Cyber Report #940

E-dition No. 940 • Thursday, February 23, 2017

Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)

QubicaAMF Sets Dates for 2017 World Cup

QubicaAMF has announced the dates for the 53rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, to be held in Hermosillo, Mexico: Nov. 4-12.

Bowling’s longest running international singles tournament will be held in Bol 300, a 32-lane center that will be undergoing a major modernization — including installation of QubicaAMF’s latest Bowler Entertainment System, BES X — to ensure a smooth-running tournament with fast results and live online scoring.

Bol 300 hosted the event in 1994 and 2008, and the father and son team of Fernando and Daniel Gutierrez are looking forward to the tournament’s third visit.

“We always knew the Bowling World Cup was a great tournament, and fell in love with it when we first hosted it in 1994,” Fernando Gutierrez said. “We have been planning the 2017 edition for more than a year now to ensure that the bowlers have the best playing conditions, and all the bowlers, officials and guests enjoy a first-class World Cup and take home great memories of our city.”

Hermosillo has a population of 800,000, and is known as ‘The Sun City.” It’s located in the state of Sonora in the north of Mexico, about 155 miles from the border with the United States.

Anne-Marie Board, the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup Manager, said: “Hermosillo is a lovely city, and Bol 300 is a superb venue. The Gutierrez family will make this a very special event, indeed, and I know that all our players, officials and guests will be warmly welcomed.”

For comments from Luis Javier Iserte, QubicaAMF’s Manager in Mexico, go to: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/mexico-to-host-53rd-qubicaamf-bowling-world-cup/.

Information on what has been termed the world’s largest annual international sports event can now be accessed at www.qubicaamf.com. The new website contains facts, photos and statistics from each of the previous 52 World Cup tournaments, as well as bulletins and news for the current year. It will be updated as news becomes available. It will also be the official site for the daily results during the tournament. Fans also can keep up to date on Facebook and Twitter.

F2FEC Winding Down in Georgia

The third edition of F2FEC — the Face-to-Face Entertainment Conference — has entered its third and final day at the Chateau Elan Winery and Resort in Braselton, Ga. We’ll have photos and a report in the April issue of Bowling Center Management.

F2FEC functions much like the Multi-Unit Bowling Information Group, as attendees are encouraged to share information with their peers, in a private setting, for the benefit of the entire industry. As an example, one of “The Three Amigos” who organize the conference, Rick Iceberg of C.J. Barrymore’s in Clinton Township, Mich., shared the amount of revenue a specific game at his location generates.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Differentiate,” and Jeff Benson of Cinergy Cinemas — one of the pioneers in combining a movie multi-plex with bowling lanes — talked about the business model that marries multiple attractions. (That also happens to be the cover story of the Spring edition of Bowling Entertainment Center, part of the March issue of BCM.)

In addition to Iceberg, “The Three Amigos” consists of Ben Jones of Live Oak Bank and George Smith of the Family Entertainment Group.

Maine to Quarterback Classic’s TASK Force

Steve Maine has joined Classic Products, and has taken over the helm of the Classic TASK Force. Maine comes to Classic with more than 30 years of experience in bowling center operations.

Having served as the lead mechanic at several outstanding bowling centers in Michigan and Texas, Maine has a strong background in the maintenance, repair and rebuilding of pinsetters and lane machines. His technical experience includes Brunswick A2 and GS pinsetters, and all Brunswick and QubicaAMF scoring. He is level 1 and 2 certified on Kegel and Brunswick lane machines.

In addition to the mechanical aspects of the TASK Force, Maine also will be working to expand the company’s Thunder Alley line of sound and lighting products and services.

Heath-Trott, Nelson to Be Honored by USBC

Ruth Heath-Trott of Montpelier, Ohio, and Mike Nelson of Houston have been selected by the United States Bowling Congress Board of Directors to receive national recognition awards.

Heath-Trott will receive the Helen Baker Award for Outstanding Association Service, and Nelson has been named USBC Proprietor of the Year. Both awards will be presented at the USBC Convention and Annual Meeting, set for April 24-27 in Las Vegas.

Heath-Trott has served the sport of bowling on the local, state and national levels for more than 50 years. She currently is President of the Greater Toledo USBC, a position she has held for the last six years, and is a director on the Ohio State USBC Youth Association. She served as the Ohio Women’s Bowling Association President for 12 years.

During 25 years with the Ohio WBA, Heath-Trott served on the first Women’s International Bowling Congress Area Recruitment panel, was the WIBC-Ohio State Coordinator for Membership Development, and chaired the first Membership Development Workshop in Toledo in 1994.

After retiring from the Ohio USBC WBA, she focused on the local level, helping the Greater Toledo USBC complete its Procedure and Policy Manual, and helped increase the board’s involvement. She also brought back the hall of fame, shelved because of a lack of funds, and was instrumental in putting together the winning bids for the 2012 and 2016 Ohio State USBC B.A. Championships and the 2013 Ohio USBC Women’s Bowling Championships.

She has received numerous honors, including election to the Ohio Bowling Hall of Fame in 1994 and Ohio USBC WBA Hall of Fame in 2004, both for meritorious service. She has participated in 46 USBC Women’s Championships, and is a charter member of the Montpelier WBA Hall of Fame, elected for Superior Performance in 1988.

