PBA Stars Invited to Japan's DHC Championships

Twelve PBA champions have been invited by the Japan Bowling Congress to compete in the 2012 DHC International Bowling Championships, the first major international bowling event to take place in Japan since the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2010. The DHC Championships will take place Feb. 7-11 at Hakata Star Lanes in Fukuoka, Japan.

PBA stars who have accepted invitations to compete, based upon performances in the 2010 WTBA World Men’s Championships and/or the 2010-11 PBA Tour season are Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas; Patrick Allen, Baltimore; Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas; Bill O’Neill, Southampton, PA; Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, MI; Jason Belmonte, Australia; Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, SC.; Sean Rash, Montgomery, IL, and Norm Duke, Clermont, FL.

PBA Tour titlist Kelly Kulick, two-time PBA Regional title winner Missy Parkin of Lake Forest, CA, and two-time PBA Women’s Series winner Shannon Pluhowsky of Kettering, Ohio, also have accepted invitations to bowl in the women’s division of the event.

The DHC International Bowling Championship will be part of the WTBA’s 2012 World Bowling Tour and will offer a combined prize fund estimated at US$375,000, including $75,000 each to the men’s and women’s champions.

The “invited” players will automatically qualify for the championship portion of the tournament, but any other bowler can enter through the two-day “trial” portion of the tournament Feb. 7-8 for a $50 entry fee per six-game qualifying round (re-entries are allowed). The “trials” leaders will join the invited players in the championship portion of the event Feb. 9-11.

PBA Stars Capture Gold in Pan Am Games

PBA Tour stars Chris Barnes, Bill O’Neill, Kelly Kulick and past PBA Women’s Series titlist Liz Johnson gave the United States a gold-medal sweep in the Pan American Games bowling competition this week in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Johnson added another gold medal in women’s singles while Barnes picked up a silver medal in men’s singles.

Barnes and O’Neill topped Venezuela’s Jose Lander and PBA Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli by 193 pins in the 12-game doubles competition while Kulick and Johnson ran away with a 328-pin victory over Mexico’s Sandra Gongora and Aseret Zetter at Bolerama Tapatio Tuesday.

Barnes and O’Neill qualified one-two in singles, but both were defeated by Colombia’s Santiago Mejia in the single-elimination match play finals. Meija topped Barnes, 189-171 and 205-193 in the best-of-three gold-medal match after the Colombian eliminated O’Neill, 711-589, in a three-game total pinfall match.

Johnson won Team USA’s third gold with a 232-196, 235-190 sweep of Canada’s Jennifer Park in the title match Thursday. Kulick was knocked out in the opening round by Brazil’s Stephanie Martins, 630-587.

PBA Tour exempt player, Columbia's Andres Gomez also earned a bronze medal, teaming with Mejia to finish third in men’s doubles.

Belmonte-Rash Match to Kick Off PBA's 2011-12 ESPN Schedule Dec. 4th

After finishing fourth and eighth, respectively, in the AMF Australian Masters Saturday in Sydney, Sean Rash of Montgomery, IL, and Australia’s Jason Belmonte have locked up a head-to-head “grudge match” that will launch the PBA Tour’s 2011-12 television season on ESPN on Sunday, Dec. 4.

 A Rash-Belmonte re-match has been anticipated since their emotional “bottlegate” confrontation during the GEICO PBA Team Shootout in June in Chicago. During a Team Shootout match, Rash angrily responded to Belmonte after he apparently made a noise with his plastic water bottle while Rash was on the approach, preparing to make a key shot. 

Belmonte later dismissed the incident as an accident, but neither player was apologetic, and both promised to resolve any differences on the lanes when they meet again. 

That meeting will occur as the first match of the men’s finals of the World Bowling Tour (WBT) presented by the PBA, which will air at 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 4 on ESPN. Rash qualified second in the season-long WBT points standings behind points leader, Finland's Mika Koivuniemi, now living in Hartland, MI, while Belmonte finished third on the points list.

Hong Kong’s Wu Siu Hong (coached by former PBA touring player Purvis Granger) won the Australian Masters men’s title and a $25,000 first prize with a 226-207, 259-243 victory over Mike Fagan of Patchogue, NY. Koivuniemi finished third, Rash fourth, Canadian Dan MacLelland now living in Saginaw, MI, was fifth, and Belmonte eighth.

