Bowling 2010 - Saturday, June 19

Event Schedule

  • Friday, June 18, 2010
  • *5:30 p.m. Athlete Leadership Summit
  • *7:00 p.m. Alabama Sports Festival Opening Ceremonies for all sports: Cauldron Lighting, Parade of Athletes (FREE T-Shirt for registered athletes-see your head coach for coupon), free prizes, chance to win a $1,000 college scholarship.

    • Check out the new Opening Ceremonies site with loads of information about everything that will be happening on June 18 at the BJCC Arena!


  • Saturday, June 19, 2010
  • 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Check-In/On-Site Registration
  • 9:00 a.m. Competition Begins

Entry Fees

Standard Registration - Received by June 4, 2010
*Youth - No Scholarship $15
*Youth - Direct entry to scholarship (Average 100 & above only) $30
*Adult $20
*Per Team $40
On-Site Registration - 7:30-8:30 a.m. at venue
*Youth - No Scholarship $20
*Adult $25
*Per Team $50

Venue Information

  • Brunswick Riverview Lanes
  • 2908 Riverview Road
  • Birmingham, AL 35242

ASF Contact

Tournament Director

    Register Online Now for Bowling!

    Select your division below and click on the link to register online. You must be 18 years or older and have a valid Visa or MasterCard to register online. If you are not 18 yet, be sure to ask your parent or guardian to register you.

  • Youth (Scholarship)!
  • Youth (No Scholarship)!
  • Adult!
  • Team!

    Register By Mail Now for Bowling!

    In order to register by mail, download the complete registration packets below. Please be sure to check off events you are entering on the Registration Chart, complete either the Individual or Team Entry Form A or B and be sure to sign the Waiver Form(s). You only need to submit one Team Entry Form. Clip out the Registration Chart and Official Entry Form(s) and mail with Entry Fee to:

    Alabama Sports Festival

    P.O. Box 20327

    Montgomery, AL 36120

  • Bowling Individual Packet!
  • Bowling Team Packet!

Age Divisions

Youth event open to all bowlers 20 and under as of August 1, 2010, and do not participate in USBC adult tournament or leagues. Adult & Senior event open to all adult bowlers age 21 and over (including USBC youth who bowl in adult leagues). The coach/participant should have proof-of-age documents. In case of eligibility disputes, lack of proper documentation will result in disqualification of individual participants and/or team.

Event Rules and Format

The Alabama Sports Festival bowling tournament is open to any resident in the state of Alabama and anyone belonging to an Alabama Bowling Association. This is a sanctioned United States Bowling Congress (USBC) tournament. All participants must have a valid USBC membership card and present it before the first round begins. Non-members need to purchase a card prior to the tournament to be eligible for sanctioned high game/series awards. This can be done at www.bowl.com.

USBC Rules 319 (a), 319 (d), and 319 (e) do not apply.

Average - All bowlers will use their current sanctioned league averages (highest average if in more than one league) as of May 1, 2010, based on 12 games or more. Those without an average will bowl in the upper division. Bowlers must have verification of average documents on hand at the event site.

The recap sheet, league standing sheet or roster sheet are acceptable verifications of average documents. Reporting of incorrect averages may be cause for disqualification.

Youth No Scholarship Division

This is a SCRATCH tournament

Youth participants must not participate in USBC adult tournaments/leagues.

Youth Scholarship Division

This is a SCRATCH tournament

The Alabama Sports Festival is offering eight scholarships for Alabama's youth bowlers. Scholarships will be offered for first and second places in four divisions. Boys and girls will compete together. Youth bowlers can participate in an Alabama Sports Festival qualifier that will be held at their local bowling center or pay a direct fee to be entered into the scholarship finals. For more information on qualifiers, contact your bowling center manager or youth bowling coach.

Click here to download the 2010 Qualifier Packet!

Adult and Senior Divisions

This is a SCRATCH tournament

Seniors can bowl in his/her senior division and/or adult division based on his/her average. Seniors can bowl in their senior division and/or adult division based on their average.

Tournament Format

Tournament will consist of a three game qualifying round. After qualifying rounds, the field will be cut in half, with the top half (50 percent), advancing to a two (2) game semi-final round. Immediately after the semi-final round the top five (5) bowlers advance to a stepladder roll-off. In the event of a tie to determine the semi-finalists or finalists, an extra ninth (9th) and tenth (10th) frame roll-off will be held on a pair of lanes to be determined by the tournament director. An extra ninth (9th) and tenth (10th) frame roll-off will be held if necessary to break a tie in the stepladder roll-off.

Click here to view a tournament format chart.

Team Format

Teams will bowl separately from the individual competition. A team consists of 4 people. Teams will bowl one 3 game set with the total scratch score to determine 1st and 2nd. Teams will bowl in six divisions. Adult and youth will compete separately. Team competition starts after individual competition concludes.

Awards

Individual

Alabama Sports Festival State Games Medal awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each event. Females and males will be awarded separately, except for the Youth Scholarship Division in which they compete together.

Team

Each individual on the 1st or 2nd place team will be awarded an Alabama Sports Festival State Games Medal.

These are the recommended hotel partners close to the Bowling venue(s) that will be used. For additional hotel partners to choose from, Click Here.

Recommended Hotel Partners

  • Homewood Suites by Hilton
  • 215 Inverness Center Drive
  • Birmingham, AL 35242
  • Phone: 205-995-9823
  • Fax: 205-995-9843

  • Studio: $99 + tax
  • King: $119 + tax
  • Double: $129 + tax

  • Cut-Off Date: May 23, 2010
  • SpringHill Suites by Marriott
  • 3950 Colonnade Parkway
  • Birmingham, AL 35243
  • Phone: 205-969-8099
  • Fax: 205-969-8098

  • Double: $89 + tax
  • Suite: $89 + tax

  • Cut-Off Date: June 4, 2010
  • Best Western Mountain Brook
  • 4627 Highway 280 S.
  • Birmingham, AL 35242
  • Phone: 205-991-997
  • Fax: 205-995-0570

  • Non-Double: $69 + tax

  • Cut-Off Date: June 10, 2010
  • Hampton Inn Colonnade - Birmingham
  • 3400 Colonnade Parkway
  • Birmingham, AL 35243
  • Phone: 205-967-0002
  • Fax: 205-969-0901

  • Double Queen: $84 + tax

  • Cut-Off Date: May 28, 2010
  • Hyatt Place Inverness
  • 4686 Hwy 280 East
  • Birmingham, AL 35242
  • Phone: 205-995-9242
  • Fax: 205-995-2226

  • Single Occupancy: $82 + tax
  • Double Occupancy: $82 + tax
  • Triple Occupancy: $82 + tax
  • Quad Occupancy: $82 + tax

  • Cut-Off Date: June 7, 2010

2010 Official Results

Bowling-Teams Results

    Division I (651+ Average)

  • 1 - RSPKSTKMYST (Birmingham)
  • 2 - It Ends Here (Hazel Green)

    Division IV (551-600 Average)

  • 1 - 3 Guys and a Girl (Hueytown)

    Division IV (651 & Over Average)

