Three New Balls From DV8 in January

The blue/orange/lime hybrid Brutal Nightmare expands the range of ball motion in the DV8 Nightmare series with an aggressive skid/snap reaction. The combination of the Low RG Nightmare core with the new Class 8 Hybrid Reactive coverstock provides a ball motion that skids easily through the front and mid-lane with an extremely quick response to friction on the backend. The hybrid cover finished at 500 grit with Siaair Micro Pads gets a Rough Buff compound finish. The Brutal Nightmare is designed for medium to heavy oil lane conditions.

While the new DV8 Diva will be attractive to the ladies, like the 900 Global Jewel last year,  bowlers should appreciate the performance that the ball was designed to offer to a variety of bowling styles. The black/pink solid Diva offers outstanding shelf appeal and plenty of attitude on the lanes as a result of the new performance core matched with DV8’s new Class 6G Reactive coverstock. This combination makes the Diva a serious performance bowling ball for men and women on a wide range of lane conditions.

The new neon yellow DV8 Misfit Pearl adds a new color option and expands the range of performance in the Misfit product line. The Misfit Pearl features a higher RG and lower differential version of the Misfit core combined with a pearlized Class 1L Reactive coverstock finished to 500 grit with Siaair Micro Pad then treated with Rough Buff compound then High Gloss Polish to  provides more length with plenty of backend making it the “go-to ball” on light oil lane conditions. The new neon yellow color makes the Misfit Pearl the brightest colored ball in the DV8 product line, and under black light, it offers an outrageous green glow.

PBA Chameleon Championship Sunday

 

The stepladder finals of the third “animal pattern” PBA Tour event of the 2012-13 season from the South Point Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, NV takes on an international flavor and features the return of Walter Ray Williams Jr. to a televised final.

In the opening match of the PBA Chameleon Championship, 2010-11 Rookie of the Year Scott Norton of Costa Mesa, CA, takes on Fawaz Abdulla, the first bowler from the Middle East country of Bahrain ever to make a PBA finals telecast.

Norton made a memorable debut in the 2010 World Series of Bowling Chameleon Championship, qualifying as tournament leader in his first TV appearance and then stringing eight consecutive strikes on his way to a 256-181 win over Sean Rash for his first career title.

Abdulla went from 11th to fourth in the final qualifying round, slipping past
PBA stars Tommy Jones and Norm Duke in the final game to take the last TV spot. Suffering from a chronic case of gout prior to the finals, Abdulla required an overnight hospital stay but recovered enough to make his first TV appearance. Abdulla is part of a seven-man Bahrain contingent coached by longtime international competitor and PBA member Tim Mack of Indianapolis.

The winner of the opening match will take on Williams in the semifinal. The
PBA’s all-time leader in Tour wins with 47, is making his first TV appearance in
more than a season. In 2011-12, for the first time in a record 26 seasons, the
PBA Hall of Famer failed to make a TV show.

The winner of the semifinal match will then take on 2011-12 Player of the Year challenger and five-time Tour winner Jason Belmonte of Australia. Belmonte, who won three titles in last year’s WSOB, lost a close vote for Player of the Year honors to Sean Rash last season.

The next two Sundays after the Chameleon telecast will feature World Series of Bowling finals with 90-minute programs airing at 1 p.m. ET. The Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship will air on Jan. 6, and the PBA World Championship on Jan. 13.

Two New from Storm Bowling in February

Utilizing the C.A.M.™ core from the Reign series, the new Storm Reign of Power is on the horizon. The Sky Blue/Purple solid reactive PFT™ (Progressive Friction Technology) coverstock (which also covers the Red/Blue Storm IQ) is finished to 1000-grit Abralon® with a delightful Blueberry fragrance.

Also arriving in February, the Storm SYNC features a Cranberry/Tangerine/Black colored NRG™ Solid Reactive cover (also used on the Virtual Gravity Nano solid and the Vivid) finished to 4000-grit Abralon®. The new SYNC core is the G2™, the second generation of the Shape-Lock™ HD core which powered the original Virtual Gravity™. Last but not least, can’t wait to find out what Iced Cranberry smells like, which is the Fragrance of the new SYNC. World Wide Release Date for this duo: 2/5/13

Koivuniemi Wins European Bowling Tour Qatar Open

Two-time Professional Bowlers Association Player of the Year Mika Koivuniemi, a native of Finland now living in the United States, continued to expand his unprecedented international bowling portfolio when he won the 12th annual Qatar Open Saturday at Qatar Bowling Center, making Qatar the 19th different country in which he has won a bowling title.

Koivuniemi defeated fellow Finn Tony Ranta, 544-471, in the two-game total pinfall title match to win a first prize of US$39,480.

