The Cornerstone Newsletter

June Davis — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 12:35:54 GMT

"The crisis is upon us, friends. Our sport is in trouble. Many of you, that love the game as we do, will look at the crisis like a friend who is in trouble and needs our help. We must not shrink from the task before us, we should welcome it. It is 'our' generation that has been called to the challenge. If not now, when? If not us, who?"

Letter from the Editor

Don’t Be a ‘Hater’

I am a big fan of Kelly Kulick. I had the opportunity to meet her when she trained here at the Kegel Training Center just before the start of the fall tour swing. She is easily one of the most down to earth people; she is genuinely nice and one heck of a bowler. For me, it was easy to choose her when it came time to pick my PBA Fantasy Bowling Team.

I watch the PBA Tour fairly closely. I keep up with the TQR’s each week and watch match play as best as I can. I also watch the show on Sunday afternoon’s so I can root on my favorite players. Each week, I find myself rooting for Kelly; I want to see her succeed. After all, in a way, she’s put herself in the limelight by earning her way on to the professional tour.

So why is it that she worked so hard to achieve success yet so many people sit behind anonymous screen names on various website message boards and forums and bash her because she has not yet made a TV show? That is one thing that really bugs me. Kelly has worked hard to make it on tour and while, yes it is true she has not yet made a show, she is competing among the best in our sport who want to compete. She has made an effort to get out there and work and she is competing. She may not have won a tournament yet but she has already proven herself.

So to those of you who hide behind screen names on the internet, WAKE UP I say. Kelly is out there living her dream; she is competing against the best. We should embrace that there are young people, especially women, who have the desire to continue on in our sport.

To Kelly: YOU GO GIRL!

Tenth Annual Teen Masters Qualifying

Starts Rolling January 27

New national finals hits Las Vegas July 29

2007 will be an exciting year for youth bowling, and one of the ‘can’t miss’ events for competitive young players will be the ever-popular Teen Masters. The new Teen Masters will be very special this year. Not only is it the 10th annual TM event produced by Gary Beck’s Killer ‘B’ Promotions, but the national finals will be held at the incredible Orleans Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nevada July 29 - August 3.

“We love hosting youth events, and the Teen Masters is one of the best, said Mike Monyak, Director of Bowling at the Orleans. “ We have a lot of local, state, and regional events for kids, and we welcome the opportunity to have this national event. Youth bowlers are our future, and we are very happy to be a part of this tournament.”

The qualifying rounds for the Teen Masters begin in dozens of bowling centers across the nation January 27 and will conclude with a Last Chance event in Las Vegas just prior to the start of the national finals. Look for a complete list of TM qualifying centers on the official Teen Masters website www.teenmastersbowling.com.

The Teen Masters annually crowns the best high school bowlers in America, and it also reaches out to younger youth bowlers through its Classified Division for bowlers averaging 189 or less. Classified division bowlers cannot advance to the national finals, but they will win local scholarship awards, gain valuable tournament competition experience, and get one step closer to becoming the next generation of national finalists.

“We are very proud that we have been able to bring this great event to youth bowlers for 10 years now,” said Beck. “We are looking forward to making it even better in the next decade.”

The Teen Masters is America’s most exciting youth singles event. The 10th Annual Teen Masters is presented by Killer ‘B’ Promotions, and sponsored by Dexter, Southwest Airlines, Kegel, The Professional Bowlers Association, The United States Bowling Congress, and the Bowling Proprietors Association of America. Qualifying will be held across the nation starting January 27, leading to the TM National Finals in Las Vegas July 29 – August 3. It is open to all high school and younger bowlers who are certified USBC members. For complete rules, entry information, and a list of qualifying centers, visit www.killerbpromotions.com or call (434) 823 - BOWL.

