Friday, December 6, 2019

PBA Playoffs a Title Event in 2020


With the PBA Playoffs being a new event in 2019 nobody knew what to expect from the event. It turned out to be a significant event followed by many fans and popular opinion was that it should count as a PBA Tour title.

After the PBA Playoffs seemed to be one of the most popular events of the 2019 PBA season, the PBA announced Friday the event will award a PBA Tour title in 2020. Plus, defending champion Kris Prather has been retroactively awarded a title for his 2019 win.
Prather, who now has two PBA titles, defeated Bill O’Neill in the championship match of the inaugural PBA Playoffs earlier this year at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine. The event awarded $100,000 to the winner and the semifinals and finals were broadcast on national television.
The event had the feel of a major with the top 24 players based on points through the toughest stretch of the PBA schedule earning spots in the event.
FloBowling reported in May that PBA Commissioner Tom Clark allowed the PBA Players Committee to make the decision as to whether or not the event should be a title. At the time, committee chairman Brad Miller declined to explain the decision.
“After we all had the opportunity to watch how the event played out in 2019, we are comfortable and confident this is the correct decision,” Clark told FloBowling on Friday.
When asked by FloBowling if he personally thought it should be a title on the eve of the semifinals and finals, Clark said he thought it should.
“I think it should be (a title),” Clark told FloBowling at the time. “I don’t have to do what the players committee says, but I respected their wishes. No one had seen this thing before. No one knew how it was going to play out.”
In 2020, the PBA Playoffs will follow the same format as it did in 2019 with the exception being that each round will be contested in a different city.
The PBA reported Friday that PBA members will earn competition points in 13 tournaments between January and late March. The match play elimination rounds for the top 24 qualifiers will be held in four different locations for the first time. Qualifiers nine through 24 will compete in the Round of 24 at Bowlero Norco in California. Those winners will be joined by the top eight qualifiers for Round of 16 competition at Bowlero Lone Tree in Colorado. The Round of 8 will then take place at Bowlero Euless in Texas, and the semifinal and final matches will be contested at Bowlero North Brunswick in New Jersey.
The 2020 PBA Tour season gets underway in mid-January with the PBA Hall of Fame Classic. All qualifying and match-play rounds of every PBA Tour event are broadcast live exclusively on FloBowling.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Ebonite International Bowling Products Manufacturer Closes

In a local story reported by WKDZ radio, Cadiz, KT. Ebonite International closed its facilities in Hopkinsville today. 

From other sources, it's been reported that Brunswick is buying the company. No one from either company was immediately available to confirm this news. 






Monday, November 11, 2019

PBA Adding Prize Money - Three Tournament Championships Worth $100,000.00 in 2020


In major news out Friday, the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) has announced increased first-place prizes in nearly every upcoming PBA Tour event, improved cashing ratios and added more dual pattern events.
Among the most high-profile changes were to the PBA’s most prestigious majors – the PBA Tournament of Champions (TOC) and the PBA World Championship. Both of those events will now feature a $100,000 first-place prize.
In 2019, the TOC paid $50,000 for first, while the World Championship paid $60,000. The changes are part of an overall $400,000 increase in prize money year-over-year for the FOX portion of the PBA schedule, which begins in January. It's the first major announcement since Bowlero purchased the PBA earlier this year.
In addition to the two majors, the PBA Playoffs will also once again award a $100,000 first-place prize, giving the PBA at least three six-figure payouts in 2020. The PBA Players Championship, the third of the PBA’s owned majors, will pay $70,000 for first.
First-place prizes for the USBC Masters and U.S. Open, both controlled by the USBC, have not been announced. In 2019, those events paid $30,000 for first place.
All of the standard singles events will pay $30,000 for first with the exception of the animal pattern events at the World Series of Bowling, which will pay $25,000. Cashing ratios will improve from 1:4 to 1:3 for all events other than the WSOB animal patterns.
The PBA will also roll out more dual pattern events. In 2019, two patterns were used for the PBA Indianapolis Open and PBA Jonesboro Open, both won by Norm Duke.
In 2020, the PBA Hall of Fame Classic, PBA Oklahoma Open, and the PBA Doubles Championship will join the Indianapolis and Jonesboro events as dual pattern tournaments.
As for event formats, the PBA Doubles Championship will change slightly in 2020. Instead of qualifying through the attached singles event, qualifying will happen separately as teams to determine advancers into match play.
The four standard singles events will have similar formats with one minor exception. The Hall of Fame Classic and Oklahoma Open will have two squads for qualifying. Those events will feature 12 qualifying games and 16 games of round-robin match play to determine stepladder finalists.
The Jonesboro and Indianapolis events will have one squad for qualifying with 14 total qualifying games and 16 games of round-robin match play to determine the stepladder advancers.
Just like in 2019, all rounds of qualifying and match play leading up to the stepladder finals for the FOX events will be broadcast live on FloBowling. The stepladder finals will also be simulcast on FloBowling for international audiences.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of each of the 2020 FOX events:

