanes, West Babylon, NY, 2 p.m.
April 4 – Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open, AMF Country Club Lanes, Baltimore, MD 1 p.m.
April 11 – PBA Experience Showdown presented by BOWL.COM, USBC International Training Center,
            Arlington, TX, 1 p.m. (two hours)
April 18 – PBA Women’s Series Showdown presented by BOWL.COM, USBC International Training
            Center, Arlington, Texas, 1 p.m. (two hours)

* Includes PBA Women’s Series presented by BOWL.COM championship match
(All times Eastern, all regular-season shows are 90 minutes, times are subject to change)

The World Series (of Bowling) is Coming

Nearly 50 years after it was built to showcase the best in bowling, “The Arena” inside historic
Thunderbowl Lanes in suburban Detroit is about to come full circle.

During the month of August and into early September, the arena bay inside Thunderbowl Lanes will be
abuzz with 27 days of action as the centerpiece of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)’s
World Series of Bowling, a unique festival of competitive bowling that will include seven
championship tournaments and pay out more than $2 million in prize money.

“The arena is one of the reasons the PBA selected Detroit for the inaugural World Series of
Bowling,” said Thunderbowl Lanes proprietor Tom Strobl, who purchased the Thunderbowl complex
in 1997. “There isn’t another facility like it. Bowling fans who attend the World Series are going to
love it.”

George Prybla and his partners built Thunderbowl Lanes with 54 lanes in 1960, but a year later they
added an amazing 2,000-seat, multi-level stadium with four lanes to house competition for Detroit’s
entry into the fledgling National Bowling League.

“The original layout included a restaurant with a view of the lanes from the upper area,” Strobl said.
“It was almost a forerunner to sky boxes used in all major sports stadiums these days. It was a
spacious area with ceilings two or three stories high.

“But when the National Bowling League folded shortly after the facility was built, the owners were
stuck with it. So over a period of years, they built a 20-lane bowling arena over the top of the
original seating area. The levels for the original seating are still there; we just built around them. The
area where the restaurant used to be is now a poker room.

“But the seating behind the lanes was retained and it was still a showcase for years. The Detroit 
All-Stars bowled there. The arena hosted a PBA tournament run by Earl Anthony in 1978. It hosted
a local “Bowling for Dollars” TV show that aired in Detroit, Monday through Friday, for years.

“The arena has gradually changed,” Strobl continued. “We added more lighting and changed the
seating in 2003. There is a huge pull-down video screen in the arena. On Fridays and Saturdays, we
play music and have great fun. The place is packed.

“The World Series of Bowling is bringing the original purpose of the arena full circle,” he added. “It’s
going to provide what the original owners had in mind. It might not seat 2,000 people, but there is
comfortably room in there for 700 or 800 people.”

The first World Series event in the arena will be a special “PBA Survivor Challenge” side event on
Friday, Aug. 7. Next, preliminary competition in the PBA Cheetah Championship will take place in
the arena on Wednesday, Aug. 12. From that day forward, the showcase arena will host Lumber 
Liquidators PBA Tour, PBA Women’s Series presented by BOWL.COM or PBA World
Championship action on an almost daily basis. The grand finale will involve the production of six 
championship television shows for delayed broadcast on ESPN on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5 and
6.

It’s going to be a “can’t miss” opportunity for bowling fans not only in the Detroit area, but
throughout the Midwest. There is a wide variety of ticket options for spectators, including single-day
tickets for Tour Qualifying Rounds (TQR's) and practice sessions ($5), qualifying rounds ($15 all
day) or match play rounds ($25 all day). A $100 “VIP Pass” is available through July 31, which is
good for the entire World Series except for the TV shows. TV show tickets range from $15 for Level
D, single-show seats to $260 for an all-day VIP package in Level A for either Sept. 5 or Sept. 6.

For more information on ticket packages and prices, and to order tickets in advance, go to: 
http://www.pba.com/worldseries/tickets.html. For a complete schedule of events that will take place
in the Thunderbowl Lanes arena bay, go to: http://www.pba.com/worldseries/schedule2.html.

San Diego's Smith Wins High Roller

What a difference a format can make! With the July High Roller once again all single elimination match play, it had the feel of the “old Showboat” days!

Even the crowds felt more excitement watching leads go back and forth in those late frames, many outcomes not known until the final ball of the match! And even then, many matches needed a tie-breaker to determine who advanced and who didn’t.