  • 1 - First-Timers (Indian Springs)
  • 2 - Last Minute (Birmingham)
  • 3 - Keep Gettin It (Calera)

    Division VI (400 & Under)

  • 1 - Beauty Queens (North Port)
  • 2 - King Pins (Pelham)

Bowling-[21 & Under] No Scholarship Results

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 71-99

  • 1 - Katie Reece (North Port)
  • 2 - Sarah Reece (North Port)
  • 3 - Kenneth Ealy (Birmingham)

    Youth Female [21 & Under] 156-180

  • 1 - Olivia Derico (Montgomery)

    Youth Male [21 & Under] 0-70

  • 1 - DeCarri Wells (Birmingham)
  • 2 - Devin H. Dowdle (Indian Springs)

    Youth Male [21 & Under] 156-180

  • 1 - Matthew C. Brannan (Wetumpka)
  • 2 - Chris Stockard (Birmingham)

Bowling-[21 & Under] Scholarship Results

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 100-129

  • 1 - Joshua McDaniel (Vance)
  • 2 - Logan C. Goens (Arab)
  • 3 - Carla Blake (Coaling)

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 130-155

  • 1 - Ryan M. Preston (Huntsville)
  • 2 - Warren Graf (Phenix City)
  • 3 - Mason Walker (Gordo)

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 156-180

  • 1 - Ned Henry (Huntsville)
  • 2 - Marcus J. Ealy (Birmingham)
  • 3 - Chris Towry (Huntsville)

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 181 & Over

  • 1 - Charles Nottingham (Huntsville)
  • 2 - Cody Garton (Huntsville)
  • 3 - Konnor George (Helena)

Bowling-[22 & Over] Results

    Adult Female [22 & Over] 133 & Below

  • 1 - Michelle Reece (North Port)

    Adult Female [22 & Over] 164-178

  • 1 - Melynda Walker (Gordo)

    Adult Female [22 & Over] 194 & Over

  • 1 - Valerie Jeffries (Birmingham)

    Adult Male [22 & Over] 179-193

  • 1 - Tony A. Deavers (Prattville)
  • 2 - Charles T. Nottingham (Harvest)

    Adult Male [22 & Over] 194 & Over

  • 1 - Norwood H. Cutter (Huntsville)
  • 2 - Jermaine Johnson (Calera)
  • 3 - Derrick Nottingham (Huntsville)

2009 Official Results

Bowling-Teams Results

    Division I (651+ Average)

  • 1 - Three and One (Northport)

    Division II (601-650 Average)

  • 1 - Plamor Bowlers (Hazel Green)
  • 2 - Auburn Team 2 (Auburn)
  • 3 - T-Town 1 (Lake View)

    Division IV (651 & Over Average)

  • 1 - Beard and Babes (Invalid Zipcode)
  • 2 - 3 Guys and a Girl (Arab)
  • 3 - Auburn Team 1 (Auburn)

    Division V (401-475)

  • 1 - T-Town Boys (Lake View)

Bowling-[21 & Under] No Scholarship Results

    Youth Female [21 & Under] 71-99

  • 1 - Katie Reece (North Port)
  • 2 - Hannah Walker (Gordo)

    Youth Male [21 & Under] 0-70

  • 1 - Quatarius Flowers (Columbus)
  • 2 - Tristan Rock-Rolison (Seale)

    Youth Male [21 & Under] 130-155

  • 1 - Mason Walker (Gordo)

    Youth Male [21 & Under] 156-180

  • 1 - David Ballentine (Montgomery)

    Youth Male [21 & Under] 71-99

  • 1 - Simeon Cox (Tuscaloosa)

    Youth-Bumpers

  • 1 - Kyle Wright (Trussville)

Bowling-[21 & Under] Scholarship Results

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 130-155

  • 1 - Chris Towry (Huntsville)
  • 2 - Bryan Dirksen (Enterprise)
  • 3 - Warren Graf (Phenix City)

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 156-180

  • 1 - Alex Johnston (Fultondale)
  • 2 - Cody Garton (Huntsville)
  • 3 - Olivia Derico (Montgomery)

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 181 & Over

  • 1 - Jared J. Crane [275] (Cedar Bluff)
  • 2 - Matthew C. Brannan [176] (Montgomery)
  • 3 - Konnor George [190] (Helena)

Bowling-[22 & Over] Results

    Adult Female [22 & Over] 133 & Below

  • 1 - Michelle Reece (North Port)

    Adult Female [22 & Over] 164-178

  • 1 - Melynda Walker (Gordo)
  • 2 - Vicki Smallwood (Northport)

    Adult Male [22 & Over] 194 & Over

  • 1 - Steven Hulsey (Maylene)

    Senior [Age 55-59] All Averages

  • 1 - Marjorie Lucas (Homewood)

2008 Official Results

Bowling-Teams Results

    Division I (651+ Average)

  • 1 - XSNA-ROW (Auburn)
  • 2 - Pin Masters (Prattville)
  • 3 - Number One (Big Cove)

    Division II (601-650 Average)

  • 1 - T-Town Strikers (Coaling)
  • 2 - Say When (Huntsville)

    Division IV (476-550 Average)

  • 1 - Auburn Lanes (Auburn)

    Division IV (551-600 Average)

  • 1 - It Ends Here (Alexander City)
  • 2 - 3 Dudes and 1 Diva

    Division IV (651 & Over Average)

  • 1 - Cancer Free

    Division V (401-475)

  • 1 - Anniston Tigers (Anniston)

    Division VI (400 & Under)

  • 1 - Auburn Tigers (Alexander City)

Bowling-[21 & Under] No Scholarship Results

    Youth Male [21 & Under] 0-70

  • 1 - Tristan Rock Rolison (Seale)

    Youth Male [21 & Under] 100-129

  • 1 - Richard Brown (Jacksonville)
  • 2 - Ryan McDill (Anniston)

    Youth Male [21 & Under] 130-155

  • 1 - Spencer Hedrick (Hollywood)

    Youth Male [21 & Under] 156-180

  • 1 - Damonde B. Dickerson (Birmingham)
  • 2 - Johnathan "JB" Gibson (Brookwood)

    Youth Male [21 & Under] 71-99

  • 1 - Carson F Goodman (Jacksonville)
  • 2 - Satoshi Kasahara (Cedar Bluff)
  • 3 - Ross M Whitley (Auburn)

    Youth-Bumpers

  • 1 - Collin Blankenship (Pinson)

Bowling-[21 & Under] Scholarship Results

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 100-129

  • 1 - Joshua C Green (Anniston)
  • 2 - Gerrit Vanderwerff (Brownsboro)
  • 3 - Caleb Bass (Auburn)

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 130-155

  • 1 - Shane Shearer (Prattville)
  • 2 - Olivia Derico (Montgomery)
  • 3 - Tony A. Deavers (Prattville)

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 156-180

  • 1 - Kyle T. Pouncy (Prattville)
  • 2 - Rachael N Long (Arab)
  • 3 - Eldrin Smith (Auburn)

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 181 & Over

  • 1 - Brit N. Gerlach (Prattville)
  • 2 - Matthew C. Brannan (Wetumpka)
  • 3 - Jared J. Crane (Cedar Bluff)