PBA Hall of Fame Classic

Where: Arlington, Texas (International Training and Research Center)
When: Jan. 13-19
TV: Finals Sunday, Jan. 19, 1 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Digital: Qualifying, match play, FloBowling (Live)
Field: 56 (48 + 8 PTQ)
Format: 2 squads. 12 qualifying games (6 per day, per squad). Cut to top 16 for 16 games round robin match play. Top five advance to stepladder finals.
Conditions: Dual patterns throughout (Left lane: Weber 45, Right lane: Aulby 38)
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 3 event
Defending champion: Bill O'Neill
Prize fund, ratio: $110,000. 1 in 3 cash.
Top prizes: 1. $30,000, 2. $15,000, 3. $9,000, 4. $7,000, 5. $5,000


PBA Oklahoma Open



Where: Shawnee, Oklahoma (FireLake Bowling Center)
When: Jan. 20-26
TV: Sunday, Jan. 26, 2 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Digital: Qualifying, match play, FloBowling (Live)
Field: 88 (80 + 8 PTQ)
Format: 2 squads. 12 qualifying games (6 per day, per squad). Cut to top 16 for 16 games round robin match play. Top five advance to stepladder finals.
Conditions: Dual patterns throughout (Left lane: Dragon 45, Right lane: Wolf 32)
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 2 event
Defending champion: Jakob Butturff
Prize fund, ratio: $130,000. 1 in 3 cash.
Top prizes: 1. $30,000, 2. $15,000, 3. $9,000, 4. $7,000, 5. $5,000


PBA Jonesboro Open



Where: Jonesboro, Arkansas (Hijinx Lanes)
When: Jan. 27-Feb. 1
TV: Saturday, Feb. 1, 4:30 ET, FS1 (Live)
Digital: Qualifying, match play, FloBowling (Live)
Field: 60 (52 + 8 PTQ)
Format: 1 squad. 14 qualifying games (two 7 game blocks in one day). Cut to top 16 for 16 games round robin match play. Top five advance to stepladder finals.
Conditions: Dual patterns throughout (Left lane: Shark 48, Right lane: Viper 36)
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 2 event
Defending champion: Norm Duke
Prize fund, ratio: $120,000. 1 in 3 cash.
Top prizes: 1. $30,000, 2. $15,000, 3. $9,000, 4. $7,000, 5. $5,000


PBA Tournament of Champions



Where: Fairlawn, Ohio (AMF Riviera Lanes)
When: Feb. 3-9
TV: Sunday, Feb. 9, 5 p.m. ET, FOX (Live)
Digital: Qualifying, match play, FloBowling (Live)
Field: 76 (70 national champions + 6 regional champion PTQ)
Format: 1 squad. 18 qualifying games (3 game blocks). Cut to top 24 for 24 games round robin match play. Top five advance to stepladder finals.
Conditions: Johnson 40
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 1 event
Defending champion: Jason Belmonte
Prize fund, ratio: $283,000. 1 in 3 cash.
Top prizes: 1. $100,000, 2. $50,000, 3. $25,000, 4. $12,000, 5. $10,000


PBA Players Championship


Where: Columbus, Ohio (Wayne Webb's Columbus Bowl)
When: Feb. 9-15
TV: Saturday, Feb. 15, 5:30 ET, FS1 (Live)
Digital: Qualifying, match play, FloBowling (Live)
Field: 92 (82 + 10 PTQ)
Format: 1 squad. 18 qualifying games (3 game blocks). Cut to top 24 for 24 games round robin match play. Top five advance to stepladder finals.
Conditions: Webb 38
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 1 event
Defending champion: Anthony Simonsen
Prize fund, ratio: $246,000. 1 in 3 cash
Top prizes: 1. $70,000, 2. $35,000, 3. $17,000, 4. $11,000, 5. $10,000


U.S. Open


Where: Lincoln, Nebraska (Sun Valley Lanes)
When: Feb. 16-23
TV: Sunday, Feb. 23, 1 p.m. ET, FOX (Live)
Digital: Qualifying, match play, FloBowling (Live)
Field: TBA
Format: TBA
Conditions: TBA
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 1 event
Defending champion: Francois Lavoie
Prize fund, ratio: TBA
Top prizes: TBA


PBA Indianapolis Open


Where: Indianapolis (Woodland Bowl)
When: Feb. 24-29
TV: Saturday, Feb. 29, 8:30 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Digital: Qualifying, match play, FloBowling (Live)
Field: 120 (no PTQ)
Format: 1 squad. Two blocks of 7 games qualifying (14 total). Cut to top 16 for 16 games round robin match play. Top five advance to stepladder finals.
Conditions: Dual patterns throughout (Left lane: Roth 42, Right lane: Holman 37)
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 2
Defending champion: Norm Duke
Prize fund, ratio: $152,000. 1 in 3 cash
Top prizes: 1. $30,000, 2. $15,000, 3. $10,000, 4. $8,000, 5. $7,000


PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship


Where: Indianapolis (Woodland Bowl)
When: Feb. 27-29
TV: Taped Saturday, Feb. 29, 4:30 ET. Airs Sunday, March 8, Noon ET, FS1 (taped)
Digital: Qualifying, match play, FloBowling (Live)
Field: 60 doubles teams
Format: 1 squad. Two blocks of 7 games (14 total, 28 games per team). Top 16 teams advance to 16 games of round robin match play using Baker system).
Conditions: Dual patterns throughout (Left lane: Roth 42, Right lane: Holman 37)
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 3
Defending champions: Sean Rash and Matt Ogle
Prize fund, ratio: $147,000. 1 in 3 teams cash.
Top prizes (per team): 1. $30,000, 2. $15,000, 3. $13,000, 4. $12,000, 5. $11,000


PBA World Series of Bowling

Where: Las Vegas (South Point Bowling Plaza)
When: March 6-18
TV: Five consecutive days (first four live), FS1 (Sunday, March 15 - Thursday, March 19). Times below.
Field: 120 (110 + 10 PTQ)
Total prize fund: $685,000
Events: PBA Cheetah, PBA Chameleon, PBA Scorpion, PBA World Championship, USA vs. World.
WSOB PBA Cheetah Championship
TV: Sunday, March 15, 1:30 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Format: One squad. 2 blocks of 5 games qualifying (10 games total). Top 16 advance to elimination match play bracket. Surviving four players advance to TV finals. TV finals all four bowl one seeding game, then stepladder.
Conditions: Cheetah 33.
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 3 event
Defending champion: Dick Allen
Prize fund, ratio: $79,000. 1 in 7.5 cash.
Top prizes: 1. $25,000, 2. $13,000, 3. $7,000, 4. $6,000


WSOB PBA Chameleon Championship


TV: Monday, March 16, 8 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Format: One squad. 2 blocks of 5 games qualifying (10 games total). Top 16 advance to elimination match-play bracket. Surviving four players advance to TV finals. TV finals all four bowl one seeding game, then stepladder.
Conditions: Chameleon 39.
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 3 event
Defending champion: Jason Belmonte
Prize fund, ratio: $79,000. 1 in 7.5 cash.
Top prizes: 1. $25,000, 2. $13,000, 3. $7,000, 4. $6,000


WSOB PBA Scorpion Championship

TV: Tuesday, March 17, 8 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Format: One squad. 2 blocks of 5 games qualifying (10 games total). Top 16 advance to elimination match-play bracket. Surviving four players advance to TV finals. TV finals all four bowl one seeding game, then stepladder.
Conditions: Scorpion 42
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 3 event
Defending champion: Kris Prather
Prize fund, ratio: $79,000. 1 in 7.5 cash.
Top prizes: 1. $25,000, 2. $13,000, 3. $7,000, 4. $6,000


WSOB PBA World Championship


TV: Wednesday, March 18, 8 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Format: 30 games qualifying (10 games each on Cheetah, Chameleon and Scorpion patterns). Top 40 advance to cashers round, X games on Anthony. Cut to top 24 for 24 games round-robin match play. Top five advance to stepladder finals.
Conditions: After cut to top 40, Anthony 43
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 1 event
Defending champion: Jason Belmonte
Prize fund, ratio: $385,000. 1 in 3 cash.
Top prizes: 1. $100,000, 2. $50,000, 3. $25,000, 4. $20,000, 5. $15,000


WSOB USA vs. The World

TV: Taped Wednesday, March 18, 1 pm PT. Airs next day Thursday, March 19, 8 p.m. ET, FS1 (taped)
Format: Team event. The Top 5 USA players and Top 5 international players after the first 30 games of WSOB qualifying form the teams.
Prize fund: $60,000 (Winning team: $40,000, losing team: $20,000)


USBC Masters

Where: Reno, Nevada (Grand Sierra Bowling Center)
When: March 23-29
TV: Sunday, March 29, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX (Live)
Field: TBA
Format: TBA
Conditions: TBA
PBA Playoffs points: Tier 1 event
Defending Champion: Jakob Butturff
Prize fund, ratio: TBA
Top prizes: TBA


PBA Playoffs

Where: Round of 24 in Norco, California. Round of 16 in Lone Tree, Colorado. Round of 8, Euless, Texas, Final Four, North Brunswick, N.J..
When: Round of 24, April 6. Round of 16, April 20-21. Round of 8, May 10-11. Final Four, May 16-17.
TV: Monday, April 6, 7 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Monday, April 13, 9 p.m. ET, FS1 (Taped April 6)
Monday, April 20, 7 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Monday, April 20, 9 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Monday, April 27, 9 p.m. ET, FS1 (Taped April 21)
Monday, May 4, 9 p.m. ET, FS1 (Taped April 21)
Sunday, May 10, 2 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Monday, May 11, 9 p.m. ET, FS1 (Taped May 10)
Saturday, May 16, 2 p.m. ET, FOX (Live)
Sunday, May 17, 2 p.m. ET, FOX (Live)
Field: Top 24 in points from 2020 PBA on FOX season. All cash.
Format: Single elimination bracket. Top 8 seeds get byes into second round. First round one game matches, subsequent matches best of 2.
Conditions: Carter 39
Defending champion: Kris Prather
Prize fund: $320,000
Top prizes: 1. $100,000, 2. $50,000, 3. $25,000, 4. $25,000