 

The tournament was part of the growing World Tenpin Bowling Association-PBA International Tour series, and it was the final event of the 2012 European Bowling Tour season.

Koivuniemi, who led the Qatar field of 142 players from 26 countries through the preliminary qualifying rounds, defeated Sweden’s Martin Larsen, 442-385, to advance to the title match while Ranta eliminated 13-time PBA Tour titlist Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., 389-361.

"This is my first title in this part of the world and I'm glad I finally broke that jinx," the 45-year-old Koivuniemi said.

Koivuniemi, a long-time member of Finland’s national bowling team before joining the PBA and moving to Hartland, MI, had previously won titles in his home country, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada, China, Colombia, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Slovenia, England and Germany as well as the United States. The 2003-04 and 2010-11 PBA Player of the Year and Venezuela’s Amleto Monacelli (1989 and 1990) are the only international players to win Player of the Year honors twice.

The WTBA-PBA International Tour’s next tournament will be the International Bowling Championships presented by DHC in Aichi-ken, Japan, Jan. 17-19.

QATAR OPEN

Qatar Bowling Center, Doha, Qatar, Dec. 16

Championship (two games total pinfall): Mika Koivuniemi, Finland ($39,480) def. Tony Ranta, Finland ($18,950), 544-471.

Semifinal Round (two games total pinfall, losers earned $6,580): Koivuniemi def. Martin Larsen, Sweden, 442-385. Ranta def. Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 389-361.

Other PBA Finalists (after 6 games): 5, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 1,330, $3,290. 6, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,325, $3,290. 7, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,324, $3,290. 8, Yousif Falah, Bahrain, 1,318, $3,290. 10, Dom Barrett, England, 1,299, $3,290.

13, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,283, $2,360. 15, Bill O’Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 1,268, $2,360. 16, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 1,254, $2,360. 17, Jesper Agerbo, Denmark, 1,248, $2,360. 18, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,242, $2,360.

900 Global Unvails The Bullet Train

900 Global introduces the Bullet Train January 9th, 2013. The Plum Solid /Copper Pearl S79 Hybrid reactive cover finished with their neAt system (A=2,500 grit) is wrapped around the Combustion symmetric core (used in the Train).

 Special Offer: Purchase a Bullet Train bowling ball and get a FREE Bullet Train Performance Jersey - only pay $9.95 for shipping and handling!

Lane #1 Announces The New Bloody Panther

Lane #1’s newest edition is the Bloody Panther. The Black and Blood Red reactive cover (finished with compound) which surrounds the patented Oversized Diamond core has the potential for a low Radius of Gyration of 2.46 and medium Differential of .043

 

Look for the New Lane #1 Bloody Panther December 21, 2012.

Columbia 300 Announces The Enigma

Total Friction Technology is a new cover system designed specifically for the Columbia 300 Enigma. TFT is one of the strongest covers ever used on a Columbia 300 ball, which creates a big hooking motion and combats even the heaviest of oil. The Encounter core in the Enigma is the same dynamic core found in the Dark Encounter and Wicked Encounter.

The new Total Friction cover along with the Encounter core creates an extremely aggressive move in the mid-lane with great continuation. “This combination of strong core and cover will handle heavier oil conditions,” reports Columbia. Look for the Columbia 300 Enigma January 8^th, 2013.

Track Unveils The 714C

When TRACK designed the 714C, they were looking for something that would complement two previous releases, the 706A and 716T. The R&D team quickly determined that by modifying a successful core from the past and wrapping it with a brand new cover, they would be able to accomplish the task at hand.

Core: The 714C features a core shape that we successfully used in the past in both the 718A and 716T. The original Robot core gave them the big backending 718A while the Modified Robot core gave them the strong rolling 716T. For the new 714Crelease, the densities were modified once again to create a strong continuous motion at the backend of the lane. This new version is the Modified Robot 2.0.

Cover: The 714C marks the first time TRACKhas solely used one of their new “Continuation” covers. For this new release, they use the Gen XC (Xtra Continuation). Some of the unique additives found in this new cover were recently combined with additives from our Gen XT cover. The combination of the two, created one of the best hybrid covers ever developed which can be found on our recently introduced 811C/T.

Finish: The final step that completes the ball development process is the finish. Having the right finish allows for the perfect combination of core and cover to shine for a wide variety of bowling styles. For the 714C, TRACK went with 800/1000/2000/3000 Abralon® as our finish of choice. This finish process allows for easy length on medium to oily patterns while creating the perfect amount of continuation at the back end of the lane. Look for the 714C January 8th, 2013.

Ebonite Adds the Exceed This Month

The Ebonite Exceed contains the popular (Warning Sign and Innovate) Verve core with Red / Navy / Yellow HTR 3.0 HYBRID coverstock finished to 3000 with Abralon ® completing the pearl/solid/hybrid trifecta. Look for the Ebonite Exceed this month.