San Diego’s Steve Smith remembers the old days as he was bowling in his 39^th High Roller event going back to the 1998 July High Roller. Does experience matter? Well, consider that Smith was the last remaining undefeated player coming out of the Age 49 & Under division with 10 wins!

Experience count? How about Steve Calyore representing the 50 & Over/215 players? Calyore, the 53 year old from Naples, Florida was participating in his 72^nd High Roller dating back to 1983! That’s right the 2^nd year of High Roller competition.

Both players squared off with their 1^st High Roller title in mind knowing that only one would get it. It was the 41 year old Smith reaping in the $30,000 top prize, Calyore settling for his 2^nd runner-up finish and a $15,000 check.

Entries and the number of participants were up about 15% from last July and although the megabuck events are still fighting the economy, it was an optimistic crowd, hoping for another match play megabuck in February 2010. Stay tuned!

Duke Wins ESPY

Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., won the 2008-09 “Best Bowler” ESPY Award for his third consecutive
ESPY win and fourth overall.

The ESPY Awards, presented by ESPN, represent the best in sports in a variety of categories. The
annual ESPY Awards ceremonies were held on July 15 in Los Angeles and aired on ESPN Sunday night.

Duke was the winner in fan voting over Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, and Chris Barnes of Double
Oak, Texas. Duke was a three-time Lumber Liquidators PBA title winner and the Tour’s earnings
leader during the 2008-09 season. Winning the 2008 PBA World Championship gave him a record
three straight PBA major titles. Malott also was a three-time winner and edged Duke in the 2008-09
PBA Player of the Year points race. Barnes, a two-time title winner, was third in Player of the Year
points.

“The ESPYs is a chance for bowling to reside alongside all of the other sports,” Duke said. “Whether
you believe baseball, basketball and football are the top tier sports, for a week we’re all the same.
The ESPYs is a celebration of the greatest seasons in all sports. To be mentioned along with all of
those great athletes is really special. It’s a terrific experience. I have a lot of wonderful memories
from being a part of the ESPYs.”

GEICO Team Shootout Watched by Millions

The Professional Bowlers Association’s GEICO PBA Team Shootout Hosted by Six Flags, a special made-for-television summer series which aired on ESPN, has demonstrated that bowling fans love to watch their sport, regardless of the season, and whether it’s played indoors or under the summer sun.

The recently-concluded four-week, 15-episode series, conducted on
specially-constructed lanes at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J.,
posted a .41 Nielsen ratings average, a 14 percent increase over the series’
ratings a year earlier. The ratings numbers convert to an audience of more than
450,000 viewers per half hour. Including re-runs, the telecasts were watched by
an average of nearly one million bowling fans.

“The GEICO PBA Team Shootout is a unique showcase for our players,” said PBA Commissioner Fred Schreyer. “During the traditional Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season, these players battle each other, head-to-head, every week. It’s an intense individual competition. Giving these same players a chance to bowl as teammates really demonstrates the level of camaraderie and sportsmanship that exists in PBA competition. And it’s an event that really promotes what team bowling is all about.”

The GEICO PBA Team Shootout included 18 top PBA stars who were divided into three six-man teams and bowled a round-robin series of Baker format team matches leading into a championship round of singles, doubles and team matches. Team GEICO (reigning Player of the Year Wes Malott, Mike Wolfe, Mika Koivuniemi, Brad Angelo, Patrick Allen and Chris Barnes) won the event over Team Bayer (Rhino Page, Tommy Jones, Michael Fagan, Bill O’Neill, Sean Rash and Jason Belmonte). Team Lumber Liquidators (Parker Bohn III, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Pete Weber, Norm Duke, Steve Jaros and Mike Scroggins) finished third.

Roto Grip Announces Collegiate Sponsorships

Roto Grip announces the collegiate teams that they have chosen to sponsor for the upcoming 2009-2010 season.

“We are excited about our continued involvement in collegiate bowling.” said Roger Noordhoek, Brand Manager. “At Roto Grip we pride ourselves on supporting teams from all around the country and many prestigious collegiate tournaments as well.”

This year’s lineup is;
• University of Nevada Las Vegas• Washington State University • University of Nebraska Omaha Women• Monmouth University• Michigan State University• Florida State University Women• University of Wisconsin Whitewater• Robert Morris College• Wright State University

UNLV, WSU, UNO, Monmouth, Florida State and Robert Morris will be sponsored for their second year with Roto Grip. Michigan State University, University of Wisconsin Whitewater, and Wright State University are joining Roto Grip for the first time this year.