PBA/PWBA Bowl Expo Cup

Where: Denver (Bowl Expo special lane construct)
When: July 5
TV: Sunday, July 5, 7 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Conditions: TBA
Prize fund: TBA


PBA Summer League

Where: Portland, Maine (Bayside Bowl)
When: July 19-23
TV (4 telecasts): Tuesday, July 21, 7 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Tuesday, July 21, 9 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Wednesday, July 22, 9 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Thursday, July 23, 9 p.m. ET, FS1 (Live)
Format: TBA. 10 teams. All players cash.
Conditions: Roth 42
Defending champions: Portland Lumberjacks
Prize fund: $360,000 (1, $60,000. 2, $50,000. 3, $35,000. 4, $35,000. 5, $25,000. 6, $25,000. 7, $25,000. 8, $25,000. 9, $20,000. 10, $20,000.)

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

FOUR ELECTED TO USBC HALL OF FAME FOR 2020

ARLINGTON, Texas – The United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame will have at least four new members when the 2020 class is inducted April 29, 2020, in Las Vegas.

The USBC Hall of Fame Committee recently elected Patrick Healey Jr. in the USBC Outstanding Performance men’s category, Bob Learn Jr. in the Veterans category, and Andrew Cain and Jim Zebehazy in the Meritorious Service category.

In addition to the four elected, the USBC Hall of Fame Committee selected eight bowlers – six men and two women – for the Superior Performance ballot that will be distributed to a national panel of USBC Hall of Fame members, USBC Board members and veteran bowling writers.

Selected for the men’s national ballot are Patrick Allen of Garfield, New Jersey; Bryan Goebel of Shawnee, Kansas; Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas; Randy Pedersen of Orlando, Florida; Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, and Mark Williams of Beaumont, Texas.

Named to the women’s national ballot are Marianne DiRupo of Succasunna, New Jersey, and Tammy Turner of West Palm Beach, Florida.

Healey Jr., 51, of Niagara Falls, New York, was a three-time member of Team USA (1991-1992, 1995). In Pan American Games competition, he brought home two gold medals (team, Masters) from the 1991 event in Havana, Cuba, and won three golds (doubles, team, Masters) and a silver (singles) at the 1995 event in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

He won gold in doubles and trios at the 1991 World Championships in Singapore, gold in Masters at the 1991 United States Sports Festival, and took the title at the 1995 QubicaAMF World Cup in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He also earned six gold medals at the 1995 Tournament of the Americas.

The 1994 U.S. National Amateur champion, Healey Jr. took third at the 1995 Brunswick World Tournament of Champions as an amateur and also is a two-time World Team Challenge champion (1995, 1997). He is a two-time World Amateur Bowler of the Year (1995, 1996) and was named to the Bowlers Journal All-Century Team for the American Zone (1999).

He was selected the United States Olympic Committee Athlete of the Year for Bowling in 1991 and 1995.

Healey Jr. started bowling in international tournaments in 1990 and has earned 24 wins in international competitions. He has a 300 game in nine countries and won titles in 14 countries and on six continents. He was invited to be part of the 1992 Olympic Games American Bowling Congress team to help promote the sport of bowling and the sport’s quest to gain medal status.

He was a member of the Lodge Lanes team that won the Team All-Events title at the 1997 and 1998 USBC Open Championships. He has four additional top-10 finishes at the event.

A regular on the PBA Tour for nearly a decade, Healey Jr. won three titles, including the PBA Tournament of Champions in 2003. He officially retired from competition in 2008.

The 1986 Chuck Hall Star of Tomorrow award winner, he attended Wichita State University from 1986-1990 and was a National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association (NCBCA) first-team All-America selection in 1988.

Learn Jr., 57, a native of Erie, Pennsylvania, currently serves as the head coach of the men’s and women’s bowling programs at Martin Methodist College in Tennessee.

He joined the PBA Tour in 1981, winning five titles, including the 1999 U.S. Open. In 1996, he rolled a 300 game in the opening match of the PBA Flagship Open televised finals, the 10th perfect game in a televised PBA event, to earn a $100,000 bonus and the nickname Mr. 300. He then posted games of 270, 280 and 279 to win the title and shatter the highest two-game (570), three-game (850), and four-game (1,129) series in PBA television history.

He also owns three PBA50 titles and, in 2017, made the stepladder finals in six of 11 events.

A two-time member of Senior Team USA, he earned a gold medal in team at the 2015 World Bowling Senior Championships in Las Vegas and captured gold in doubles and team at the 2017 event in Unterfohring, Germany.