Bowling-[22 & Over] Results

    Adult Female [22 & Over] 134-148

  • 1 - Priscilla Boykin (Anniston)
  • 2 - Jennifer E Leonard (Oxford)

    Adult Male [22 & Over] 179-193

  • 1 - Kenneth Hallmark (Gadsden)

    Adult Male [22 & Over] 194 & Over

  • 1 - Larry C Keel (Huntsville)
  • 2 - Donal W Chappelear (Helena)
  • 3 - Antonio M Johns (Bessemer)

    Senior [Age 55-59] All Averages

  • 1 - James W Leonard (Anniston)

    Senior [Age 60-64] All Averages

  • 1 - JoAnn Bridges (Birmingham)
  • 2 - Bill Chappelear (Trussville)

    Senior [Age 65-69] All Averages

  • 1 - Frank R Bridges (Birmingham)

    Senior [Age 70+] All Averages

  • 1 - Elton Theo Jordan (Birmingham)

2007 Official Results

Bowling-Teams Results

    Division I (651+ Average)

  • 1 - Lighting Strikes (Trussville)
  • 2 - Below The Mason (Prattville)

    Division II (601-650 Average)

  • 1 - Anniston USBC Youth (Anniston)
  • 2 - Amber Studds

    Division IV (551-600 Average)

  • 1 - Josh Carter
  • 2 - Tuscaloosa
  • 3 - Heather Studds (Phenix City)

    Division IV (651 & Over Average)

  • 1 - AMF- BAMA LANES (Lake View)

Bowling-[21 & Under] Overall Results

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 100-129

  • 1 - Josh Carter (Auburn)
  • 2 - Ryan D Preston (Huntsville)
  • 3 - Chris Towry (Huntsville)

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 130-155

  • 1 - kasahara Shin (Cedar Bluff)
  • 2 - Edward L. Christman (Mobile)
  • 3 - Hannah Ryan (Prattville)

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 156-180

  • 1 - James R Leonard (Anniston)
  • 2 - Justin Garee (Salem)
  • 3 - Konnor George (Helena)

    Youth Coed [21 & Under] 181 & Over

  • 1 - Benjamin Samford (Invalid Zipcode)
  • 2 - Jared J. Crane (Cedar Bluff)
  • 3 - Barry White (Montgomery)

    Youth Female [21 & Under] 156-180

  • 1 - Alexis Paine (Mobile)
  • 2 - Caitlin M Walp (Montgomery)

Bowling-[22 & Over] Results

    Adult Male [22 & Over] All Averages

  • 1 - Larry C Keel (Huntsville)
  • 2 - Donal W Chappelear (Helena)
  • 3 - Bob Gambrell (Skyland)

    Senior [Age 70+] All Averages

  • 1 - Ray Weinberg (Huntsville)
  • 2 - Bill H. Church (Montgomery)

NOTE

Opinions and comments discussed in the blog below do not necessarily represent the policies of the Alabama Sports Festival. It is provided for the benefit of all Alabama bowlers and the sport of bowling.

Bowling in Alabama

You hear it. Comments about bowling tournaments, bowlers, associations, brackets, sandbagging, etc. How can you make our sport better? AlabamaBowling.Com's blog

Lamentations of a League Secretary/Treasurer 4 Jun 2010, 7:50 pm

As the fall/winter leagues end, my job as a league secretary/treasurer has ended for the season. I was the secretary/treasurer of the Huntsville All Star League. I had done this previously many years ago. The bowling center did this job in the previous years, with no charge to the league. However, difficulties arose over the years as many people trying to keep the records and books for one league led to many errors. They wanted a league member to resume these duties.

During the league meeting, I was nominated for the position. Knowing there was a demand with no other person wanting the job, I accepted provided the fee of $1/person/week was accepted. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Economics 101. Low supply with high demand leads to high prices. Maybe I should have asked for more. Why? Computers and league secretary software do all the work. Why can you command such a salary?

By my calculations, I think holding this particular office cost me 5-8 pins in average. Pin Palace was the lowest scoring house in the Huntsville USBC last season. Only 4 people averaged over 220 in the whole bowling center last season. Walking to the line and having 8 boards of area would allow me to think about where that extra $25 went. A huge contrast compared to the other centers in the association. Concentration was required on my game instead of counting funds and ensuring accurate league fund record keeping.

Let me be clear. I would be league secretary for no expense. The league is paying for my duties as league treasurer. This is the job for which I can be suspended by the USBC for any irregularities. League secretary software is easy to manipulate averages, games, wins, etc. I require all this data anyway to update the Huntsville All Star League website. I had the bowling center provide me with the league files in the previous years to maintain the website. The treasurer side of the software is adequate once you have collected the funds. This is the 'pain in the a**' part of bowling nights. Some bowlers seem to think that they can bowl without paying. What other industry provides a service for a promise to pay at a later date? I ask, beg, command for late league fees. Some teams even forget to deliver the pay envelope to me. I would like to bowl also. I don't want to spend the evening counting funds, and ensuring accurate records of each team's pay envelope.

Here is a personal pet peeve about team fees. I only care about the team t0tal payment, not each individual's weekly payment. I talk to the team captain about whether the team is ahead or behind in payment. I would think it is his responsibility to interpret this information for use to divide among the team members. I get a question from one bowler concerning their payment history and I have to interpret their pay envelope when it is hardly entered neat and legible. I try to anticipate this at the beginning of the year by interpreting each team's record keeping system. This is done so I can prove whether a bowler is $20 or $50 behind in league payments.

The other part of being a league secretary that makes me very nervous is the end of year payouts. Yes, I am taking the entire leagues' prize fund as one check and cashing it. I walk out of the bank with over $20,000. I am on edge until the prize fund is paid out.

It is stressful. The All Star League is competitive and I would very much want to be in the midst of the competition. Like the other members, I want to bowl. I don't want to count money, find the miscalculation, and pay the bowling center. I want to bowl well. If the league members get into a nice rhythm of accurate record keeping, and timely delivery of the pay envelope, I could reduce my fee for the less stress and work. However, I charge for my time and frustration. I'm thinking about raising my rates next year.

Any one else have a league secretary/treasurer story?

Do Not Let Fear Affect Your Game of Bowling 29 Apr 2010, 6:56 pm

by Stan Popovich

Sometimes, fear and anxiety can get the best of us in bowling. The key is to know how to manage that fear and anxiety. As a result, here is a brief list of techniques that a bowler can use to help manage their fears and every day anxieties.

Occasionally, you may become stressed when you have to bowl in an important event. When this happens, visualize yourself doing the task in your mind. For instance, you have to bowl in the championship game in front of a large group of people in the next few days. Before the big day comes, imagine yourself bowling. Self-Visualization is a great way to reduce the fear and stress of a coming situation.

Sometimes we get stressed out when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could read the newspaper, listen to some music or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.

Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that you can carry around with you. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you. Whenever you feel stressed, open up your small notebook and read those statements. This will help to manage your negative thinking.