“We are excited to have Roto Grip as our partner again this year.” Commented University of Nebraska Omaha coach Doug Ullman. “Roto Grip, its staff and equipment have helped our program make huge strides, and we look forward to seeing what the partnership this year brings.”

Along with sponsoring these teams Roto Grip is also proud to announce their continued sponsorship of the Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic Tournament. “Fred & Patrick Polash put on a great event, and this will be our 6th year in Allentown.” commented Roger Noordhoek. Roto Grip will also be sponsoring the Eagles NAIA Baker Challenge hosted by Robert Morris, and the Rebel Classic hosted by UNLV.

Xtra Frame Adds Couch and Mack

Fifteen-time Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowling Association (PBA) Tour champion Jason Couch and three-time World Bowler of the Year Tim Mack have joined the webcast team for PBA’s Internet-based bowling channel Xtra Frame.

Couch and Mack will provide commentary for Xtra Frame’s comprehensive coverage of the upcoming PBA World Series of Bowling plus other Tour events during the second half of the season.

“We are thrilled to have Jason and Tim join our Xtra Frame webcasting team,”
said PBA Deputy Commissioner Tom Clark. “In addition to being one of the
greatest and most intense competitors of all-time, Jason is a great entertainer
at clinics and appearances and also has a wealth of broadcasting experience.

“Tim gives our Xtra Frame color commentary the unique perspective of one of the most accomplished and popular international players ever. He’s outspoken and a student of the game and will give our online audience a treat every time he is in the booth.”

Just a few days remain to take advantage of a free seven-day trial of Xtra Frame which will feature more and improved video streaming, a new ESPN Sports
Center-style program called PBA: 39x60, among other features.

Bowling fans can visit www.pba.com/xtraframe to sign up for the free seven-day trial until July 21. Current programming on Xtra Frame includes past ESPN PBA Tour telecasts and the 2009 Japan Cup won by Patrick Allen and featuring a 300 game by Rhino Page in the Round of 8. Also featured are profiles of the 18 players who recently competed in the GEICO PBA Team Shootout Hosted by Six Flags.

More than 100 hours of programming alone for the World Series of Bowling is
planned on Xtra Frame.

Regular announcing duties on Xtra Frame will be handled by PBA Tour host and
play-by-play announcer Mike Jakubowski, who also authors PBA.com’s Mike J.
Laneside column; Jason Thomas, author of PBA.com’s Uncensored column and “The Bowling Doctor” Jeff Mark.

An annual subscription of $64.99, or a special World Series of Bowling Pass for
$39.99 (good through Nov. 30) are currently available. Current Xtra Frame
subscribers will be able to maintain their subscriptions at the $5.95 monthly
rate.

The inaugural World Series of Bowling, which begins Aug. 2 and runs through
Sept. 6, is a festival of competitive bowling, featuring Lumber Liquidators PBA
Tour, PBA Women’s Series presented by BOWL.COM and PBA Senior Tour events boasting a $2 million overall prize fund and seven ESPN telecasts.

Xtra Frame will also debut a new look and an upgraded content delivery network that was used to stream the 2008 Summer Olympics. The new technology will
provide easier use with an embedded player and navigable menus to increase
reliability.

GEICO PBA Team Shootout Hosted by Six Flags

Team GEICO with Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) stars Patrick Allen, Mika Koivuniemi, Mike Wolfe, Brad Angelo, reigning Player of the Year Wes Malott and 2007-08 Player of the Year Chris Barnes took home the $108,000 first prize by winning the GEICO PBA Team Shootout hosted by Six Flags.

Team GEICO, which advanced to the championship round with a 6-2 match play
record, swept the three-match championship round which consisted of singles,
Baker format doubles and Baker team matches. The singles and doubles contests were worth one point and the team event two points.

In the opening singles round, Barnes defeated Team Bayer’s Rhino Page, 224-189, after Team Bayer (Page, Tommy Jones, Michael Fagan, Bill O’Neill, Sean Rash and Jason Belmonte) earned its way into the championship round when Team GEICO defeated Team Lumber Liquidators (Parker Bohn III, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Pete Weber, Norm Duke, Steve Jaros and Mike Scroggins) in the final round-robin match, 206-205.