Nelson is President and General Manager of Copperfield Bowling Center. He has been with the company, Tropicana Inc., for 38 years, serving as Manager for eight years and General Manager for 24 years before assuming the role of proprietor six years ago. He worked under the guidance of USBC Hall of Famer Bill Lilliard Sr. and Texas USBC Hall of Famer Pete Treybig, his father-in-law.

Nelson currently is Vice President of the Texas Bowling Centers Association, having served on its board since 2006, and will take over as President in April. He served as President of the Houston Bowling Proprietors for more than 10 years.

Nelson has been actively involved in the Texas High School Bowling Club, was instrumental in helping the club programs in the Cypress-Fairbanks School District get started, and has worked with those programs for more than 15 years. He also is a strong supporter of the Bowler’s Ed In-School Bowling program, and since 2006 has introduced the sport at more than 30 elementary schools using the kits that provide carpeted bowling lanes and instruction.

Copperfield Bowling Center has been the host center for PBA Southwest Region events, Texas State Bowling Association tournaments, Greater Houston USBC city tournaments, Special Olympic regional and state events, and THSBC state and regional tournaments.

Nelson has been honored with numerous awards, including the 2014 BPAA Proprietor of the Year for the state of Texas, the 2010 Texas State Bowling Association Proprietor of the Year, and the 2003 Texas Women’s Bowling Association Proprietor of the Year.

To read comments from Heath-Trott and Nelson, go to: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/ruth-heath-trott-and-mike-nelson-to-be-honored-by-usbc/.

USBC said that the Joyce Deitch Unity Award would not be presented in 2017.

Briefly…

• Town Line Luxury Lanes in Malden, Mass., part of Boston’s North Shore region, has had an Intercard system installed in its game room. The installation included Intercard’s iReader II Eclipse readers, self-serve tellers and a redemption inventory system. The center was opened in 1960, and was known as Town Line Ten Pin until undergoing a major modernization in 2012. Today, Town Lines features 48 bowling lanes, a 2,200-sq.=ft. redemption game room with
more than 50 games, Temptations Grill, pool tables, the Luxury Boxx sports
bar, and the Mixx 360° Nightlife Club, which hosts touring bands and DJs.

Other News You Can Use…

• Bowling was featured in week one of the annual College Championships on the TV game show “Jeopardy.” Want to play along? The category was “Seeing Red,” and the answer was: “A Brunswick bowling ball and a Stratocaster guitar both have come in this red, named for a sugar-coated fruit.” You’ll find the correct question below.

• With a combination of tradition and innovation, a new era began at the USBC Open Championships on Saturday as the 2017 event got underway at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas. The backdrop of the historic event is the $35 million Bowling Plaza, which is hosting the USBC Open Championships for the first time. While the tournament is celebrating its 114th edition, it features three divisions for the first time in nearly 40 years. The initial wave of more than 50,000 bowlers in three average-based categories hit the lanes Saturday to kick off the 149-day event. Read more here: http://www.bowl.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?id=23622328612.

• The sectional assignments for the 2017 Intercollegiate Team Championships have been determined based on results during the USBC Collegiate season. The sectional qualifiers will take place at four sites on March 11-12 — AMF Parkway Lanes in Allentown, Pa.; Smyrna Bowling Center in Smyrna, Tenn.; Stardust Bowl in Addison, Ill.; and USA Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The top four men’s and top four women’s teams from each sectional will advance to the ITC, which will be held April 19-22 at the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge, La. To see which teams made the cut, click here: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/sectional-field-announced-for-2017-intercollegiate-team-championships/.

• The PBA announced its 2016 QubicaAMF PBA Regional Award winners Tuesday, recognizing Players of the Year, Rookies of the Year, PBA50 Players of the Year and Pat Patterson Award winners in each of its eight regions. Highlights of the season included Jakob Butturff’s record nine PBA Regional titles, which resulted in Northwest and West Player of the Year honors, and PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr., who was a member of the winning Decker Appraisal Services Baker Trios team in Harrisonburg, Va., to earn his 100th overall title in PBA competition. You’ll find a complete summary of award recipients here: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/pba-announces-2016-qubicaamf-pba-regional-awards/.

• E.J. Tackett had four chances to throw doubles to take the lead, but in the end, he won his second PBA major title in the 52nd FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions thanks to an unexpected error by his opponent. Tackett defeated 18-time PBA Tour champion Tommy Jones, 208-203, when Jones left and failed to convert the 1-2-4-10 washout in the 10th frame. Full story: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/tackett-wins-in-stunner-at-firelake-pba-tournament-of-champions/. We’ll also have a special feature in the April issue of Bowlers Journal International. Meanwhile, qualifying action is wrapping up today in the USBC Masters at The Orleans Bowling Center in Las Vegas. Here’s a summary of the action through Wednesday: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/kruml-consistent-tang-leads-at-2017-masters/. We’ll also have a special Masters feature in the April BJI.

• “Jeopardy” question: “What is candy apple?”

• The guest this week on Phantom Radio is Fred Eisenhammer, a California-based bowling writer. To listen to the conversation, go to: http://www.kegel.net/phantomblog/https/kegelsquarespacecom/phantomblog/2017/2/14/fred-eisenhammer-phantom-radiop.

* CONTACT: Please send business news, event information, etc. to Bob Johnson at bjibob@aol.com. For breaking business news, visit http://www.bowlersjournal.com/?cat=6.