PBA Plans A Summer Swing in Milwaukee

After a five-year absence, the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) will return to the Milwaukee area with a unique four-tournament, three bowling center Summer Swing in late May, PBA Commissioner Tom Clark announced today.

 
The PBA Summer Swing will include two-day tournaments at AMF Waukesha just west of Milwaukee, AMF West in Milwaukee proper and AMF Bowlero in suburban Wauwatosa. Each of the three events will produce a five-player stepladder final which will be televised on a tape-delayed basis, and the qualifying rounds of the three preliminary events will serve as a foundation for a fourth championship tournament which also will be conducted at Bowlero. Tournament names will be announced later.

“Milwaukee has been the home to some of the most important events in bowling history,” Clark said, “and we hope the PBA Summer Swing will add to that legacy. It’s a great bowling community with great bowling fans, and we couldn’t be happier to be coming back to town.”

The PBA Tour’s last Milwaukee appearance was in 2007 when qualifying and match play rounds for the United States Bowling Congress Masters were held at AMF Bowlero Lanes before the ESPN finals were conducted on specially-constructed lanes in Miller Park, the home of the Milwaukee Brewers, for the second time. That tournament was won by reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash.

In October of 2004, the USBC and PBA made history when the Masters finals were conducted in Miller Park for the first time. That was the first time a championship bowling event had ever been staged in a major league baseball stadium. Danny Wiseman of Baltimore won that edition of the Masters. In between those historic events, USBC (which formerly made its home in suburban Greendale, WI) and the PBA conducted Masters finals in U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee in 2005 (won by Mike Scroggins) and the Wisconsin Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park in 2006 (won by Doug Kent).

 

Prior to those USBC Masters tournaments, Milwaukee had long been an annual stop on the PBA Tour, beginning in 1966 when USBC Hall of Famer Bill Lillard won his lone PBA Tour title in the Miller High Life Open.

The entry fee package for all four tournaments will be $600 for PBA members and $700 for non-members. The tournament field will be limited to 192 players. Entries open March 15. PBA Touring I and Touring II members will have first priority followed by non-touring members. Non-members will be confirmed on a first-come basis.

Tentatively called the Summer Classics I, II and III, each will offer a $50,000 prize fund. Classic IV will pay $100,000 in prize money. All four winners will earn berths in the 2014 PBA Tournament of Champions.

All four tournaments will be covered by PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel (for subscription information, visit pba.com and look for the Xtra Frame logo).

Barnes and Parkin Win World Bowlers Tour Finals

Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, and Missy Parkin of Lake Forest, CA, successfully concluded two years of international travel when they captured Bayer Advanced Aspirin World Bowling Tour (WBT) men’s and women’s finals titles to kick off the 2012-13 Professional Bowlers Association television season at South Point Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV.

Barnes, a 14-time PBA Tour champion, defeated reigning WBT men’s champion Mika Koivuniemi of Finland, 244-228, while Parkin defeated Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, NY, 238-190, in the women’s finals during the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling (WSOB). Both finals, which featured three players who qualified by earning points in World Tenpin Bowling Association-PBA International Tour events over a span of two years, aired Sunday on ESPN. Both champions earned $20,000.

Barnes, who won the Columbia 300 Vienna Open in Austria in October to lock up his berth in the WBT men’s finals, edged Mike Fagan of Dallas, 258-244, in the semifinal match before closing with a string of six strikes for a come-from-behind victory over his close friend, Koivuniemi, in the title match.

“Any win feels good,” Barnes said. “Mika and I always have good matches. I’ve been fortunate the last three times, but I’m pretty sure it’ll even out whether I like it or not.”

The key to Barnes’ victory was three 10 pins left by his long-time international rival on the right lane in the third, seventh and ninth frames.

“I left a couple of solid 10s on that lane myself,” Barnes said. “I knew that lane was tighter. I threw one shot that I thought was pretty good that didn’t even get back to the pocket.”

Forced to finish his game on the tricky right lane after Koivuniemi’s misfortune in the ninth frame gave him an opening, Barnes made a critical adjustment and threw three strikes in the 10th frame. The first strike was the one that iced the title.

“I knew I was going to move right and have to stay firm with the shot,” Barnes said. “Earlier on in my career I didn’t commit to that shot very well, but I committed to it, and made the shot I wanted to throw. It didn’t quite get up to high flush, but it was good enough today.”

As part of their ongoing rivalry on television, Barnes and Koivuniemi make a side bet that has involved things like the gaudy Madras plaid pair of pants Koivuniemi was forced to wear on television the last time he lost.