Bayer and Lumber Liquidators finished match play with 3-5 records, but Team
Bayer won the total pinfall tie-breaker. In the one-game doubles round where players alternated frames, Wolfe and Koivuniemi defeated Jones and Australian two-handed phenom Belmonte, 210-194.

Team Bayer’s only hope was to win the team match to force a 2-2 tie and a
roll-off, but the future stars team fell short, 221-207. Barnes sealed the win
for Team GEICO by striking on the first ball in the 10th frame.

“From early on in the tournament we worked well together,” said Barnes, GEICO’s captain. “With this team it was tough to make any bad calls in regard to determining a lineup that would match up with various (lane conditioning)
patterns. Patrick (Allen) not only bowled well, but was very helpful in making
some of those decisions.

“We all knew it was very important to get off to a quick start and get as big a
lead as possible in each game with the ‘Endless 10th Frame,’” Barnes continued.
“If the other team earned that bonus you wanted to make it very hard for them to catch up.”

The novel “Endless 10th Frame” gave teams that were behind in matches a chance to catch up with bonus strikes. While the bonus system came into play in a few matches, it didn’t impact the eventual outcome.

The GEICO PBA Team Shootout consisted of 12 round-robin, Baker-format matches leading to the championship round. The third annual made-for-TV event televised by ESPN was conducted outdoors on specially-constructed lanes at the Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J.

Roto Grip Nomad Contest

The Roto Grip introduction of their new Nomads includes a contest to win a new Nomad. Click the picture and you will be redirected to the Roto Grip website.

New Exec Director of BPAA Named

The Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA) announced today that it has appointed Steven D. Johnson to serve as its Executive Director, effective August 3, 2009.

In this role, Johnson will lead association efforts to help the $10 billion bowling industry build upon its resurgence in popularity and maintain continued increases in consumer participation through a strategic vision that includes further domestic and international growth, as well as expanded partnership marketing and nonprofit initiatives.

AMF Introduces New Balls at BowlExpo

The new AMF Sideways starts with symmetric core technology generating Radius of Gyration (RG) of 2.56 (in 15#s) with an RG Differential of 0.055. The Blue/Silver cover of “F 75” reactive resin is finished at 600 grit sandpaper with 2000 grit polish. AMF describes the high performance Sideways as extreme skid/flip.

The new mid price AMF Clutch wraps an Asymmetric Core, of 2.56 RG, with RG Differential of 0.044. The Navy/Gold coverstock “F55” Reactive resin is finished at 4000 Abralon with Buff.

The new AMF Smoke is a combo of balls joining the Angles and Orbit Extremes in the Entry Level category. Featureing three piece symmetric cores with a high RG of 2.67 and Differential of 0.024 with flare potential of 2-3 inches (obviously driven by bowlers rev rate), the Smoke billows in a green/black or purple/red cover color. Coverstock is “F28” Reactive resin, finished with 600 grit sandpaper with 2000 Grit Polish.

Champs Crowned in USBC Woman's Event

After 100 days, the 2009 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Women’s Championships came to a close at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, NV on Sunday. A total of 8,330 fiveplayer teams competed.

Together Once Again of Keller, TX, found itself in familiar territory, claiming the title in Classic Team event for the second straight time in Reno. Together Once Again totaled 3322, the third-highest team series in tournament history.

Michelle Feldman of Auburn, NY, took home the Classic Singles crown by firing the highest series in Women’s Championships history. She put together games of 279, 249 and 288 for an 816 series on April 24. Kendra Gaines of Orlando, FL,
previously held the record with 812, rolled during the 2000 tournament, also in Reno.

Feldman, who won two Professional Bowler's Association (PBA) Women’s Series events this season, became just the fourth bowler to roll an 800 series at the Women’s Championships.

USBC/WIBC Hall of Famer Robin Romeo of Newhall, CA, also accomplished the feat this year, tossing an 805 series the same week to help her team to a runner-up finish with 3286.

Romeo’s momentum carried over to doubles and singles. She added 689 in doubles and 678 in singles and helped her to the Classic All-Events title. She finished with a 2172 all-events total, the second-highest in tournament history. Only Leanne Barrette-Hulsenberg of Elk Grove, CA, has posted a higher number, shooting 2231 at the 2005 event in Tulsa, OK.

Look for a full report in the August issue of Bowlers Journal International.

Bill Taylor Dead at the Age of 84

from "Bowlers Journal International" e-Bowler Newsletter

Bill Taylor, the groundbreaking ball driller, instructional icon and the man who tilted at some of the industry’s biggest windmills, died on his birthday June 30 in Monrovia, Calif. He was 84.