A USBC Silver coach, Learn Jr. is a former Team USA coach and has conducted bowling clinics throughout the world.

He won the ESPY Award for bowling in 1997, was a Bowlers Journal All-America first-team selection in 1995-1996, and a USBC first-team All-American in 1996 and 1999. He is a member of the Erie Bowling Association and Pennsylvania State Halls of Fame.

Cain, 38, of Phoenix, was a five-time member of Team USA and has bowled on the PBA Tour since 2007, but made his biggest mark in the sport off the lanes.
He joined the USBC Board of Directors in 2007, was named vice president in 2010, and then took the reins as president in 2012. During his three-and-a-half years as USBC president, Cain was instrumental in the creation of International Bowling Campus Youth Development, combining the youth forces of USBC and the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) to streamline and improve participation in youth bowling.

Also, during his tenure, the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) was restarted through a joint effort with BPAA, as was the U.S. Open, also with support from BPAA.

Cain served on the BPAA, Strike Ten Entertainment, and The Bowling Foundation boards, and, after completing his term on the USBC Board, he continues to serve bowling at the national level as a member of the USBC Equipment Specifications Committee and on the SMART board.

On the lanes, Cain was a two-time first-team All-American at Arizona State University and was named the 1999 Chuck Hall Star of Tomorrow. He won the 2001 U.S. Amateur Championships, is a five-time member of Team USA (2002-2003, 2005, 2016-2017) and was a member of Junior Team USA in 2001.
As a member of K&K Bowling Services 5, Cain captured the Team All-Events title at the 2011 USBC Open Championships.

He joined the PBA Tour in 2007, making the televised finals in his first PBA event (Dick Weber Open), where he finished fourth. He was named the 2007-2008 PBA West Region Player of the Year, as well as 2007-2008 PBA West and Northwest Region Rookie of the Year. In 2017, the left-hander rolled a PBA five-game record of 1,352, including a 300 game, in the PBA Cheetah Championship at the National Bowling Stadium.

Zebehazy, 66, of Leesburg, Florida,  was instrumental in promoting and developing youth bowling and helped lay the groundwork for the Junior Gold Championships.

He started his career in the bowling industry in 1971 as a pinsetter mechanic and pro shop rep at Airport Bowling Center in Buffalo, New York, and later joined the Buffalo Bowling Association board.

In 1983, he became a field representative for the American Bowling Congress (ABC), visiting more than 1,500 associations in the Northeast and teaching Certified Lane Inspection Workshops. He took over as ABC’s Group Executive for Field Service in 1989.

In 1998, he was named Executive Director of the Young American Bowling Alliance (YABA), overseeing staff, programs and services, and strategic planning. During his tenure, he implemented David Dahm’s concept of the Junior Gold program, provided the vision for the USBC Youth Open Championships, and initiated the Gift For Life Scholarship program.
He was directly responsible for the creation of the Registered Volunteer Program (RVP), one of the first safety programs put into place in the world of youth sports, and was a key person in improving and advancing the Scholarship Management and Account Reporting for Tenpins (SMART) program.
His role in YABA ended with the merger of the sport’s major organizations to form USBC in 2005. He supported the merger and played an integral role in helping to push the initiative to completion. The YABA board created the Annual Zeb Scholarship in 2005 in recognition of his dedication to the organization.
He joined USBC in 2005 as a field representative, a position he held until his retirement in 2015.

In 2010, Zebehazy received the Kerm Helmer Horizon Award, given to leaders in the youth bowling community who have displayed the courage, determination, and ability to develop far-reaching programs of national scope that provide fun and exciting opportunities.

The 2020 USBC Hall of Fame Class will be inducted April 29, during the USBC Convention at The Orleans Hotel and Casino.

Through 2019, there are 432 members of the USBC Hall of Fame – 223 in Superior Performance, 120 in Meritorious Service, 51 in Veterans, 22 in Pioneer and 16 in Outstanding USBC Performance.

The USBC Hall of Fame was created in 2005 by merging the former American Bowling Congress and Women’s International Bowling Congress Halls of Fame.
Visit BOWL.com/HallofFame for more information on the USBC Hall of Fame.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Tommy Jones Elected To Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Fame


CHICAGO (Oct. 17, 2019) – Nineteen-time title winner Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, South Carolina, and former Professional Bowlers Association ownership partners Mike Slade and Rob Glaser have been elected to the PBA  Hall of Fame, PBA Commissioner Tom Clark announced today.

