Cyber Report #957+#958

E-dition Nos. 957-958 • Thursday, June 29, 2017

Special Double Issue

Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)

 

BPAA’s International Bowl Expo and “airport fun” kept us busy last week, so this week we are bringing you a double e-dition of the Cyber Report. It’s packed with industry news, including reports from Nashville. By the way, we’ll have full coverage of Bowl Expo in the August issues of BJI and BCM.

 

GoBowling.com Becomes Umbrella Sponsor of PBA Tour

 

In a landmark partnership between bowling organizations, the Professional Bowlers Association and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America have announced that GoBowling.com will be the umbrella sponsor of the Go Bowling! PBA Tour between December 2017 and July 2018, with an option to renew for an additional year.

 

The partnership was announced by BPAA Executive Director Frank DeSocio, BPAA President Nancy Schenk and PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark at Bowl Expo.

 

As part of the agreement, The Go Bowling! PBA Tour will be showcased on 18 ESPN telecasts, beginning with programming from the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV in Reno in December, and extending through next July to include five CBS Sports Network telecasts. Additionally, The Go Bowling! PBA Tour will have a significant presence on at least eight PBA Xtra Frame Tour events in 2018, all of which will be live-streamed exclusively via PBA’s online bowling channel.

 

“This partnership gives GoBowling.com a full-year marketing platform to talk to bowlers and non-bowlers through the PBA Tour,” DeSocio said.

 

“The more people who go bowling, the more we all benefit,” Schenk added. “That’s what we’re looking to achieve.”

 

GoBowling.com, created by BPAA as the go-to website for millions of Americans looking for a place to go bowling, was recently revamped to provide a stronger connection between bowlers young and old, novice or professional, worldwide, providing news, tips, videos, contests and promotional offers as well as the sport’s most comprehensive guide to help people find information about more than 1,800 BPAA-member bowling centers across America.

 

“Working together with GoBowling.com, Strike Ten Entertainment and BPAA bowling centers to promote the PBA is great for the game and illustrates positive bowling industry unity,” Clark said.  “We appreciate Frank DeSocio, Nancy Schenk and the entire board’s shared vision that investing in the PBA and promoting the sport together will make for a spectacular year.

 

“The PBA is experiencing an electrifying surge of young talent while the greats of the game continue to contend from event to event, making for interesting events and historic accomplishments on the lanes, Clark added. “We can’t wait to get started.”

 

As part of the partnership, the Go Bowling! message will receive a wide variety of additional benefits, including:

 

• Commercial spots, billboards and signage during PBA telecasts and on all Xtra Frame events.

 

• Title sponsorship for two PBA Tour events to be determined, plus presenting sponsorship of the 2018 Chris Paul CP3 Celebrity Invitational.

 

• Sponsorship of a PBA League team.

 

• Logo identification on six top PBA Tour players.

 

• Introduction of a new Go Bowling! fan engagement segment during each telecast.

 

• Extensive exposure to mainstream news media and PBA’s global social media audience through all aspects of the PBA Network.

 

Another special benefit will be a subscription to PBA’s Xtra Frame online video service to any BPAA-member bowling center that requests one, courtesy of Strike Ten Entertainment. The pre-paid subscriptions will allow participating bowling centers to provide their customers with hundreds of hours of exclusive programming, including preliminary rounds of all PBA and PWBA Tour events, start-to-finish coverage of the PBA50 Tour and PBA Xtra Frame Tour tournaments, and much more.

 

At BPAA’s option, the Go Bowling! PBA Tour program may be renewed for an additional year.

 

 

Pat and Lisa Ciniello Receive John Davis Award

 

Pat and Lisa Ciniello have been named the 2017 recipients of the prestigious John Davis Award. The surprise announcement was made on the trade show floor during the Phantom Radio Show at International Bowl Expo in Nashville, Tenn.

John Davis, the man who started The Kegel Company, was involved in bowling for nearly his entire life. At an early age, his father taught John and all of his siblings how to bowl. That “love affair” with the sport would span more than half a century, as Davis contributed his time, knowledge and money to help better bowling on a number of levels.

 

Even though Kegel was relatively small, Davis’s investment in the industry was always unselfish and unmatched. His innovations, inventions and contributions have been well documented, and his leadership in technology and humanity, in the United States and worldwide, made him perhaps the most sought-after figure in the game.