Two-time PBA Women’s Series title winner Shannon Pluhowsky of Kettering, Ohio, won the Australian Masters women’s title, defeating Sweden’s Sandra Andersson, 236-181, 210-181, but the second-place finish was enough for Andersson to knock PBA Tour titlist Kelly Kulick out of the WBT women’s finals. Kulick and WBT women’s points leader Carolyn Dorin-Ballard did not bowl in Australia.

Dorin-Ballard won the WBT women’s points title followed by Sweden’s Nina Flack and Andersson. The WBT Women’s Finals presented by the PBA stepladder finals will follow the men’s telecast on ESPN on Dec. 4.

Both World Bowling Tour stepladder finals will be conducted on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 5:30 p.m. PT at South Point in Las Vegas.

Schreyer Retires from the Professional Bowlers Association

Fred Schreyer, Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), today announced his retirement after 11 years of service to the organization. The PBA Board of Directors has named Geoff Reiss Chief Executive Officer and has promoted Tom Clark to the position of Commissioner, effective November 1. Schreyer will continue to serve the PBA as a senior advisor.

"Fred has managed the PBA through a really challenging period. We're grateful for his leadership and that he's agreed to continue working with us to grow the PBA," said Mike Slade of the PBA ownership group.

Schreyer joined the PBA full-time in October 2002 as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, and was named Commissioner in 2003. But he has been affiliated with the organization since 2000 as its legal counsel. The University of Michigan and UCLA Law School graduate has 25 years of experience in the sports industry, including a seven-year stint as Director of Sports Marketing at Nike and was a founder of Nike's Sports Management division.

Among Schreyer’s signature accomplishments during his tenure at the PBA’s helm were negotiation of umbrella sponsorship packages with Denny’s and Lumber Liquidators, opening PBA membership to women for the first time (2004), creation of the PBA Summer Series, creation of the PBA World Series of Bowling, production of the PBA’s 50th Anniversary Gala in 2009 and working to allow PBA members to represent their country as Team USA members.

"Serving the PBA for the past 11 years has been a great privilege and a tremendous experience,” Schreyer said. “It is always difficult to step back, but I feel good about handing the reins to Geoff and Tom. As the PBA embarks upon its 53rd year, I look forward to continuing to provide assistance wherever I am needed."

Reiss, who joined the PBA as Vice Chairman in March 2011, previously held several positions at ESPN, was CEO at Associated Content, and was Senior Vice President/General Manager of Newsweek's digital division. While at ESPN, Reiss managed the launch of ESPN.com, NFL.com, NBA.com, and NASCAR Online. He also was Senior Vice President/General Manager of ESPN the Magazine, and managed ESPN's relationships with Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and The Tribeca Film Festival. He developed and acquired the Peabody Award-winning Dan Klores documentary Black Magic. He started his media career at Spy magazine.

"The PBA has a terrific opportunity to establish an important presence in the sports marketplace and I'm looking forward to working with our team, members and industry partners to fully realize our potential," said Reiss.

Clark became the PBA’s Vice President and COO in March 2008 after serving as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the United States Bowling Congress. Clark, who was promoted to Deputy Commissioner in 2009, came to USBC from USA Today where he worked as a sports editor from 2000-2005. Previously he was an executive editor and sports editor for newspapers in the Media General chain and founded and published a sports magazine in his hometown Syracuse, NY.

The former collegiate bowler was named Bowlers Journal International magazine’s “Person of the Year” in the bowling industry for 2005 for his efforts in bringing publicity to the game. Clark also was the recipient of the 2008 Billiard and Bowling Institute of America Industry Service Award and the 2009 USBC Joyce Deitch Trailblazer Award. 

"It's an honor to be given this opportunity to help build an organization that has meant so much to my life," Clark said. "I love the sport of bowling and the PBA and I'm energized by that same passion for the game that our players and fans have shown for over 50 years."

The PBA also has announced that Kirk Von Krueger, Vice President and Director of PBA Tours, has been promoted to Deputy Commissioner. Von Krueger, a former PBA touring player, began his career with the PBA in 1995 as assistant Tournament Director, becoming Tournament Director in 1996.

Brent Seabrook's ICE BOWL in Chicago

Chicago Blackhawk defenseman Brent Seabrook and his teammates hooked up with fans recently at Lucky Strike Chicago for a fundraiser. The group bowled in the fourth annual ICE Bowl to raise money for hockey-playing children from low-income families receive equipment, not to mention educational opportunities, otherwise unavailable to them. Click for the video.

