E-dition No. 1,032 • Friday, November 30, 2018
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
Long-time WIBC Secretary Mitchell Passes Away
Flora Mitchell, who served as the Women’s International Bowling Congress Executive Secretary-Treasurer from 1975 to 1991, died last Tuesday. She was 89.
Mitchell joined the WIBC board in 1971 and served for two years before taking the position of WIBC Assistant Secretary/Treasurer under Freda Botkin. When Botkin retired in 1975, Mitchell became the seventh woman to serve as the association’s Assistant Secretary/Treasurer, a position she held until her retirement in 1991.
Mitchell was a competitive athlete in the 1950s and 1960s, playing first base on a fast-pitch softball team that won several state titles. She also played tennis, winning numerous local titles, and volleyball. She enjoyed bass fishing and golfing, telling Woman Bowler magazine upon her retirement, “I plan on doing a lot of bass fishing, and I will never, never give up the sport of bowling.”
On the lanes, she won the Springfield (Missouri) Women’s Bowling Association all-events title in 1961, doubles in 1955 and team titles in 1956, 1957, 1960 and 1965. She also won the Greater Milwaukee WBA doubles title and the 1988 GMWBA seniors singles and all-events titles. She posted her career-high league average of 192 during the 1967-68 season.
Mitchell made her 50th and final appearance at the USBC Women’s Championships in 2012 in Reno, taking part in the opening ceremony and rolling the ceremonial first ball to kick off the tournament.
She was elected to the WIBC Hall of Fame for Meritorious Service in 1995.
Born on Sept. 29, 1929, Mitchell left Springfield, Mo., at the age of 19 for a secretarial position with the Veterans Administration in Washington, D.C., and, after a brief return to work at the VA hospital in Springfield so she could care for her mother, she returned to Washington and a position with the Atomic Energy Commission.
She decided to return to Springfield in 1952, taking a secretary position with an ophthalmologist, and later expanded her role to assist three corporations that managed a medical village, a pharmacy and rental properties. She also started bowling and competed in as many as five leagues in one season.
Encouraged to become involved in the administrative side of bowling, she served as secretary for the Springfield WBA in 1964, a position she would hold for four years. She then joined the Springfield WBA board from 1969-1971.
She would serve as a Missouri State WBA director from 1961-1966, before taking the reins as president from 1966 until 1973, when she joined the WIBC staff.
Mitchell is a member of the Missouri Sports, the Missouri State USBC and the Springfield WBA Halls of Fame. The Missouri State USBC renamed its Director of the Year Award in her honor a few years ago.
New Positions for Hoskins and Trevino at Storm
Storm Products has announced that Alex Hoskins will transition to Research and Development Manager, while Zach Trevino will replace Hoskins as the company’s Regional Sales Manager in the Northwest territory.
In this new position, Hoskins will assist the R&D team in the process of creating and testing all new products.
“Alex will be great addition to the R&D Team,” said Hank Boomershine, Storm’s Vice President of Sales and R&D. “He has been instrumental in testing and development over the last few years, while also managing the sales in the Northwest territory. His tenacity and quest for knowledge is a perfect fit for this position.”
Hoskins joined Storm Products in 2016 as the Technical Customer Service Representative. His knowledge and bowling experience allowed him to effectively answer inquiries from bowlers around the world. He also has shared his technical knowledge with fans digitally through the Storm Blog and videos shared on Storm social channels.
In 2017, he transitioned to the Regional Sales Manager position. He continued to share his passion for bowling by hosting numerous Storm MatchMakers and building relationships with bowlers throughout his territory. Hoskins has continued to work on his game and competes in PBA events as well as regional tournaments throughout the year. He finished third in the 2017 USBC Masters and returned to the stepladder finals at the 2018 Masters, finishing second.
“I’m excited for this new opportunity,” Hoskins said. “I’ve always had a strong interest in the scientific side of bowling. I can’t wait to bring a new perspective into the department and share knowledge with bowlers around the world.”
Originally from Georgetown, Texas, Trevino worked for Del Ballard at Ballard’s Bowling Academy prior to joining the Storm Technical Team at headquarters in 2017. In addition to answering numerous technical inquiries, he has been involved in product development, creating technical documents, and constructing videos for the marketing team. His past experience in the pro shop industry and his technical background made him a great fit to fill the vacant position in the Northwest territory.
“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to represent Storm Products in supporting all of the shops and centers in the Northwest,” Trevino said. “I’m looking forward to learning the lay of the land and meeting everyone.”
Hoskins has been training Trevino over the past few weeks and introducing him to several of the company’s customers throughout the region.
“Zach is very dynamic and brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise to this position,” Boomershine said. “We look forward to having him service the territory with the same tenacity as his predecessor.”
Extensive TV Coverage Set for Men’s World Championships
Numerous broadcast partnerships have been secured for the World Bowling Men’s Championship, which will take place in Hong Kong Dec. 1-5.
The event will be showcased across multiple territories in China (Tencent), Hong Kong, (i-Cable), Indonesia (TVRI), Singapore (StarHub) Malaysia (Astro), Mongolia (SPS HD), Myanmar (SkyNet), Thailand (TrueVisions), Vietnam (HTV, VTV Cab, SCTV), New Zealand (Sky Sports), Finland (Elisa), Netherlands (Ziggo), Canada (Flo Sports) and the United States (Flo Sports). The Olympic Channel will provide coverage for all other countries.
The deals were negotiated by World Bowling’s sports consultancy, Reddentes Sports, which were appointed to oversee the broadcast production and media rights for the World Bowling Men’s Championships.