 

Davis’s behind-the-scenes committee work was always welcomed. Because of his vast accomplishments and devotion to the sport, the John Davis Award was established by Kegel to perpetuate his memory. It has become a prestigious honor that is presented annually to a deserving person (or couple) actively involved in trying to advance the sport. A beautiful, one-of-a-kind perpetual plaque, bearing each recipient’s name, is permanently displayed at the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, Fla.

 

The Ciniellos, like Davis, are known and respected in the entire bowling community. Pat was born and raised in New Jersey, and graduated from Monmouth University with a degree in Business Administration. He got his start in bowling by polishing bowling balls as a youngster for free games. Lisa started bowling at 7 years of age, and went on to work at various jobs in that same Florida bowling center.

 

Later, she began working as a waitress at that center, which eventually was purchased by Pat and a partner.

 

“There is no truth to the rumor that he bought it after seeing the beautiful Lisa waiting on tables, but it is true that Pat is much older than she, and he was deathly afraid of her father — so he behaved himself until the proper time,” said Kegel’s Len Nicholson, who presented the award.

 

Ultimately, Pat and Lisa got married, and success followed this beautiful couple. They now own seven bowling centers and have hosted several PBA50 Tour events. Among Pat’s accomplishments: 2016 Florida Proprietor of the Year, past President and Chairman of the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, President and Chairman of QubicaAMF Worldwide, and recipient of the highest honor in the bowling business, the BPAA Victor Lerner Medal for a lifetime of service to the game. He also received the Flowers for the Living Award at Bowl Expo.

 

The Ciniellos are blessed with three great kids.

 

The Ciniellos and the Davises had a long history together, as Pat bought one of John’s first lane cleaning tools, leading to them becoming great friends. They once considered becoming partners, but as Pat puts it, “Time ran out — unfortunately.”

 

JOHN DAVIS AWARD RECIPIENTS

2001 — Joyce Deitch

2002 — John Weber

2003 — Ted Hoffman Jr.

2004 — Jim Dressel

2005 — Mark Gerberich

2006 — Carmen Salvino

2007 — Linda Davis

2008 — Gary Parsons

2009 — Len Nicholson

2010 — Walt Steinsiek

2011 — Gary Beck

2012 — Kim Thorsgaard Jensen

2013 — Barbara and Bill Chrisman

2014 — Mark Davis

2015 — Kevin Dornberger

2016 — Chris Chartrand

2017 — Lisa and Pat Ciniello

 

 

Brooks Helping Wounded Warriors Procure Track Chairs

 

Hall of Fame proprietor Jamie Brooks is working to make sure the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open, to be held at his Plano Super Bowl in August, is a true “event.”

 

In affiliation with the PWBA Tour major, he and his staff will host the “DFW Bowlers Help Strike Out for Vets,” with the goal of raising enough money to purchase six Track Chairs — specially designed chairs that restore great mobility to wounded warriors.

 

The first chair already has been reserved for a veteran named Mike, or “Mikey” as his friends and family members refer to him. Mikey, who served as a Marine in Vietnam, comes from a family of veterans; his father was in the Navy, and his brother was a medic in Special Forces.

 

Exposure to Agent Orange while serving the U.S. led to Mikey developing diabetes and congestive heart failure. Last year, he spent nearly six months in the hospital, and had to have a toe amputated.

 

Today, he’d like nothing more than to spend quality time with his four grandchildren, and a Track Chair would open up his world to camping, hiking, fishing and going to the beach with them. To learn more about Track Chairs and to see them in action, click here: http://video.foxnews.com/v/2510719114001/?#sp=show-clips.

 

“This is an outstanding opportunity for DFW bowlers to be an example and lead the way for other USBC members,” Brooks said.

 

Plans call for the Track Chair presentation to be made to Mikey live on CBS Sports Network during the championship round telecast of the U.S. Women’s Open on Aug. 6.

 

Meanwhile, Brooks would be happy to accept donations from proprietors and others in the industry who would like to help additional wounded warriors receive Track Chairs. Donations may be made via the Bowlers to Veterans Link website — www.bowlforveterans.org — and designating “DFW Fundraiser” on your donation form.

 

 

Laneman Award Goes to Indiana’s Bob Hileman

 

Bob Hileman of Portage, Ind., who has worked in bowling for more than 40 years, was named recipient of the 2017 Jim Jaryszak Laneman Award last Wednesday at Bowl Expo.

