E-dition No. 1,066 • Friday, July 12, 2019
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
‘Flowers for the Living’ Presented to Mike Aulby
Mike Aulby, one of the all-time greats on the PBA Tour, received the 57th Sam Levine Flowers for the Living Award during the Industry Awards Luncheon at BPAA’s International Bowl Expo in Las Vegas.
The honor is bestowed annually to recognize people who are still with us for their exceptional contributions over many years to enhance the growth, welfare and image of bowling.
Aulby is in both the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame, but has done much of his best work off the lanes. He has been a member of the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum’s board of the directors since 2004, and currently is President and Chairman of the hall and museum.
Aulby also has raised money for the “Children’s Miracle Network,” volunteered his time for many charity events around the country (such as the Frank Bacon Memorial Strike-a-thon in Brookfield, Conn.), and has been running “Mike Aulby Youth Leagues” in Indianapolis for many years, giving youngsters the opportunity to learn how to bowl.
Aulby has been one of the best ambassadors for bowling almost since he joined the PBA as a teenager. He has always presented himself with dignity and honesty, and always had time for fans — young and old — when he was on Tour, and has continued that relationship after retiring from the pro ranks.
The Flowers for the Living award was established in 1961, and has an impressive list of winners. It has been awarded to star bowlers, proprietors, association representatives and business executives from all corners of the industry. It is unique in that it is not “owned” by any group or organization. Its founders wanted it to be independent to ensure there would be no campaigning or politics involved in the nominating and selection process. An independent committee oversees the award and chooses the winners.
For more information about the award, contact committee chairman Johnny Campos at tracktype@comcast.net.
Nebraska Student Receives $5,000 Pezzano Scholarship
The Chuck Pezzano Media Scholarship for 2019 has been awarded to Marianna Pizzini, a junior at Morningside College in Souix City, Iowa, who is studying English and Mass Communications.
Pizzini has a GPA of 3.93, and when she’s not hitting the books, you will find her on the lanes competing on behalf of the Morningside women’s bowling team.
The scholarship, valued at $5,000, is presented by the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America and administered by the International Bowling Media Association. It is named after Hall of Fame bowling writer Chuck Pezzano, who passed away in 2015.
This was the “year of the woman” in the competition, with three female finalists. The runners-up were Kaytlyn Messer, a senior at Southeast Polk High School in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, and Chantelle Foster, a senior at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa.
Fifty-three applications were received for the award, which was introduced to help develop a new generation of journalists to cover bowling.
New Title, Responsibilities for Noordhoek at IBC
Roger Noordhoek, who has served in marketing roles in the bowling industry for more than 20 years, has been named Managing Director of Marketing for the United States Bowling Congress and International Bowling Campus Youth Development.
Noordhoek joined the IBC Youth Development team in 2015 as Senior Director of Youth Marketing, and took on the role of USBC Senior Director of Marketing earlier this year.
“It has been a great opportunity to promote and expand the initiatives of IBC Youth and USBC,” Noordhoek said. “I look forward to continuing to support the team’s efforts in providing our members with outstanding programs and services as we build a future for the sport.”
Noordhoek will continue to oversee the marketing and communications initiatives for IBC Youth and USBC, including the Open and Women’s Championships, as well as the new BowlTV.com platform.
Noordhoek started his career in the bowling industry at the Showboat Pro Shop in Las Vegas, and worked the Storm/Roto Grip booth at the USBC Open Championships in Billings, Mont., which led to his joining Roto Grip in 2002 as Technical Customer Services Manager.
Two years later, he was promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing, then became Vice President of Business Development before taking over as Roto Grip Brand Manager in 2008, overseeing all sales and marketing efforts.
He was named Director of Marketing for Storm Products in 2010, and moved into the role of Vice President of Marketing for that organization in 2013, before making the move to the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas.
Junior Gold Is Ready to Roll in Metro Detroit
The 2019 Junior Gold Championships, presented by the Brands of Ebonite International, kicks off Saturday in Detroit with registration and the trade show at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich.
The event, which runs July 13-20 and is hosted by the city of Detroit and the Detroit Sports Commission, has sold more than 4,700 spots to establish a tournament record for participants. Competition will be held in eight bowling centers, with the stepladder finals in all divisions at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park.