In every anxiety-related situation you experience, begin to learn what works, what doesn’t work, and what you need to improve on in managing your fears and anxieties. For instance, you have a lot of anxiety and you decide to take a small walk before your bowling event to help you feel better. The next time you feel anxious you can remind yourself that you got through it the last time by taking a walk. This will give you the confidence to manage your anxiety the next time around.

Take advantage of the help that is available around you. If possible, talk to a professional who can help you manage your fears and anxieties. They will be able to provide you with additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem. By talking to a professional, a person will be helping themselves in the long run because they will become better able to deal with their problems in the future. Remember that it never hurts to ask for help.

Remember that patience, persistence, and education will go a long way in preventing fear from becoming a factor in the sport of bowling.

Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods” – an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/

Are you hall of fame material? 1 Mar 2010, 7:35 pm

Scanning the associations' halls of fame, I notice that some include most anyone, while some have few bowlers. This is not necessarily due to the number of bowlers in that area of the state either.

I was on an association hall of fame committee for three years. During our committee meetings, I was shocked that we did not have discussions and debates on nominated bowlers' resumes. Merits of accomplishments were not discussed. Personalities of the nominees seemed to carry the most weight. Secret ballots were held almost ten minutes into the committee meeting. I openly discussed my criteria so as to start the debate. I did not feel that a friend filling out the application form automatically qualified someone for the association hall of fame.

Scoring is relative. High averages and lots of honor scores do not necessitate an automatic bid to the hall of fame. In what era did the bowler compete? That determines the worth of his average. Here is my criteria:
1970's: 200
1980's : 210
1990's: 220
2000's: 230

There has already been a 240 average bowled in the state of Alabama. The 2010's may up the average requirement to that level. Handicap tournaments realize this increase also. If you are my age, you may remember tournament handicaps being based on the difference in your average and 200. Now, many handicap tournaments are using base averages of 220, 230, or more.

This should apply to honor scores also. A 300 game in 1985 is probably worth 10 such scores today. We can probably calculate this worth by total number of honor scores divided by total number of games bowled in an association. I'm betting the ratio in 1980 is much lower than the ratio will be for 2010. The state hall of fame application has a point system to determine minimum criteria for nomination. It lists points qualified for 700 series. Unless you are over 45 years old and have been bowling for 30 years, this element should be eliminated. In my system, bowlers qualifying in this millennium would already have averages over a 700 series every night.

However, in spite of all I have mentioned earlier, you still need more than a high average and some honor scores from your Friday night mixed league. Have you duplicated this success in other bowling centers? Have you won any scratch tournaments? Tournaments won outside of your home area should carry more merit also. State, regional, and national success will bring no debate on your credentials from your peers.

The Huntsville Bowling Hall of Fame has a lot of members. Not shown, but obvious to many witnesses of Huntsville bowling history, there is a top tier of five bowlers in this hall: Jimmy Certain, Tony Churchey, Richard Smock, and Ron Ware. The fifth bowler to be included on this level is open to debate. Their success has spanned decades, including high averages, honor scores, and tournament victories. Two of these bowlers, Certain and Smock, have PBA titles.

Hall of Fame credentials should stand the test of time. High scores and tournament success over many years will get you in the local hall of fame.

Another subject for another time is the nomination and voting process. Should local board members, who rotate out every 3-5 years, vote on new members? Should the current hall members vote on their newest inductees, like the Heisman Trophy award or Alabama State Hall of Fame?

Bill Simmons and the PBA: Successful Experiment? 1 Feb 2010, 8:47 pm

Last Sunday's Dick Weber Open featured a third man in the booth. It was ESPN's The Sports Guy, Bill Simmons. Now, I have to admit that I enjoy reading Bill's columns and his interweaving of pop culture into his sports analysis is witty. I feel as if I am part of the inside joke with many of his television or movie references. I'm sure you do too. Most all males currently in their mid-40's can recite many lines from Caddyshack or Ghostbusters. Simmons' in-depth analysis of the movie Hoosiers is like something that I have never read. However, is he good for televised bowling? Does the PBA throw any random person into the announcers' booth as a bridge between the hardcore and casual fanbase? Should the PBA stick to only the 'experts' in the bowling industry?

As part of his ESPN duties, Bill also does podcasts, or taped Internet shows. The day before the telecast, he and Rob Stone discussed bowling and soccer. Entertaining interview, but one point made me wince. He asked Stone about the pronunciation of 'Weber.' He asked Rob if he should do some research or do 'fish out of water.' He, obviously, was the latter. Various comments across the Internet seem to dislike his performance.

Is this a one-time shot with the PBA? Will they also have other guest announcers? The WWE has guest host on RAW every Monday night on the USA network. Should the PBA also have William Shatner in the booth with Stone and Pederson?

This was good and bad. I think if Bill had done more preparation for the show, it would have worked better. Most everyone should know about Dick Weber. He should represent the casual fan that the PBA needs to expand its ratings. Also, to appease the hardcore fans, the announcer cannot appear to mock the sport. Rob Stone mentions this in his beginnings as a PBA announcer on the podcast with Bill Simmons.

The hardcore fans want another expert as the third announcer. Not every expert can be a good fit for the booth like Nelson Burton, Jr. or Randy Pederson. The show is not that entertaining if I hear too much technical commenting about how the bowler missed inside of target because of something the expert saw in the third step of the approach. I don't want too much hilarity, but I also don't want too much USBC gold medal coach jargon.

I like to be entertained when I watch the show. So, I give the Simmons experiment a 'thumb in the middle' sign. Maybe another celebrity who knows bowling could be a good fit. How about Jerome Bettis?
Or, bring back Simmons, and give him another shot when he is better prepared. He loves sports and can be that bridge between the casual fan and the hardcore fan if he just learned the sport. Most all of us like to explain the nuances of bowling to our co-workers. Let Randy school Bill like he does Rob.

Can we fix the city tournament system? 9 Jan 2010, 8:48 pm

In case you haven't noticed in your area of the state, association championships, or city tournaments, are floundering. Entries have been low for years. Reading various associations' board of director minutes, this is not an isolated incident. It is happening all over the state. What can be done to increase city tournament entries?

League bowling is down
Let us not forget this important fact. Long gone are the times of two night shifts of league bowling. Long gone are the days when open bowling was only available during the day and Saturday nights. So of course, association tournament entries will be down also. Now, it is more important than ever to increase the percentage of your membership into tournament entries. There are different ways to secure this goal; a positive one and a negative one.

Promote, Market, Publish, Inquire, Advertise
The association board of directors and various house representatives basically have to work every league night in every house and invite everyone to participate. This is more than making the P.A. announcement at the counter. Invite each team to enter. If they are having a good time bowling one night a week with their friends, why not do it on another week-end? An Open association does not discriminate on gender anymore, so all are welcome to enter the open tournament. Try this method but let everyone know months in advance when the tournament is being held. "The tournament has always been held on these week-ends." Don't assume everyone knows this. Publishing entry forms for the bowling centers 3 weeks in advance of the closing date and posting tournament information on the association web site less than a month before entries are due is not timely promotion. Too many competing activities and other commitments can fill up a person's calendar long before you even notify the community of the city tournament dates.

