Cyber Report #1056

E-dition No. 1,056 • Friday, May 10, 2019

Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)

‘Sole Society Lounge’ to Be Hosted by Turbo and Dexter

Turbo and Dexter have announced plans to provide pro shop operators with a place where they can slow things down and preview new products in a relaxed atmosphere during International Bowl Expo week in Las Vegas.

According to the companies, the Sole Society Lounge will be a stress-free place where registered pro shop operators can meet with Turbo and Dexter executives and see their displays of the newest accessory products, shoes and other gear.

As an added feature, Mark Buffa has also been invited to demonstrate his Spectre Bowling, a new pro shop app that helps manage customer data on layout and drill specs, ball arsenal and contact info.

“When [Dexter Vice President] Tyler [Jensen] reached out to me about doing a pro shop event, it was an easy decision,” said Turbo President Lori Mraz. “It is the perfect opportunity to meet with our valued retailers in a relaxed, casual setting where they can preview products and sort out preliminary purchase decisions before the big show on Wednesday and Thursday. Our team is really looking forward to it.”

Added Jensen: “We wanted to create a stress-free environment for pro shop attendees. And we wanted them to know how important they are to us. The lounge will be a great place to relax, escape the hustle and bustle, interact with Dexter and Turbo, and see our 2020 lines of products. It will be an awesome week. We invite all our pro shop friends to join us.”

The Sole Society Lounge presented by Dexter, Turbo and Spectre Bowling will be open at the South Point Hotel and Casino on Tuesday, June 25 from noon until 6 p.m. Pro shop operators can register by visiting www.dexterbowling.com or www.turbogrips.com.

All shop operators who sign up before May 17 will receive a special gift. The last day to register is June 17.

First Lady Unveils Newly Renovated White House Bowling Alley

By Gianmarc Manzione

If Bowlers Journal’s previous reporting on First Lady Melania Trump’s affection for bowling did not convince you that the sport has friends in high places, consider the First Lady’s most recent overture to tenpins.

Last week, many media outlets around the world ran news of the recent renovation of the White House Bowling Alley, a single-lane lounge first installed under the Nixon Administration in 1973 under the White House’s North Portico entrance. (This is not to be confused with the separate White House bowling center installed in 1947 in the West Wing under the Truman administration, which subsequently was moved to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in 1955.)

Mrs. Trump oversaw the project with help from the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America, then unveiled the establishment’s sleek new look by taking the children of Secret Service agents on a bowling outing there on April 30. The center had last seen a renovation in 1994, when it got a makeover during the Clinton years.

NBC4 Washington reported that the “renovation was a major departure from the original design, and the First Lady led the effort to restore the original wooden lane while also updating electrical wiring, mechanics and the interior design.”

That interior design includes navy blue chesterfield sofas and walls lined with large photos of some of Mrs. Trump’s official trips as First Lady, such as her tour of Africa last fall. A screen on one wall and another on the masking unit area over the lane feature what has become Mrs. Trump’s signature phrase as First Lady, “Be Best,” which is part of the campaign against cyber-bullying she announced a year ago this week.

Each of the children who participated in the unveiling wore white shirts printed with the phrase, and they bowled with sparkling new balls — some red, some white, and some blue — each printed with an image of the White House and the words, “The President’s House.”

The White House’s official Twitter feed announced the unveiling on May 1, tweeting, “First Lady Melania Trump welcomed the children of her Secret Service detail to the White House this week to enjoy the newly renovated and restored White House Bowling Alley!” The tweet concluded with a bowling-themed emoji.

That tweet served up the latest reminder of the First Lady’s ongoing support for bowling. On April 2 last year, Mrs. Trump arranged for bowling to be part of the annual Easter Egg Roll, a tradition started in 1878 with the Rutherford B. Hayes administration. The South Lawn featured large, inflatable bowling pins that children mowed over with bouncing balls.

By then, Mrs. Trump’s attraction to the sport had been known for a year, as she had taken her son Barron to Bowlero Chelsea Piers in New York City to celebrate his 11th birthday on April 11, 2017. The New York Post reported at the time that Barron appears to dig this bowling thing, as he “got super competitive with the bowling scores.”

So, make that not one, but two friends in high places.