“We had a jersey bet on this one,” Barnes said of his WBT win. “I, or my fans, or his daughters will get to design a jersey that he’ll get to wear on a future TV show. And pretty much anything goes as long as it’s legal for TV.”

In the women’s finals, Johnson advanced to the title match after a thrilling 267-260 victory over PBA Tour titlist Kelly Kulick of Union, NJ. But Johnson’s strike shot evaporated in the title match. A 4-6-7 split in the second frame and a 4-6 in the fourth put her in a hole she couldn’t escape.

“I’ve come in second a lot lately,” said Parkin, who lost to Chicago’s Diandra Asbaty in the Australian Masters title match prior to the WSOB and finished second to Kulick in the U.S. Women’s Open earlier in the year. “Today I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I kind of went out with a mindset that I was going to make the pins strike. I know you can’t do that, but it was the mindset I had.

“I only had one game, and I needed to throw 10 really good shots, and I feel like I did. Luckily the pins fell my way and it was enough to win.”

But for Parkin, the victory made her international travels worth the effort.

“This year all of the travel has been particularly hard being away from family and friends,” she said. “It’s really hard; a lot of people don’t understand how much we travel. Winning this tournament after two years and having to accumulate all those points means so much.”

The second annual Bayer Advanced Aspirin WBT Finals presented by the PBA also signaled the start of a new points cycle for the international series. Points earned in WTBA-PBA International Tour events over the next 12 months will replace points earned in the first year of the qualifying cycle, leading into the third WBT Finals which will be part of PBA WSOB V in November 2013.

The 2012-13 PBA Tour season on ESPN continues next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET with the finals of the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship. Stepladder finalists will include Bill O’Neill, Langhorne, PA; Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio; Jeff Roche, Dearborn, MI, and top qualifier Mike Wolfe, New Albany, IN.

 

Pre- and post-telecast shows for all PBA-ESPN telecasts will be available on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

MOTIV Raptor Talon Introduced

The MOTIV Raptor Talon features the low RG Predator core, which is an asymmetric beast having a .060 primary differential and .015 intermediate on the 15# model. The core revs easily and produces massive track flare. The Raptor Talon encases the Predator core with the new Fusion Solid Reactive shell, which comes out of the box with a 2000 grit sanded finish. MOTIV suggests “It starts to hook in the oil and does not stop.”

Check out the video.

PBA50 Tour Leads to ESPN Finale in 2013

A new name, new venues, a season-long points competition leading to an ESPN-televised finale, and a crop of new star players will highlight the 2013 PBA50 Tour season.

The 2013 PBA50 Tour (formerly PBA Senior Tour) schedule will consist of 11 tournaments, with new stops in Welch, MN; Tampa, FL (tentative), and Trussville, AL.

 

The season-long points competition will qualify the top three players for the ESPN-televised PBA50 Tour Finals, which will be a stepladder event conducted during the 2013 PBA World Series of Bowling V next November. Also, selected PBA50 Tour events will be webcast live on pba.com’s online bowling channel, Xtra Frame. Details regarding the televised finals and Xtra Frame schedule will be announced later.

 

“We are thrilled to be bringing a PBA50 final back to TV,” said PBA Commissioner Tom Clark. “A national audience will see first-hand that the competition on the PBA50 Tour is intense and important, and the crop of players eligible will excite all bowling fans. The PBA is committed to its over-50 membership and proud to be bringing the best of the best to a national television audience.”

 

The PBA50 Tour will also include other changes, including a revised format that advances more players to match play in selected events that attract 120 or more entries.

 

The Super Senior prize fund, for the age 60-and-older players who finish out of the regular prize list, will also be revised. In previous years, Super Senior cash spots were awarded based on total entries. For 2013, cash spots will be awarded at a ratio of 1:6 Super Senior entries, with a minimum of eight and a maximum of 10 cashing in each tournament.

 

Las Vegas will continue to host the PBA50 Tour’s two major championships, with the Suncoast Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center hosting the Suncoast Senior U.S. Open, presented by Storm, June 2-7, followed by the United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center, June 9-14.

 

The 2013 PBA50 season will again see a new crop of top-level players from the PBA Tour eligible to compete, including PBA Hall of Famers Pete Weber, Parker Bohn III and ESPN analyst Randy Pedersen. Also on the list of those becoming eligible at age 50 in the months ahead are PBA Tour champions Jack Jurek, Chris Warren and David Traber.

 

For the full PBA50 Tour schedule, click here.

