E-dition No. 1,064 • Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
World Series of Bowling Returns to South Point in 2020
The PBA’s World Series of Bowling XI will return to the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas next year.
The 11th WSOB will include the PBA Cheetah, Chameleon and Scorpion Championships, as well as the PBA World Championship and the USA vs. The World team event to conclude five consecutive days of television coverage by FOX Sports.
All of the competition will be contested in the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa’s state-of-the-art 60-lane Tournament Bowling Plaza, where FOX Sports will again televise the finals of each animal pattern championship and the PBA World Championship live on consecutive days, followed by the annual team event. FloBowling, will provide live coverage of all preliminary rounds.
The 10th anniversary World Series, which returned to Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich. — the home of the inaugural World Series in 2009 — was watched by a cumulative audience of more than 3 million viewers on FOX Sports’ network of television and other media outlets.
South Point previously hosted the WSOB from 2010 through 2014. The WSOB VI finals were the first official competitions conducted in South Point’s new $30 million Bowling Plaza, a facility that is specifically designed for world-class tournaments in a fan-friendly environment.
WSOB XI will get underway on Saturday, March 6, with a Pre-Tournament Qualifier (PTQ) open to PBA members who have not earned exemptions into the tournament. Competition will begin in earnest with qualifying rounds for the Cheetah, Chameleon and Scorpion Championships on March 8, 9 and 10, respectively.
The Cheetah finals will air live on Sunday, March 15; the Chameleon finals live on Monday, March 16; the Scorpion finals live on Tuesday, March 17, and the PBA World Championship finals live on Wednesday, March 18.
FOX Sports’ coverage of the World Series program will conclude with the USA vs. The World team match on Thursday, March 19, as the fifth consecutive day of coverage.
Additional tournament scheduling information for WSOB XI and the 2020 Go Bowling! PBA Tour season will be announced soon.
Luby Publishing Again Dominates Writing Competition
Nine regular contributors to Luby Publishing Inc. magazines captured 10 of the 12 available awards in the 2018 International Bowling Media Association Writing Competition.
Jef Goodger was a two-time honoree, picking up the first-place certificate in the News Division and the second-place prize in the Editorial Division. Both stories appeared in Bowlers Journal International.
BJI Editor Gianmarc Manzione’s compelling piece on how bowling takes care of its own in the wake of tragedies earned first place in the Feature Division. LPI President Keith Hamilton finished second in that division for a story about the healing power of bowling, and BJI historian J.R. “Dr. Jake” Schmidt finished third for a story on Joe Wilman.
BJI also swept the News Division prizes, as BJI Senior Editor and BCM/BEC Editor Bob Johnson collected a second-place certificate for his piece on family values. It increased his record number of national writing awards to 76. Dennis Bergendorf’s story on Liz Johnson finished third.
In the new Business Division, Johnny Campos was the first-place winner for his story on the genesis of down-lane seating, part of BJI’s year-long 105th anniversary celebration. Barry Sparks finished second for his BEC feature on unwelcome surprises when a traditional center converts to a family entertainment center.
Others recognized in the competition were Lucas Wiseman, FloBowling, first place in the Editorial Division, and Pamela Thompson, International Bowling Industry, third place in the Business Division.
Entries increased for the third consecutive year since the competition was revamped. The judging panel consisted of two published authors, two teaching professionals and two USBC Hall of Fame members.
Look for more IBMA news — including the identities of the $5,000 Chuck Pezzano Media Scholarship winner and new association officers — in the August issues of BJI and BCM.
Tom Clark Receives John Davis Award
PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark became the 19th recipient of the John Davis Award, presented by Kegel — the company the late Davis co-founded — during International Bowl Expo in Las Vegas.
The award is presented annually to an individual who is actively involved in trying to advance the sport of bowling. A perpetual plaque, bearing each recipient’s name, is permanently displayed at The Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, Fla.
“[Clark] brought the PBA from the doldrums to probably the greatest of all-time,” said PBA Hall of Famer Len Nicholson, the former PBA supervisor of lane maintenance and host of the long-running “Phantom Radio” podcast, as he presented the award.
“I loved John Davis,” Clark said. “Any award with his name on it and celebrates what (Kegel CEO) Chris Chartrand and Kegel have done to keep his name alive, is amazing. To have you guys recognize me is sweet, very nice.