Eastern Michigan University’s Convocation Center will be the host venue of the opening ceremony at 7 p.m. on Sunday, with the drum team rePercussion headlining the show. The Brands of Ebonite International, the event’s presenting sponsor, will kick off the day’s festivities with EBI Game Day, starting at 3 p.m. at Eastern Michigan’s football stadium in Ypsilanti.
In addition to Thunderbowl, host bowling centers for the event are AMF Rose Bowl Lanes in Roseville, Astro Lanes in Madison Heights, Bowl One Lanes in Troy, Century Bowl in Waterford Township, Skore Lanes in Taylor, Sterling Lanes in Sterling Heights, and Super Bowl Lanes in Canton.
CBS Sports Network will air the U12 finals on July 23, the U15 finals on July 30, the U17 finals on Aug. 6 and the U20 finals on Aug. 13. All TV shows will start at 8 p.m., Eastern.
BowlTV.com will provide livestream coverage from selected centers starting on Monday. It also will have live coverage on Saturday from the trade show and from Sunday’s opening ceremony.
In addition to the Junior Gold Championships, the USA Bowling National Championships presented by Sixlets and the Bowling.com Youth Open Championships will take place in the Detroit area.
The USA Bowling National Championships is a team competition of 16 U15 teams and 16 U12 teams that qualified through regional events. Taking place at Astro Lanes, teams will have qualifying on Thursday, and then Friday’s match-play bracket will determine the teams for the televised finals. Both the U12 and U15 finals will take place Friday, July 19, at Thunderbowl Lanes and will be taped for broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
The Youth Open Championships, a non-qualifying tournament open to all USBC Youth bowlers, has competition in singles, doubles and four-person team, and will be held at Sterling Lanes on July 11-12, 19-21, and 27-28.
The Survivor Tournament presented by Hammer is July 19-20 at Super Bowl Lanes, and is a 2020 Junior Gold Championships qualifying event.
FS1 to Air 6 Hours of PBA League Competition
PBA Hall of Famer Mark Roth, who is continuing his rehabilitation after a recent cardiac setback, has announced he is planning to attend the PBA League Elias Cup finals at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine, July 15-18, to present the Mark Roth Most Valuable Player Award.
PBA League quarterfinal, semifinal and final round matches will be televised live on FS1 over three nights. Veteran PBA announcer Dave LaMont will team up with color analyst Randy Pedersen and sideline reporter Kimberly Pressler to call the action in four two-hour telecasts on Tuesday, July 16 at 7 and 9 p.m.; Wednesday, July 17 at 9 p.m.; and Thursday, July 18 at 9 p.m. (all times Eastern).
Teams will be seeded for Tuesday’s quarterfinal round matches based upon an eight-game Baker format team event at 10 a.m. Eastern on Monday, to be covered by Facebook LIVE and free to fans on the PBA’s Facebook page. Pedersen will anchor that coverage.
A limited number of tickets to attend the PBA League sessions are available at: https://www.baysidebowl.com/products/pba-elias-cup-tournament-tickets-1-ep9j2-7gtmx.
Saudi Arabia to Send Team to Women’s World Championships
For the first time ever, Saudi Arabia will send a team of six athletes to compete at the World Bowling Women’s Championships, which will take place in Las Vegas, Aug. 22-30.
Nahla Adas and Mariam Aldoussari of Alkhobar; Mashael Alabdulwahid, Ghada Nimir and Amani Alghamdi of Riyadh, and Hadeel Tarmeen of Jeddah, will travel to United States with Coach Sarah Jamal to compete against the world’s best bowling athletes.
The President of World Bowling, HRH Sheikh Talal, said, “This is a momentous occasion for World Bowling and for the dedicated team of Saudi Arabian women athletes who have trained hard to get to this stage. My sincerest congratulations to the athletes and to the Saudi Bowling Federation for making this step.”
The Saudi Bowling Federation first welcomed female participation in February 2018. It began with a group of 12 Saudi women training for fun at the Algosaibi Bowling Centre. Those 12 caught the attention of the national coach who, alongside the sport’s administrators, recognized the dedication and commitment of the group and advised them to approach the SBF directly.
The SBF agreed to start a program and planned to form a women’s bowling team. Dr. Razan Baker, a member of the federation’s board of directors, said they received an overwhelmingly positive response.