Taylor was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in March, although his family first noticed signs late last year. At least one family member said he died because of complications from the disease, including kidney failure.

Taylor was a thorn in the side to most of the American Bowling Congress hierarchy, but was always ready to back up his arguments with documentation
and research. He first gained widespread notice when he published two pamphlets about what he called “super soft conditions” in the early 1960s, and was described at various times as a genius, pest, savior, gadfly, savant and opportunist.

He was voted as one of coaching’s “pioneers” by Strike Ten Entertainment,
and was recognized as such at Bowl Expo 2009.

GEICO PBA Team Shootout

The GEICO PBA Team Shootout Hosted by Six Flags heads down the
homestretch this Sunday when the championship rounds of the made-for-TV
event air beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.  The winning team will share in
a $108,000 first prize.

After week 3, Team GEICO (Chris Barnes, reigning PBA Player of the Year Wes
Malott, Patrick Allen, Mika Koivuniemi, Mike Wolfe and Brad Angelo) clinched a
berth in the championship round with a 5-2 match play record.

Sunday’s opening telecast will be the final round-robin match that will
determine whether Team Lumber Liquidators (Parker Bohn III, Walter Ray
Williams Jr., Pete Weber, Norm Duke, Steve Jaros and Mike Scroggins) or Team
Bayer (Tommy Jones, Rhino Page, Michael Fagan, Bill O’Neill, Sean Rash and
Jason Belmonte) will advance to the championship round to battle Team GEICO
in a series of singles, doubles and Baker-style team matches.

Team Lumber Liquidators goes into the final round robin match vs. Team
GEICO with a 3-4 record while Team Bayer has concluded the round robin
portion of the event with a 3-5 record. Team Lumber Liquidators would advance
to the championship round with a win over Team GEICO. Should Team Lumber 
Liquidators lose that match, thus leaving them with an identical 3-5 match play
record as Team Bayer, a total pinfall tie-breaker will be used. In that instance,
the team with the highest actual team pinfall over the round robin portion of the
event will advance to the championship round.

Throughout the tournament, all three teams bowled on a variety of PBA lane
conditioning patterns with the top two teams based on match play record
advancing to the championship rounds.

Conducted outdoors on specially-constructed lanes at New Jersey’s Six Flags 
Great Adventure theme park, three of the best teams ever assembled competed
in a Baker Scoring System format which requires five members of the team to roll
two frames in one game combining for one score.

PBA Upgraded Video Services Launched with Free Trial Offer

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) will launch an upgraded online video service on pba.com that provides subscribers with improved video streaming and navigable capabilities.

Bowling fans can click here, to sign up and take advantage of a free seven-day trial beginning the week of July 7 (must sign up by July 21).

As part of programming during the free trial, Xtra Frame will broadcast the 2009 Japan Cup won by Patrick Allen and featuring a 300 game by Rhino Page in the semifinal match. Bowling fans will also be able to view new profiles of the 18 players who competed in the GEICO PBA Team Shootout during this free trial.

Landmark TV Deal for Professional Bowling

More than 116.5 million European households from the North Pole to the Mediterranean, from the Atlantic Ocean to Asia, will have an opportunity to watch the world’s greatest bowlers in action thanks to a landmark television agreement announced June 29th by the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), KPTV in England and the German Bowling Proprietors Association (GBPA).

In response to an initiative by the German proprietors’ honorary president, Ferdi Janka, the three groups have finalized plans to air 20 Lumbers Liquidators PBA Tour events from the 2008-09 season plus another 20 from the upcoming 2009-10 season.

“The result of this agreement,” said KPTV founder and owner Phil Mison, “is that millions of European bowling fans will have their first opportunity in 10 years to watch a bowling series on TV.”

“For the PBA, it’s another giant step forward in giving our growing international fan base a chance to watch the best players in the world in action over an extended period of time,” said PBA Deputy Commissioner Tom Clark. “It will be especially exciting for European bowling fans because there are more and more world-class international players who are a part of our tour. It’ll be great that fans in Finland can watch Mika Koivuniemi, and British fans can cheer for Stuart Williams as well as the superstars of our American tour.”

“For nearly 10 years, the German Bowling Proprietors Association has been working to place bowling on television on a regular basis,” noted Volker Klien, GBPA Vice President. “Our organization’s 250 members were very happy to provide our support to make this PBA series happen in Europe. It is a very happy and exciting time for bowlers throughout Europe.”