Roto Grip Introduces New Bowling Balls for 2013

Roto Grip unveils the first new balls for 2013, in the HP2 line, the Wrecker features White Pearl/Blue Solid 52ML™ Hybrid Reactive coverstock finished 1500-grit Abralon® then Polished, wrapping a Neutron™ core (from balls like: Shatter, Rising and Shooting Stars). RG in #15 - 2.55, RG Diff - .042 World Wide Release Date: 1/8/13. Click here for more details

In the Roto Grip HP3 line, look for the Green/Black 66MH™ Solid Reactive Disturbed with it’s Middle Roll 70™ core and 2000-grit Abralon® finished cover. The new Middle Roll 70 core has core numbers of 2.50 Radius of Gyration (RG) for a #15 and RG Differential of .043 in this new configuration. World Wide Release Date: 1/8/13. Click here for more details

New for 2013 in the Roto Grip HP4 line is Defiant Soul. The striking Green & Gold Pearl/Purple Solid 77H™ Hybrid Reactive coverstock is finished to 4000-grit with Abralon® pads. Like the Defiant and Defiant Edge, the Defiant Soul is driven by it’s Paragon™ core (RG – 2.49 and RG Diff - .054 in a #15). World Wide Release Date: 1/8/13. Click here for more details

Visionary Unvails the Mixed Breed Crossover

Visionary Bowling Products would like to announce the release of the much anticipated Mixed Breed Crossover. This will be the 3rd ball in the Mixed Breed series and will be available beginning November 29th, 2012 .

 

The Mixed Breed Crossover combines the Z-Spin asymmetric core design (RG 2.56, RG Differential .045) used in the Mixed Breed and Mixed Breed Pearl with a Blue/Yellow Pearl/Green Pearl hybrid version of our React-A-Tack coverstock (2000 Abralon finish). This combination allows the Mixed Breed Crossover to read the midlane well, and still provide good backend reaction with strong continuation.

New Incentives For PBA Regioanl Championships

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) has added new incentives to its inaugural Regional Players Invitational (RPI) program, including a special ESPN telecast for the six RPI champions and a berth in the 2014 PBA Tournament of Champions (TOC).

The new RPI program, which will introduce affordable, closer-to-home regional “major” championship events to the PBA’s East, South, Central, Midwest, Southwest and West/Northwest combined regions at the conclusion of the 2012-13 season, will provide six regional champions with $6,000 guaranteed first prize checks, paid entries into PBA World Series of Bowling V in the fall of 2013, and a chance to bowl in front of a national television audience on a special ESPN telecast. The winner of the ESPN telecast will earn a berth in the Tournament of Champions.

Each RPI will offer a $25,000 prize fund based on 48 entries, a 1:2 payoff ratio, a Friday pro-am and two six-game qualifying rounds on Saturday with the top 16 qualifiers advancing to five rounds of elimination matches on Sunday. Each of the six RPIs also will be webcast live, exclusively on PBA’s online bowling channel, Xtra Frame.

"This is one of the most exciting initiatives for the PBA Regional program ever and shows the PBA's commitment to developing great players on the regional level,” said PBA Commissioner Tom Clark. “It makes the races for the RPI spots in each region even more compelling and the resulting Xtra Frame and TV exposure for the regional program will shed more light on one of the most important foundations of the PBA."

The 2012-13 RPI program is based upon competition points earned by players within each region between Sept. 1, 2012, and July 15, 2013. A total of 48 players within each of the six regions (including the combined West and Northwest Regions) will be eligible for the RPI finals, with preferred entry status awarded to the points leaders in each area.

For complete format, schedule and entry information, visit pba.com.

The newly-announced ESPN-TOC incentives add another dimension to the program. The six RPI winners will compete in a one-hour ESPN-televised event. The East, Central and South RPI winners will bowl in the first one-game match, and the Midwest, Southwest and West-Northwest winners will bowl in the second. The winners of those two matches will meet in a final game to determine the player who will earn special PBA Tournament of Champions consideration.

If the winner of the ESPN telecast is already a PBA Tour champion and currently eligible for the TOC, he/she will move to the top of the TOC eligibility list. If the winner is not a PBA Touring member and/or not already eligible for the TOC, he/she will become eligible for a one-time opportunity to bowl in the 2014 TOC.

2013 PBA REGIONAL PLAYERS INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE

Aug. 2-4 – PBA South Region Regional Players Invitational, Break Point Alley, Tavares, FL.

Aug. 31-Sept. 2 – PBA Midwest Regional Players Invitational, Super Bowl, Peru, IL.

Sept. 6-8 – PBA Southwest Regional Players Invitational, Firelake Bowling Center, Shawnee, OK.

Sept. 13-15 – PBA Central Regional Players Invitational, Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, MI.

Sept. 20-22 – PBA East Regional Players Invitational, to be announced.

Sept. 27-29 - PBA West/Northwest Regional Players Invitational, National Bowling Stadium, Reno, NV.