Jones, one of five PBA players to win both PBA Rookie (2001-02) and Player of the Year (2005-06) honors, has earned more than $1.7 million in his 20-year PBA career. The 41-year-old power player owns 17 standard PBA Tour titles plus two majors: the 2006 U.S. Open and 2007 PBA Tournament of Champions. He has finished in the top 10 in annual PBA Tour earnings nine times and has finished in the top five in 47 of the 326 PBA Tour tournaments he entered, cashing in a remarkable 80.3 percent of those events.
An 11-time member of Team USA, Jones also has been on winning teams in PBA League Elias Cup competition three times and was the recipient of the PBA League Mark Roth Most Valuable Player Award in 2017.
“It’s one of those things I probably wouldn’t have known was coming if I hadn’t seen an article about being on the ballot,” Jones said of his election to the Hall. “It’s a huge honor to be among all of those players who are in the Hall. It’s something you dream about all of your life. It’ll probably hit me when I’m standing up in front of the crowd to accept.”
Defining moments in Jones’ career? “For me, it’s a combination of things. The U.S. Open title was big and being selected No. 30 among the top 50 players in PBA history (in 2009) as the youngest one (age 30) also was pretty cool for me,” Jones said. “The U.S. Open was defining because I bowled so bad the previous year. The Tournament of Champions at Mohegan Sun also was a great win because that’s the one title every PBA member wants to win. It’s really special to be on that list of winners.”
Jones admits his career isn’t over; his ultimate goal is to reach 25 PBA Tour titles and that goal is still alive.
“It’s not unrealistic,” Jones said. “My body is finally healthy again. My back was bad for a while, but now it seems to be good.
“We have a lot more events now, in a lot of different centers, which makes a difference,” he continued. “At this point in my career, there isn’t a whole lot I haven’t seen. One of the reasons this game is so great is that you can never master it. But I figure, with my experience, I may be better prepared than some of the younger guys.”
Slade and Glaser will join their original PBA ownership partner, Chris Peters, in the PBA Hall of Fame. All three were former Microsoft executives who combined resources to purchase the PBA in 2000, pulling the organization back from the brink of bankruptcy, and providing the organization with leadership from their board of directors positions and the financial support to remain viable until its recent sale to Bowlero Corp.
Slade's creativity and contacts at ESPN and with leaders in sports media were key assets in advancing the PBA brand and opening doors with new partners including FOX Sports. 
Slade began his career at Microsoft in 1983 and spent seven years there in a variety of product marketing roles. In 1993 he was hired as CEO of Starwave, Paul Allen's trailblazing venture into the Internet and multimedia where he launched ESPN.com, NBA.com, NFL.com, NASCAR.com, ABCNews.com and the Go.com network. He retired as Chairman and CEO of Starwave following its sale to the Walt Disney Corp. in 1998.
Slade then served as a strategic advisor for Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs, and as a strategic consultant for ESPN, NBA.com, NFL.com, Starbucks, Real Networks, Disney, and various Paul Allen companies. In 2000, he co-founded the venture capital firm Second Avenue Partners and he became a co-owner and board member of the PBA.
“It’s a real honor to be elected,” Slade said. “I kind of got involved with the PBA by accident and I wound up being the owner.
“When we left Microsoft, Chris Peters got into bowling instead of golf, and he was really excited about it,” Slade reflected. “Then he found out the PBA was about to go out of business, so he approached Rob and me about buying the Tour. I had a sports background; I was once a sportswriter and the company I was affiliated with at the time was involved with a number of sports.
“I had a lot of experience at the intersection of sports and tech(nology), so I was excited to get involved. When we did the deal with ESPN way back when that was me getting involved.
“We hired good people and we ran the PBA like a real professional sport,” Slade added. “We always felt (the PBA) was going to advance in the sports world, but ultimately it needed a bigger plan, so that’s why the deal with Bowlero made sense.”
Glaser, a New York City native, was the PBA's principal investor financially, largely funding the early 2000's efforts to boost prize funds, regulate TV exposure and further explore arena settings. After a 10-year career in a variety of positions with Microsoft, Glaser founded RealNetworks in 1994, a company that produces RealAudio, RealVideo, RealPlayer, and Helix, among other products and services. A Yale graduate with degrees in Computer Science and Economics, Glaser has been a major donor supporting a wide range of humanitarian causes throughout his career.
“In 1999, my good friend Chris Peters approached me with the opportunity to get involved in what he called “saving the PBA,’” Glaser said. “I was a lifelong bowler and PBA bowling fan, so I happily said yes.
“It’s a true honor (to be elected),” he added. “I have so much respect for the incredible athletes who make up the core of the PBA Hall of Fame. Other than Mike Slade, I am certainly the worst bowler ever elected to the PBA. But the last time I bowled I rolled a 217, so that’s something.”
In addition to the inductions in Arlington on Jan. 18, the PBA also will present the 2019 Chris Schenkel Player of the Year; Harry Golden Rookie of the Year; Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner and PBA Tony Reyes Memorial Community Service Award winner. The winners of those annual awards will be announced later this year.
by FlowBowling staff writer.

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Congratulations Kalei Bass, Dexter/United States Bowling Congress High School All-American Bowler and Team Captain


Lincolnway Central High School grad Kalei Bass earns 2018-2019 Dexter High School All-American Team honors. At the Dexter High School All-American award presentation, Bass was awarded the Bud Clapsaddle Award presented to the All-American Team Captain.