 

First presented in 2011, the Jim Jaryszak Laneman Award recognizes a person for their behind-the-scenes work as a laneman. The winner is selected by the United States Bowling Congress Equipment Specifications and Certifications team from submitted nominations.

 

“It was a total surprise,” Hileman said. “I’m deeply honored and humbled at the same time. Jim Jaryszak and I were very good friends, and I miss him dearly. To have my name associated with all the lanemen in the world — Lenny Nicholson, John Davis, everyone — I’m quite honored. I can’t say enough.”

 

Hileman has been the laneman at Stardust Bowl II in Merrillville, Ind., for more than 35 years. He started his career at the center in the mid-1970s, hired as a porter when he was 15, but soon began his work behind the scenes. Wally Kucharski trained Hileman as a mechanic, and when Kucharski left the center in the late 1980s, Hileman assumed the job as head mechanic.

 

He was instrumental in running PBA national and regional events at Stardust Bowl, including the PBA Tour Trials. He is a three-time recipient of the Pat Patterson Award, which recognizes individual contributions toward the PBA Regional program.

 

“I’ve seen him helping out another laneman at a high school tournament, not at his center, when their lane machine broke down,” said Stephanie Cooley, coach of the Lake Central girls bowling team, who was one of two people to nominate Hileman. “He always does whatever he can to help. His knowledge is unsurpassed in the area of lane maintenance.”

 

The Jim Jaryszak Laneman Award is named in honor of the former USBC Research Manager, who passed away in late 2010. Jaryszak was instrumental in setting up the USBC Sport Bowling program and served as the point person when the PBA was updating its animal patterns.

 

JIM JARYSZAK AWARD RECIPIENTS

2011 — Len Nicholson

2012 — Sam Baca

2013 — John Davis

2014 — Steve Cross

2015 — Bill Cooley

2016 — John Forst

2017 — Bob Hileman

 

 

IBPSIA Conducts Its First Master Class

 

The International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association held its first Master Education Advanced Class at the Ebonite International Training Facility in Hopkinsville, Ky., following International Bowl Expo, and the feedback was all positive.

 

Dwyane DaMoude, an attendee from Sun Valley Lanes Pro Shop in Lincoln, Neb., thought the event was great. “The cumulative knowledge of experts at the seminar was extraordinary and the education provided through the seminars was among the best I’ve encountered,” he said.

 

IBPSIA President Dave Bolt was equally enthused. “After attending every class from Silver through the last IBPSIA Advanced Technical in 2009, I could not be happier with the knowledge that was shared at the 1st Master Class,” he said. “My curiosity has always been with a visual of core change after drilling, and this class went into full detail on this topic. The instructors maintained layman terms throughout so everyone understood every aspect of the knowledge shared. The topics on lane machine programming, coaching and marketing held nothing back and were so clear I started rearranging the shop as soon as I got home.”

 

Added Bolt: “Special thanks to the board of directors for wanting to take this direction with IBPSIA, all those that attended the first class, instructor Daniel Puerto, Storm for providing Victor Marion, EBI for providing the facilities, along with Nick Tomaszewski, and Mitch Beasley.”

 

The Master Education Advanced Class is comprised of five in-depth chapters, including bowling ball advanced technology, motion and layouts in chapter 1; lane play strategy and pins in chapter 2; anatomy of the hand, wrist, arm and analysis of the modern release along with advanced fitting in chapter 3; how to establish and maintain a successful coaching practice and the tools of coaching in chapter 4; and keys to operating and tracking a successful business through time management, true costs of operating your pro shop and coaching business, customer relations, sales, marketing and social media in chapter 5.

 

Bolt was excited to discuss the event’s future: “I can see expanding the frequency of Master Classes in a variety of regions spread throughout the continent.”

 

The event was sponsored by Brunswick Bowling Products, Ebonite International, MOTIV Bowling and Storm Products, Inc.

 

 

3 Expo Attendees Earn $1,000 Via BPAA-QubicaAMF Promotion

 

QubicaAMF Worldwide and the BPAA teamed up at Bowl Expo to present the Pro-Skills Challenge at Bowl Expo.  The event took place last Thursday at the QubicaAMF booth.

