Croucher Leads Senior US Open Field in First round

Kevin Croucher of Grants Pass, OR, averaged 239.6 
to lead the 227-player field after first-round qualifying Monday in the 
Professional Bowlers Association Senior U.S. Open presented by the Suncoast at 
the Suncoast Bowling Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Croucher, winner of the 2007 Senior Decatur (IL) Open for his lone Senior Tour 
title, had a 1,438 six-game pinfall total with games of 216, 243, 222, 257, 233 
and 267, and had only one open frame which came in the third game.

“You want to get as many pins as you can in the later blocks because they are 
generally higher scoring,” said Croucher, bowling in the final block of the day. 
“Bowling the second or third block you can take advantage of the shot that 
develops when the lanes burn out.  You just need to make all your spares and 
strike as much as possible.”

Rounding out the top five after first-day qualifying were Bo Goergen of Sanford, 
MI, 1,424; Junichi Yajima, Japan, 1,421; Dale Traber, Cedarburg, WI, 1,416 
and Hugh Miller, Seattle, 1,396.

Croucher, whose best Senior U.S. Open finish was sixth which also came in 2007, 
has had a disappointing start to the 2011 season and decided to take some time 
off to work on his game which proved productive as he discovered a flaw in his 
delivery.

“I went back home and thanks to being able to use video I noticed that I was 
pulling up dramatically at the line,” said the 55-year-old bowling proprietor. 
“You could see it right away and I was able to fix it simply by staying down at 
the line.  Had I not been able to see it on video I don’t know how long it would 
have taken me to figure it out.”

In what is considered the toughest test on the Senior Tour, all players will 
bowl two more six-game qualifying rounds Tuesday and Wednesday after which the 
field will be cut to the top quarter of the field for another nine-game 
qualifying round Thursday morning. The field will then be cut to the top 24 
players for three eight-game round-robin match play rounds conducted Thursday 
and Friday to determine the top four for the stepladder finals scheduled for 
Friday at 3:30 p.m. PT.

Bowling fans can check out coverage of the match play portions of the Senior 
U.S. Open on pba.com’s Xtra Frame video service. 

High 5 Gear Joins YES Fund Partnership

The Youth Education Services (YES) Fund expanded its partner base as custom shirt provider High 5 Gear is joining the program dedicated to youth bowling.

“It’s great to have High 5 Gear involved in the YES Fund partnership,” International Bowling Campus Director of Youth Development Chad Murphy said. “The bowling industry is already seeing the impact of uniting in support of youth programs and we look forward to more top brands like High 5 Gear joining the YES Fund team.”

In addition to its YES Fund partnership, High 5 Gear is offering exclusive USBC Junior Gold Championships apparel for the 2011 event. This custom full-dye sublimated USBC Junior Gold Championships gear is available for pre-order (high5gear.com) and on-site at the event.

"As a former high school and collegiate bowler, I am grateful that High 5 Gear can help contribute to the sport that has meant so much to me,” High 5 Gear President Todd Molbeck said.  

“We look forward helping build support for the YES Fund and are thrilled to have the chance to provide our gear to the prestigious USBC Junior Gold Championships.”

 
When the YES Fund was created last year, an initial project was the development of a new mainstream sports model for bowlers 12 years old and younger. Starting in August and continuing through October, new YES Fund supported USA Bowling "Teaching Kids" Instructional Seminars will be offered in more than 40 locations across the country. The seminar curriculum will focus exclusively on how to teach the sport to children.

The YES Fund is a joint initiative of the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and the United States Bowling Congress. The YES Fund also is supported by founding partners Brunswick, Columbia 300, Ebonite, 900 Global, Hammer, QubicaAMF, Roto Grip, Storm and Track.

Kegel, Luby Publishing, International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association (IBPSIA), Billiard and Bowling Institute of America (BBIA) and Bowlers Journal International are also official YES Fund partners.

Seismic Bowling adds Two

The Seismic Bowling Raging Bull features the new “HORNcore” sporting a Radius of Gyration (RG) of 2.495 and RG Differential of 0.055. The Blue/Green “AgRS Solid Reactive” coverstock was designed for longer and heavier patterns. 

 

 The Seismic Bowling Raging Bull Charged wraps the “HORNcore” with a Red and Yellow  “AgRP Pearl Reactive” coverstock. The Raging Bull and Raging Bull Charged will be available June 14^th.

The 900 Global Wisdom and Jewel

Targeting a specific demographic, 900 Global suggests “The Wisdom provides Senior bowlers with a ball that will fit slower ball speeds but yet still have power, and most importantly control down lane.”   

900 Global points out “By using a high RG with a medium differential (Symmetric) core, and a milder “S65” pearl cover, the Wisdom will not over react and give Seniors exactly what they desire, a performance ball that fits their game!” A 15 lb ball has RG of 2.540 and RG Differential of 0.041.

 

Likewise 900 Global has created “The Benchmark ball for women.” 

The Jewel will provide a ball motion to help slow ball speeds get down the lane and still generate a strong hook to the pocket with its higher differential Symmetric core and “S65” Ruby Red/Pink Pearl Polished pearl cover. 15 lb ball has RG - 2.531, RG Differential - 0.052. The new 900 Global balls will be available in July.

Check out the ball motion on a house condition, click here.

Start the Party, The Nuts Are Coming

Also from 900 Global: “The NUTS is the biggest back-ending ball 900 Global has ever produced.”  

The Nuts features a new higher Radius of Gyration (RG) core, the Red/Blue “S70” cover and is finished with the “T” pad from the new NEAT finishing process. The T finish on this ball gives the appearance that it’s polished but it has the surface roughness equivalent to 4500 grit. 15 lb core numbers: Radius of Gyration (RG) - 2.551. RG Differential - 0.050. The Nuts will be available in July.

900 Global Previews The New Bank Roll

900 Global reports “The new Bank Roll creates an immense footprint in oil thanks to a new blend of resins, and revolutionary “NEAT” finishing process (on the Black/Blue Hybrid “S76 Reactive” coverstock).  Developed for heavy oil, the Bank Roll provides a strong continuous downlane move with the most overall hook in the 900 Global line-up.”

Further “The Bank Roll features the “Self Righting Core” (SRC). The SRC is both homogeneous in nature and also mono-monostatic (a body with a single stable resting position is called monostatic, and the term mono-monostatic has been coined to describe a body which additionally has only one unstable point of balance). The unique core shape contains only one stable point. Unlike all other cores in the industry the SRC core will always move and twist to its stable position regardless of how or where it is placed. It will right it self!” Radius of Gyration (RG) - 2.481.  RG Differential - 0.054. Look for the new ball in July.