E-dition Nos. 1,062-1,063 • Friday, June 21, 2019
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
Weather Looks Good for Bowl Expo Week in Vegas
The bowling world will be converging on Las Vegas — specifically, the Paris Las Vegas Resort and the Las Vegas Convention Center — for BPAA’s International Bowl Expo beginning this weekend.
It’s going to be a jam-packed week, so we’re bringing you a double edition of the BJI Cyber Report, with the next edition scheduled for Wednesday, July 3, just ahead of the long 4th of July weekend.
As is always the case in late June in Las Vegas, it’s going to be hot during the run of Bowl Expo. Here’s the extended forecast from Accuweather:
* Sunday, June 23 — Sunny to partly cloudy, with a high of 97 degrees and a low of 73.
* Monday, June 24 — Mostly sunny, with a high of 102 and a low of 77.
* Tuesday, June 25 — Sunny, with a high of 102 and a low of 75.
* Wednesday, June 26 — Mostly sunny, with a high of 98 and a low of 71.
* Thursday, June 27 — A mix of clouds and sunshine, with a high of 100 and a low of 72.
Those overnight lows actually are quite comfortable for this time of year in Las Vegas, so if you’re out on the town late at night or early in the morning, it’ll be a good opportunity to get in some walking.
However, if you’re planning to travel off The Strip for a meal or other reason, be aware that construction on Interstate 15 in the “Spaghetti Bowl” area is ongoing and often involves overnight closures. So, ask your hotel’s valet for advice before heading out, and allow extra time.
Las Vegas is known for constantly reinventing itself, and a lot has changed since last year’s edition of Bowl Expo.
The most visible sign of change is the construction work that has taken place on the new Las Vegas Stadium, across the freeway from the Mandalay Bay resort. The stadium’s shape is now clearly defined, and construction cranes continue to make progress daily in order to meet the deadline for the Raiders’ 2020 season home opener.
Meanwhile, downtown, the Fremont Street Experience light show is undergoing a $32 million renovation that will result in the screens being seven times brighter with four times the resolution. The project is being undertaken in small sections, so the nightly shows will continue without interruption. When completed, shows will be able to be presented around the clock, not just when it’s dark.
Not far away, the Neon Museum is constantly adding signs and ephemera from Las Vegas landmarks, saving them from the junkyard. But the nearby Cashman Field has seen its final minor league baseball game, as the Las Vegas 51s have moved to a new stadium in the Summerlin neighborhood, not far from the Red Rock resort, and been renamed the Aviators.
Remember those 99-cent shrimp cocktails that the downtown Golden Gate Casino served for so many years? They’re back, using the original recipe, every day in June from 5 to 6 p.m. at the 7th & Carson restaurant. The purchase of an entrée is required, and be aware that the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the summer.
Back on The Strip, if you get a craving for Italian food but are not looking for a sit-down meal, consider checking out the new outpost of Eataly that has opened at the Park MGM resort. The culinary destination features restaurants, a café, counters at which samples of meats and cheese are offered, a market, wine tastings and more.
All of us at Luby Publishing Inc. — producers of BJI, BCM, BEC, PSO and Billiards Digest — look forward to seeing you next week at Bowl Expo.
New Roles for Lance and Simounet at Kegel
David Lance has officially joined the Kegel team as the new Kegel Training Center Coordinator.
Lance will manage daily operations of the center, including scheduling lessons, managing pro shop supplies, and maintaining the center’s social media presence.
Lance has been a bowler since he was physically able to pick up a bowling ball. He spent much of his youth bowling in local tournaments, including the Loschetter’s, KYPS and FJBT, and has competed in national events like the Teen Masters and Junior Gold Championships. His hobbies include NASCAR and being an avid gamer.
Lance graduated from Webber International University in the spring of 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, a focus in Criminal Justice and a minor in Sports Business. He also was a starting player all four years of his college bowling career with the WIU men’s bowling team, earning a national championship and Collegiate All-American honors.
Kegel also announced that it is bringing a new level of service to its Spanish-speaking customers with the help of Andraunick “Andro” Simounet.
Simounet will be available to assist Spanish-speaking customers who contact Kegel’s technical support team. In addition, he will be making some sales visits for Kegel in areas that are primarily Spanish-speaking.
“We appreciate the diversity of our customers and love of bowling shared by those around the globe,” said Kegel CEO Chris Chartrand. “Providing excellent technical support is integral to our business and we are happy to be able to tap into knowledgeable resources, like Andro, who can help us expand our ability to offer that.”
Simounet has been working for Kegel since August 2014 in its manufacturing department, and currently works building lane machines. He’s originally from Puerto Rico, and has represented that U.S. territory in many bowling tournaments.