Change the Dates
If the city tournament has been losing entries, maybe it is time to change the time of the season when it is being held. Leagues that last more than 32 weeks are dwindling as more and more people think the typical bowling season is too long. Shorter season leagues are getting more popular. While the bowling season is young and interest is at its zenith, hold a city tournament. I've noticed that some associations hold their championships in October and November. The association may not have to worry about a ten-pin rule if your bowlers don't have 21 games in the current season for average establishment.

Solicit input from the members
While board members are promoting the tournament, handing out entry forms, ask the bowlers about why they have not participated in past tournaments. Ask for their ideas. They may be more honest than anonymous surveys or e-mails.

Negative Changes
I mentioned earlier of positive changes and negative changes for the association tournament. Positive changes are inclusive so all bowlers feel welcome. Negative changes are exclusionary where bowlers feel they are not wanted in the tournament. One idea that always limits the amount of bowlers available for leagues or tournaments is the average cap. The average cap is the top limit for a sum of a team's individual averages. Obviously, the idea is to foster more balance and equal playing strength among the teams in a league or tournament. There are a few reasons why this won't work. First reason is that the average cap is usually poorly chosen and static. With today's high scoring conditions, bowlers in an high scoring house can not bowl together because they made the unfortunate choice of bowling league in an easy house. Teammates for years cannot bowl together in this average capped tournament or league. Some average capped leagues have had to keep raising the maximum team average to keep the current teams in the league intact. So, instead of recruiting new bowlers, these leagues are trying to retain the ones they have by raising the average cap each year. Soon, the average cap is so high it defeats the purpose of having one.

Who is helped and who is hurt?
Are the high average bowlers winning too much? Mathematically, the higher your average, the more times you should win. I have always believed that you increase your skills by competing against better bowlers. There is always someone better. However, if everyone feels they have no chance and the better bowlers are 'taking all the money,' a perception becomes reality. However, city tournaments have never involved a lot of money. Even brackets and side-pots are measly because tournament squads are small. However, these higher average bowlers support the association championships by entering multiple times. The other side of the equation of the higher average bowlers 'taking all the money' is that the higher average bowlers are putting in the most money by entering multiple times. Rules limiting the number of team events one can enter only seem to apply to these bowlers as they will bowl on two or three teams.

So, an average cap prevents the bowlers who most support the tournament from even entering it. An association championship, as well as league bowling, is still a social activity. Strangers don't come together to form teams to enter a tournament so as to meet average cap requirements.

Tournament managers want the maximum number of entries for their event, so why would any tournament exclude people from entering?

End of 209 Notes 3 Jan 2010, 6:17 pm

If you are a regular viewer of the front page of AlabamaBowling.Com, you may occasionally click on some of the bowling stories that appear in various newspaper, TV, and other web sites. I have various Internet searches give me a list of daily news stories based on certain key words, such as 'bowling.' I could use an automated program to just post these stories automatically, but you would be subjected to multitude of stories from Great Britain, India, and other parts of the Empire regarding the latest controversies in cricket. You would also get tired of stories about local news in Bowling Green, Kentucky and the multitude of stories that pass on just local scores. However, there is also a lack of creativity in the journalistic profession. These examples include:

Video Game Seniors
Do reporters get writer's bloc? If so, do they read newspapers on-line from another part of the country and just copy the same subject? Our nation's senior citizens are getting exercise by playing Wii bowling. Every part of the country has run this story, including some television stations. My editorial control prevented me from basically showing this same story run all over the country. Just 'google' this subject and see how many stories you can take before you realize that we will all live longer if we pay video game bowling. My personal opinion is that Wii bowling is too easy. Play the Brunswick or AMF Wii bowling games where you have different lane conditions and equipment characteristics. Also, like real bowling, if you are not consistent with the release, you get different results. So, Brunswick's version is not as forgiving as the regular Wii bowling.

College Football: End of Season
Why does each college town paper call a successful football season as 'going bowling?' "The Big 10 is going bowling." "Fresno State hopes to go bowling this season." No, you are not going 'bowling,' you are playing one more college football game as a reward for a successful season. Rolling a ball to knock down pins is not involved in winning the Cotton Bowl. This is a stupid cliché. With a variety of sports web sites and 24-hour sports channels, sportswriters just want to be cool and dream of hosting SportsCenter.

Top NFL Players Change Sports
This year the annual NFL all-star game, known as the Pro Bowl, is not in Hawaii. It seems that most players want to be selected, just not play in the game. Chris Barnes is a pro bowler, not an NFL all star. However, I hear NFL announcers call a player selected to the annual NFL all star game as a pro bowler. Another stupid cliché as it must be cool to compare America's favorite professional sport with bowling. As an aside, of all the major American sports leagues, the NFL Pro Bowl is the worst all star game of the lot. Ironic, as the NFL is the league that has the most popular championship game.

Get a New Blackberry for Christmas? 28 Dec 2009, 4:03 pm


With the new Storm2, you can play a PBA pro on a PBA lane pattern

PBA Bowling 2, BlackBerry Storm2’s OpenGL Game Now Available

Sport or Recreation; Reality or Perception 13 Dec 2009, 9:33 pm

There has been talks for years of trying to get bowling into the Olympics. Bowling on the same par as track & field, soccer, swimming and the decathlon? Gymnastics gets the most television viewers for the Olympics but with its subjective scoring, I don't consider it a sport.

However, the perception of bowling is probably what is keeping it out of the Games. I am not referring to an individual's perception of bowling, or taking a general survey of the population. I am no sociologist, but I think there is an institutional negative perception of bowling. USBC has now decided to focus on the SPORT of bowling; advanced coaching and more equipment specifications as some examples.

There is a lull period in college football right now; the end of the season and before the bowl season. This void needs to be filled with other televised activities. This institutional perception was made aware to me while I exercised at the gym one Sunday afternoon. There were many televisions around the facility displaying different channels. Besides the NFL game, I noticed the other events being televised; billiards tournament, darts tournament, and a poker tournament. If you include the PBA show earlier in the day, you have included every event you can see in a 'family fun center' or 'recreation center' or whatever we call 'bowling alleys' these days. Thus, my view is that society groups these events together.

The purpose of television programming is to broadcast shows and events that attract viewers so as to sell advertising. That works for me. I'd rather watch darts, billiards, bowling, and poker than gymnastics.

Help Mark Roth 23 Nov 2009, 3:48 pm

News from CharlestonBowling.com

  • New items added to the Mark Roth Live Online Auction
  • Charity Tournament to be held for Mark Roth
  • Charleston Traveling 8-Game Year End Tournament held
  • Greater Charleston USBC Youth City Tournament Results
  • Greater Charleston USBC holds Hall of Fame and Annual Awards Banquet
New items added to the Mark Roth Live Online Auction

Want to own a piece of bowling memorabilia while helping support a legendary pro bowler? Check out the live auction going on right now at http://charlestonbowling.com/markrothauction.htm - autographed jerseys, balls, and photos have just been added by recently crowned PBA title holder Bill O'Neill, legends like Tom Baker, Ryan Shafer, Norm Duke as well as Ryan Cimenelli and Jason Belmonte and many more. Check it out today, auction ends on December 6th!