The expansive package will result in PBA Tour telecasts will be aired in 20 languages to 59 nations on Eurosport Television beginning July 9. A minimum of 10 PBA events from the 2008-09 season will air Fridays in prime time on Eurosport 1, the broadcast system’s largest and most popular channel. Another 10 will air weekday evenings on Eurosport 2, which is Eurosport’s equivalent of ESPN2 in the United States.

“This process began two years ago when Eurosport agreed to air the finals of the Bowling World Cup,” Mison said. “The success of World Cup telecasts two years in a row led Eurosport to ask for more bowling events. Their leap of faith, thanks to the cooperation of the PBA and the funding support of the German Bowling Proprietors Association, made it all possible.

European bowling fans will now go from no bowling on television two years ago to 120 hours of bowling coverage between July and Christmas, and more after the start of the new year.”

“This is one of the most important landmarks in our organization’s history,” Klien said. “We will open the appeal of bowling to a huge new audience, and it is all possible because people who love bowling got their heads together and made it happen.”

“Bowling fans around the world have heard of Walter Ray Williams Jr., Norm Duke, Pete Weber and the other great stars of the PBA,” Clark added. “Now, for the first time, millions of bowling enthusiasts in Europe will be able to put faces with the names. And don’t forget, the PBAWomen’s Series will also be a part of this package, so we haven’t forgotten that side of the sport.”

PBA Names Hyatt Host Hotel

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) has announced an agreement with the Hyatt
Regency Dearborn to be the official headquarter hotel for the PBA World Series of Bowling which
kicks off this August in suburban Detroit. The agreement enables PBA fans and bowlers to take
advantage of a $99 room rate at the AAA Four-Diamond hotel throughout the entire run of the event,
which begins Aug. 2 and runs through Sept. 6

The World Series of Bowling opens with the PBA Motor City Open which will take place at longtime
PBA host center Taylor Lanes in Taylor, Mich., from Aug. 2-6. The remainder of the World Series of
Bowling, including six exempt PBA Tour events, the return of the PBA Women’s Series presented
by USBC and a revamped PBA Senior Tour World Championship will be held at Thunderbowl Lanes
in Allen Park, Mich., The revolutionary festival of competitive bowling boasts a $2 million prize fund
and seven ESPN telecasts.

The Hyatt is conveniently located to the tournament sites and includes complimentary parking
privileges.  Additional hotel accommodations include the Guilio & Sons Italian restaurant, Archimedes
bar and Perks Coffee Shop.

The hotel is within walking distance of eight full-service restaurants and approximately one mile west
of Dearborn which features more than 30 restaurants and shopping attractions.  Also less than a mile
away is the historic Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.

Reservations may be made by calling (313) 593-1234 or (800) 233-1234 and mentioning the PBA
World Series of Bowling.  Guest arrivals prior to Aug. 16 should visit Dearborn Hyatt and for guest 
arrivals after Aug. 15 click Hyatt. 

For more information click: the World Series of Bowling.

GEICO PBA Team Shootout Sunday

Bowling fans will be treated to three and half hours of televised bowling Sunday when seven matches
of the GEICO Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Team Shootout Hosted by Six Flags will
be aired on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Team GEICO, with Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour stars Chris Barnes, Patrick Allen, Mike Wolfe, Mika
Koivuniemi, reigning Player of the Year Wes Malott and Brad Angelo, has taken a 2-1 lead after four
round-robin matches in the made-for-TV team tournament.

Conducted outdoors on specially-constructed lanes at New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure
theme park, three of the best teams ever assembled compete in a Baker Scoring System format which
requires five members of the team to roll two frames in one game combining for one score.

Trailing Team GEICO, is Team Bayer (Tommy Jones, Jason Belmonte, Sean Rash, Rhino Page,
Michael Fagan and Bill O’Neill) with a 1-1 record and Team Lumber Liquidators (Norm Duke, Mike
Scroggins, Pete Weber, Steve Jaros, Parker Bohn III and Walter Ray Williams Jr.) at 1-2.

All three teams bowl in round-robin match play on a variety of lane conditioning patterns leading up
to a championship round. The top two teams based on match play record will advance to a
championship contest that includes singles, doubles and Baker-style team matches. The championship
round will air on ESPN on Sunday, July 12.

