E-dition No. 1,053 • Friday, April 19, 2019
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
PBA Visit Benefits Local Youth in Portland, Maine
Perhaps one of the reasons the fans in Portland, Maine, have embraced the Professional Bowlers Association and its players so strongly, and vice versa, is that the visits to Maine’s largest city (fewer than 67,000 residents) have become much more than bowling competitions.
The latest example took place on April 7 when Bayside Bowl — in collaboration with the PBA and its friends at City of Portland, Maine, Visit Portland Maine, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce and Portland Downtown — gave 30 Portland middle and high school students the opportunity of a lifetime to bowl with eight of the world’s best bowlers in a pre-PBA Playoffs special event.
Portland and the PBA will have two more opportunities to light up the bowling world in 2019. The four finalists in the inaugural PBA Playoffs competition will return to Bayside Bowl Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2, for the semifinal and final rounds of the PBA Playoffs, which will be televised live on FOX at noon Eastern both days.
Six weeks later, the PBA League will return to Bayside Bowl for the fifth consecutive year July 16-18 for live coverage of all rounds of the Elias Cup competition. FS1 will air four shows, including the quarterfinal round in two telecasts on Tuesday, July 16, at 7 and 9 p.m.; the semifinals on Wednesday, July 17 at 9 p.m., and the Elias Cup championship finals on Wednesday, July 18 at 9 p.m. (all times Eastern).
PBA League Will Expand to 10 Teams
PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark has announced that the PBA League will expand from eight to 10 teams in 2020.
The PBAL made its debut in 2013 with eight teams tied to cities across the U.S. The initial competition included preliminary rounds at Thunderbowl Lanes in suburban Detroit, with the first Elias Cup finals held at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis. The second PBAL event was held at Thunderbowl and Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick, N.J., before it made its debut at Bayside Bowl in 2015. The first Elias Cup competition held in Portland was the first PBA event ever held in Maine.
No further details regarding the PBAL’s expansion plans were revealed, but Clark made a point to note that adding two more teams will provide PBA members with additional opportunities to experience what has become one of the PBA Tour’s most coveted events.
Jordan Richard Extends Deal With Hammer
Jordan Richard has agreed to a four-year extension to her original contract with Hammer.
In May of 2018, Hammer announced the addition of Richard to its national pro staff. At the time, Richard already was an established rising star after being a three-time NCAA Collegiate Player of the Tear and being named to Team USA.
She promptly went out and won her first Professional Women’s Bowling Association title at the Greater Harrisburg Open, after sitting out the first three events of the season to complete her collegiate career, and locked up the Rookie of the Year honors at the QubicaAMF PWBA Players Championship.
Now, Richard plans to extend these winning ways by adding on an additional four years to her initial contract.
“I’ve had a lot of success throwing Hammer,” she said. “I’ve tasted that success and am hungry for more, and I want Hammer to be with me every step of the way.”
Noted Rob Gotchall, Manager of Players and Performance: “I look forward to continue working with [Lauren] and watching her grow, develop and dominate as a player.”
Richard is from Tecumseh, Mich., and will be competing full-time on this year’s PWBA Tour, which begins April 25-27 with the Nationwide PWBA Greater Cleveland Open at Yorktown Lanes in Parma Heights, Ohio.
Royal Pin to Close 40-Laner on June 3
Royal Pin Entertainment in Indianapolis will be down to three centers with 230 lanes when it closes Royal Pin Southern on June 3.
Southern, with 40 lanes, is the smallest of the Royal Pin centers. In a Facebook announcement, the company said that Southern’s operations would be merged with those of Expo Bowl, one of two 80-lane Royal Pin centers.
“For over 40 years, Royal Pin Southern and its staff have provided a quality entertainment venue for the residents of Johnson County to enjoy the sport of bowling,” the company said in its post. Southern’s existing league bowlers, open play customers and group events will be welcomed at Expo. Expo’s staff will be working diligently to make the transition as seamless as possible for its new guests… We look forward to serving you at Expo!”
In addition to Expo, the company operates the 80-lane Royal Pin Western and the 70-lane Royal Pin Woodland, the latter a frequent host on the PBA Tour.
Trifecta Management Rolls Out Marketing Division
Trifecta Management Group has launched a new marketing division, Trifecta Marketing Services.
TMS provides marketing solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. The scope of work is customized for each client, with an array of services to choose from, including digital and traditional media placement, social media execution, brand development, marketing strategy, website creation, commercial development, promotions development and event/party sales management.