MOTIV Adds Primal Impulse in Novemeber

Coming in November, MOTIV will release the Primal Impulse in a vivid Blue/Lime Pearl with the NEOMARK Color accents in Hot Pink Pearl and Black, the “Atomix™ SFP reactive" coverstock wraps the Impulse™ core (RG: #15/2.60, DIFF: #15/.050). 

The MOTIV Primal Impulse is finished with 2000-grit Wet Sand then Polished. 

World Wide Release Date is November 25, 2011.

Gotta Have The Nuts

900 Global The Nuts pearl contains the asymmetric “Nuts” core with Radius of Gyration (RG) of 2.551 and RG Differential of .050 wrapped in the S70 pearl coverstock finished with 900 Global's NEAT system (visual appeal of compound/polish, performance of 4,000 grit). 

WORLD WIDE Release date of November 1, 2011

A new color combination will be available in Black and Pink in the 900 Global Hook line. The “S43” cover is described as “a Hybrid Polished.” The symmetric “Hook” core has an RG of 2.551 and RG Differential of .046 in #15 pounds. The new Hook (IN PINK/ BLACK) will be available November 1, 2011.

Ebonite Adds Warning Sign

Ebonite announced a new hybrid addition to their Sign/Signals performance category ball line-up. The new Warning Sign, a Gold and Navy blue hybrid cover utilizes the same core as the previous Vital Sign and Vital Energy offerings. 

It shares the same asymmetric core as the current pearl Signals, with the “Vital Mass Bias Core,” but has the all new “High Traction Reactive HYBRID-2” cover. Ebonite Brand Manager Ed Gallagher reports “The Warning Sign’s combination of core and cover will have you winning in heavy oil.”

Look for the Warning Sign November 22, 2011.

Bowling Notes from Bowlers Journal e-news

When the United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials takes place in January, members of Team USA will be determined based on a points system, rather than total pinfall. 

The new way of determining automatic qualifiers for Team USA, as well as the Team USA Trials champions, will reward consistency and versatility over the course of the four-day event, which will be contested on four lane conditions. 

The 2012 event is scheduled to take place Jan. 2-6 at Texas Station in Las Vegas. Info: bowl.com/teamusatrials

Ronnie “Country Boy” Russell is ready to plow over the competition as the newest pro bowler to join the DV8 pro bowling staff. Russell, who was ranked 15th on the 2010-2011 PBA Tour, is a native of Marion, IN. 

Russell joins staff members: Brian “Deuce” Valenta, two-time PBA title-winner Mike “Choogs” Machuga, and Finnish bowler Joonas “JJ” Jahi.

Jaclyn Marinkovich, a.k.a. Jackie Bowling, has what many would consider a dream job doing interviews on the PBA Tour. 

 

In August of 2010, Marinkovich was invited by the PBA to interview Wayne Webb, the winner of a senior event held in Jackson, MI. With no broadcasting experience or training, the PBA’s biggest fan, Jackie Bowling, was born. 

The PBA was so impressed with Marinkovich’s passion for the game, officials asked her to join pba.com’s Xtra Frame team, as the “fan personality” interviewing players between matches about their game and equipment. 

Marinkovich’s involvement on Xtra Frame caught the attention of the Powerhouse Bowling brand manager, Rich Hanson. Powerhouse produces a line of equipment and maintenance products for both pro shops and consumers. 

“Jackie’s an excellent fit for the Powerhouse brand,” said Hanson. “We noticed that she had a great personality, and she seemed like a very genuine person, so we approached the PBA to see if we could sponsor her interviews.” 

For the 2011-12 bowling season, Marinkovich has been signed to a full staff contract by Powerhouse, and she’ll represent the brand not only on tour, but at industry events as well. 

$30,000 in Bonus Money Up for Grabs

In just a few months, Sunset Station Hotel and Casino in Henderson, Nevada, will become a hotbed for bowling, and competitors will have the chance to strike it rich with three big tournaments: the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Masters, the International Mini and the World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA) International Open.

In addition to the lucrative prizes up for grabs at each tournament, there will be a special $30,000 prize fund available to those who compete in all three events. There is no additional fee to be eligible for a share of the jackpot, and the bowler with the highest 20-game pinfall will take home a top prize of $10,000.

The 20-game pinfall total will include:

• 10 qualifying games from the USBC Masters.

• Highest four-game qualifying series from the International Mini.

• Highest six-game qualifying series from the WTBA International Open.

The latter two tournaments will allow re-entries, so bowlers will have the opportunity to improve their standings for the special prize fund.