Charity Tournament to be held for Mark Roth

In addition to the live online auction, we are teaming up with John Howe and Royal Z Lanes in Columbia to hold a Old Dog Young Dog tournament charity tournament for Mark Roth. One bowler must be over 50 and one under 50. The Tournament will be held on December 26th at Royal Z Lanes in Columbia, SC. Check in begins at 11am and bowling begins at 12pm. Prizes are - $900 1st place singles (based on 30 entries), $1800 1st place doubles (based on 20 teams). Go to http://charlestonbowling.com/MarkRoth.htm for more information!

I thought we already had these ... 9 Nov 2009, 9:00 pm


900Global has introduced a radio controlled bowling ball. A real life bowling game like Wii when you can use your controller to guide the bowling ball after it is delivered down the lane. On some of today's lane conditions, it appears that some balls are being easily directed to the pocket by some mysterious control. It must be radio control as it does not matter what board, or arrow, the bowler uses on each subsequent shot. I like to see how good a 'poker face' a competitor has I observe his facial reaction after an errant shot is dead flush in the pocket. Is he showing gratitude, relief, discovery, or no emotion at all? I need to know if he realizes that his 'look' to the pocket is better than he thought. I don't want him to get more comfortable. I don't mind if he wants to explore his area on the lanes. My opinion is he will sacrifice some carry if he varies too far from his intended target.

900Global has signed Walter Ray Williams, Jr. to its professional staff. For the conspiracy theorists, is the new remote control ball the reason WRW can play the outside part of the lane when no other pro bowler is out there?

I once made a 3 point shot and hit a home run 29 Oct 2009, 1:29 pm


The Birmingham News has a news story on Alabama's Heisman hopeful Mark Ingram. Touting his multiple athletic prowess, the story proudly states he has bowled a 248 and shot a round of 69 on the golf course.

Well, bowlers will tell you that this is not equivalent. Ask any bowler and he would tell you that he would rather have a 69 golf score than a 248. For me, it is the old saying of "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." With the 69 being the hard to collect 'two in the bush,' most bowlers see 248 scores on some league nights like leaves falling off a tree.

I know that some hero worship by local sports media is expected sometime, but this local story is a little over the top. I am not the only one to see it as one on-line commenter to this story added more parody:

He's the only known specimen to win 3 free games of putt-putt in one 18 hole round. He sunk that hole-in-one so hard on #18 that came in and out of the windmill 2 times before sinking itself for the third time.
One must realize that this kind of reporting is the reason there is little, if any, bowling coverage in newspapers. Sundays during football season, your paper probably has its own Alabama section, Auburn section as well as the normal Sports section. As a former member of an Association publicity committee, this reason was given as to why there is no bowling coverage. There is no space available to it.

Happy Anniversary to Us 31 Aug 2009, 7:12 pm

The Internet turns 40 on September 2. Well, that means that AlabamaBowling.Com has been around for one-fourth of that time. Alabama's bowling web site is 10 years old on September 1.

As a computer systems engineer by profession, I don't use my right side of the brain too much. That is why the design of the main AlabamaBowling.Com web site has not changed. You can compare the current version of the site to this view from May 24, 2000. I've always believed that 'content is king.' To grow the site, I focused on statistics, stories, bowling associations, tournaments and other keys that would make the site be an authoritative source for information related to bowling in our state. Granted, I could use help with design ideas or a better graphic layout. I welcome your ideas.

I have tried some of the hotter trends in Internet lore; most just didn't seem to work with the normal visitors. I have implemented a discussion forum, hoping to make the site more interactive. Maybe it was too early, but there was no input or discussion being generated. I tried to syndicate the content before RSS became popular. It was not worth updating the headlines if so few people were adding it to their personal or bowling web sites. Some of more popular functions were the contests. I may try that again. Lots of you enjoyed entering simply a name and e-mail address to win a free bowling ball. As I mentioned in the web site privacy policy, I never did anything else with that information. It ended up being deleted.

While there were some idea failures, there have been many successes. Catering to associations to make more of their information readily available on-line has always been a staple of this web site. Once the USBC was created, this was highly encouraged. League standings were posted before bowl.com or other secretary web sites were doing it. As a personal service, I posted a variety of formats. The league secretary programs export to simple image formats, but I was also posting submissions from league secretaries in Excel, Word, Txt, and PDF. Most of the information from associations' yearbooks are available on the web site. Some associations leverage this more than others. This is the bread and butter for AlabamaBowling.Com; information that can't be found other places. Associations list their honor boards, all city teams, officers, local tournament as well as information that can also be found at bowl.com. This includes final averages and league standings. While some associations are doing a good job of getting the information on-line, they are not adequately promoting the existence of the web site. Luckily, most bowlers know about AlabamaBowling.Com, they 'accidentally' stumble upon the association web site.

After ten years, I still welcome your suggestions. This blog is a new idea. Another web 'fad' that allows opinion and discussion. Please, join us.

The Ball or the Bowler? 5 Aug 2009, 8:47 pm

As a swim parent, I have enjoyed watching the major swim meets , when they are actually televised. Whether it is the Olympics, SEC Championships, or the recent World Championships, the drama is exciting for the individual as well as the team.

Hey, this is a bowling blog. Hurry up and tie it together. It seems that the technology versus the athlete debate has come to a head even in the sport of swimming. Remember the mini-controversy and publicity generated over the Plastic Ball Championship? My initial observations on this subject were more directed to the amount of lane oil used today versus the the amount used in the 80's and early 90's. I initially ignored the debate over the tools used. Wood rackets for tennis, plastic balls for bowling, wood drivers in golf seem to be the "good ole days."

What has swimming got to do with this? Well, it seems the swimming's international governing body has banned the new high-tech polyurethane swimming suits that became popular right before the 2008 Olympics.
After months of debate by representatives of FINA’s 201-member countries, suits made of polyurethane-based materials—and suits made of any material extending below the knee and above the navel for men and above the shoulder and below the knee for women—will be outlawed from sanctioned competition. The prohibition doesn’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2010, but it’s already created ripples in the swim world.
The world championships held in Rome last month had 43 world swimming records broken during that meet. Look at the similarities with bowling. Over the past 15 years, season averages are rising fast. 220 was incredible and rare in the early 1990's. Now, a 230 average won't make you one of the top ten bowlers in Alabama. I will make the prediction that by 2020, there will be two 250 average bowlers in Alabama. Newer technology and the center proprietors' willingness to attract, keep, and satisfy the sagging number of league bowlers will lead to this breakthrough.
Almost immediately there were protests from representatives of supersuit manufacturers such as Jason Rance, vice president of marketing for Speedo, who warned that banning the ­high-performance polyurethane suits could “throw the sport back two decades.

Well, can you imagine if the USBC banned an existing product line from a major ball manufacturer? It has happened before. How many remember the Columbia Shur-D? This ball was too 'soft' according to hardness specifications. The Plastic Ball Championships threw the sport back one decade. That was how long the last champion was crowned throwing a plastic ball.