Contact: Gary Beck

434-823-BOWL

garyb@killerbpromotions

www.killerbpromotions.com

2007 GBT Kegel Classic

GENERATIONS PRO BOWLING TOUR ROLLS INTO LAKE WALES
AT KEGEL TRAINING AND TOURNAMENT CENTER ON JANUARY 12

The Lake Wales area’s top senior bowlers had the unique opportunity to compete with bowling legends such as Mark Roth and Johnny Petraglia when the Generations Pro Bowling Tour (GBT) continued its inaugural season with the 2007 GBT Kegel Classic at Kegel Training and Tournament Center (KTC) in Lake Wales, FL, from January 12-16, 2007.

The GBT national tour features many of the greatest bowlers over the age of 50, as well as amateurs who think they have what it takes to bowl with the professionals. During the eight event fall swing of the tour, two senior professional bowlers, David Ozio and Dale Eagle, combined to win more than $100,000.

Some of the bowling legends competing on the GBT include such familiar names as Roth, Petraglia, Ozio, Eagle, Dave Davis, Nelson Burton, Jr. and Dave Soutar. Any bowler over the age of 50 with a minimum 200 average is eligible to compete in any of the events. There are also opportunities for bowlers of all ages and skill levels to bowl in the Pro-Ams, where winners can earn a trip to Las Vegas and the chance to compete for a first prize of $10,000. To let new bowlers check out the GBT, the $75 guest fee is being waived.

The GBT Kegel Classic event included a maximum field of 96 bowlers competing for $55,000 in total prize money and a $7,500 first prize. There are two divisions – 50+ and 60+ -- which allows bowlers over 60-years-old to compete. By offering a 1:2 cashing ratio per division, half of all competitors will receive a check.

After the first round of qualifying, Michael Henry led the Senior Division while William Keenan Jr. led the Classic Division. In the second round of qualifying, David Ozio took over the lead in the Senior Division while Dale Eagle claimed the lead in the Classic Division. The top ten bowlers in the Senior Division and the top eight bowlers in the Classic Division advanced to bowl 12 games of match play. From there, the top three in the Senior Division and the top two from the Classic Division advanced to the stepladder finals.

In the Senior Division, David Ozio, Bob Chamberlain and Michael Henry advanced to the stepladder. From the Classic Division, Dale Eagle and Dave Davis advanced to the stepladder. In match one of the stepladder, David Ozio defeated Classic Division second seed, Dave Davis 212 – 205. Ozio advanced to face Senior Division second seed, Bob Chamberlain in match two. Ozio once again advanced defeating Chamberlain 248 – 238. In match three, Ozio faced Classic Division top seed, Dale Eagle. Ozio dominated once more and advanced defeating Eagle 258 – 235. In the final match, Ozio faced top seed of the Senior Division, Michael Henry. Ozio fell short losing to Henry 218 – 249.

Michael Henry earned $7500 for his victory while second place Ozio earned $4000. Dale Eagle earned $3000, Bob Chamberlain earned $2500 and Dave Davis earned $2000. With a 1:2 payout ratio, the top 26 bowlers were awarded checks of at least $300.

The GBT continues its winter swing with two additional stops in Florida. The GBT Treasure Coast Open will run January 19 – 22 at Stuart Lanes in Stuart, Florida. The GBT Orlando Open will be hosted by Boardwalk Bowl in Orlando from January 26 -29.

TEAM USA TRIALS: 2007

By: Brandy Padilla

Team USA Trials seemed to start back in July for me. Even though I was not trying out for the Team, my friend was. She made a commitment to practice so I tagged along for the practice as well.

We started by practicing on some simple things just to get the fine tuning done early. Then we started practicing on some tougher patterns. It was definitely a long few months full of frustrations and aggravation but in the end it made us both better bowlers.

So, when January rolled around and it was actually time for Team USA Trials, she was more than ready.

We started out really early on Saturday January 6. Everyone met at my house at 3:00 AM for the drive to the airport. I dropped them all at their terminals and then headed back home; I didn’t make the trip to Reno until Tuesday January 9. The PBA Tour was already at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno so the participants of Team USA Trials got the opportunity to see a PBA show first hand. After that, competition began for them.