For photos, go here: https://www.nbcwashington.com/multimedia/newsletter-galleries/Photos-Melania-Trump-Shares-White-House-Bowling-Alley-Renovation-509334961.html

82-Year-Old Center in New York Destroyed in Fire

Alpha Lanes, an 18-lane bowling center in Troy, N.Y., dating back to 1937, was destroyed in a fire on Wednesday.

Smoke from the blaze could be seen as far away as Albany, about eight miles to the southwest, once the roof of the center caved in.

The center was owned by Jack Scaccia Sr. until he was killed in an automobile accident in 2003. His sons — Jack Jr., Mike and Joe — then took over the business, and Joe operates it today.

A cause of the fire was not immediately released.

On the center’s Facebook page, the following was posted in the wake of the fire: “We would like to thank the community for their support! Thank you to the Troy Fire Department for doing their best! Everybody is safe and no one was hurt! This is a tragic event for the community and the Scaccia family!”

USBC Convention Heading for Chicagoland in 2021

The United States Bowling Congress Convention and Annual Meeting will heads to the Chicago area in 2021 as the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, Ill., will be the host hotel for the event.

The 2021 USBC Convention is set for April 26-29, continuing its Monday-Thursday format of the last several years.

Convention delegates, comprised mostly of volunteers from local and state associations throughout the country, have responded through surveys that the weekday schedule is preferred. The schedule assists with rates and accommodations for delegates and their guests.

The USBC Board of Directors recently approved the site selection, as it continues the organization’s commitment to host its annual meeting near a USBC Championships event. The 2021 USBC Women’s Championships will take place at Stardust Bowl in Addison, Ill., just six miles away.

The 2020 USBC Convention will take place April 27-30 at The Orleans in Las Vegas.

World Youth Event Achieves Impressive Global Reach

The 2019 World Junior Bowling Championship Finals was broadcast globally thanks to new media rights relationships in 10 key markets.

The inaugural Championship for those 13-18 was enjoyed by viewers via mainstream broadcasters in the following countries:

* France (VIA Reseau)

* China (Tencent)

* Hong Kong, (i-Cable)

* Indonesia (TVRI)

* Singapore (StarHub)

* Malaysia (Astro)

* Mongolia (SPS HD)

* Thailand (TrueVisions)

* Vietnam (VTV Cab)

* BeIn Sports (Turkey)

Viewers in the United States were able to watch via USBC’s Bowl.com while the rest of the world enjoyed the finals, which took place in the center of Paris, via the Olympic Channel.

The broadcast rights were distributed by Reddentes Sports, a sports consultancy group that was appointed last year to oversee the media rights for the World Junior Bowling Championships.

The qualifying rounds were available on the World Bowling YouTube channel and received much attention with a total watch time of 1.2 million minutes.

World Bowling’s Instagram channel also proved popular and featured highlights from the electric atmosphere via scenes from inside the Institut du Judo, where the event was staged. The platform received nearly a 10% increase in followers from just the one event.

World Bowling CEO Kevin Dornberger said, “We appreciate the support of our broadcasters and online fans, and are very pleased that our events continue to grow in global interest. This is a great sign for the sport of bowling.”

For those who missed the action, go to: www.youtube.com/worldbowling.

PBA Console Video Game to Debut This Fall

The PBA and FarSight Studios have partnered to create an official PBA-licensed console video game. The game will feature dozens of venues and playing environments, quick-play and local multi-player modes, online leaderboards, esports-style online tournaments and more.

More than 20 PBA pros will be included in the launch of the game, and PBA Hall of Famer Randy Pedersen will provide in-game commentary during all the action.

Due out in late fall, the game will be available for PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and Oculus. A quick look at the PBA Pro Bowling can be found here: https://youtu.be/d6MCnY4Uq6w.

Madeline Smith Joins ZOT as Executive Assistant

ZOT Pinsetter Parts, Inc. has appointed Madeleine Smith as an Executive Assistant to the company’s CFO, Debbie Rosendahl, it was announced by ZOT President and owner PJ Rosendahl.

Smith comes to ZOT following a 17-year tenure with H&R Block as a tax accountant, bringing skills that are a good fit for her new responsibilities. At ZOT, she not only will assist Debbie Rosendahl, but also will work on special projects with PJ Rosendahl.