“I used to have conversations with John that would last for hours, and they never got boring,” Clark added. “All John cared about was the sport of bowling, and that’s what I care about, too.”
It’s July… So Junior Gold Can’t Be Far Off
In the bowling business, June has come to be known as International Bowl Expo month (although that will change at least for one year in 2020).
Likewise, July has become synonymous with the highest-profile event for youth bowlers — the Junior Gold Championships, now presented by the brands of Ebonite International.
The 2019 edition of Junior Gold is ready to roll July 13-20 in metropolitan Detroit, and this week it was announced that the drumming team known as repercussion would headline the opening ceremony of the event.
rePercussion has performed for hundreds of thousands of people in venues around the world, offering an interactive show that is a blend of sight and sound. The group says it has plans to set an undisclosed world record during its performance.
More than 4,700 spots have been sold for this year’s Junior Gold Championships, and CBS Sports Network will televise the stepladder finals of each division, while BowlTV.com will provide streaming coverage from selected centers throughout the week.
Eastern Michigan University’s Convocation Center will host the opening ceremony on Sunday, July 14. A state-by-state athlete parade, presentation of the 2018-2019 Dexter All-American Team and the 3rd annual Bowlers Choice Awards — fun awards that give the youth bowlers an opportunity to express their personalities — will be part of the festivities.
The Brands of Ebonite International once again will kick off the day’s schedule with EBI Game Day starting at 3 p.m. at Eastern Michigan’s football stadium, as youth bowlers will have the opportunity to engage with members of the EBI team in a fun environment.
“The Ebonite International team has had such a great time at Game Day these past few years, and we look forward to another outstanding event in Detroit,” said Dave Wodka, Ebonite International’s Global Marketing Director. “It’s a great opportunity not only for the young bowlers to meet and talk about the sport with our team members, but also a chance for us to get to know the athletes who will be part of the bowling community for many years to come.”
Ebonite International also will host the EBI Demo Day and Bowl with the Pros event on Friday, July 12, at Super Bowl Lanes.
The Suburban Collection Showplace convention center will be the starting point for the Junior Gold Championships, with athlete registration and the annual trade show starting on Saturday, July 13. Of the 90 vendors that will be exhibiting at the trade show, there are more than 60 college organizations that will be part of the Collegiate Experience, where bowlers and their parents can talk to representatives and learn about what it takes to bowl in college.
Athletes will have the opportunity to attend seminars featuring top coaches, including Del Warren of the Kegel Training Center, and Stephen Padilla, USBC’s Director of Coaching Certification.
The Junior Gold Championships is one of several youth bowling events taking place over 10 days in the Detroit area.
The USA Bowling National Championships team competition will be held Thursday, July 11, with match-play rounds on Friday, July 12, at Astro Lanes to determine the finalists for the TV show. The finals in both divisions will take place on Friday, July 19, at Thunderbowl Lanes, and will be taped for broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
The Bowing.com Youth Open Championships is a non-qualifying tournament open to all USBC Youth bowlers. The event has competition in singles, doubles and four-person team, and will be held July 11-12, 19-21 and 27-28 at Sterling Lanes.
The Survivor Tournament presented by Hammer is July 19-20 at Super Bowl Lanes, and serves as a 2020 Junior Gold Championships qualifying event.
Visit bowl.com/juniorgold for more information.
Bowlero to Conduct Regional Youth Scholarship Tournaments
Bowlero Corp. has announced the rollout of several Bowlero Youth Championship tournaments. The regional events will take place at Bowlero centers throughout the U.S.
Backed by Bowlero Corp., each Bowlero Youth Championship tournament will offer a guaranteed prize pool of $10,000 in SMART scholarships. First place in the Boys’ and Girls’ Scratch Divisions will be worth $2,000 each, while the winner of the Handicap Division will receive $1,000.
The inaugural tournament, held at Bowlero North Brunswick in North Brunswick, N.J., last year, attracted nearly 200 entries. Because of its success, Bowlero Corp. anticipates more than 200 entries for each subsequent competition.
The following events have been confirmed and are currently accepting entries:
* Bowlero Mid-Atlantic Youth Championship — Bowlero North Brunswick, North Brunswick, N.J., Aug. 2-4.
