Cornerstone Newsletter - December 2007

June Davis — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:12:49 GMT

The Cornerstone

The Foundation Newsletter

Volume 10, Issue 12 December 2007

"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?"

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Letter from the Editor

One Interesting Year

In my opinion, it has been one heck of a year. There has been a lot going on in the bowling business. Probably most noteworthy and one of the biggest “I didn’t see that coming” topics of the year was the retirement of several USBC executives. Longtime CEO of the ABC turned USBC retired in July; Sylvia Broyles retired from the board of directors in August; Chief Tournament Officer Roseann Kuhn announced her retirement (effective December 31) also in August. Collectively, this trio served the bowling community for more than 100 years.

Kevin Dornberger, interim Chief Operating Officer of the USBC was elected president of the WTBA at the WTBA meeting held during the Women’s World Championships in August. During this same meeting, the WTBA Congress voted to allow professional bowlers to compete in international events as members of a country’s national team. This vote will bolster the effort to get bowling into the Olympics.

Speaking of World Championships, the women competed and once again fell just short of their gold medal goal. Having previously missed the gold in 2005 by only 11 pins, the Team USA women needed every pin and a little help from Malaysia. Team Malaysia needed only a mark by their final bowler to secure the win. They did just that forcing Team USA into the silver medal position by only seven pins.

And speaking of women, the women made it back on TV. Not only did the Women’s US Open make it to TV in a somewhat interesting format, but we also saw the women on TV with four events that coincided with four Denny’s PBA Tour stops. During the Women’s US Open, participants had the option of competing for one of 16 spots on the PBA Women’s Series. The top 16 women compete during four Denny’s PBA Tour stops with the finals being shown on TV during the regular telecast.

Summing up this year in bowling is certainly a job for more than this page of space so stay tuned to the January issue where we recap some of the excitement of 2007 and highlight some of the things to come for 2008.

From our Family to Yours:

May your holiday season bring you bountiful blessings, warm new holiday memories and happiness for the year to come.

Happy Holidays!

Johnson, Rash named BWAA Kegel Top Bowlers for October

History was made in October

For the first time, the Bowlers Writers Association of America (BWAA) selected co-winners. Liz Johnson and Sean Rash shared the BWAA ‘Kegel Bowler of the Month’ award.

What did Liz do?

Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., won the U.S. Women's Open at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno by defeating Shannon O'Keefe, 248-215. The victory was her 12th national title.

The following week in October, Johnson rolled the highest 3-game series (843) in the 2007 USBC Masters in Milwaukee. She finished in the 13-16th place bracket, the highest of the 17 women entered, and also the highest finish by any woman entered in previous Masters.

How about Sean?

Rash, Wichita, Kan., won the 2007 USBC Masters at Miller Park by defeating Steve Jaros, 269-245. The victory kept Rash's TV record perfect with a 7-0 mark in televised match play. The Masters was Rash's first Major, and fourth title. He bested 485 entrants and earned $100,000 plus a two-year exemption on the Denny's Professional Bowlers Association tour.

Who else?

Jaros, Bolingbrook, Ill., who rolled a 290 game and 814 series during the televised final rounds of the Masters before losing to Rash, also received support in October.

Also considered was Team America (Tim Mack, Bill Hoffman, Tommy Jones, Chris Barnes, and Doug Kent) which won the eighth annual Weber Cup, described as "The Ryder Cup” of bowling when a United States team bowls against Team Europe. The team, coming from a virtually insurmountable four-point deficit, won seven of the next eight points to win the cup, defending last year's victory.

BWAA Convention Hotel Set for June 23-26 Orlando Meetings

The International Plaza Hotel in Orlando has been selected as the host site for the June 23-26 2008 Bowling Writers Association of America convention.

The annual meeting will be held at the Plaza Tuesday, June 24. The board of directors will meet Monday afternoon, June 23, which will be followed by a welcome reception hosted by BPAA as part of the extensive writer’s Bowl Expo package.

Hoffman brings World Cup back to the United States

By: Lucas Wiseman, USBC Communications

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - Team USA's Bill Hoffman of Columbus, Ohio, became the first American to win the men's division at the QubicaAMF World Cup in a dozen years Saturday.

Hoffman, an eight-time Team USA member, defeated Australia's Jason Belmonte 2-1 in the best of three championship match to win one of the sport's most prestigious individual titles. He is the first U.S. player to win the event since Patrick Healey Jr. in 1995.

"I bowled on Team USA for three years with Healey and a lot of this has to do with the experience I gathered by bowling with the last American to win this event," Hoffman said. "This is by far my biggest singles title ever. I hope to bring the Team USA program back to the top of the world in team and singles. And this is a step in that direction."

The World Cup, which has a storied history and is by far the world's biggest international event, featured 90 countries this year. Hoffman beat a field of 84 players in the men's division, including many of the best bowlers in the world.

In the championship match, Hoffman started with a 227-147 victory before falling 268-192 in Game 2. Hoffman rebounded to win the deciding game 221-181 and was propelled to the title by tripping the 4-9 for a strike in the fifth frame and a crossover strike in the sixth.

"The lane got harder in the third game," Hoffman said. "I did the same thing Jason did in the first game and used the last couple of frames in the second game to get lined up with a different ball. But if I didn't throw it really good, the ball could go anywhere."

Hoffman advanced to the title match with an easy 2-0 victory over former Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour exempt player Andres Gomez of Columbia. Hoffman swept the match with victories of 247-196 and 276-205.

In the women's championship, Australia's Ann-Maree Putney defeated Korea's Lee Sun Hee 2-0 to win the title. It's the sixth time Australia has claimed the women's division title.

Putney won the first game 280-201 and pulled away in the final frames to win the deciding game 247-226. In the opening match, Lee advanced with a 2-0 victory over Tina Hulsch of Germany.

"This is just fantastic," said Putney, a single mother of two who earned the silver medal in singles and bronze in all-events at this year's WTBA Women's World Championships in Monterrey, Mexico. "I don't think it has hit me yet, but it's really great."

Team USA's Lynda Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, finished 12th overall, missing the cut to the top eight Thursday by 51 pins.

Elite women's cast added to Team USA 2008

By: Kevin Hazaert, USBC Communications

With a combined 102 career titles on the Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour, bowling's "Dream Team" is becoming a reality with Walter Ray Williams Jr., Parker Bohn III, Chris Barnes, Tommy Jones, Patrick Allen and Sean Rash being named to Team USA 2008 on Tuesday.

In August, the World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA) voted to allow members of professional organizations to compete in international events, prompting USBC to change the selection procedures for Team USA in 2008.

A PBA/USBC committee selected the six from the pool of the Denny's PBA Tour exempt players eligible for selection. The National Selection Committee has the option to add up to two more exempt players at a later date based off performance from the first half of the 2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour season.

"Having been a pro my whole career, I never had the opportunity to be a part of Team USA," said Williams, who owns 42 Denny's PBA Tour titles in his career - the most in tour history. "I feel honored they selected me and hopefully I can contribute in a very positive manner. It should be fun bowling with these great players instead of against them."

More on the Team USA selections from the Denny's PBA Tour

* Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla.: Arguably the greatest player in bowling history, Williams has seven career major titles and is a six-time Player of the Year. The PBA and USBC Hall of Famer has earned a tour record $3,896,091 in his career and has won at least one title in 14 consecutive seasons, tying him with Earl Anthony for the record.

* Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J.: With more than $2.4 million in career earnings, Bohn owns 30 Denny's PBA Tour titles - including the 2001 USBC Masters - to rank fifth all-time. The lefthander has won a career-best five titles in a season twice (1999 and 2001-02), being named Player of the Year in each.

* Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas: The spokesperson for the USBC Sport Bowling program, Barnes has eight career Denny's PBA Tour titles, including two majors (2005 U.S. Open and 2006 Tournament of Champions). In just nine seasons on tour, he has amassed more than $1.3 million in career PBA earnings, becoming the fastest player to earn $1 million. Before his pro career, Barnes was a member of Team USA from 1994-98.

* Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C.: Jones owns 10 career Denny's PBA Tour titles, including two majors (2006 U.S. open and 2007 Tournament of Championships) all coming in the last three seasons. Last season, he broke the PBA record for shortest time between first and 10th titles by four days with his victory at the Tournament of Champions.

* Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla.: A nine-time winner on the Denny's PBA Tour, Allen was named the 2004-05 Player of the Year after winning back-to-back titles as well as the 2005 Denny's World Championship. That season, the lefthander finished in the top five in all four majors, the first bowler in history to accomplish the feat since the USBC Masters became an official tour event in 1998.

* Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan.: A member of Team USA in 2002 and 2004-05, Rash owns three Denny's PBA Tour titles and boasts a 6-0 record on TV. He became the first bowler in Tour history to win a title after qualifying for an event through the Denny's PBA Tour Qualifying Round when he won the 2006 West Virginia Championship as a rookie, earning an exemption for the 2006-07season.

"It's an honor and privilege to be a part of Team USA," said Bohn, who was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2000. "When you hear the National Anthem after someone wins a gold medal, it puts a chill down your spine. Knowing there is a chance that someday I can have that privilege, I thoroughly look forward to it."

The six Denny's PBA Tour players selected will join David Haynes, Bill Hoffman, David O'Sullivan and Rhino Page, all of whom earned spots on Team USA 2008 due to their performance at the 2007 USBC Team USA Trials.

Four additional men will be added at the 2008 USBC Team USA Trials, with the top two finishers earning automatic selections and two more players selected from the field by the National Selection Committee.

"The Team USA program is very excited to have a bigger pool of athletes to select from," said David Garber, USBC Team USA high-performance director. "We welcome the Denny's PBA Tour exempt players who will work together with the best amateurs on Team USA, creating the 'Dream Team.'"

Six men from Team USA 2008 will represent the United States at the 2008 Men's World Championships, scheduled for August in Bangkok, Thailand.

On Wednesday, a USBC committee will select an undetermined amount of women from a pool of players that includes Team USA members since 1998 and former Professional Women's Bowling Association/Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour members. They will join Lynda Barnes, Shannon O'Keefe, Tennelle Milligan and Shannon Pluhowsky, all of whom earned spots on Team USA 2008 due to their performance at the 2007 USBC Team USA Trials. Four additional women will be added at the 2008 USBC Team USA Trials, with the top two finishers earning automatic selections and two more players selected from the field by the National Selection Committee.

The 2008 USBC Team USA Trials will take place Jan. 13-18 at Sunset Station in Las Vegas. The event is open to any USBC member, including those who were in the pool but were not selected for Team USA. Denny's PBA Tour players are also eligible but must receive an exemption from the PBA in order to compete.

USBC forming lane conditioner/cleaner ‘task force’.

Patrick Brettingen, USBC Communications

Continuing to foster its cooperative working relationships regarding research and testing initiatives, the United States Bowling Congress is creating a task force with manufacturers of lane conditioners and lane cleaners.

The USBC and Manufacturer Lane Conditioner/Cleaner Task Force will include USBC research technicians and representatives from companies that produce bowling lane conditioners and cleaners. The group's first meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 21, 2008 at the Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort and Spa at Grande Dunes during the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America Bowling Summit Jan. 20-24, 2008, in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The meeting agenda is expected to cover: lane conditioner viscosity testing, possible future specifications, flash point testing of lane cleaners and conditioners, setting a federal safety code designation and annual permit renewals.

"The goal of this study group is to jointly discuss long-term research projects relating to lane conditioners and cleaners and investigate the possible need to set new specifications in that area," said USBC Technical Director Neil Stremmel.

Conditioner - more commonly referred to as "lane oil" - is a liquid applied by a machine to a bowling lane and has two purposes: to protect the wood or synthetic surface and to affect the level of difficulty of the sport by applying the oil in a specific pattern. Lane cleaner is the liquid used to clean and strip oil from a bowling lane.

Representatives of bowling lane conditioners and cleaners are invited by USBC to be part of the task force. Those interested should contact USBC Research Engineer Robert Roloff at robert.roloff@bowl.com or (800) 514-2695, ext. 3203 no later than Friday, Oct. 12. Participation is on a voluntary basis. Manufacturers agreeing to join the task force are responsible for making all arrangements and costs for attending the meetings.

USBC is currently part of joint industry task forces on bowling balls and lanes. USBC is forming a task force with companies that make synthetic bowling lanes to study how issues relating to the sport's playing surface affect scoring and credibility. The first meeting of the USBC and Manufacturer Lane Surface Task Force is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 17 at USBC Headquarters in Greendale, Wis.

The USBC Bowling Ball Specifications Task Force - formed in 2005 and comprised of representatives from 13 bowling ball manufacturing companies and USBC staff - addresses bowling ball performance issues and their impact on the sport.

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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.

Vincennes University

BowlersParadise.com

Virtualtournaments.com

Wichita State University

David Driscoll & Associates

International Bowling Industry Magazine

Stars and Strikes Bowling Newsmagazine

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Cornerstone Newsletter - December 2007