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.