* Bowlero Midwest Youth Championship — Bowlero Wauwatosa, Wauwatosa, Wis., Sept. 14-15.
* Bowlero Bayou Youth Championship — Bowlero The Woodlands, Conroe, Texas, Oct. 11-13.
* Bowlero Southwest Youth Championship — AMF Garland Lanes, Garland, Texas, Aug. 14-16.
Additional tournaments are currently being planned for 2020 in Dallas, Minneapolis, Atlanta and central Florida. Event details will be announced at a later date.
Additional information is available by emailing bycinfo@bowlerocorp.com.
Paralympic Committee Recognizes World Bowling
World Bowling has been granted the status of International Paralympic Committee Recognized International Federation (IF).
With accessibility being one of bowling’s major distinguishing features, World Bowling has a thriving community of participants and athletes with an impairment. The official collaboration with the IPC and the designation of “para-bowling” will further develop this sector of the sport and provide more opportunities for organized play and official competition, World Bowling said in a media release.
World Bowling President Sheikh Talal Mohammed Al-Sabah said, “We are very excited to become an official IPC Recognized International Federation. We are certain that this recognition will further increase the number of para-bowling participants from the grassroots level right through to elite athletes.”
Business Briefs…
* BJI, BCM and BEC had International Bowl Expo covered like a chapeau covers a bald spot — something with which your Cyber Report editor is becoming increasingly familiar. We’ll have detailed reports in the August issues of the magazines.
* David O’Sullivan of Peak Performance Pro Shop in Tavares, Fla., rolled to victory in the annual Pro Shop Tournament, held during Bowl Expo week at the South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas as part of the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association’s activities. O’Sullivan collected $2,000, part of the event’s $7,000 prize fund. The $1,000 second prize went to Zach Hattori, while third place and $500 went to Matthew Damman.
* The USBC Equipment Specifications Committee has determined that the three-unit rule, required at the time oil is applied to a lane, no longer is applicable and will be suspended. With the suspension of the rule, local associations no longer will be required to submit an annual Lane Dressing Inspection Report (LDIR) for its centers. Details: https://www.bowl.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?id=23622333291.
* Intercard has joined BPAA’s Smart Buy program as the provider of cashless technology for bowling entertainment centers. “By combining the strength and numbers of BPAA-member centers, we are able to form solid Smart Buy partnerships that provide [members] with national account pricing and tremendous discounts,” said Amy Arcuri, member benefits director for the BPAA.
* FetchRev has announced that its name soon will be changed to Hownd. The company has announced some information about the transition here: http://whatishownd.com.pages.services/what-is-hownd-new/.
Other News You Can Use…
* Ed Bourdase, whose career intersected the end of the Great Team Era and the founding of the PBA Tour, died on June 26. He was 90. Bourdase won three PBA titles, the last coming in the 1974 Seattle Open at Ballinger Bowl. He defeated Matt Surina in the title match. Bourdase won his first title in the 1970 Greater Los Angeles Open at Bowling Square in Arcadia, Calif., downing Johnny Petraglia in the decider. His second title came in the 1971 Fresno Open at Cedar Lanes in Fresno, Calif., a Summer Tour event that had no televised championship round. Dave Davis was the runner-up. Bourdase had a fiery temper and did not take well to leaving 10-pins. His PBA title count could have been higher had he taken spare shooting more seriously. Bourdase famously was known for opining, “Spares are for sissies.” In the ill-fated National Bowling League, he was a member of the Fresno Bombers team. Numerous videos of Bourdase’s appearances on “Championship Bowling” are available on YouTube.
* The 2019 USBC Open Championships and Bowlers Journal Championships presented by USBC are in their final days. The two events kicked off during the first week of March and will end their runs in Las Vegas on July 8 and July 7, respectively. During the 122-day run of the Open Championships, more than 52,000 bowlers made their way to the South Point Bowling Plaza. The official five-player team count for the 2019 event is 10,440.
* The 100th edition of the USBC Women’s Championships came to a close Sunday, wrapping up a tournament-long celebration at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kan. The 2019 event kicked off April 20 and lasted for 72 days in “The Air Capital of the World.” A total of 4,108 four-player teams participated at the 48-lane venue, competing in four average-based divisions for team competition and six divisions for doubles, singles and all-events. Report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/familiar-names-top-prestigious-diamond-divisions-as-100th-womens-championships-concludes/. The Women’s Championships will head to the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas for the 2020 event. The 60-lane facility also hosted the tournament in 2016.
* As the 2019 PBA50 Tour season travels back to the Midwest, Walter Ray Williams Jr. takes his more-than-9,000-point lead in the PBA50 Player of the Year race into the River City Extreme Open Presented by Hammer, July 9-12 in Monticello, Minn. Preview: https://www.pba.com/articles/Williams-Mohr-Take-Commanding-PBA5060-Points-Leads-Into-Seasone28099s-Homestretch-Beginning-with-River-City-Extreme-Open-July-9-12.
* Four juniors, including the 2019 United States Bowling Congress Annual Zeb Scholarship recipient, are among the 10 USBC Youth bowlers named to the 2018-2019 Dexter High School All-American Team. Meet the honorees: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/four-juniors-selected-to-2018-2019-dexter-high-school-all-american-team/.
* Dana Miller-Mackie — one of the operators of the family-owned Tenpins & More in Rio Rancho, N.M. — threw a personal-best 23 strikes in a row in the Monday Scratch Doubles League at that center. The former touring pro finished game one with a strike for 206, followed up with 12 strikes for a 300 in game two, then changed lanes for the second match and started with the first 10 before leaving a 7-pin for 289 and a 795 series.
* The 2020 Weber Cup will take place at Morningside Arena in Leicester, England, Matchroom Multi Sport has announced. The dates will be June 5-7. After the success of the tournament’s first staging in America just prior to Bowl Expo, the decision has been made for the U.S. and Europe to alternate hosting duties moving forward. Tickets will go on sale soon and fans can register to receive email ticket alerts at webercup.com. Leicester is home to England’s National Space Centre museum and an array of summertime festivals. Anyone planning to attend the 2020 Weber Cup can learn more about the city here: https://www.visitleicester.info.
* Jason Belmonte has had such a spectacular season in 2019, winning two majors and four titles overall, that it may have seemed to most PBA fans as though his fifth career PBA Player of the Year award already was a foregone conclusion. If you are one of those fans, Jakob Butturff has three words for you: Not so fast. The unique southpaw spoke with BJI days after his PBA Lubbock Sports Shootout victory last weekend. That marked his third title of 2019, as Butturff previously had won his first career major at the USBC Masters as well as another regular title in the Oklahoma Open. He spoke about the roller-caster ride he has had in a season of soaring highs and gutting lows, what he has learned from his failures, how those lessons have helped him blossom into a star on the PBA Tour, and much more. Listen to this new episode of the BJI Podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/user-658733792/podcast-jakob-butturff-on-his-roller-coaster-season-in-2019.
* Danielle McEwan’s emotional win in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open marked her second career major, her fifth title overall, and a big goal knocked off of the long and ambitious goal list she assembled at the start of this PWBA Tour season. As she discusses on a recent BJI Podcast, this fourth career appearance in the TV finals of the U.S. Open for the 27-year-old Team USA veteran was a decidedly less frustrating experience than last year’s U.S. Women’s Open TV finals in Orlando, when pinsetter malfunctions made for a difficult and instructive experience McEwan said she absolutely had on her mind on the show this year. The remarkably clutch bowling that followed on CBS Sports Network, which saw McEwan double in the 10th not once but twice to seize a major title that already had eluded her three times before, made clear that McEwan has learned a lot from the disappointments in her past. You can listen to McEwan’s comments and observations here: https://soundcloud.com/user-658733792/podcast-danielle-mcewan-on-her-emotional-us-womens-open-win.
* The guest this week on Phantom Radio is long-time BJI reporter and columnist Lyle Zikes, who talks about the PBA Playoffs, USBC Masters, the Japan Cup, Norm Duke, Jason Belmonte’s plans for the summer, the PWBA and PBA50 seasons to date, and the passing of long-time BJI columnist, best-selling author and proprietor Tom Kouros. To listen to the conversation, go to: https://kegel.squarespace.com/phantomblog/2019/7/2/lyle-zikes-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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