Junior Gold Championships Expanding

The North Pointe Junior Gold Championships presented by The Brands of Ebonite International has experienced tremendous growth, especially with the addition of the U15 division, and the expected progression has resulted in several changes for the 2013 event in Detroit.

“Youth bowlers across the country understand the great opportunity the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships offers and we are seeing unprecedented growth,” said Chad Murphy, International Bowling Campus (IBC) Managing Director of Youth Development. “A $250,000 scholarship pool, the chance to make Junior Team USA, national titles up for grabs … and the U15 division has really changed the dynamics. The division was an immediate success.”

More than 1,900 youth bowlers took part in the 2012 North Pointe Junior Gold Championships, establishing a record for number of participants, and the 2013 tournament is expected to eclipse that mark. To handle the larger field, three additional centers in the Detroit area will be utilized.

In 2013, the boys division of the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships will compete at Sunnybrook Lanes and Sterling Lanes, both in Sterling Heights, and at AMF Rose Bowl in Roseville. The girls’ competition will take place at Astro Lanes in Madison Heights, Bowl One Lanes in Troy, and 5 Star Lanes in Sterling Heights.

The IBC staff and the IBC Youth Tournament Committee worked closely with Metro Detroit United States Bowling Congress (USBC) association manager and USBC board member Mark Martin, Detroit Sports Commission executive director Dave Beachnau and their staffs to determine the additional centers.

The highly successful debut of the U15 division at North Pointe Junior Gold Championships last year has prompted additional changes.

First was the creation of a U15 development program for Junior Team USA. Four of the top U15 bowlers at the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships who are age-eligible will have the opportunity to train at the International Training and Research Center with Team USA coaches and then represent Team USA in the U15 division of the Tournament of the Americas.

Another change will be an adjustment in the special prize fund for high school students (grades 9-12). For 2013, the high school prize fund will be divided for those in the U15 division and the U20 division.

Qualifying for the 2013 North Pointe Junior Gold Championships presented by The Brands of Ebonite International already is underway. To learn more about the tournament and the Junior Gold program, go to BOWL.com/JuniorGold.

Seismic BowlingTo Add The Dominion in December

The Seismic Dominion™ has been "in the works" literally since 2009, with the concept developed at the same time as the Epicenter™, their first ever asymmetric core ball. Seismic is delighted to announce the release this December of the Insignia™ Dominion™ Hybrid.

The Dominion™ features the Insignia Asymmetric core, and is wrapped with a hybrid mix of the LNC and LNS coverstocks, used on the Solaris Blackout™ and Euphoria™ respectively. This hybrid cover should provide a combination of length and back end with powerful carry created by the Insignia core.

 

AMF's Mamba Hybrid

The AMF Mamba Hybrid features the SRC core (Radius of Gyration – 2.481, RG Differential - .054) paired with a combination of two highly aggressive covers rated F74. The black/purple Mamba hybrid is finished with a T “NEAT” pad finishing the cover at about 4,000 grit.

Hammer Adds Arson Hybrid and Wrench

The Hammer Wrench combines the biggest skid/flip coverstock in the line, Grand Theft Reactive III Pearl, originally featured on the Taboo Jet Black. Combined with the M.P.A. core (featured in the Brick and Ratchet). The Wrench features Red/Gold /Purple GTR III Pearl cover, finished to 800 Abranet®, 1000, 2000 Abralon­™, and Powerhouse™ Factory Finish Polish.

Hammer Arson Hybrid completes the Arson series lineup. By filling the gap between the Arson and Arson Pearl, the new Hybrid offers Hammer bowlers three distinct ball motions in one price point. The new Arson Hybrid is Navy/Turquoise/Silver, Max-Control Hybrid coverstock finished to 500, 1000, 1000, 3000 Abralon® wrapping the Arson core.

George Gohagan Wins PBA All Regions Title In Las Vegas

Amateur George Gohagan III of Roswell, GA, defeated former PBA Women’s Series champion Shannon Pluhowsky of Kettering, Ohio, in a one-ball sudden death roll-off, 10-9, that concluded a record-setting PBA All Regions South Point Open at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 10.

The Gohagan-Pluhowsky roll-off followed a 224-224 tie. After each player threw three matching strikes, Gohagan broke the tie for the win. But there was a great deal of additional drama leading up to the title match.

Gohagan, who earned $3,500, defeated England’s Dom Barrett, 300-298, in a nail-biting semifinal round match when Barrett left a pocket 7-10, ending a personal string of 32 consecutive strikes that began in the Round of 8. Pluhowsky ousted Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, FL, 247-236, in the other semifinal match.

In the Round of 8, Barrett won his best-of-three-game match against Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, NC, 2-0, by winning an 11-ball roll-off after they tied at 280-280 in game two. Both players threw 10 strikes in a row before Troup left a pin standing on his 11th attempt while Barrett threw his 11th strike.

In the Round of 16, Gohagan and amateur Ron Nelson Jr. of Bridgeview, IL, battled to a 300-300 tie in the second game of their best-of-five match, and each then threw three more strikes in the roll-off before Gohagan’s fourth strike eliminated Nelson’s seven-count. Gohagan went on to win the contest, 3-2, with a 268-253 win in game five.

In a companion event held in conjunction with the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV, amateur Adam Ishman of Las Vegas and Barrett defeated amateur Raul Rosales of El Monte, CA and Michael Haugen Jr. of Carefree, AZ, 502-459, to win the $4,000 top prize in the PBA West Region Member/Non-Member Doubles on Sunday, Nov. 11.

The All Regions South Point Open drew an international field of 157 competitors while the Member/Non-Member Doubles drew a field of 66 teams. Both events were conducted in conjunction with the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV.

Rhino Page Goes First in the PBA League Draft

Left-hander Rhino Page of Dade City, FL, the Professional Bowlers Association’s 2008-09 Rookie of Year, was the top selection in the inaugural PBA League Draft held Friday at South Point Bowling Center, in Las Vegas. The historic PBA League, consisting of eight five-player teams of PBA stars, will make its debut Jan. 19-27 at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, MI.

Page, a three-time PBA Tour titlist and a finalist in the 2012 PBA World Championship, was selected by PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke, one of the eight Franchise Players who will head the PBAL teams. The Franchise Players were the top players in competition points during the 2011-12 PBA Tour season. Duke won the first pick in a PBA Draft Lottery held earlier during the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling.

“I’m really happy,” Duke said. “I had been studying the list even before I got to Las Vegas, and I got everyone I wanted. You have to realize after I picked Rhino, I wasn’t going to have access to some of the other high-profile guys, but I got five bulldogs and I’m elated.”

The draft was conducted in a serpentine fashion, whereby once the eight players selected their first picks, the draft order was reversed for each subsequent round. For example, Finland’s Osku Palermaa, who picked eighth in the first round, then picked first in the second round. Each team consists of five players plus a supplemental pick who will only enter the competition if a roster player is unable to perform.

PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann., MO, drafted second, and his first pick was 13-time PBA Tour titlist Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, SC.

“My first pick wasn’t going to be anyone else,” Weber said, “and after that, Tommy and I together talked over the guys we wanted to pick. Our sleeper is (former Wichita State University star John) Szczerbinski (of North Tonawanda, NY), but he’ll be all right. I’m just looking forward to seeing my team on TV.”

Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, PA, picked third.

“I’m very happy,” O’Neill said. “There were a few guys I had high on my list who I didn’t think would be there, but there they were.”

Australia’s Jason Belmonte was No. 4 in the draft order.

“I have a really well-balanced team. Everyone has TV experience, everyone has big-time tournament experience,” he said. “Walking into (Thunderbowl), I know everyone is going to be prepared. I’m really happy with my third pick, Parker Bohn III. He’s a proven champion. He’s going to give 110 percent, and I know he has something to prove.”

Mike Fagan of Dallas followed Belmonte.

“I feel really good about our team. We don’t have any weak links,” Fagan said. “I wasn’t too concerned about having one superstar; I was looking more at the composite of our group.”

Reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash of Suburban Chicago (Montgomery, IL), also was pleased.

“I got one of the best lefties on tour (Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, NY) Ryan Shafer is a proven champion. I got the greatest player of all-time (47-time PBA Tour champion Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, FL) I looked into who has bowled well currently and at Thunderbowl (in 2009) and team chemistry as well.”

No. 7 Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, said, “I feel great about my team. Everyone I drafted was in the top 25 in points last year. They all have the ability to play straight or hook the ball. With the exception of me, they’re all young. They are all team players. I didn’t think (first pick) Dom (Barrett of England) would get to me, and I certainly didn’t think (fellow Englishman) Stu (Williams) would still be on the board. I have no complaints.”

Palermaa, who has extensive international experience, picked Sweden’s Martin Larsen and Canada’s Dan MacLelland with his back-to-back picks. “The best guys were going to go first, but I’ve got a versatile team. That’s what you have to go for.”

The inaugural PBA League will introduce its unique professional bowling league concept, including celebrity owners, during the Detroit Winter Swing Jan. 19-27 at Thunderbowl, concluding the week with five ESPN television shows including a live telecast of PBA League Round 1 on Sunday, Jan. 27. Subsequent shows will be taped to air on Feb. 10, Feb. 17, March 3 and March 24.