“Adding marketing services to our portfolio of offerings is a natural step in our company’s evolution,” said managing partner Ron Lam. “Through our management company, we’ve worked with dozens of different concepts in diverse markets across the country. As part of these experiences, we’ve developed hundreds of marketing campaigns. There is a real need to provide independent businesses with pragmatic marketing services that work and can be done at a very affordable cost.”
Trifecta’s Marketing Executive Vice President, Bridget Smith, leads the day-to-day efforts of Trifecta Marketing Services. Smith has extensive experience in all forms of media placement, with specific expertise in the digital media space. The new initiative also includes Bennie Thomas, who has created innovative sales programs that have bolstered sales at TMG venues, and Senior Manager Sarah Vigil, who spearheads TMG’s digital and social media efforts.
A Parkinson’s Update from BCM’s Stacy Karten
Stacy Karten is a valued member of the Bowling Center Management staff, having contributed valuable marketing articles and columns to BCM since the magazine’s genesis. This year, he cut back on his writing schedule to six columns per year in order to devote more time to his personal struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. We’re happy to turn over the next section of this week’s Cyber Report to him
By Stacy Karten
April is National Parkinson’s Awareness Month, so I thought I would share an update of what is happening in the ongoing battle with this disease. Unfortunately, I have been dealing with Parkinson’s Disease for 14-and-a-half years, and it has been a constant struggle and challenge.
Parkinson’s is a progressive disease, and I can attest to this fact in that I have seen a rapid decline in what I am able to do today as compared to in the past. As one of my neurologists stated, “We can’t make you what you were before, and there is only so much that surgery and drugs can do, so accept this and move forward.”
During the course of my personal battle with PD, I have tried to maintain a positive attitude, but it becomes more difficult to do as time moves on. Despite that, I still look at the glass as being half-full.
If I didn’t have PD, I would not have developed new friendships with so many inspiring, hopeful and optimistic people. I would not have experienced the magnitude of love and support of family and friends that has been extended to me. I would not have met and benefited from all of the dedicated medical professionals who have treated me. I would not have ventured into new exercise programs such as boxing and dancing. There are many days I must push myself to attend these classes, but I stick to the mantra that you have to keep moving.
When you have a disease, it forces you to continue to try and enjoy life as much as possible regardless of the obstacles, so my choice has been to keep on fighting PD and do the best I can.
I don’t know if I will ever see a cure for PD in my lifetime, but I know there are countless people researching and raising money toward this end. There are new therapies, drugs and treatments that have been developed, and I have tried just about everything since my diagnosis.
During this month, when we try to create more awareness of PD, I hope you will think of the more than one million people in the U.S. who suffer from this affliction and hope that perhaps one day Parkinson’s disease can become a distant memory.
Thank you for your ongoing love and support.
Other News You Can Use…
* The Long Island USBC has secured one men’s and one women’s U.S. Open spot, it was announced by Steve Sanders, who is now overseeing the association. Sanders, long associated with megabuck tournament operator Pinacle Events, said a “double qualifier” would be held on Saturday, April 27 beginning at noon at AMF E. Meadow on Long Island. The nine-game event will feature separate divisions for men and women. The entry fee for each is $100, or women may enter both for $170. For further information or to reserve a spot, bowlers may call 631-737-0825. To view the event’s flyer, click here: www.liusbc.com
* PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. won the PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Open Wednesday for his 12th career title on PBA’s tour for players 50 and over, moving him into a tie for second on the all-time titles list with three other players. In the first tournament of the 2019 season, the 59-year-old Williams beat finals top qualifier Sammy Ventura, 288-205, in the title match at Maple Country Lanes in Clearwater, Fla., to tie Tom Baker, Gary Dickinson and Dale Eagle on the all-time list. John Handegard holds the record of 14 PBA50 Tour titles. Technical difficulties prevented the finals from airing live on FloBowling, but the stream will be archived for later viewing on www.flobowling.com. Report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/walter-ray-williams-jr-blasts-565-in-two-games-to-win-12th-pba50-tour-title/.
* The pro-am portion of the 8th annual PBA FireLake/Grand Casino Resort Southwest Open Presented by Brunswick in Shawnee, Okla., included a fundraiser for the Shawnee area Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter. FireLake’s pro-ams have now raised more than $100,000 for that cause.
* The guest this week on Phantom Radio is Northern California proprietor and PBA50 Tour host Jim Wangeman. To listen to the interview, go to: https://kegel.squarespace.com/phantomblog/2019/4/17/jim-wangeman-bowling-proprietor.
* 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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