E-dition No. 1,067 • Friday, July 19, 2019
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
Vegas Replaces Indy as 2020 Junior Gold Host
Las Vegas will replace Indianapolis as the host of the 2020 Junior Gold Championships, presented by the Brands of Ebonite International, the United States Bowling Congress announced this week.
The Orleans Hotel & Casino, which has hosted numerous pro and megabuck events through the years at its 52-lane bowling center, will serve as the headquarters hotel and site of the opening ceremony.
The event will run July 11-18, kicking off with registration and the trade show. The opening ceremony will take place at the adjacent Orleans Arena, which seats approximately 9,000 spectators.
The opening ceremony will be highlighted by a live telecast of the PWBA Las Vegas Open. The Las Vegas Open will run July 8-12, with preliminary rounds conducted at Sam’s Town Hotel and Casino — a regular stop on the women’s pro bowling tour before the PWBA ceased operations in 2003.
The South Point Bowling Plaza, one of seven venues that will be used for competition, will be the host center for the finals in all Junior Gold divisions.
Las Vegas first served as host city for the Junior Gold Championships in 2000, the third year of the tournament, and again hosted the event in 2011, when just over 1,600 youth bowlers participated. More than 4,700 spots have been sold for the 2019 Junior Gold Championships, which is taking place this week in Detroit.
“The Orleans provides a great venue for the Junior Gold Championships, as it not only will be one of the centers for competition but also has the capability to serve as host for the annual trade show and opening ceremony,” said Gary Brown, International Bowling Campus Managing Director of Youth Development.
In addition to The Orleans Bowling Center and the South Point Bowling Plaza, competition at the 2020 Junior Gold Championships will take place at Sam’s Town Bowling Center, Suncoast Bowling Center, Texas Star Lanes at Texas Station, Sunset Station Strike Zone and the Gold Coast Bowling Center.
In addition to the Junior Gold Championships, the USA Bowling National Championships and Youth Open Championships also will take place in Las Vegas next year.
2 Storied LPBT Host Centers on 2020 PWBA Schedule
The PWBA Tour will visit Las Vegas twice in 2020, first for the USBC Queens at the South Point Bowling Plaza, and then not quite two months later for the Las Vegas Open at Sam’s Town Bowling Center, which will culminate with an arena finals at The Orleans Arena (see lead story above).
Sam’s Town hosted numerous majors over the years, including the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour Sam’s Town Invitational.
Another venue brimming with women’s pro bowling history, The Cherry Bowl in Rockford, Ill., also is on the schedule. That center, owned by John Sommer, served as the home of the LPBT, which Sommer operated until he was forced to shut it down in 2003.
The U.S. Women’s Open, the second major of the season, is scheduled June 23-30 at USA Bowl in Dallas, just prior to International Bowl Expo in Aurora, Colo.
Seminole Lanes in Seminole, Fla., will play host to the season’s third major, the PWBA Players Championship, Aug. 19-22, and the 2020 season will conclude with the PWBA Tour Championship, which brings together the top 16 players from the season, at a site to be announced.
Here’s a look at the full schedule:
• April 23-25 — PWBA Tucson Open, Lucky Strike Bowl, Tucson, Ariz.
• April 30-May 2 — PWBA Spokane Open, Lilac Lanes At Cedar Creek, Spokane, Wash.
• May 7-9 — PWBA Sacramento Open, Steve Cook’s Fireside Lanes, Sacramento, Calif.
• May 13-19 — USBC Queens, South Point Bowling Plaza, Las Vegas, Nev.
• May 28-30 — PWBA Greater Cleveland Open, Yorktown Lanes, Parma Heights, Ohio.
• June 4-6 — PWBA Rockford Open, The Cherry Bowl, Rockford, Ill.
• June 11-13 — PWBA East Texas Open, Oil Bowl, Longview, Texas.
• June 23-30 — U.S. Women’s Open, USA Bowl, Dallas.
• July 8-12 — PWBA Las Vegas Open, Sam’s Town Bowling Center and The Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.
• July 23-26 – PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles, Copperfield Bowl, Houston.
• Aug. 6-8 — PWBA Greater Columbus Open, Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl, Columbus, Ohio.
• Aug. 13-15 — PWBA Tennessee Open, Pinnacle Family Entertainment Center, Clarksville, Tenn.
• Aug. 19-22 — PWBA Players Championship, Seminole Lanes, Seminole, Fla.
• TBD — PWBA Tour Championship.
Johnny Campos Elected President of IBMA
Johnny Campos has been elected President of the International Bowling Media Association.
The election took place during International Bowl Expo in Las Vegas. Campos was one of five individuals elected to the IBMA Board of Directors, the others being Brian Hirsch, Kevin Hong, Gianmarc Manzione and Sam Vasta.