 

“Thanks to QubicaAMF’s support and hosting the event, we were able to engage our pro bowlers, attendees and one of our key sponsors all in one setting, sending home eight lucky attendees with a total of $6,000 in cash and prizes,” said BPAA Executive Director Frank DeSocio.
Eight lucky attendees had the opportunity to be paired with one of four PBA members: Tommy Jones, Bill O’Neill, Dom Barrett and Josh Blanchard. Each bowler represented an audience member playing for cash prizes. The pros played two unique Skill Games — Last Pin Standing and Head Hunter — which are exclusive to the BES X Bowler Entertainment System.

 

Last Pin Standing was the first event, in which the objective is to knock down as many pins as you can without hitting the headpin. With a score of 120, Jones ended up in first place, winning $1,000 for audience member Brian Borowkski from Classic Lanes in Kenmore, N.Y.

 

Barrett, representing Kevin Mumpower, finished second; Blanchard, representing Daniel Budwick, was third; and O’Neill, representing Nick Kornick, was fourth.

 

In the Head Hunter event, the objective is to hit the headpin without getting a strike. The score is based on how many pins one knocks down. Victorious in this event was Josh Blanchard with a score of 88, and he represented Scott Craddock of Plano Super Bowl in Plano, Texas, who received $1,000.

 

O’Neill, representing Reggie Frederick, finished in second place; Barrett, representing David McDonald, was third; and Jones, representing Phyllis Mento, was fourth.

 

“We are dedicated to supporting the industry as well as the sport of bowling,” said Pat Ciniello, Chairman of the Board of QubicaAMF. “We are so excited to see pro bowlers engage with the world’s only Bowler Entertainment System, BES X, and put on a great show doing it. We love the synergy that is built within our products, which combine the elements of competition and fun, all through one brand.”

 

In addition to the Skill Games competition, one audience member received $1,000 through a raffle offered to anyone watching the Pro-Skills Challenge. The lucky winner was Corby Taylor from Eldon Lanes in Eldon, Mo.

 

The partnership brought together the BPAA as bowling’s largest trade association and the industry’s largest manufacturer of bowling products in QubicaAMF. The company has supported Bowl Expo for many years, and was the presenting sponsor of Bowl Expo’s Club Xpo and a supporting partner of the Sponsorship Pavilion seminars.

 

 

Cambridge Credit Offers Discounts to USBC Members

 

Cambridge Credit Counseling has joined the United States Bowling Congress Member Rewards program to offer USBC members ways to manage their credit card debt and student loan debt, plus many additional financial counseling services.

 

USBC members are eligible to receive discounts on Cambridge’s services, including debt management plans and student loan counseling, in an effort to help bowlers decrease their debt payments and become debt-free much faster than they could on their own.

 

“Much like getting a coach to help you improve in bowling, Cambridge can coach those who feel they are struggling to pay off student loans or credit card bills,” said Cambridge President and CEO Christopher Viale. “We’ve got an amazing team of certified counselors who can offer assistance to USBC members for many of the financial issues they may be having, like credit card debt and student loan issues. Bowling is a big part of my life, so it’s a great feeling to know that we’ll be helping other bowlers improve their lives financially.”

 

Cambridge is a non-profit agency that has been providing financial education and debt management services to consumers nationwide for more than 20 years. In that time, it has expanded its menu of services to include student loan counseling, bankruptcy counseling, foreclosure intervention, and reverse mortgage counseling.

 

Cambridge maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and is rated five out of five stars on ConsumerAffairs.com, which is based solely on customer ratings.

Visit www.cambridge-credit.org for additional information.

 

“Cambridge offers services that could benefit a wide range of USBC members, an attribute we seek when evaluating potential companies for our Member Rewards program,” said Tramon Thomas, Managing Director of Marketing and Affinity Partnerships. “We encourage USBC members to look at Cambridge and our other Member Rewards partners to learn how they can save on everyday goods and services.”

 

Among its several offers for USBC members, Cambridge will provide a 20 percent discount on Debt Management Plan services. Visit bowl.com/memberrewards for more information on Cambridge Credit Counseling and other offers for USBC members.

 

 

Arizona Center Adds ColorSplash Equipment from ZOT

 

The family owned and operated Starlite Lanes in Flagstaff, Ariz., is well established as a great place to have fun times with family and friends. With the recent addition of ZOT’s ColorSplash Special Effects LED Pindeck Lighting and VersaLamp LED Lane Lighting across the house, it just got better, according to Steve Szabina, ZOT’s National Sales Manager.

 

The proprietors of Starlite Lanes are Ron and Karen Getto.

 

“We love the result of replacing all the fluorescent light fixtures over 16 lanes with ZOT’s VersaLamp LED lighting and replacing old pindeck light fixtures with the ColorSplash LED Pindeck Light fixture,” Ron Getto said. “More important, our customers love it, too.

 

“With all of the special effects that are so easy to program, this is an ideal product to further promote our ongoing party bowling, corporate team building and fund-raising events, added Getto. “Add to that the saving in energy consumption, and the potential for increased business the product will generate, and we know we have made the right investment for our future.”

 

Denver-based ZOT Pinsetter Parts Inc. is a manufacturer and supplier of innovative electronic and mechanical parts and assemblies for AMF and Brunswick-equipped centers and, more recently, the ColorSplash LED Lighting line of products.

 

 

WBT Finals Taping Added to PBA’s WSOB in Reno

 

Due to the re-scheduling of the World Bowling Men’s World Championships and end-of-year World Bowling Tour events in the Middle East, the World Bowling Tour Men’s and Women’s Finals presented by the PBA have been added to the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IX ESPN television schedule.

 

The WBT Finals, featuring the three men and three women who are leading PBA International-World Bowling Tour points lists at the end of the PBA World Championship in Reno, will be held following the PBA World Championship stepladder finals at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno on Sunday, Nov. 19.

 

WBT points events yet to be contested include the PBA Grand Casino Hotel & Resort Oklahoma Open (now under way in Shawnee, Okla.), the Sweden WBT in Malmo, Aug. 14-28, and the Thailand WBT in Bangkok, Sept. 30-Oct.

 

Construction of a new Kuwait Bowling Center in Kuwait City has been delayed, forcing World Bowling to move its Men’s World Championship to the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas, Nov. 24-Dec. 4, following PBA’s WSOB IX in Reno. The Kuwait construction issue also led to the cancellation of planned WBT events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. World Bowling has awarded the 2021 World Championships to Kuwait.

 

The PBA has announced new Ultimate WSOB Fan Experience Packages for fans who would like to watch the world’s greatest bowlers compete for nationally-televised titles in the sport’s premier showcase Nov. 17-19 in Reno. For details, go to: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/pba-announces-ultimate-fan-experience-packages-for-geico-wsob-ix/.

 

 

Tackett, Belmonte, Lavoie Nominated for 2017 ESPY Award

 

Three of the PBA’s standout performers over the past year — reigning GEICO Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year E.J. Tackett, three-time Player of the Year Jason Belmonte, and 2016 Harry Golden PBA Rookie of the Year Francois Lavoie — have been nominated by ESPN for the 2017 Best Bowler ESPY Award.

 

The ESPYs honor excellence in sports performance and achievements in several categories over the past year, as decided in popular voting by fans. Voting is now open for bowling fans to choose their favorite by going to:  http://www.espn.com/espys/story/_/page/voting37/best-bowler.

 

Awards will be announced Wednesday, July 12 during the ESPYs telecast in Los Angeles beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC. Voting will be open until the start of the ESPYs telecast.

 

ESPY BEST BOWLER AWARD WINNERS

2016 — Jason Belmonte

2015 — Jason Belmonte

2014 — Pete Weber

2013 — Pete Weber

2012 — Sean Rash

2011 — Jason Belmonte

2010 — Walter Ray Williams Jr.

2009 — Norm Duke

2008 — Norm Duke

2007 — Norm Duke

2006 — Walter Ray Williams Jr.

2005 — Walter Ray Williams Jr.

2004 — Pete Weber

2003 — Walter Ray Williams Jr.

2002 — Pete Weber

2001 — Walter Ray Williams Jr.

2000 — Parker Bohn III

1999 — Walter Ray Williams Jr.

1998 — Walter Ray Williams Jr.

1997 — Bob Learn Jr.

1996 — Mike Aulby

1995 — Norm Duke

 

 

Business Briefs…

 

• Kegel Training Center has announced that it still has openings for its inaugural “Championship Mental Game and Lane Play Techniques” camp, featuring Tommy Jones and Dr. Dean Hinitz. For further information, click here: http://www.kegeltrainingcenter.com/new-events/2017/8/3/championship-mental-game-and-lane-play-techniques?utm_source=2017+Summer+Camps+-+3rd+Reminder&utm_campaign=2017+Summer+Camps+-+3rd+Reminder&utm_medium=email.

 

• Mountainville Bowling Center in Allentown, Pa., has closed. The building has been sold and the property will be converted to an adult care center. Meanwhile, the future of another Allentown center, AMF Parkway Lanes, is uncertain. That facility is being acquired by a developer, Abe Atiyeh, who has not yet disclosed plans for the property. Read more here: http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-biz-mountainville-bowling-closing-20170627-story.html.

 

• As traditional bowling centers continue to close, FECs and BECs continue to proliferate. Round 1 is scheduled to open its newest mega-entertainment center Saturday at the Broadway Mall in Hicksville, N.Y. Round 1 will occupy about 50,000 square feet on two floors, and include 16 bowling lanes. More: http://www.newsday.com/business/round-1-bowling-set-to-open-saturday-at-broadway-mall-1.13767921.

 

• One of the big names in Toledo bowling history, Geraldine “Jerry” Trzcinski, has passed away at the age of 92. In the late 1980s, Trzcinski served as President of the Toledo Women’s Bowling Association at the same time her daughter, Sue Pinski, was President of the Greater Toledo Bowling Proprietors Association. “Her passion was bowling, to involve you in the sport of bowling,” Pinski told the Toledo Blade. Read more here: https://www.toledoblade.com/Deaths/2017/06/29/Geraldine-Jerry-Trzcinski-1924-2017-Woman-organized-bowling-groups.html.

 

• An AMF bowling center in Ashford, Kent, England — not affiliated with Bowlmor AMF — is being re-branded as a Hollywood Bowl location. The modernization project includes a Hollywood Diner, an American-style bar, new pool tables and four VIP lanes. Read more about the project here: http://www.kentlive.news/the-amf-bowling-alley-in-ashford-is-undergoing-a-major-300k-transformation/story-30416129-detail/story.html.

 

• Meanwhile, in Birmingham, England, a landmark building known as The Cube soon will be home to a boutique bowling center (or, as they like to spell it there, centre). Two vacant units on the sixth floor of The Cube will provide the space. Read more here: http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/commercial-property/boutique-bowling-alley-open-cube-13256095.

 

• More on River City Roll, the new bowling-based entertainment facility coming to Richmond, Va.: Each of the 20 lanes will be named after a Richmond street or landmark. For an update on the project, click here: http://wtvr.com/2017/06/23/site-work-begins-on-5m-boulevard-bowling-alley/.

 

 

Other News You Can Use…

 

• After winning his first GEICO Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year Award in 2016 at age 24, E.J. Tackett has indicated he’s not ready to relinquish his role as the PBA’s premier player. Tackett became the 2017 season’s first three-time title winner when he defeated Australia’s Jason Belmonte, 666-628, in the three-game title match of the inaugural Main Event PBA Tour Finals at Main Event Entertainment in Orlando, Fla. The finals aired Tuesday on CBS Sports Network. Tackett earned $30,000 (along with his eighth career PBA Tour title), which will go toward his two-year earnings total in an ongoing bid for a return trip to the 2018 Main Event PBA Tour Finals. More: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/indianas-e-j-tackett-wins-inaugural-main-event-pba-tour-finals-title/.

 

• USBC Hall of Famer Liz Johnson once again confirmed her dominance on the PWBA Tour by climbing the stepladder to win the 2017 Go Bowling PWBA Players Championship. The 43-year-old right-hander opened the championship match Sunday at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wis., with six consecutive spares before striking on five of her last six shots to outdistance top seed Kelly Kulick, 228-205. The $20,000 win marked the ninth major victory of Johnson’s career and fourth since the return of the PWBA Tour in 2015. Full report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/liz-johnson-wins-2017-go-bowling-pwba-players-championship-for-9th-major/.

 

• Chris Paul’s blockbuster trade to the Houston Rockets this week also means the annual CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational will move to Houston in 2018. Details will be announced later.

 

• The guest this week on Phantom Radio is bowling writer Joan Schliewenz. To listen to the conversation, click here: https://www.kegel.net/phantomblog/2017/6/28/joan-schliewenz-phantom-radio.

 

* CONTACT: Please send business news, event information, etc. to Bob Johnson at bjibob@aol.com. For breaking business news, visit bcmmag.com or bowlersjournal.com, and “Like” Bowling Center Management and Bowlers Journal International on Facebook. BJI Cyber Reports are now archived at bcmmag.com.