Day one brought Viper, the first of four different patterns, and ten of 40 games. The women bowled first starting their squad at 8:00 AM. The men followed with their first ten games at 3:00 PM. On the women’s side, Amanda Burgoyne took an early lead shooting 2273. Steven Villanueva jumped ahead for the men with a 2272. However, there was still plenty of bowling left to come and with a sold out men’s field of 156 players and field of 80 women, the competition would certainly get tough.

On day two, the men would bowl the 8:00 AM shift on the Shark pattern. Ten more games followed by the 3:00 PM women’s shift of ten games and still two days and 20 more games of bowling. On the men’s side, Rhino Page jumped into the top spot while Tennelle Milligan claimed the top spot on the women’s side.

I arrived on day two just in time to see the last game for the men and watch the entire women’s squad. To say the competition was fierce would be an understatement. These athletes were focused and at work. Seeing this type of competition first hand can give you an entirely new perspective of bowling. I certainly have a new respect for how much work it takes to be among the best.

The third day the athletes faced the Cheetah pattern. The women once again had the early squad bowling ten games at 8:00 AM. The men finished the day beginning their day at 3:00 PM. Cheetah is the highest scoring pattern on the PBA and it proved the same during this competition. Rhino Page shot 2414 on this pattern to move even further into the lead. His total for 30 games was 6743; nearly 200 pins more than the second place competitor. On the women’s side, Shannon O’Keefe fired 2405 on Cheetah to move into the top place by just seven pins; a 30 game total of 6588.

With just ten games left, the athletes faced the final day of competition on the 2006 USBC Master’s Pattern. The men once again started the day with the 8:00 AM squad. David O’Sullivan made a move shooting 2373 for ten games to propel himself into the top position and claim National Amateur title. The women’s squad began at 3:00 PM. Shannon Pluhowsky dominated this pattern shooting 2288. Unfortunately, her efforts were not enough to hold onto the lead. Lynda Barnes moved ahead to once again earn a National Amateur title.

Over the past two years there have been some changes to the Team USA selection process. Last year, the top five players in each division earned automatic berths onto the team while three other players in each division were selected by the National Selection Committee. Three of players along with the National Amateur Champions in each division were awarded two year terms. This year, the top four players who were not already on the team earned automatic berths while four more players were selected by the National Selection Committee. With the four players already on the team (from the previous year’s addition of the two year term) there will now be twelve players on the team in each division.

Joining David O’Sullivan on the men’s team were Rhino Page, Cassidy Schaub, and PJ Haggerty. Bill Hoffman, Fero Williams, Dan Patterson and David Haynes were already members of the team. Added by the National Selection Committee were John Janawicz, Mark Siders, Scott Pohl and Derek Eoff. Of these 12 players, David O’Sullivan was automatically awarded a two year term on the team. The National Selection Committee also awarded tow year terms to Bill Hoffman, David Haynes and Rhino Page.

Joining Lynda Barnes on the women’s team were Tennelle Milligan, Amanda Burgoyne, Shannon O’Keefe and Rose Brown. Barnes as well as Shannon Pluhowsky, Diandra Asbaty and Stefanie Nation were already member of the 2007 team. The National Selection Committee added Marcia Kloempken, Brenda Viator, Tina Stickney and Ashly Galante. In addition to a two year term for Lynda Barnes, the National Selection Committee awarded two year terms to Shannon Pluhowsky, Shannon O’Keefe, and Tennelle Milligan.