“All three tournaments have pulled together to provide the ultimate opportunity for the bowlers, and we're looking forward to celebrating an exciting couple of weeks in Las Vegas,” said Brian Lewis, USBC Managing Director of Tournaments. “Not only is there a lot of money to be won, there also are three entertaining formats that are sure to appeal to many bowlers.”

The Masters, which features a double-elimination match-play bracket for the top 63 qualifiers and the defending champion, will be contested Jan. 22-29. Qualifying rounds for the International Mini and the WTBA event will be held Jan. 28-Feb. 5, with both events leading to unique finals on the last day of competition.

The top prize at the 2012 Masters will be $50,000, while the International Mini and International Open champions will take home $30,000 and $20,000, respectively. All bowlers are eligible to compete in these events, including international competitors and bowlers who are exempt on the PBA Tour.

For entry, hotel or general information about these events, visit: bowl.com/masters

World Tour Expands Again

The World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA)’s World Bowling Tour continues to gain momentum heading into 2012, as two more events have signed on to be a part of the second year of the circuit.

The International Bowling Championship 2012 supported by DHC in Hakata, Japan, and the Columbia 300 Vienna Open in Vienna, Austria, have been added to the schedule. These additions bring the World Bowling Tour to 12 events for 2012.

“We are pleased to welcome these two new events to the World Bowling Tour,” WTBA President Kevin Dornberger said. “The World Bowling Tour continues to grow and gain momentum, and we will be announcing even more additions to the tour in the coming days.”

The International Bowling Championship will feature one of the largest prize funds on the World Bowling Tour, with an estimated $350,000 available. The event will take place Feb. 7-11.

The Vienna Open will celebrate its 10-year anniversary in 2012, and is scheduled to take place Oct. 2-7 at Plus Bowling.

In addition to the events in Japan and Austria, two other new events for 2012 have been announced, with the Bahamas International Bowling Classic and the WTBA International Open now on the schedule. The eight events that made up the inaugural tour in 2011 have all agreed to remain a part of the tour in 2012, Dornberger said.

The 2011 World Bowling Tour wraps up this week with the AMF Australian Masters, which ends Saturday. Upon completion of that event, the top three men and three women in the World Bowling Tour rankings will be announced. Those players will take part in the World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) on Nov. 17 in Las Vegas.

The WTBA, which is made up of 115 bowling federations, governs the sport throughout the world. For more information on WTBA and the World Bowling Tour, visit: WorldTenpinBowling.com

Re-posted from: Bowlers Journal International E-Bowler weekly e-newsletter

PBA All-In Showdown Field Adds Rash and Jones

Overnight entries by Sean Rash and Tommy Jones have filled the field for the PBA’s BowlersDeals.com All-In Showdown, a winner-take-all special event that will be held at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas on Friday, Nov. 4, to kick off the two-week PBA World Series of Bowling. 

With the field filled at eight players, the All-In Showdown will pay the winner a jackpot of $45,000, including a $5,000 bonus from BowlersDeals.com. All three two-game elimination rounds will be webcast live on pba.com’s Xtra Frame starting at 6:30 p.m. Eastern (3:30 p.m. Pacific) on Nov. 4. 

Following the initial entries by Chris Barnes and Chris Warren, the next players to plunk down their $5,000 entry fees were Joe Paluszek, a two-time PBA East Region title winner and seven-year PBA member; four-time PBA Tour title winner Brian Himmler; and current PBA Tour exempt players Ronnie Russell and Bill O’Neill. Rash and Jones, who are competing in the Australian Masters in Victoria, Australia, completed the field. Mike DeVaney had hoped to enter as well, and was selling $500 shares to sponsors. But he did not collect the full entry fee needed before the field filled. 

“It’s the closest thing around to old-school bowling,” Paluszek, a 31-year-old pro shop owner, said. “I’ve always bowled action. If you put your own money up, you find out who wants to play. As long as they don’t add extra pins to the rack, I have as good a chance as anyone else. I’m not scared.” 

“I grew up bowling a lot of action around the Super Hoinke tournament,” said Himmler. “I’ve been pretty successful on TV. I thrive in that environment. I’m looking forward to it.” 

“The ratio for winning a big paycheck is pretty good if you have a couple of big games,” the 31-year-old Russell said. “I’ve bowled some games on TV for $20,000 and that’s about the same thing. No, sir, I have no fear bowling these guys. I barely even focus on who I’m bowling against. If I don’t bowl good, it doesn’t matter who you’re bowling against.” 

O’Neill and Jones were both entered into the event by TheBowlingShop.com in Dallas, which is owned by fellow PBA Tour competitor Dino Castillo. 