The SBF has taken big steps to promote women’s bowling, and with three women’s teams being formed across the country, SBF athletes now participate in daily three-hour training sessions under the management and direction of the SBF and attend workshops conducted by international coaches.
The federation also has developed a comprehensive event portfolio, with six women’s championships being held in Saudi Arabia in 2019.
SBF President Bader Al Alsheikh noted, “By creating national and professional examples, we are paving the way for women. This will lead to building a strong and solid foundation to follow and role models to look up to.”
Business Briefs…
* LoMar Bowling Supply has joined forces with Steve Cook’s/Gran Prix Bowling Supply, effective July 1. It was announced that Joleen Lawson would become an independent “at large” sales representative, focusing on telemarketing and webinar events. Her primary focus will be on servicing current LoMar customers. LoMar will continue to develop and manufacture specialty products, with Steve Cook’s/Gran Prix serving as their exclusive distributor.
* Coldwater Recreation, which closed earlier this year in Coldwater, Mich., to make way for a Dairy Queen restaurant, was destroyed in a fire Wednesday morning. Demolition of the building already was under way. Report: https://wtvbam.com/news/articles/2019/jul/11/no-cause-yet-on-fire-that-destroys-old-bowling-alley/916878/.
* QubicaAMF awarded a free trip for two to the 2019 IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Fla., during International Bowl Expo. The company provided attendees with “Making Bowling Amazing” t-shirts, and then entered those seen on the trade show floor wearing the shirts into a drawing. The winner: Brandon Wilder of Buffaloe Lanes in North Carolina.
* An employee of Blackhawk Bowl and Martini Lounge in Davenport, Iowa, was pronounced dead on the scene Sunday night. The facility is part of the Hotel Blackhawk, and a preliminary report said the employee, 27-year-old Brittany Russell, was the victim of an accident, although no details were released.
* Craig Rhodes, Scott Rogers and nine others have purchased King Pin Lanes in Springfield, Ill., from John and Debbie Benanti. Rhodes will serve as the group’s managing partner, and has operated the Bowler’s World pro shop inside the center for more than 20 years.
* Construction delays have pushed the opening of a new Bowlero location in Crystal City, Va., to next spring. Although the interior space of the building has been gutted, signs for the building’s previous occupant, a restaurant, remain visible in windows. Read more here:: https://www.arlnow.com/2019/06/27/new-crystal-city-bowling-alley-strikes-2019-opening-plans/.
Other News You Can Use…
* Tickets to watch the Barbasol PBA Tour Finals presented by Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa are still available. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/barbasol-pba-tour-finals-presented-by-red-rock-casino-resort-spa-tickets-57610119418. Jason Belmonte, Jakob Butturff, Anthony Simonsen, EJ Tackett, Marshall Kent, Bill O’Neill, Andrew Anderson and Kris Prather will compete in the Finals, to be aired live by CBS Sports Network over a span of five shows (two on Saturday, July 20, and three on Sunday, July 21).
* Pete McCordic forfeited his eligibility to compete in PBA competition almost 20 years ago when he became PBA Southwest Region manager. But as a proven PBA competitor with two PBA Tour and seven PBA Regional titles to his credit (plus a memorable nationally televised 300 game in Torrance, Calif., in 1987) prior to accepting his new job, he has pursued his competitive challenges elsewhere. Proving he can still roll the ball with authority, the 65-year-old McCordic won the Super Senior Singles title in the recently completed Bowlers Journal Championships, held in conjunction with the USBC Open Championships in Las Vegas. McCordic won the 60-and-older event with a 717 series at the South Point Bowling Center, two years after winning the BJ Senior Singles title with an 812 series.
* After battling through brain cancer and spinal surgery, Amanda Vermilyea averaged 235 at the 2019 USBC Women’s Championships to finish fifth in Diamond All-Events. She tells her inspiring story on the latest episode of The Bowlers Journal Podcast. You don’t want to miss this one: https://soundcloud.com/user-658733792/podcast-amanda-vermilyeas-inspiring-comeback-from-cancer-spinal-surgery.
* The guest this week on Phantom Radio is Mike Valanzano. To listen to the interview, go to: https://kegel.squarespace.com/phantomblog/2019/7/10/mike-valanzano-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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