Following the general meeting, the IBMA Board met to elect officers for one-year terms. Joining Campos are Mark Miller, First Vice President; Hirsch, Second Vice President, and Hong, Sergeant-at-Arms.
Keith Hamilton and Bill Zuben elected not to seek re-election to the board. Hamilton recently joined the Bowlers to Veterans Link Board of Directors.
Business Briefs…
* The Youngstown State bowling program has signed a sponsorship agreement with Ebonite International, giving the Penguins access to the bowling balls and equipment under the Columbia 300, Ebonite, Hammer and Track brands. YSU will represent Columbia 300 as part of the agreement. “Ebonite International continues to invest heavily in both the present and the future of our sport through many exciting avenues at the youth, collegiate, amateur and professional ranks,” YSU head coach Doug Kuberski said. “They also have a deep catalog of equipment that’ll empower us in many ways as we navigate the challenges of an NCAA season.” More: https://www.ysusports.com/sports/wbowl/2019-20/releases/ebi-international-announce-0717
* B&B Theatres has announced plans to open another venue that will include bowling among its amenities. The venue will be part of the new Twin Creeks Village in Kansas City, Mo., and will include eight screens, 12 lanes, a redemption arcade and an elevated food-and-beverage program. More: https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/cityscape/article232743252.html. Twin Creeks is poised to be the next growth area in Kansas City, with the infrastructure being developed to handle as many as 70,000 new residents. For more on that, click here: https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/development/article5312112.html.
* Historic Lakewood Theatre in East Dallas, Texas, had seen much better days when Craig and Jennifer Spivey acquired it and began a massive modernization project that is converting it into a 10-lane bowling and entertainment center. They’re chosen Bowlski’s as the name for their business, and have retained many of the theater’s old elements. And as a nod to the building’s past, the shoe rental counter also will serve as a candy bar. The Spiveys are hoping for a late-summer opening. Read more here: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Historic-Lakewood-Theater-Prepares-To-Reopen-As-Bowling-Alley-512705771.html.
* Main Event Entertainment plans to open its first Pelican State location at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge in mid- to late August. The facility will be housed in a 50,000-sq.-ft space formerly occupied by an hhgregg electronics store, and will featured the usual array of Main Event attractions. It will be the 42nd Main Event location nationwide.
Other News You Can Use…
* The PBA League will have a new Elias Cup champion Thursday night when L.A. X and the hometown-favorite Portland Lumberjacks will face off in the 7th annual team championship round at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine. No. 4 seeded L.A. X, led by Jason Belmonte, eliminated the No. 8 New York City KingPins in a two-game sweep in Wednesday’s semifinal round, while the No. 7 Lumberjacks, anchored by former PBA Player of the Year Wes Malott, needed three extra frames to oust the 2016 and ’17 Elias Cup champion and No. 3-seeded Dallas Strikers in the second match. The PBA League’s live coverage of the Elias Cup finals airs Thursday on FS1 at 9 p.m. Eastern. Report: https://www.pba.com/articles/LA-X-Hometown-Favorite-Portland-Lumberjacks-Advance-to-PBA-League-Elias-Cup-Title-Match
* PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke, after winning two 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour titles in back-to-back tournaments at age 54, has been selected by PBA fans as the winner of the 2019 ESPY Best Bowler Award. The announcement was made as part of the annual ESPYs telecast from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. More: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/norm-duke-wins-fifth-career-espy-award/.
* Wearing a brace to shore up his ailing left knee, Brian LeClair recovered from a slow start to beat PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber 225-200 in the title match to win the PBA50 River City Extreme Open presented by Hammer in Monticello, Minn., for his first win of the season and fourth of his career. “I never thought I’d be in this position again,” said the 2017 PBA50 Player of the Year. “It’s been a long road and a constant work in progress for the last year-and-a-half to get to a point where I can trust my leg and be confident that I can be competitive again.” Report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/brian-leclair-defeats-pete-weber-to-win-pba50-river-city-extreme-open/.
* The bowling center long known as Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick, N.J., is back on the PBA Tour schedule as one of four hosts — all Bowlero locations — of the 2020 PBA Playoffs. For a look at the historic significance of that center, click here: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/the-historical-significance-of-the-pba-tours-return-to-the-former-carolier-lanes-in-2020/.
* This week on Phantom Radio, the Phantom — who has interviewed more than 500 guests over the course of some 1,100 podcasts — reveals details of a special contest involving two of bowling’s trivia masters. Learn about it here: https://kegel.squarespace.com/phantomblog/2019/7/17/len-nicholson-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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