It was an exciting week of bowling albeit a long week of bowling. Who ever said that bowling was tough evidently has never watched a week of competitive bowling like this. I found myself pacing between people and agonizing over shots more so than many of the players. I am now coach, but I was there supporting many of the players that I know. I spent a lot of time with a couple of players trying to help them make adjustments and keep their focus. Watching them struggle was grueling to say the least. When they made good shots but didn’t get the best breaks, I found myself getting irritated along with them. It is difficult not to let your emotions affect you in those situations but when you have four long days of bowling ahead of you, you must keep your focus. In the end, when my players just didn’t make it, my heart broke too. The whole experience gave me a whole new respect for not only the players but for the coaches. Watching your players work so hard and come up just short is one of the most difficult things I can imagine. Trying to keep the players focused and motivated is no easy task.

On a personal note, I would like to congratulate John Janawicz, a fellow Kegel employee. He has tried for Team USA several times and fallen just short each time. This year was very special and I was glad to be a part of it. Congratulations to David O’Sullivan and PJ Haggerty who each did a summer internship with Kegel. They both bowled extremely well; I think that summer of bowling really paid off! Congratulations to Ashly Galante who trains at Kegel and bowled with the Kegel Junior Elite Team in its inaugural year and helped win the Junior World Team Challenge. Last but certainly not least, congratulations to my friend Brenda Viator. She worked so hard for months before the tournament preparing physically and mentally for what she would be facing. Thank you for showing me where hard work and dedication can take you; thank you for inspiring me to want to be better and thank you for helping me see that if you put your mind to it, you really can achieve.

2006 EBT Kungsbacka International

By: John Janawicz

Center: Kungsbacka Bowling and Squash Center

Location: Kungsbacka, Sweden

Conditioner: Infinity

Cleaner: Kegel Defense-C @ 5:1

Pins: Diamond Duramids

Machine: (2) Kegel Kustodian ION

Pinsetters: Brunswick A-2

Surface: Murrey Pathfinders (16 years old)

I arrived in Europe on December 6^th where I spent the first few days in Denmark doing a seminar and visiting customers. I arrived here in Kungsbacka on Friday night, December 8^th. I had to do a seminar the next day and then begin on working on the pattern. This only gave me about 26 hours to get the pattern down. I spoke with the proprietor Jorgen Lundin about what he was looking for.

Traditionally this has always been a pretty high scoring tournament with the cut number the last two years taking 1365 for 6 games. The pattern the last few years had been 41 to 43 feet and traditionally it is usually a fourth to fifth arrow shot to the track on the right and usually around 15 to 8 on the left. This year he was looking for more of an outside shot, around 6-7-8 but with the same scoring pace. Without a lot of time to test I went with a more traditional outside pattern trying to put more of the load structure in the 6-9 area. I went with a higher volume initially because even though this surface is in pretty good shape for 16 years old, it’s still 16 years old. For my initial patterns I was going 37 feet and the ball reaction seemed good but I didn’t think what I had would produce that same scoring pace. There seemed to be a lot of carry down at the 6-7-8 range and even though some of it I believe was due to volume (initial pattern was about 25 milliliters) I felt that the load structure was out of line.

I couldn’t get in touch with John Davis at the time but I was able to get in touch with John Forst who was in Qatar at the time. He suggested to move the load structure out a little bit to get them to square up and go a touch longer to be able to use that as hold instead of hang. To make a long story short, I extended it to 38 feet and widened the reverse load structure by a board and it made a pretty big difference. I also cut down the volume by a milliliter and a half by turning the pump down. At this point it was 5 hours to squad time and I had a customer bringing his machine in for me to look at so I went with it as it was. I figured it would be high enough but I didn’t expect it to be as high as they ended up. It seemed when they tightened up a bit they just got easier. It was basically a really nice blend between 5 and 10 and with the added volume and using Infinity there was minimal change.

After 11 of the 15 qualifying squads, Australian two-hander Jason Belmonte was in the lead shooting 1564 and having a low game of 246. The young Swede Pontus Halvarsson claimed the second position with 1507. In third place was fellow two-hander Osku Palermaa from Finland also above the 1500 mark. Scores were quite high with players needing more than 1400 to make the first cuts.

After the qualifying rounds were completed, players in positions nine to 48 will bowl six games. The top 24 will continue to the final step two, seeded nine through 32. Players outside the cut will be ranked 33 - 48 according to their results in the final step one. Seeding for the final step 2, players will keep their seeding one to 32 (one to eight from the qualification and nine to 32 from the final step one). In each match in the following steps the highest seeded player will meet the lowest seeded player and the second highest player will meet the second lowest seeded players etc. The top 32 players advance to final step two.

Final step two: 32 players will play 16 matches, best of five games The 16 winners of the matches will continue to the final step three The 16 losers of the matches will be ranked 17 - 32 according to their seeding after the final step one. The 16 winners move ahead.

Final step three: 16 players will play eight matches, best of five games. The eight winners of the matches will continue to the final step four. The eight losers of the matches will be ranked 9 - 16 according to their seeding after the final step one.

Final step four: eight players will play four matches, best of five games. The four winners of the matches will continue to the final step five. The four losers of the matches will be ranked 5 - 8 according to their seeding after the final step one.

Final step five: four players will play two, one game matches. The two winners of the matches will continue to the final step six. The two losers of the matches will be ranked 3 - 4 according to their seeding after the final step one.

Final step six: The final two players will play a one game match. The winner of the match will be ranked one and will be declared the champion. The loser of the match will be ranked two.

Early favorite, Jason Belmonte was eliminated in the quarter final round losing three straight games after winning the first two games to Marcus Nyberg. Nyberg fell to Palermaa 244 – 267 in the semi final round. Tomas Leandersson also fell in the semi finals losing 231 - 248 to Sweden’s and fellow countryman Peter Ljung.

Congratulations to Osku Palermaa on winning the Kungsbacka International defeating Peter Ljung 255 - 222. I would like to give another special thanks to Jorgen Lundin, Annette Johannson, Ove Wikstrom and all of the staff at the Kungsbacka Bowling and Squash Center. This is my fifth time to this tournament and they’ve always treated me like part of the family. It’s always great to come here and it’s definitely one of my favorite stops on the EBT. Oh, and by the way thanks for the Ballerinas. They’ll be put to good use. I hope it works out to come back again next year.

The Foundation – “Continuing Contributors”

What is The Foundation

The Foundation is actually a group of dedicated bowling enthusiasts (from all over the World) who are sincerely interested in bringing integrity and credibility to the Sport of Bowling. The group is made up of different categories; Founding, Charter, Associate, Pro Shop, Bowling Center and Corporate members. If you care about our Sport, you should be in The Foundation.

The Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to researching the problems that exist in our Sport. We report all of our findings on our website for the whole World to see. Basically, the Kegel Company funds the entire project. However, there are people who have wanted to help by doing something extra, in addition to their paid memberships. We classify this “Special List”, as: "Continuing Contributors". John Davis started The Foundation almost 10-years ago, and listed below are those individuals who have been able to help in an additional way through a variety of contributions to The Foundation. We sincerely thank them for their valued support.

Founding, Alayne Blomenberg, Cranston RI Founding, Vinnie Atria, Louisville Ky. US
Founding, Andrew Aiezza, Castleton NY Founding, Vic Sockrider, Ft Wayne IN US
Founding, Archie Hirashima, S. F. CA US Founding, Tom Blasco, Sat. Beach FL US
Founding, Bill Baker, Watauga TX US Charter, Tom Underwood, L. Bch. CA US
Charter, Brad Rusin, DeKalb IL US Founding, Steve Neff, Homosassa FL US
Founding, Bruce Forsland, Fairfield, AR US Founding, Shawn Evans, Sat. Beach FL US
Founding, Bryan Lipinski, Irving TX US Founding Carmen Salvino Chicago, IL US
Founding, Butch Dangel, Maspeth NY US Founding, Sam Zurich, Palm Bay FL US
Founding, Dan Ottman, Troy MI US Charter, Phillip Cary, Oakland CA US
Founding, David Driscoll, Mt. Dora FL US Founding, Norm Duke, Clermont FL US
Founding, David Ozio, Beaumont TX US Founding, Nikki Gianulias, Vallejo CA US
Founding, David Prunty, Lg. Beach WA US Founding, Nick Hoagland, Bloom., IN US
Founding, David Traber, Woodstock IL US Charter, Michael Strano, Austin TX US
Founding, Dick Stevens, Council Bl. IA US Charter, Mary Chase, N. Easton MA US
Charter, Doug Chase, N. Easton MA US Founding, Mark Martin, St. Clair MI US
Founding, Fico Perez, Levittown Puerto Rico Founding, Mark London, Crest Hill IL US
Founding, Fred Borden, Akron OH US Founding, Mark Gerberich, Akron OH US
Founding, Fred Trickey, Summerville SC US Founding, Lindsey Wong, Mt.View CA US
Founding, Jim Dressel, BJ – Illinois US Founding, Linda Davis, Sebring, FL US
Founding, Gary Parsons, Suitland MD US Founding, Len Nicholson, Vacaville CA US
Pro Shop, Guru Enterprises, Suitland MD US Founding, Kurt Pilon, Warren MI US
Founding, George Sitterle, Lancaster CA US Founding, Jim Dill, Lincoln, Neb. US
Charter, Greg Novak, Oak Park IL US Founding, Kathy Nicholson Vacavl. CA US
Founding, Hal Kaminski, Oconomo. WI US Charter, Joyce Deitch, Las Vegas NV US
Founding, James Hall, Alliance OH US Founding, John Weber, St.Charles MO US Founding, Jeff Richgels, Oregon WI US Founding, John Bickford, Ft Edward NY US

If you are interested in upgrading your Foundation Membership, please let us know. We need your help. Please contact our Administrator (June Davis) to do so, at: june.davis@kegel.net

Membership Report

We have members in all 50 states,
and the District of Columbia

We have members in 49 countries, including the United States:

Argentina Australia Bahrain Belgium Brazil Canada China Columbia Costa Rica Denmark Ecuador Egypt Finland France Germany Great Britain Greece Guam Guatemala Ireland Israel Italy Japan Korea Latvia Malaysia Mexico The Netherlands N. Ireland Netherlands Antilles
New Zealand Panama Philippines Puerto Rico Peru Qatar Scotland Singapore Slovenia South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Thailand Turkey U.A.E. Ukraine Venezuela

Corporate Sponsors

The problems that exist in our Sport are “industry-wide” problems that must be addressed by the entire Industry. The Foundation does all that they can to help, but we can NOT do it alone.

The Foundation has well over 1000-Members who have joined-in to assist. Some Members (Founding and Charter) have paid to show their support. Some Members (Associates) have just lent their “voice”. ALL of the members are important.

Even though The Foundation has NOT actively solicited bowling-related companies for help, some realize the importance of our “Mission” and have come forward with donations. We recognize the following companies for their loyalty and support to bowling.

KEGEL

KAT Travel

I.B.P.S.I.A.

EBN Services

Storm Bowling

Classic Products

Bobs’ Business, Inc.

VincennesUniversity

BowlersParadise.com

Virtualtournaments.com

Wichita State University

David Driscoll & Associates

International Bowling Industry Magazine

Stars and Strikes Bowling Newsmagazine

_________________________________________

Please send change of address or email address to the address below, to ensure uninterrupted subscription to the Cornerstone newsletter.

The Cornerstone,

The Foundation’S Newsletter

The Foundation

c/o Kegel

6800 US 27 North

Sebring FL 33870

Phone: 863-382-2643

Email: savrsprt@yahoo.com

For more information about Kegel Training Center

visit www.kegeltrainingcenter.com

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