World Bowling President Sheikh Talal Mohammed Al-Sabah said, “We are delighted to have our flagship event for 2018 shown across the globe, particularly in Asia, Europe and North America, where bowling enjoys a strong following. We are encouraged by Reddentes Sports’s ability to secure these broadcast deals in order to raise bowling’s profile and grow the sport. We look forward to allowing our fans the ability to follow the best male bowlers in the world next week as the world champions are crowned in Hong Kong.”
Centers Sought for 2019 U.S. Open Qualifiers
Center owners can provide their bowlers the opportunity to earn a spot in the 2019 U.S. Open or 2019 U.S. Women’s Open by hosting a direct-entry qualifying event for these major events.
The 2019 tournaments once again will feature direct-entry fields, with players earning their way in based on pro tour money lists and finishes at national and international events. The U.S. Open will have a 144-player field, while the U.S. Women’s Open will features a 108-player field.
For those who do not earn a direct entry, the qualifying events will provide bowlers the opportunity to bowl their way into the field.
Request for Proposal (RFP) applications to host a direct-entry qualifier for the 2019 U.S. Open or 2019 U.S. Women’s Open now are available on BOWL.com/USOpen and BOWL.com/USWomensOpen, respectively.
For the U.S. Open, 20 centers will be selected from those that submit an RFP. The U.S. Women’s Open will select eight centers to host direct-entry qualifiers.
Centers must meet certain format requirements, which include having an event with a minimum of nine qualifying games and paying the cost for one spot in the U.S. Open field. Since both events are jointly funded by the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and United States Bowling Congress, centers must be BPAA members and certified by the USBC.
The deadline for centers to submit an application is Dec. 15. The direct-entry events must be held no later than May 1.
For bowlers who do not directly qualify or advance through a direct-qualifying tournament, both the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open will hold on-site pre-tournament qualifying events.
The 2019 U.S. Open, the final major of the season on the PBA Tour, will take place Oct. 23-30 at Victory Lanes in Mooresville, N.C. Learn more about the event at BOWL.com/USOpen.
The 2019 U.S. Women’s Open, a major on the PWBA Tour, is set for June 16-23 at Texas Station in Las Vegas, immediately before International Bowl Expo. More information can be found at BOWL.com/USWomensOpen, and additional information about the PWBA can be found at PWBA.com.
Indiana Center Defending Claim of Over-Serving
Bowling center proprietors have always known that serving alcohol subjects them to added exposure. A proprietor in Griffith, Ind., is finding out exactly what that means after being accused of serving alcohol to an inebriated customer who later was involved in a motorcycle accident.
What makes this case unusual is that the plaintiff in the case is the passenger on that motorcycle, who also has named its driver in her lawsuit.
The accident took place at 3:15 a.m. on Aug. 19. The lawsuit alleges that Vincent J. Soy had been over-served at Set ’Em Up Lanes prior to the accident, in which both Soy and his passenger, Lindsay Norrick, sustained serious injuries.
In a written response, center owner Tony Hobson acknowledged that Soy was a customer at the center during the evening before the accident, but denied that Soy was served alcohol or that employees knew he was intoxicated before he left the center.
The center also pointed to Norrick’s own negligence in riding with an allegedly intoxicated driver. A jury trial has been requested by the defendants.
Business Briefs
* Tyler Crispen was the runner-up in season 20 of the television program, “Big Brother,” and recently received a hero’s welcome from family and friends at Interstate Lanes in Rossford, Ohio. During the meet-and-greet, Crispen raised money for the Bowlers to Veterans Link. Report: http://www.wtol.com/2018/11/26/big-brother-star-gets-warm-welcome-upon-return-hometown-rossford/.
* Village Lanes in Little Chute, Wis., had been up for sale since 2014, but its closing earlier this month was quite abrupt. “The real estate agent called me up the Thursday before Thanksgiving and said, ‘Start packing,’” proprietor Colleen McMahon said. “That was the last day. It was a whirlwind.” That night, McMahon treated the league to free bowling and drinks, and allowed them to take home pins as mementoes. The center had been in business for 54 years, and McMahon had been its co-owner since 1979 and its sole owner since 2002. More: https://www.postcrescent.com/story/money/companies/buzz/2018/11/26/little-chute-village-lanes-bowling-alley-closes/2119290002/.
* Fox 11 News is reporting that the owner of Midway Lanes in Mineral Point, Wis., is seeking a zoning ordinance change that would allow him to add “adult entertainment” to his business. He is asking the town to rezone his building under “the same rules that allow casinos and strip clubs,” Fox 11 reported. Neighbors have expressed opposition to the proposal, which is scheduled to be discussed at a public hearing on Dec. 12.
* Business has been better than expected at Shakopee Bowl since Dave Johnson and Julie Rich purchased the former Louisville Lanes in Shakopee, Minn., and began making changes. In fact, their updates have been so successful that they’re now faced with needing to purchase more chairs. One big attraction has been live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, which has attracted more than 100 patrons on some nights. Check out the center’s Facebook page and list of coming attractions here: https://www.facebook.com/Shakopeebowl/. And be sure to review your November issue of Bowling Center Management for more on bowling centers that host live music.
Other News You Can Use…
* The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame in Arlington, Texas, serves as the home of the PBA Hall of Fame. On Jan. 5, when the PBA Hall of Fame Class of 2019 is inducted, a limited-time exhibit will debut at the museum featuring items on loan from inductees Mika Koivuniemi, Patrick Allen, Bob Johnson and Jim Doty.
* The guest this week on Phantom Radio is Del Warren, Vice President of the Kegel Training Center and a Gold-level bowling coach. Topics include an update on the Weber International bowling program, Kegel’s upcoming holiday camp featuring Storm’s Kelly Kulick, the PBA’s upcoming event at the Training Center, and more. To listen to the conversation, go to: https://kegel.squarespace.com/phantomblog/2018/11/28/del-warren-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.
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