The team championship will be decided during the PBA League Elias Cup Finals, honoring PBA founder Eddie Elias, at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis on Sunday, March 31 (airing Sunday, April 7 on ESPN).

During the first four days in Detroit, the PBA will conduct a series of open-field tournaments (the Carmen Salvino Classic, Mark Roth Classic, Don Carter Classic and Earl Anthony Players Championship). Those four events will award individual PBA Tour titles and the qualifying scores posted by each PBAL team member will be combined to produce the team qualifying scores for the ESPN telecasts. All PBAL matches on ESPN will be Baker Format matches where each team member will bowl two frames in each game.

PBA LEAGUE TEAM LINEUPS

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Friday

NORM DUKE, CLERMONT, FL.

Dallas Strikers (celebrity owner Terrell Owens)

2, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla.

3, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela.

4, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore.

5, Mike Machuga, Erie, Pa.

Supplemental pick: Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind.

PETE WEBER, ST. ANN, MO.

Team name, celebrity owner to be announced

2, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C.

3, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif.

4, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y.

5, John Szczerbinski, N. Tonawanda, N.Y.

Supplemental pick: Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y.

BILL O’NEILL, LANGHORNE, PA.

Phillie Hitmen (celebrity owner Kevin Hart)

2, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland.

3, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio.

4, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif.

5, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C.

Supplemental pick: Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas.

JASON BELMONTE, AUSTRALIA

Team name to be announced (celebrity owner Chris Paul)

2, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas.

3, Andres Gomez, Colombia.

4, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J.

5, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev.

Supplemental pick: Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela.

MIKE FAGAN, DALLAS

Motor City Muscle (celebrity owner Jerome Bettis)

2, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich.

3, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas.

4, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind.

5, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill.

Supplemental pick: Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J.

SEAN RASH, MONTGOMERY, IL.

Team name, celebrity owner to be announced

2, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y.

3, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y.

4, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla.

5, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga.

Supplemental pick: Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa.

CHRIS BARNES, DOUBLE OAK, TX.

Team name, celebrity owner to be announced

2, Dom Barrett, England.

3, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz.

4, Stuart Williams, England.

5, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan.

Supplemental pick: Jon VanHees, Charlestown, R.I.

OSKU PALERMAA, FINLAND

Team name, celebrity owner to be announced

2, Martin Larsen, Sweden.

3, Dan MacLelland, Canada.

4, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla.

5, Thomas Larsen, Denmark

Supplemental pick: Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill.

Rash Improves Lead at PBA World Championships

Reigning Professional Bowlers Association Player of the Year Sean Rash of Montgomery, IL, won five of his first eight matches Wednesday to retain his lead in the PBA World Championship Wednesday at South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, NV.

Rash, who entered the 24-game round-robin match play portion of the World Championship with a 64-pin lead over Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, SC, expanded his lead by only 14 pins after the first eight matches. The second round begins at 6 p.m. PT Wednesday and the final eight games, to determine the five players who will advance to Sunday’s ESPN stepladder finals, is set for 2 p.m. Thursday.

The PBA World Championships is the concluding event to the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV, and the PBA’s first major championship of the 2012-13 season. ESPN will air the finals on Sunday, Jan. 13.

Rash led with a 40-game total of 9,668 pins, including match play bonus pins. Jones had a 9,590 total. Canada’s Dan MacLelland was in third place at 9,577 followed by Australia’s Jason Belmonte at 9,539 and England’s Dom Barrett at 9,498. Defending champion Osku Palermaa of Finland was sixth, five pins behind Barrett.

Complete GEICO WSOB IV coverage is available on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Wednesday night with the second of three eight-game match play rounds, and concludes with the final round of match play at 2 p.m. PT Thursday.

PBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Wednesday

Round Four (after 40 games, including match play bonus pins; top five will advance to PBA World Championship finals)

1, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 5-3, 9,668.
2, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3-5, 9,590.
3, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 7-1, 9,577.
4, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 3-5, 9,539.
5, Dom Barrett, England, 4-4, 9,498.
6, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 4-4, 9,493.
7, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 5-3, 9,469.
8, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 7-1, 9,468.
9, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 4-4, 9,437.
10, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2-6, 9,405.
11, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 4-4, 9,340.
12, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 5-2-1, 9,320.
13, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 6-2, 9,292.
14, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 5-3, 9,283.
15, Stuart Williams, England, 3-5, 9,262.
16, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 4-4, 9,238.
17 (tie), Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3-4-1, and Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 4-3-1, 9,221.
19, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 3-5, 9,151.
20, Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 3-4-1, 9,141.
21, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 2-6, 9,118.
22, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 2-6, 9,116.
23, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 4-4, 9,096.
24, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 2-6, 9,043.

300 Games: Dom Barrett, Tommy Jones.