PBA Experience Leagues are only working the lane condition part of the equation. I would love to have a Yellow Dot tournament. Nice idea, but it is too costly. It is hard to get tournament entries now, much less enough bowlers with plastic bowling balls.

Why would you want to buy a wood driver again?

A New Kind of Bowling 25 Jul 2009, 8:09 pm



by Konnor George
On July 9, 2009, I arose at 3:30 a.m. to begin the 8-hour drive to Indianapolis, Indiana, host of the 2009 USBC Youth National Tournament. Little did I know of the experiences that awaited me at the Racing Capital of the world. Upon arrival, our crew quickly unpacked and relaxed after our long day of driving. Expo Bowl was our next stop that day. Practice was needed at the host bowling alley of the tournament. We did not want to bowl badly without a taste of what was to come the following day.

On July 10, 2009, another early awakening. After a quick breakfast, we arrived at Expo Bowl. Our team was fairly early; the alley was quite empty. We proceeded to get signed up, and then myself and 3 others: Justin Srygley, Matthew Gregg, and Clayton Whitfield, all posed in our Youth Nationals team photo. At 7:00 a.m., we began to bowl on our lanes. The rush of adrenaline as the “Star-Spangled Banner” could not be ignored. Bowling was in the air. If you loved bowling, and you were a competitor in it, there was no better place in the world to be at that moment than at Expo Bowling Lanes in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Blue #3 was the oil pattern of the tournament. First came relief to our minds; we braced for a sport shot. However, after the first ball, I, as well as my fellow teammates, discovered this pattern was just as difficult, if not more, than a standard sport shot. The lanes were drenched in oil, and no quick drying oil for that matter. Those three games were an awful sight to the eyes of all of us. 180 and 200 averages meant nothing as we bowled 140-170 on that ghastly pair of wet, oily lanes. At the end of our team event for the Youth Nationals, we arose with disappointed faces. Never had bowling let us down as it did that day. Fortunately, however, not all of our bowlers felt so down. Chris Stockard, who won the Pepsi Youth Tournament at Vestavia and rode with us to Indiana, shot a 631 with a 215-213-203 during the team event. And, as I have to admit, he had the privilege to ride his “high horse” that day. We could not let this blunder affect us. We had to shake it off, and move on. Singles and Doubles awaited us in the late morning of the following day. After a time of swimming, movie watching, and a late night, we braced ourselves for Day 2 of the Youth Nationals.

On July 11, 2009, a break came amongst us. Bowling began at 10:00 a.m.; few more hours of sleep. Upon arriving at Expo Bowl for a third time since our arrival, a fresh start beckoned us. It was a new day. We would be bowling our Singles and Doubles on a pair of used lanes. Simply adjust and keeping focused was the key to bowl well. At 10:00 a.m, my Doubles partner, Matthew Gregg, and I started to bowl. Our whole group experienced another wave of horror as we all bowled below our means. Low 400’s and 500’s was the forecast for our bowling series. More disappointment. “Great”, we were thinking. Singles followed on the pair to our right. “Alright”, I thought to myself, “One more chance.” I began to bowl in the Singles portion of the nationals. Bitter sweetness cast itself upon me in that set. It is true that I did bowl my highest series in my singles, but only with a 534 to call my best. Not a single 200 game thrown. However, they were plentiful. Justin Srygley, with his 130 average, bowled a 215. That I, with a 202 average, could not seem to do. Matthew Gregg bowled a 221 with a 180 average, Kellen Kling a low 200 with a 160 average, and Chris Stockard with a 213 AND 215 AND 203. And I, Konnor George, 202 average, not ONE 200 game. Only a measly 189 game to my name. I have never felt so pathetic than I did at that moment in time. I came with high hopes and bold determination, but crashed and burned in my attempt to bowl well. I just did not have it in me. My lack of focus and of adjustment was my downfall. “You need to be focused, relaxed, and prepared to bowl on the National level” is what I told myself. I only wish I could have followed that advice. Another night of relaxing and packing followed, as we prepared to leave Indianapolis.

At 6:30 a.m. on July 12, 2009, our crew packed up our Ford Explorer and began the 8-hour drive home. The USBC Youth Nationals were over. We had left our imprint upon the Nationals, and now the opportunity would be bestowed upon the bowlers of the following week. However, my experiences will last forever. I may not have bowled my best, but I surely learned a lot about bowling, and bowling at the National level. That is what counts. My bowling will be changed for all the better, and so much better than that, because of my 4 days in Indianapolis. Next year will be here soon, and I will be ready. My time of recognition and glory is within my grasp. I will take my poor, lousy bowling this year to learn. To plan. For next year, a brilliant set of games awaits. Look out 2010. Here I come!

Bowl Like The Pros Report 16 Jul 2009, 7:51 pm


Only July 12, 2009, Redstone Lanes hosted the USBC program, Bowl Like The Pros. Scheduled to appear was Chris Barnes, Brian Voss, and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard. My dad and I went. No matter what your average, there is always a next level, there is always someone better, there is always a desire to improve. Upon entering the parking lot, we saw Brian Voss unloading equipment from his SUV. Shannon O'Keefe pulled in next to us. As she was not advertised to be there, I was thinking that more pros would be appearing. As we entered the facility, I realized what 'scheduled to appear' meant. However, I had no problems with the substitutes for the Huntsville event.

Brian Voss, while in the U.S. Army, had been stationed at Redstone Arsenal in the late 70's. He recounted stories of his time in Huntsville. He was the leader of the event and took charge of the clinic. After having everyone warm up for five to ten minutes, Voss started going over drills he wanted everyone to do. We all started with the one-step approach, a la the Tony Reyes trick shot. Then we did a two-step approach. Brian's point was no matter how different everyone's approach seems, most of the pros finish the same way as far as timing. During this time Shannon stopped on each pair and worked with each individual. Here she is giving some tips to my dad.




Wes Malott finally arrived as he had been in Indianapolis the day before. He was working with the youth during the Junior Gold championships. During each of the drills and individual coaching, there was a camera with laptop connections for bowlers to have their approach captured on video. A representative from Storm gave you a quick analysis. For $10, he would e-mail the video file to your e-mail account. As of this posting, I am still awaiting this file. I'm sure other software is needed to convert this video file from the proprietary camera capture software to a well-known format used by Windows Media Player, Quicktime, or Real Player.

What did I learn from this video? I learned that I am not a Gold or Silver coach. Egotistically, I thought I looked good. I could use a better knee-bend or armswing. As a matter of fact, I would like Shannon O'Keefe to teach me to have her armswing and finish. But, I was told that I need to work on allowing gravity to do its thing with my armswing. I am trying to 'control' my armswing. Watching the before and after videos, I couldn't tell the difference, but it sure felt different. Now, I have something to target my practice sessions.

Near the end of our nearly 2 hour bowling practice/drill sessions, the three pros gave a lecture on reading lanes and making adjustments. While waiting on our lunch to be served, they had a Q & A session. The more interesting discussion was how Wes Malott's targeting scheme was something more unconventional than any other professional.

