Foundation Games XI

July 2002  PBA Central Regional  Sterling Hts., MI  ( At Sunnybrook )

1.  Jeff Zaffino, Warren, Pennsylvania
2.  Marty Letscher, Warren, Ohio
3.  Brian Hatcher, Harrison Township, Michigan

Jeff Zaffino from Warren. Pa., etched his name onto an impressive list of Foundation Games champions by besting a field of 114-players in the PBA Central Region Foundation Games event at spacious Sunnybrook Lanes. The "straight-throwing" Touring Player showed the way with a commanding display of accuracy across the 2-distinctly different and demanding conditions.

The Foundation Games are unique tournaments that are put in place in an attempt to eliminate some of the inequities that sometimes occur in major bowling events in this Country and around the World. Kegel Tech Billy Guthrie and the Central Region's Randy Hart (a lane maintenance guru) diligently worked together to provide the professionals with the finest in lane maintenance. They met at Sunnybrook, which is a 58-lane two-sided center that also has a hotel and a golf course in the complex. Their plan of attack was to double strip the lanes to eliminate any and all residue from the existing house shot, which is usually a good idea for any major tournament.

DAY 1 - Friday: This was practice session day and the lane crew met early in the morning to perform their chores. The decision to double-strip was a good one, as the middles were not getting properly cleaned. Adjustments were made to the machine in an attempt to alleviate that problem. Both patterns (the "long" and the "short") were applied prior to practice session. These were the exact same patterns that were used at the Foundation Games tournament that was being held in the PBA Midwest Region in Madison, Wisconsin on this same weekend. Practice looked good and the early prediction was that the "long" would score better than the "short" as it usually does. The boys went to dinner and decided to meet at the ungodly hour of 4am on Sat.

DAY 2 - Saturday: The task of double-stripping all 58-lanes is not an enviable one, however conscientious lanemen have to do it. This "insurance" is sometimes overlooked and unfavorable results will usually catch-up to you later on in the tournament. Upon completion of the cleaning, the "short pattern" was then applied. The usual tapes were taken as well as the all-important "process verification" - another must at each and every Foundation Games tournament. Walking the machine and watching "the lines" is another all important duty of the thorough laneman.

The short (31ft. pattern) played as expected with many players who hadn't practiced on it the day before, being completely lost. This shorter distance calls for tame equipment for some and an outside "line" for most. Watching some of the inexperienced players trying to play the 4 th arrow was rather comical, if not sad. However, the talent level of this Region saw that the overall scores being relatively high with the leader at +135, and 16 th place (the cut), being at +47.

After the 5-games of qualifying on the "short", tapes were taken and the lanes were once again double stripped. The "long pattern" was then applied to the pre-described distance of 43 ft. "Process Verification" (a "key" to the Foundation's strict standards), was carefully checked and tapes of the fresh pattern were taken. The oil application was checked on each and every lane as the machine went up-and-down the lane, another Foundation "must". As expected, this pattern with its length and volume, once again proved to be the higher scoring of the two. The players are more used to longer oil in this day and age and also have more equipment that is designed for it. This pattern also is more forgiving than the short, not to mention the factors of concentration and the patience that's required. Most players moved inside (13-18), with only a handful playing out - most notably was Zaffino who put on a clinic off of the "twig". With 2-games to go, the track area (down the lane) blew open and scores went through the roof. The cut ended up being at +133 for 16 th place and +30 to cash. Marty Letscher was the qualifying leader at +227.

DAY 3 - Sunday: The guys arrived at 3:00am, took tapes and double-stripped the lanes again. It was now Finals time and both patterns would be used. Half of the lanes would be dressed with the long, and the other half would be short. The finalist would bowl a round-robin format with the final game (#16) being a position round match before cutting to the top-5 for the traditional step-ladder finals. The Finals consisted of a strong field of current Touring players, some former Touring pro's and some up-and-coming young stars. It appeared as though the more experienced players quickly figured out the dual conditions as they went back-and-forth between the short and long patterns throughout the match-play competition.

The Top-5

In the first match, Brian Hatcher defeated Jack Jurek 244-208. Hatcher, a talented youngster from Wichita State then went on to beat U.S. Open Champion Mika Koivuniemi in a tight match by a score of 191-184. Neither player seemed to get loose in this nail-biter. The next match saw the powerful Marty Letscher dispose of Hatcher in a closely contested battle 214-198. The title match was a blow-out and Zaffino was unstoppable and bowled a beautiful 265 to Marty's 191. Jeff received the winners check of $2500.00, the Foundation Gold Medal and an all expense paid trip to the International Foundation Games Championships in 2003. Letscher and Hatcher received Silver and Bronze Medals and free entries into those Championships along with their checks from the PBA.

Randy Shank, Proprietor of Sunnybrook Lanes, Dan Ottman, Central Region Director, Jerry Edgar and the entire Staff at Sunnybrook lanes are to be commended for putting on a fantastic show throughout the weekend. Plans to do "it" again next year are already underway. Kudos also go out to all of the players who competed in this event and making it the success that it was.

This marked the 11 th consecutive "successful " Foundation Games event and The Foundation is proud to be involved in being part of bringing integrity and credibility to the Sport of bowling. The intricate and totally involved planning for an event like this is needed in each and every tournament. The Foundation remains dedicated and we refuse to leave stones unturned.