GEICO PBA Team Shootout standings (as of June 28)
Team GEICO 2-1
Team Bayer 1-1
Team Lumber Liquidators 1-2

Three Bowlers Finalists for an ESPY

Wes Malott, Norm Duke and Chris Barnes are the finalists in ESPN’s annual ESPYs sports awards
competition which will conclude with the annual black-tie ESPYs Awards Show airing Sunday, July
19, in Los Angeles.

Malott, the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Player of the Year points champion, won three
titles, won the Tour average title (222.98) and banked $174,680 in official earnings. The Pflugerville,
Texas, resident concluded the season by winning the King of Bowling powered by Amp Energy
special event series, bowling two nationally-televised 300 games in the process.

Duke, from Clermont, Fla., won three titles including the PBA World Championship on his way to a
Tour-best $199,630 in earnings. Barnes, from Double Oak, Texas, won a pair of Lumber Liquidators 
PBA Tour titles, was second in television appearances with eight (one behind Malott) and won the
USBC Clash of Champions to conclude his season.

Fan voting is underway on the ESPYs.tv web site and ends July 11. In addition to ESPN’s “Best
Bowler” category, voting is available in 36 other categories.

The ESPYs finale will take place at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 15, and will be
taped to air on ESPN on Sunday, July 19, at 9 p.m. Eastern.

GEICO PBA Team Shootout

Team Bayer, featuring Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour stars
Rhino Page, Michael Fagan, Bill O’Neill, Sean Rash, two-hander Jason Belmonte and Tommy Jones,
took a 1-0 lead after the first day of GEICO PBA Team Shootout competition.

The GEICO PBA Team Shootout Hosted by Six Flags was conducted outdoors on specially
constructed lanes at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., June 11-13. Round-robin team
matches air Sundays on ESPN through July 12.

Team Bayer won its first round-robin Baker format match by defeating Team GEICO (Brad Angelo,
Mike Wolfe, Chris Barnes, Mika Koivuniemi, Wes Malott and Patrick Allen), 231-210.

The Baker scoring format requires five members of the team to roll two frames in one game to
combine for one score, but the GEICO competition also includes a unique “Endless 10th Frame.” If the
team that is behind in the match strikes on its final ball in the 10th frame, it can continue throwing
shots as long as each is a strike. Each bonus strike is worth 10 points. If the opposing team loses its
lead, it can then try to rally in its own “Endless 10th Frame” only if its anchor bowler also has struck
on his final ball.

In the opening match, Team Bayer held the lead going into the final frame, but Team GEICO’s
Malott struck on his fill ball for a 210 and the right to continue. But Angelo, the team’s leadoff bowler,
failed to strike on his first “Endless 10th Frame” attempt.

In its second match, Team GEICO evened its record at 1-1 by defeating Team Lumber Liquidators
(Norm Duke, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Steve Jaros, Mike Scroggins, Parker Bohn III and Pete Weber),
208-198, when Team GEICO rallied in the bonus round. The regulation game ended with Lumber 
Liquidators leading, 198-188, thanks to Duke’s three strikes in the 10th frame.

Because Malott converted a 10 pin and struck on his second shot in the 10th frame, Team GEICO
still had a chance. Barnes, bowling in the leadoff position, and Allen, bowling second in the lineup,
threw bonus strikes to erase Lumber Liquidators’ 10-pin advantage and put their team into the
lead. Scroggins, Lumber Liquidators’ leadoff bowler, then had a chance to get his team back into 
contention, but he failed to strike.

During the GEICO PBA Shootout, all three teams will bowl 12 round-robin matches on a variety of
lane conditioning patterns leading up to a championship round. The top two teams based on match
play record will advance to a championship contest which include singles, doubles and Baker-style
team matches. The championship round will air on ESPN on Sunday, July 12.

GEICO PBA Team Shootout standings (as of June 21)
Team Bayer 1-0
Team GEICO 1-1
Team Lumber Liquidators 1-1

ESPN GEICO PBA Team Shootout Schedule (all times Eastern)

July 5 (five shows)
1-1:30 p.m. – Show 7
1:30-2 p.m. – Show 8
2-2:30 p.m. – Show 9
2:30-3 p.m. – Show 10
3-3:30 p.m. – Show 11

July 12 (four shows)
1-1:30 p.m. – Show 12
1:30-2 p.m. – Show 13
2–2:30 p.m. – Show 14
2:30-3 p.m. – Show 15