Kalei Bass (New Lenox, Illinois) – She was the anchor of the Lincoln-Way Central High School bowling team her junior and senior years. She had a 5.468 weighted GPA, and was a member of the National Honor Society. She also was on the Mathletes team that was a state qualifier each of her four years and did community work through Leo Club, part of the New Lenox Lions Club.

Selected by Dexter Bowling in consultation with the International Bowling

Campus Youth Development staff, the Dexter High School All-American Team is comprised of five girls and five boys who participated in a recognized interscholastic high school bowling team during the last school year.

#HSbowlingAllAmerican

Hall of Famer Kelly Kulick won the all-events at the 2019 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Women's Championships for her first title at the tournament. 

In the 2019 USBC Women’s Championships at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kansas, all of the leaders heading into the finals days held on to win. 

by Jeff Richgels


Photo by United States Bowling Congress.

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Pete Weber Wins Professional Bowlers Association Title No. 100

by Lucas Wiseman, May 10, 2019

Pete Weber has joined Walter Ray Williams Jr. as the only two players to win 100 career Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) titles after he won a PBA Regional last weekend.
Weber, a PBA Hall of Famer, won the BowlersMart/Bowlero Midwest Open in Valley Park, Missouri, on Sunday to claim his 47th PBA Regional title. When added with his 37 PBA Tour titles, 11 PBA50 titles and five PBA50 Regional titles, he has a combined total of 100 wins in PBA play. 
Williams holds the record with 112 titles with 47 on the PBA Tour, 33 PBA Regional, 14 PBA50, and 18 PBA50 Regional wins. The PBA reported that Weber also joined Williams late in 2018 as the second player in PBA history to surpass $4 million in career earnings. Williams is the all-time PBA earnings leader with just over $4.8 million.
Weber won title No. 99 nearly two years ago when he claimed the 2017 PBA50 DeHayes Insurance Group Championship in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
At the regional over the weekend, Weber went 9-3 in match play and finished with a 20-game total of 4,643 to win the event by 75 pins over rising star Kyle Sherman.
The PBA reported that by winning his 47th standard Regional title and his 52nd including his five PBA50 Regional wins, Weber is one title behind Chris Warren of Grants Pass, Ore., in both of those categories.

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Barbasol to Sponsor 2019 PBA Tour Finals in Las Vega

Barbasol to Sponsor 2019 PBA Tour Finals in Las Vegas














CHICAGO – Barbasol will be the titled sponsor of the 2019 Barbasol PBA Tour Finals, presented by Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Professional Bowlers Association CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark announced today.

The PBA’s partnership with Barbasol, which began in 2013, will include 10 hours of live coverage on CBS Sports Network July 20 and 21 from Red Rock Bowling Center, one of the nation’s premier bowling facilities and a preferred vacation destination for bowling fans. In addition to its title sponsorship of the PBA Tour Finals, Barbasol will renew its sponsorship of a special “Close Shave of the Day” highlight in each segment of the Tour Finals.

“We are very proud to continue our long-standing partnership with the PBA,” said Tim McNamara, Vice President of Marketing at Perio, Inc. “Barbasol’s rich legacy of sports sponsorships and strong American heritage are a great fit with the PBA and its loyal fan base. We are looking forward to this year’s Tour Finals in exciting Las Vegas.”

The 2019 edition of the Barbasol PBA Tour Finals will feature the top eight players based on competition points compiled during the 2018 and 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour seasons ending with the USBC Masters on April 1. Fans can follow the points race by visiting this link on pba.com after each tournament: https://www.pba.com/SeasonStats/PointsList/132?list=5.

“The PBA has been very proud of its partnership with Barbasol and we are excited to renew it in association with our PBA Tour Finals on CBS Sports Network,” Clark said. “If traditions hold true, the eventual champion will end up with a Barbasol shaving cream pie to the face.”

Heading into the PBA World Series of Bowling X, defending PBA Tour Finals champion Jason Belmonte of Australia was the leader on the two-year points list with 36,020 points. The other players in the top eight included Anthony Simonsen, Little Elm, Texas (34,109); 2017 Tour Finals winner EJ Tackett, Bluffton, Ind. (33,732); 2018 PBA Player of the Year Andrew Anderson, Holly, Mich. (28,258); Jakob Butturff, Tempe, Ariz. (27,082); Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash. (26,462); Kris Prather, Plainfield, Ill. (25,951), and Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill. (24,586). Bill O'Neill of Langhorne, Pa. (23,432), and England’s Stuart Williams (23,291) were in ninth and 10th place, respectively.

 by Bill Vint  |  Monday, March 11, 2:33 PM

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Monacelli Leaves Ebonite, Returns To Brunswick

Monacelli, a 20-time PBA Tour champion and PBA Hall of Famer, confirmed to FloBowling today is the first day of a new two-year contract with Brunswick. The native of Venezuela had been with Ebonite since 2012.