He has won multiple medals at the World Youth Championships, World Men’s Championships, Central American Games, and PABCON events. He continues to bowl competitively in his free time.
XBowling’s New BVL Game to Benefit America’s Vets
XBowling has developed new game designed to help both league bowlers and America’s veterans win prizes, prestige and donations.
The “BVL Clean Game Challenge” is a simple way for league bowlers across the country to help the Bowlers to Veterans Link fund sports equipment, arts, crafts, dance, pet therapy and more at VA Medical Centers throughout the U.S. A portion of all entry fees and prizes will go directly to the BVL.
“We are in the business of brightening the lives of our veterans, and this fun, new game on the XBowling platform will help us garner more much-needed funds,” said BVL Chairman John La Spina. “Most military bases have bowling lanes, and many of our veterans love to bowl. The timing for this new partnership is ideal.”
Sports Challenge Network founder Tim Minard, who introduced XBowling to the league bowling community, said, “The BVL Clean Game Challenge is not just about bowlers improving their game and winning. It’s about connecting to veterans. And when bowlers win, our veterans also win. It’s the perfectly designed challenge — and a great way to give back to those who served our country.”
Like other XBowling games, the “BVL Clean Game Challenge” is simple to play. All one needs is a bowling league score, a phone and the desire to have fun, win prizes and do good.
The United States Bowling Congress endorses the XBowling/BVL partnership, and encourages participation in this and all forms of bowling, according to a BVL release.
Turbo Announces Promotions for Martin and Magolan
Turbo Bowling Accessories has promoted Brad Martin to replace JR Raymond, who resigned recently as Midwest Region Sales Manager servicing distributors and pro shops in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Also, Mike Magolan will take over inside sales and support for the Central and Western Regions and assist in digital media development.
Martin, who has a degree from Craft College in Michigan, will be working directly with Turbo National Sales Manager Chris Sand, who covered the region for many years before moving into his current job several years ago.
“It’s good to find young people who are passionate about the sport,” said Sand. “Brad has been an asset in inside sales and support for three years, so it’s a good transition to an outside sales position. We needed a road warrior of sorts, and Brad’s ambitious and enthusiastic personality is a perfect fit.”
“I am very excited to move into this new role,” said Martin. “Turbo has great people and products, and I will do my best to increase awareness and sales everywhere I go. I’ll continue to bowl where I can and help with coaching at the Turbo Tech Training Center as my schedule allows.”
As part of the joint sales partnership agreement between the two companies, Martin also will represent Dexter in the region.
Magolan will take over the inside sales and support position previously held by Martin, and will work closely with Turbo President Lori Mraz to strengthen brand recognition through various social media platforms. He has a degree from Oakland (Mich.) University and has worked for 13 years as a training specialist. He also represents Motiv Bowling as a member of its Pro Staff.
“Mike is a sharp young man and brings great energy to our team,” said Mraz. “His enthusiasm and knowledge of the sport will be an asset to our valued retailers and distributors, and utilizing his skills in digital media will continue to reinforce the integrity of the Turbo brand throughout the world.”
“I have been involved in multiple facets of the bowling industry for quite some time now, but to be able to call Turbo my new home, the place where I work each and every day, is a dream come true,” said Magolan. “I plan to focus on increasing brand awareness for Turbo across multiple social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. I am looking toward building an engaged bowling community that looks forward to hearing about the latest developments at Turbo. I cannot express how much it means to me to become a part of the Turbo family.”
Noted Sand: “Adding Brad and Mike, with the addition of Andrew Anderson last week, sets us up with a strong, young team that can do great things for Turbo, our pro shops and bowling in general.”
Martin and Magolan assume their new roles on June 24 and July 8, respectively.
New, Updated Apps Released by FloSports
FloSports, the parent of PBA’s official livestreaming partner FloBowling, has announced the launch of its new app on Amazon Fire TV, and updated-and-improved apps on Roku and Apple TV.
The user experience streamlines the ability to explore live events and content across the entire FloSports network of more than 20 sports. Improvements have been made to navigation, stream switching capabilities, instant auto-play, content automation, and more.
The apps have many new features, highlighted by instant auto-play, which allows users who are watching long-form events to resume watching where they left off, and seamlessly switch between different live event streams, archives and camera angles. Additionally, users are able to log in and return to the sport vertical they last watched.
“We are excited to offer sports fans more ways to live stream their favorite events on the big screen,” FloSports CEO and Co-Founder Mark Floreani said. “With the launch of our new apps, fans now have multiple ways to watch from any device with a streamlined experience. We have simplified the ability to search for videos and events, get breaking news, and watch event highlights and replays.”