Smith; who resides in Westminster, Colo., with her husband Donald, sons Seth (18) and Preston (10), and daughter Kaela (15), also is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and has worked with PASCO (Personal Assistance Service of Colorado) for the past 12-years, a position that is ongoing in addition to her new responsibilities at ZOT.

National Senior Games Coming to Albuquerque

The largest Olympic-style multi-sport event for people over 50 and older just got larger. The 2019 National Senior Games presented by Humana, which will be held in Albuquerque, N.M., June 14-25, has the most registered athletes in the 32-year history of the event.

With all 50 states represented, there are 13,712 athletes who will compete in 20 medal sports, including bowling. This represents a 30% increase over the most recent games in 2017, and is 14% higher than the previous high of 12,000 in Louisville, Ky., in 2007. New Mexico is the state with the most athletes participating with 1,516.

“Albuquerque is the perfect backdrop to the Games, with our great weather, training altitude, and the diversity that makes our city so unique,” said Mayor Tim Keller at a press conference. “It’s no surprise that so many athletes are making their way to the ‘Land of Enchantment’ to compete in the Games. We are grateful to be the host city that broke the record for participation.”

The bowling competition will take place at Starlight Bowling, Bar & Grill at the Santa Ana Star Casino in Santa Ana Pueblo.

The National Senior Games Association is a nonprofit multi-sports council member of the United States Olympic Committee that promotes health and wellness for adults 50 and over through education, fitness and sport. NSGA governs the biennial National Senior Games, the largest multi-sport championship event in the world for seniors.

An Opportunity to See BVL Funds at Work

If you need a little motivation to take on a challenge, look no further than the recent 33rd National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic.

That’s the advice from Fort Collins (Colo.) USBC President and longtime BVL advocate Sandy Eckert, who represented BVL at the annual event in Snowmass, Colo.

The Winter Sports Clinic (WSC), which is hosted annually by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Disabled American Veterans (DAV), provides nearly 400 profoundly disabled veterans with training and rehabilitation through a series of challenging winter sports. BVL was once again a sponsor of the WSC, which promotes sports therapy and rehabilitation through adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing, cross country skiing, rock climbing, sled hockey, scuba diving, curling, snowmobiling, archery, and other adaptive sports and activities.

Since its inaugural event in 1987 with only 90 participants, the Winter Sports Clinic has continued to grow and empower more veterans to challenge their perceived limitations. Over the years, dozens of participants have even gone on to become Paralympic athletes.

“Shred Limitations” was the theme of the 2019 WSC, a fitting message that Eckert said came to life on the Colorado mountainside during the five-day-long clinic.

“To see what it means firsthand for a veteran to be on the slopes on their adaptive ski devices or ride a snowmobile despite their physical disability or visual impairment is life changing,” said Eckert, who has represented BVL at the Winter Sports Clinic since 2008. “In conquering their sport, and in some cases their fears, everyday challenges seem more manageable. I believe our veterans gain strength from this experience and hopefully use it to overcome other challenges they may face when they return home.”

The Winter Sports Clinic was an opportunity to see BVL funds at work, and it was also an inspiring personal experience for Eckert. “These veterans motivate me and many of the other volunteers to have the courage to challenge ourselves, go after our own dreams and to remember that nothing is impossible.”

For more information, visit www.BVL.org and follow BVL on Twitter and Facebook.

Applications for Welu Scholarship Now Bring Accepted

The Professional Bowlers Association is now accepting applications for the 2018 PBA Billy Welu Scholarship Award, which recognizes exemplary qualities in male or female college students who excel in academics as well as in the sport of bowling.

The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship. To be eligible, candidates must be amateur bowlers who are currently in college (preceding the application date) and maintaining at least a 2.5/4.0 GPA or equivalent. Applications must be postmarked by June 21.

The scholarship was established in 1982 in memory of the PBA Hall of Famer who served as television analyst alongside legendary ABC broadcaster and PBA Hall of Famer Chris Schenkel on the “Pro Bowlers Tour” series prior to his death in 1974. Over the years, 33 outstanding student athletes have been selected as Welu Scholarship recipients, including 2018 winner Wesley Low Jr. of Wichita State.

The application is in two parts and can be retrieved by downloading both files using this link: http://www.pba.com/Corporate/Scholarships. Nominations can be sent to scholarships@pba.com or through the U.S. mail at PBA Billy Welu Scholarship, 55 E. Jackson Blvd., Suite 401, Chicago, IL 60604.

Hear More from Kimberly Pressler on BJ Podcast

Kimberly Pressler, the cover subject for the current issue of Bowlers Journal International, has been a mainstay on the sidelines of PBA Tour telecasts now for nine years. The dawn of the PBA Tour’s FOX Sports era this season saw her role expand with that network as she now serves up scoops for viewers about adjustments and storylines the audience would not know about if Pressler were not down in the trenches with the players and ball reps.

But Pressler had been doing TV long before her arrival in the pro bowling world. She covered a range of sports including Motocross, snowcross, truck racing, X Games events and much more for major networks such as MTV, NBC and ABC. As you will hear in her conversation with BJI Editor Gianmarc Manzione for the latest episode of the Bowlers Journal Podcast, some of those prior TV gigs made for some pretty hair-raising experiences that Pressler never will forget.

The conversation covers a broad range of topics for this podcast, including the 20th anniversary of Pressler’s win in the 1999 Miss USA pageant, what it was like to subsequently work for Donald Trump and live in Trump Tower as the first Miss USA since his acquisition of the Miss Universe Organization, and what it was like to dine with Trump and his then-girlfriend Melania, whom you now know as First Lady Melania Trump, when Pressler first arrived in New York City following her Miss USA win.

The full conversation is up today on SoundCloud, the new exclusive home of The Bowlers Journal Podcast, here: https://soundcloud.com/user-658733792/kimberlyeditfinal.

Business Briefs…

* A new outpost of Pinstripes is coming to the Kirby Collection development in Houston, Texas. The 13,000-sq.-ft. venue will include 13 bowling lanes, six bocce courts, and Pinstripes’ usual array of Italian-American favorites. Taking advantage of Houston’s generally temperate climate, there will be outdoor patio space on both levels of the facility.

* Bowling is back in Dinuba, Calif., after Yvette Trevino Alvarez invested substantially in the city’s old bowling alley and rechristened it Orbit Lanes. The center now includes the fourth location of the Alvarez family’s Y-R Pizza Planet restaurant. “You come here, you’re exercising, you’re eating, you’re hanging out, you’re conversing, and you’re having family time,” said owner Alvarez. Dinuba is located in Central California, about 30 miles southeast of Fresno.

* The developers behind the JAK’s Warehouse complex in Schererville, Ind., plan a new entertainment center Up Your Alley. The facility will be designed by Design Development Co., whose other clients have included Hard Rock Cafe and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. Plans call for the entertainment center to include 20 bowling lanes, an arcade with 60 video games and a 5,000-sq.-ft. Lasertron arena. It also will offer Cyber Sport, a two-team game that can accommodate up to 10 players at a time. Played in “Cyber Cars,” it combines elements of lacrosse and basketball. More: https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/entertainment-center-with-boutique-bowling-upscale-restaurant-and-bar-arcade/article_a89dbbaf-77ea-59ba-b2a5-e3ab290f50d4.html.

Other News You Can Use…

* PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber has now won 37 PBA Tour, 47 standard PBA Regional, 11 PBA50 Tour and five PBA50 Regional titles, joining Walter Ray Williams Jr. as the only players to win a combined total of 100 PBA titles. Weber

joined the exclusive “100 PBA Titles” club after defeating Kyle Sherman by 75 pins to win the BowlersMart/Bowlero Midwest Open Presented by Brunswick at Brunswick Zone Lakeside in Valley Park, Mo., Sunday. Report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/pete-weber-joins-walter-ray-williams-jr-at-100-pba-titles-mark/.

* PBA legend Mark Roth was released from a New York hospital Monday afternoon following the heart attack the 34-time PBA Tour champion suffered in April, his wife Denise confirmed. Update: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/mark-roth-released-from-hospital-following-heart-attack/.

* The guest this week on Phantom Radio is Sam Villareale, who provided the artwork for the latest book by Len Nicholson, “Stone 8,” celebrating the 60 most memorable moments in PBA history. To listen to the conversation, click here: https://kegel.squarespace.com/phantomblog/2019/5/8/sam-villareale-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.