Amleto Monacelli has left Ebonite and signed with Brunswick in a move that bolsters Brunswick’s already deep roster of legendary PBA stars.

At Brunswick, Monacelli, 57, joins PBA Hall of Famers Johnny Petraglia, Parker Bohn III, and Walter Ray Williams Jr. to create a world-class team of bowling’s biggest stars.

“I’m really grateful to Ebonite for their support through the years and extremely happy to be with Brunswick,” Monacelli said. “In the back of my mind, I always wanted to finish my career with Brunswick because I had some of my best years with them.”

Monacelli joined Brunswick in 1988 and left in 1996 but during that stretch, he won 15 of his PBA titles. He also won both of his PBA Player of the Year awards (1989, 1990) while on staff with Brunswick.

“My first contract was with Brunswick when Johnny Petraglia brought me in,” Monacelli said. “They did my green card and helped me with the process to become legal to stay in the United States. To me, that was a big thing and it meant a lot those years with Brunswick. I won more titles with them than anybody.”

Monacelli continues to be active on both the PBA Tour and the PBA50 Tour. His most recent PBA Tour title came in 2016 at the DHC PBA Japan Invitational. He has also won eight PBA50 titles, including four majors, since turning 50 seven years ago.

During the 2018 U.S. Open, Monacelli made news when he was excluded from the exempt list from the event and was forced to bowl the qualifier. He went on to advance to not only advance through the qualifier but made the first cut and narrowly missed match play, finishing in 28thplace.

Three Jump From Storm, Roto Grip To EBI

Ebonite International has signed AJ Johnson, Shawn Maldonado and Keven Williams away from Storm and Roto Grip heading into the 2019 PBA Tour season.

Ebonite Marketing Manager Rob Gotchall tells FloBowling all three signed two-year deals. Johnson will represent the Ebonite brand, Maldonado will represent Hammer and Williams will represent Columbia 300.

Watch the 2019 PBA Hall of Fame Classic starting this Thursday LIVE on FloBowling

Although he has yet to win a PBA title, Johnson, 26, is considered a rising star on the tour. He’s a four-time member of Team USA and helped the United States win the gold medal in team event at the 2017 World Championships.

Johnson has several second-place finishes on the PBA Tour, including finishing runner-up at the 2015 USBC Masters in his first year on tour. As the top seed, Johnson lost in the championship match to Jason Belmonte, 202-157.

A two-hander from Houston, Maldonado, 32, joined the PBA Tour in 2013 and has more than $227,000 in earnings over that stretch. He finished fifth in the Mark Roth-Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship with DJ Archer for his best finish in 2018.

One of Maldonado’s biggest career finishes came at the 2016 U.S. Open, when he finished third. Maldonado lost in the semifinal match after eventual champion Francois Lavoie fired a 300 game at him.

Williams, 25, a hard-throwing two-handed lefty, made his first career championship round appearance in 2018, losing to Marshall Kent, 218-210, in the semifinal of the Go Bowling! 60thAnniversary Classic.

Top Rookie Doyle Switches To Storm From Ebonite

After winning the 2018 PBA Rookie of the Year award, Kamron Doyle has
decided to make a big move for 2019, leaving Ebonite International and signing a multi-year deal with Storm.

Doyle, 20, signed his first career contract with Ebonite three years ago but told FloBowling on Tuesday he decided to make the move to Storm, signing a two-year deal.

In his first full season on tour, Doyle earned top rookie honors after cashing in seven of 15 events. His best finish in 2018 was third at the Gene Carter’s Pro Shop Classic.

“This was definitely one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made and making that phone call to Ebonite was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Doyle said. “Storm balls generally are more of the shape I like to see, and I feel like it’s going to give me a lot more confidence (in) making decisions and bowling in general.”

Watch the 2019 PBA Hall of Fame Classic starting this Thursday LIVE on FloBowling

Storm Vice President of Business Development Gary Hulsenberg told FloBowling Doyle’s move wasn’t about money.

“The truth is, just like other professional sports, professional bowlers usually change brands or teams for more money,” Hulsenberg said. “This isn’t the case with Kam. He grew up having a lot of success with Storm equipment but then got offered money as a college student to use another brand and took it. We’ve kept our relationship intact and now he is choosing to come back to the brand he had so much success with. We are happy to welcome him to Team Storm and can’t wait to help him win.”

Doyle knows the learning curve will be steep switching balls immediately before heading into the new season, which begins Thursday with the 2019 PBA Hall of Fame Classic.

“I think this was the big next step I had to take for me to be successful,” Doyle said. “It might take a couple tournaments for me to get used to the new balls, but I think in the long run it’s going to be better for me.”

Doyle’s entrance into the PBA Tour had been hyped for years. In 2010, he made huge news when, at age 12, he set the record for the youngest bowler in history to cash in a PBA regional. A couple years later as an eighth grader, Doyle cashed in one of the toughest bowling tournaments in the world, the U.S. Open.