PBA Dyes Lane Oil for Animal Championships

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) will take an 
historic step toward illustrating the challenges bowlers face when blue dye will 
be added to the lane conditioning oil for ESPN’s telecasts of five PBA World 
Series of Bowling championship events this weekend.

PBA worked with its official lane maintenance provider Brunswick to formulate 
and test the oil that will be applied exclusively on the pair of Brunswick lanes 
installed in the South Point Hotel Exhibit Hall B complex for the World Series 
of Bowling ESPN-televised finals.  The oil is not a product on the market and is 
being used only for the WSOB TV shows.

“Throughout its history, it has been difficult to describe the challenges 
players face in our sport,” PBA Commissioner Tom Clark said. “How oil is applied 

to the lane, and how it transitions as competition 

progresses, is something no one is able to see with the naked eye, and those are critical variables in scoring and player strategy.

 

“For the first time ever, we’re going to add dye to the oil so that bowling fans on site and watching at home on ESPN will literally be able to see how the pattern of oil looks on the lane. We are sure it will be educational and insightful for all levels of fans tuning in and we hope to learn from this experiment and improve it moving forward.”

 

The dyed oil will debut with the Cheetah Championship which uses the 35-foot PBA Cheetah oil pattern. The Viper (39 feet), Chameleon (43 feet), and Scorpion Championships (47 feet) will follow.

 

PBA Hall of Famer Carmen Salvino said visible oil was a milestone in educating the audience and elevating the sport. “A lot of credit has to go to PBA for taking what I believe is a huge step for the sport, and to Brunswick for doing the extensive research and development that was necessary to have the oil ready for this event,” Salvino said.

 

The WSOB shows will be taped Saturday and Sunday Nov. 2 and 3 and will air on ESPN beginning Dec. 1 at p.m. ET.

 

PBA WORLD SERIES OF BOWLING V TELEVISION LINEUP

South Point Exhibition Hall B

 

PBA CHEETAH CHAMPIONSHIP Stepladder Finalists (Saturday, Nov. 2, 1 p.m. PT; ESPN telecast Dec. 1, 1 p.m. ET)

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

2, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo.

3, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas.

4, Clara Guerrero, Colombia.

 

PBA VIPER CHAMPIONSHIP presented by PBA Bowling Challenge Stepladder Finalists (Saturday, Nov. 2, 3 p.m. PT; ESPN telecast Dec. 8, 1 p.m. ET)

1, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y.

2, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas.

3, Stuart Williams, England.

4, Jason Belmonte, Australia.

 

PBA CHAMELEON CHAMPIONSHIP Stepladder Finalists (Saturday, Nov. 2, 5:30 p.m. PT; ESPN telecast Dec. 15, 1 p.m. ET)

1, Dom Barrett, England.

2, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio.

3, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y.

4, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich.

 

PBA SCORPION CHAMPIONSHIP Stepladder Finalists (Saturday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m. PT; ESPN telecast Dec. 22, 1 p.m. ET)

1, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash.

2, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich.

3, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz.

4, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C.

 

WORLD BOWLING TOUR FINALS presented by PBA Stepladder Finalists (Sunday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m. PT; ESPN telecast Jan. 5, 1 p.m. ET)

Women’s Finals

1, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J.

2, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y.

3, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif.

 

Men’s Finals

1, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill.

2, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland/Hartland, Mich.

3, Mike Fagan, Fort Worth, Texas

 

PBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Stepladder Finalists (Sunday, Nov. 3, 12:30 p.m. PT; ESPN telecast Dec. 29, 1 p.m. ET)

1, Dom Barrett, England.

2, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill.

3, Mike Fagan, Fort Worth, Texas.

4, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich.

5, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo.

 

PBA REGIONAL PLAYERS INVITATIONAL FINALS Shootout Format Finalists (Sunday, Nov. 3, 3:30 p.m. PT; ESPN telecast Jan. 12, 1 p.m. ET) Players seeded based upon qualifying positions for 28 games in animal pattern events. Players 2, 4 and 6 bowl one-game match; players 1, 3, 5 bowl one-game match; winners of those two matches bowl one game for title.

1, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio (Central Region).

2, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas (Southwest Region).

3, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla. (South Region).

4, Brian LeClair, Albany, N.Y. (East Region).

5, Dave Beres, Waukesha, Wis. (Midwest Region).

6, Ben Laughlin, Chandler, Ariz. (West/Northwest Region).

 

PBA50 FINALS Stepladder Finalists (Sunday, Nov. 3, 3:30 p.m. PT; ESPN telecast Jan. 12, 1 p.m. ET)

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

2, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela.

3, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo.