See Your Game® Introduced

Storm Products, Inc. and See Your Game®, a video technology company, announced a new partnership yesterday.

This partnership will bring the experience and skills of the Storm coaching staff and vast PBA staff members to bowler’s nationwide. “At Storm we pride ourselves in being “The Bowlers Company” and our partnership with See Your Game allows us the opportunity to reach out to even more bowlers” said VP of Sales and Marketing Hank Boomershine.

See Your Game was founded in 2000. Boomershine commented “this video technology and its applications are endless, and we look forward to introducing it to the bowling world.”

“Storm is very excited to introduce this new software to all bowlers and coaches. This software can help take a bowlers game to the championship level” said Dale Niemela Storm Events and Marketing Coordinator. This state of the art software allows Storm’s coaching staff to send previous lessons via e-mail 24/7 to bowlers. These e-mails will include video and detailed commentary that allows bowlers to compare their timing and styles to current Storm Pro Staff members such as: Norm Duke, Peter Weber, Ryan Shafer and Rhino Page.

Gongora and MacLelland Named Top Colliegiate Players

Wichita State University (KS) junior Sandra Gongora and Saginaw Valley State University (MI) senior Dan MacLelland were honored as 2009 Bowling Writers Association of America Collegiate Bowlers of the Year Wednesday prior to the start of the United States Bowling Congress' (USBC) Intercollegiate Team Championships.

Gongora, who resides in Monterrey, Mexico, and MacLelland, from Windsor, Ontario, mark the first time since BWAA originated its Collegiate Bowler of the Year award in 1991 that two international players have swept the bowling writers' top honors.

Gongora, who helped the Wichita State women to a record 34th appearance in the Intercollegiate Team Championships (ITC), led the nation with a 210.87 average, more than seven pins better than runner-up Rebekah Diers of McKendree College.

MacLelland, the Most Valuable Player in the 2007 and 2008 ITC and a Collegiate All-American both years, was second in average among the men with a 215.01, behind only Wichita State's John Szczerbinski who led the nation's collegiate men in average at 215.78.

Runners-up in the women's voting were Diers; Brigette Harrelson, Central Florida; Sarah O'Brien, Briarcliff, and Liz Siebel, Penn State. Jenn Boiselle, Central Florida; Kristie Petravich, Central Florida, and Kim Yioulos, Pikeville College, were honorable mention selections.

Runners-up in the men's voting were Josh Blanchard, Wichita State; Derek Hartnell, Newman University; J.R. Raymond, McKendree College, and Szczerbinski. Men's honorable mention selections were Larry Brande, Webber International; Shawn Naumann, Central Florida, and Toby Sambueno, Saginaw Valley State.

PTI’s Wilbon Goes Bowling, Beats PBA’s Wes Malott

by Kimberly Jessup
After more than a month of friendly taunting and debate, Pardon the Interruption co-host Michael Wilbon accepted the challenge that 2009 Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Bowler of the Year Wes Malott offered on March 4.

Wilbon traveled south to Lake Wales, Fla., where he competed against Malott in a single-game, 10-frame match on Thursday. A casual bowler, Wilbon totaled an impressive 199. With Malott giving him a 57-pin handicap advantage entering the match, the PTI host surprised the crowd, Malott and even himself, defeating the PBA’s top kegler 256-248.



Wilbon said with a smile, “I now expect to go home and kick Tony Reali’s butt, Kornheiser’s butt, weekend hackers, I expect to kill them.” See The Match

Malott added: “We’ll see what Tony (Kornheiser) has to say. If he wants to come out, he’s more than welcome. Something like this is always good and as long as we have fun with it, it makes the season that much better.”

The Malott-Wilbon challenge will be aired as part of the five-week PBA King of Bowling Powered by AMP Energy series, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET, April 22-May 20, on ESPN. The event took place April 8-10.

High Roller Senior Easter Classic

In the first event, Bob Brown won the 60 & Over Classic defeating High Roller champ Ed Roberts for the $12,000 top prize, the largest top prize ever in the 60 & Over Classic. Brown, the 68 year old from Bellingham, Washington, went on to make the cut in each of the 3 Classics during Senior Classic Week. Roberts earned $6,000 for 2nd.

Wally Kraus, from Brookville, Indiana, defeated Las Vegas resident Bernie Iwasczyszyn for the $20,000 top prize, the largest prize paid in the Senior Classic in several years. Bernie "I" took home the $10,000 runner-up check, his first check with his newly replaced knee!

And in the finale, it was Curtis Cage wrapping up the week with a big win in the Classified Classic, defeating Jim Micus for that honor. Cage, 68 year old from Santa Clara, California, became the 4th player of the week to join the $10,000 Club. Micus, the 70-year old from Renton, Washington continued perhaps the hottest streak ever, making the cut in his 15th consecutive Senior Classic. He picked up $6,000 for his efforts.

Dorin-Ballard Wins First Women's Series

Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, one of the most successful women bowlers in history, rolled a television record 20 consecutive strikes, including 11 in a row in the title match, to win the inaugural PBA Women’s Series Showdown presented by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) which aired on ESPN yesterday at Kegel Training Center.

In an event that employed the Johnny Petraglia Scoring System for the first time on national television, the Keller, Texas, resident posted a near-perfect score of 11 in the Championship Round Title match to nip Jodi Woessner of Oregon, Ohio, by a single point and rising star Stefanie Nation of Arlington, Texas, by two points.

Under the Petraglia System, players receive one point for each ball thrown in each frame – and the lowest score wins. A perfect game – 10 strikes – is a “10.” And that’s what Dorin-Ballard almost had, except for the 10 pin she left (and converted) in her 10th frame. Woessner nearly matched her, rolling eight strikes along with a pair of spares in the third and fourth frames for a score of 12. Nation threw seven strikes and converted three spares for her score of 13.

“I’m still in shock,” Dorin-Ballard said. “I was lucky to get into the championship round.” Dorin-Ballard, who collected a $25,000 first prize, also threw nine strikes in the Championship Round Wild Card match, but she wound up in a 12-12 tie with Wendy Macpherson of Henderson, Nev., because she missed a single pin spare conversion attempt in the second frame. Needing a third shot to make the six pin in that frame, Dorin-Ballard’s score of three for that frame kept Macpherson in the match. Dorin-Ballard then had to throw another three strikes in a row to nip Macpherson by a single pin to win a three-ball roll-off to get into the championship round.

“Any time you bowl Wendy Macpherson, you have to bowl your best game,” Dorin-Ballard said. “All of these ladies know how to strike. I knew I had to keep striking to have a chance.” It was a unique event for the six top performers in the PBA Women’s Series presented by USBC and it gave the women an opportunity to showcase their bowling skills in an unusual bowling environment. “I am glad the women are back on television,” Dorlin-Ballard added. “This series of events is a step in the right direction for the future of women’s professional bowling. With the help of the PBA, USBC, Brunswick, Dexter, Turbo and Kegel, it’s just a matter of time before other sponsors come forward and see the value of the women’s tour.”

PBA WOMEN’S SERIES SHOWDOWN

PRESENTED BY THE UNITED STATES BOWLING CONGRESS

Kegel Training Center, Lake Wales, Fla.

Final Standings

1, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas, $25,000
2, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, $12,000
3, Stefanie Nation, Arlington, Texas, $5,000
4, Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, Nev., $3,000
5, Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif., $3,000
6, Michele Feldman, Auburn, N.Y., $2,000

Championship (Petraglia Scoring System based on one point for each ball thrown in each of 10 frames; low score wins)

Dorin-Ballard 11, Woessner 12, Nation 13

Wild Card Round (lowest score advanced to Championship Round)

Dorin-Ballard 12, Macpherson 12, Bellinder 17 (Dorin-Ballard won a three-ball roll-off with Macpherson, 30-29)

Elimination Round (winners advanced to championship round; next three lowest scores advanced to Wild Card Round)

Match One – Woessner 12, Macpherson 15, Dorin-Ballard 17Match Two – Nation 12, Bellinder 15, Feldman 18 (Feldman eliminated)

Pro Bowlers Team Up with TV Stars and NY Knicks

Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour stars and U.S. Open competitors Sean Rash and Dino Castillo teamed up, Thursday, with Law & Order's Anthony Anderson, S. Epatha Merkerson, the Soprano's Vincent Pastore, Big Love's Chloe Sevigny and the entire New York Knicks basketball team to participate in Knicks Bowl 10, in support of the Garden of Dreams Foundation at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.

Sterner Awarded PBA Exemption

Jason Sterner’s petition to be awarded an exemption on the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour has been granted by Commissioner Fred Schreyer.

The basis for Sterner’s petition was the extremely unusual circumstances that arose during the round robin match play portion of last week’s season ending 66th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open.

During round robin match play, which featured 24 bowlers after 27 games of qualifying, three players withdrew due to injury.

PBA Rule 20.3.5 (Replacing the Alternate) requires that the highest finishing non-qualifier “present in the host center” be offered the opportunity to replace a player who withdraws during round robin match play.

In applying that rule, Mike Edwards, who had finished 36th and was 12 places out of the cut when round robin match play began, replaced Pete Weber who withdrew shortly prior to the start of the final eight game block on Saturday evening.

At the time Edwards replaced Weber he was in 37th place on the PBA season points list, one place behind Sterner.

This order would have resulted in Sterner being the last player off the 2008-09 PBA point list to retain his exemption for 2009-10 and Edwards to be first man out. By bowling as an alternate, however, Edwards earned enough additional points pursuant to PBA Rule 20.3.6 (Assigning Points for the Alternate) to pass Sterner on the point list and bump him from the final exempt spot for 2009-10.

“The intent of the rules in question is to protect the integrity of the competition, not to affect the order of players on the point list, said Commissioner Schreyer.

“An unintended consequence of Rule 20.3.6 was to allow one player to bump another player from the exempt protected list after both players had concluded their participation in our season ending event.

“To deny Jason Sterner a season long exemption for 2009-10 under such circumstances would have been a punitive result.

At the same time, under our existing rules Mike Edwards did earn additional points through his participation as an alternate to move up to 36th place on the point list and gain an exemption for the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season. Accordingly, both Edwards and Sterner will be awarded an exemption for the 2009-10 season.”

The decision to award the extra exemption from the point list means one less spot will be available in the weekly Tournament Qualifying Round (TQR) in exempt field events during the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.

“We will carefully review Rule 20.3.6 during the off-season and make whatever changes are deemed necessary to prevent such a situation from arising again,” added Schreyer.