“I think this is a great event. It’ll be very exciting,” Castillo said. “We felt like Bill’s experience gives us a great option, especially as good as he’s bowling right now. And Tommy is one of the best action players in the game. And if either one wins, we’re going to donate a portion of the prize money to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, so it’ll be good for everyone. 

“I like my odds,” Castillo added. 

“I’m probably as intense a competitor as there is in the sport,” O’Neill, a three-time PBA Tour champion, said. “I hate losing more than anyone, so I’m planning on winning this thing. If I didn’t think I could win, I wouldn’t enter.”

Columbia 300 Introduces The Benchmark

In nearly three-quarters of a century of existence, the Columbia 300 brand has a history of producing benchmark bowling balls – balls that set the standard for performance.

“Every bowler needs a benchmark, that dependable, predictable ball that you can always count on,” said Columbia 300’s PBA staff player Chris Barnes. “As long as that ball is in my bag, I know I have that safety net that will get me out of trouble - no matter what comes my way.”

With a new coverstock, the New Standard ReactiveTM Hybrid, the engineers at Columbia 300 have developed the right amount of traction to work effectively on most typical house patterns and a great variety of tournament patterns. Of the four colors used in the coverstock, one is a pearl silver, making the veneer a Hybrid and resulting in the right amount of length. The new coverstock surrounds the Power Swing “Tri-Rib” core a symmetric core with a medium RG and medium to high Differential.

“The Benchmark will work on most typical league patterns and medium volume tournament patterns,” said Columbia 300 Brand Manager Bugsy Kelly. “The combination of a 4000 grit Abralon® finish N.S.R. Hybrid cover and the Tri-Rib core creates a great amount of mid-lane read and continuation through the backend.” The Benchmark will be available on November 10, 2011.

Brunswick Adds The Nexus Line

Brunswick revealed a pair of high performance balls will be added to their bowling ball lineup. A new solid entry is the Nexus ƒ(P+F), the Blue/Violet “Addaptive f(P+F) Solid” coverstock is finished 500, 1500 Siaair Micro Pad and surrounds the “Nexus Rotar” core (in #15 RG – 2.536 and RG Diff. - .056).

The second entry the Nexus ƒ(P) in Black/Blue/Silver Pearl “Addaptive f(P) Pearl” coverstock is finished: 500, 1500 Siaair Micro Pad and Rough Buff Finish. It covers the “Nexus Arrowhead” core (#15 RG - 2.558 and RG Diff. - .056).

World Wide Release Date: November 11, 2011.

The Brunswick Nexus series will be introduced in a series of ball seminars in: Chicago, Orlando, FL., Fort Wayne, IN., Dayton, OH., Atlanta, Dallas, Greensboro, NC., and Denver from October 24th to November 4th.

Storm Products, Inc. Signs Remy Ong to International Staff

Storm Products, Inc. is excited to announce that Remy Ong, one of the premier bowlers in Asia, has signed a contract to represent Storm Products, Inc. Not only is Remy a highly respected bowler in his home country of Singapore, but around the world. 

“I am very happy to have Remy as our newest member of Team Storm International,” commented Robert Dong, VP of International Sales and Marketing for Storm Products, Inc. “He has been one of the best bowlers in Asia for many years and his passion and excellence will definitely bring more exposure to Storm and Roto Grip worldwide.”
 

Ong has numerous titles to his credit including his most recent title at the 2011 Saudi Open. In 2002, he became Singapore’s second male to win multiple gold medals in the Asian Games in 51 years. At ten years old, Ong’s uncle introduced him to bowling. Although he tried other sports, bowling was always his first love. At 16 years old, he bowled his first perfect game at the ATBC Championships. In 2007, Ong was voted Singapore’s “Sportsman of the Year”, for recognition of his overall achievement in the sport and the leadership of his team at the Asian Games in 2006. 

“Remy is without a doubt one of the better bowlers in the Asian Zone.” commented Johnson Cheng, an international distributor.
 

“This partnership will be a win-win situation for both parties. Welcome to the Storm family Remy, because that’s what Storm is, a family.”

Driven by his love of the game and mental tenacity, Ong has emerged as one of the most enduring and successful athletes in Asia. He’s not even 30 years old, but he is already making history. “Remy was my bowling student during his youth; I am very proud of him, and I’m excited to be working with him again,” commented longtime friend, A.K. Yong.

Visit stormbowling.com/athletes/international for more information on all of Storm’s international staff members.