To access live and on-demand coverage of events across the entire FloSports network, including PBA coverage, a monthly or annual PRO subscription is required.
Tickets, Special Room Rates Available for PBA Tour Finals
Tickets to watch the 2019 Barbasol PBA Tour Finals, as well as special room rates at the host Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, are now available.
Tickets for the two-day battle in July among the PBA’s elite eight players based upon composite competition points earned during the 2018 and 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour seasons, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/barbasol-pba-tour-finals-presented-by-red-rock-casino-resort-spa-tickets-57610119418.
For room reservations at Red Rock, visit: https://reservations.redrockresort.com/cgi-bin/lansaweb?PROCFUN+RN+RESNET+RRS+funcparms+UP%28A2560%29:;PBARATE;;;;;;?/
Fans also may call the hotel reservation line at 702-797-7625 or 866-767-7773 and use the code PBARATE to reserve within the block. All reservations need to be made prior to the June 26 cutoff date.
The field of eight for the Barbasol PBA Tour Finals will include top qualifier and defending champion Jason Belmonte, 2019 USBC Masters champion Jakob Butturff, Anthony Simonsen, EJ Tackett, Marshall Kent and PBA Tour Finals newcomers Bill O’Neill, 2018 PBA Player of the Year Andrew Anderson and newly-crowned PBA Playoffs champion Kris Prather.
The Barbasol PBA Tour Finals, presented by Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa, will take place at Red Rock Lanes and televised live by CBS Sports Network over a span of five shows — two on Saturday, July 20, and three on Sunday, July 21.
The BJI Podcast: Bowling’s Diversity Problem
An online ESPN publication called The Undefeated, which describes itself as “the premier platform for exploring the intersections of race, sports and culture,” last week ran a fascinating piece that studied a simple question: Why are there not more athletes of color competing at the pro level in the sport of bowling?
You can read the story here: theundefeated.com/features/kim-ter…-womens-bowling/.
One of the main voices in that piece was USBC Hall of Famer Kim Terrell-Kearney, who spoke with BJI Editor Gianmarc Manzione about why the lack of diversity in pro bowling is a problem and why it’s important that the bowling industry do something about it.
The full conversation with Terrell-Kearney, winner of 11 PWBA Tour titles, including three majors, and current head bowling coach at North Carolina A&T, can be heard here: https://soundcloud.com/user-658733792/kim-terrell-kearney-on-bowlings-diversity-problem.
Other News You Can Use…
* Four-time PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte, PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke, and rising stars Jakob Butturff and Anthony Simonsen – four players who have already put together milestone seasons on the GoBowling! PBA Tour season in 2019 – have been selected by ESPN as nominees for the 2019 ESPY Best Bowler Award.
Fans have the opportunity to select the winners by voting online at ESPN.com/ESPYS and social media platforms. Visit this link to vote: https://www.espn.com/espys/story/_/page/voting48/best-athlete-sport
* For the ninth consecutive season, the Junior Gold Championships presented by the Brands of Ebonite International will set a record for the largest field in the history of the event, and the Junior Gold program also established a new mark for number of members. The 2019 tournament will take place in the metro Detroit area from July 13-20, and CBS Sports Network will televise the stepladder finals of every division. BowlTV.com will provide livestream coverage from selected centers throughout the week. More: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/another-record-field-set-for-junior-gold-championships/
* So how did hall of fame bowler and legendary broadcaster Nelson Burton Jr. spend his 77th birthday on June 6? By subbing in the Wednesday Handicap Singles league at Stuart Bowl in Stuart, Fla. Burton rolled 279, 290 and 269 for a three-game 838 total, then added a 248 for a four-game 1086. No need to get out your calculator — that’s a 271.5 average. Thanks to league secretary Ron Winder for the info. And Happy 77th, Bo.
* Just a month removed from winning the USBC Queens, Ukraine’s Dasha Kovalova finds herself back in the spotlight at a major championship after taking the lead at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open. The 24-year-old right-hander moved to the top of the leaderboard Wednesday at Texas Star Lanes in North Las Vegas, and now has a two-round total of 3414 for 16 games, a 213.38 average. Report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/major-dasha-queens-champ-dasha-kovalova-takes-u-s-womens-open-lead/.
* Applications for the 2019 PBA Billy Welu Scholarship Award, recognizing exemplary qualities in male or female college students who excel in academics as well as in the sport of bowling, are being accepted through Friday. 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. The two-part application can be retrieved by downloading the files from this link http://www.pba.com/Corporate/Scholarships.
* The guest this week on Phantom Radio is bowling writer Jim Goodwin. To listen to the conversation, go to: https://kegel.squarespace.com/phantomblog/2019/6/19/jim-goodwin-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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