After lunch, an exhibition match involving the professionals and local celebrities was started. It involved a baker match mixing the pros and celebrities. Brian Voss was doing color commentary while bowling during the match. It was not that exciting as half of your bowlers looked like the typical Saturday night bowler. We did see all our pros throwing left to right on the lanes as I am sure the typical house shot involves more friction than their normal tournament shots.

What did I learn? I learned that these clinics are worth the money, no matter your average level. The pro will work with you at your level. I would recommend not being shy. When the coach or pro arrives on your pair, talk to this person. Ask questions. Have them watch you. Have them watch your correction to make sure you understand what the coaching tip. Take advantage of video tools or any other one-on-one opportunities. This is your time and money. Make sure you take advantage of it. Follow up with your local pro shop which offers certified coaching. Collaborate with them on your new knowledge. Let them work with you to continue your road to perfection. Everyone needs coaching...especially me.

Commercial Success 9 Jul 2009, 8:46 pm

Looking back near the end of ABC's run of the Professional Bowlers Tour, one should have seen the end coming. Nearly all the commercials being run were of bowling products. Gone were the Quaker State oil and Miller Beer commercials.



The success of any show or other entertainment vehicle is measured in advertisement dollars. Obviously, with the large number of people who watch the Super Bowl, the networks charge high rates for commercial time. If professional bowling on television is to be a viable success, there must be companies willing to advertise on the programs. On ABC, there seemed to be nothing but Brunswick, Columbia, or Dexter commercials. Sure, that is targeted advertising, but bowlers buy Buicks just like golfers who watch Tiger Woods on TV.





With the new PBA on ESPN, we are seeing non-bowling products being advertised, which is a good sign. Now the bad sign. Must we see the same three commercials over and over? The GEICO commercials are clever. But they get old when you see them six times in a 90 minute telecast. I know the PBA sales staff is trying hard to get more sponsors. The more variety you see for commercials, the more successful the PBA.

The new PBA also wanted to make stars out of its bowlers. Seeing them in commercials endorsing non-bowling products is a good way to increase their visibility. WRW in Denny's commercials and the new Lumber Liquidators ad with Parker Bohn III are a good start. How about Chris Barnes drinking a Pepsi? Of course, ESPN uses them also for self-promotion. Remember all the coverage Pete Weber had under the persona of 'PDW'?




So, you can gauge the success of the PBA by watching the commercials. The more variety of products you see on the small screen, the more prize money, the more respect, and a better image for pro bowling should follow.

Red, White, and Blue House Conditions 12 Jun 2009, 2:38 pm

How easy is easy?
The USBC is developing a set of 'standard' house shots; 3 categories classified as red, white, or blue.
The group of patterns is designed to provide bowlers a better description for the difficulty of traditional "house" conditions.
How many times have you ever used or heard the words 'difficulty' and 'house conditions' in the same sentence? Granted, some house shots are easier than others. In my opinion, all houses in Huntsville have an easy shot. I guess now the USBC is trying to assign a 'degree of difficulty' for house conditions. Nice idea, but it has been done before. Kegel has had a series of 'Recreation' patterns.

Identify and Classify
It seems that now we need to know exactly what pattern is on the lanes before we have put on our bowling shoes. With the success of the named PBA sport patterns, is the USBC trying to do the same with the house shot? One of the biggest misunderstandings about bowling from the average person-on-the-street is the concept of oil patterns. This is invisible to the eye and invisible to the eye of the television camera. The misconception is that every bowling lane around the world has the same dimensions and thus, the line of attack to the pins should be the same. Have you seen televised bowling from the 60's and 70's? To me, all the tournaments looked the same and all the pros played the same slot shot. If I have a 'trained eye' to this and cannot spot the difference, then how could we expect the person who knows little about bowling to tell the difference in Parker Bohn's or Wes Mallot's line from week to week?

The bowling industry is, once again, trying to compare itself to golf. With golf, you know the layout of the course, locations of trees, sand, water, and possibly pin placements on the greens. You have a general idea where to place each shot for better scores. There are still variables that change each day; wind, temperature, humidity, depth of the rough, etc. Is bowling going this way? When I walk into a league or tournament, will I know the lane pattern? Is it Red, Cheetah, Blue, Scorpion, Route 66, Shark, or Broadway? Then, like golf, you only have to adjust for the conditions; temperature, humidity, lane surface, condition of the lane machine, etc.

However, bowlers will still complain. I have been to a few PBA pattern tournaments where the bowlers were vociferous. "This is not Cheetah!" "I've bowled on Scorpion before, and this is not any PBA pattern!" All because certain bowlers finished ahead of them, who had not done so in the past. I can hear it now. "Yea, he shot 803, but it was on the Red pattern."

PBA Dreams: Easier now? 10 Jun 2009, 5:16 pm


If you could give the PBA a shot and minimize the risk of time and expense, would you do it? The PBA has announced the World Series of Bowling.

The inaugural event, which begins Aug. 2 and runs through Sept. 7, 2009, promises to be a revolutionary festival of competitive bowling boasting a $2 million prize fund and seven ESPN telecasts. The schedule is available at a new dedicated website, www.pbaworldseriesofbowling.com.
The PBA is basically bowling half of the season in one month...in one location. In order to save logistical and production costs, the PBA is taping most of the season in one city to be televised in a succession of Sundays.

In my day, in order to fulfill your dreams of professional bowling, you suspended your college education or starting that first job to give the tour a shot. Get a sponsor and travel the country bowling in rabbit squads trying to make the tournament field. I had a few friends who tried this lifestyle. I did not have the confidence and liked graduating college at age 22. Now, thanks to the World Series of Bowling, your travel expenses are somewhat minimized by a month's stay in Detroit and at least half of a PBA season is condensed into a short month.

The schedule includes seven Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour events, five PBA Women’s Series presented by USBC events including the inaugural PBA Women’s World Championship, a rejuvenated PBA Senior World Championship and at least nine side-event sweepers or shootouts providing “something for everyone” in competitive bowling.

Are you willing to give a month to pursuing a dream? My bowling is like a sine wave. If I could catch that month while my bowling is riding the top of the wave, I would love the experience. Otherwise, it would be a month-long embarrassment while my game is at the low point on the graphical wave. I like the "something for everyone" theme. Not all people have a month's vacation, but if us older guys have joined 'fantasy' camps for baseball, this should give the professional bowling experience a lot more reality. If I seriously practiced, and the location was a little closer to Alabama, I would try it. My window of opportunity is closing fast as I approach the 'senior bowler' status.

No Hand Slapping 30 Apr 2009, 5:11 pm

Jeff Crowley wrote an article about hand-slapping and the reasons he was against it. With the unconfirmed reports of swine flu in Madison County, it seems that Jeff's opinion carries more weight. Jeff's friend, Norm King of Evansville, Indiana wrote the following piece validating Jeff's opinion. BTW, hand slapping is no longer 'cool' since I am not a hip youngster anymore.
I consider myself to be a reasonably healthy person. Typically, I have contracted respiratory infections, also known as “colds” or the “flu,” only once every few years, in spite of dealing with large numbers of people most every day in my work as a USI professor (just retired!). These ailments are caused by viruses. Antibiotics don’t help. You just have to wait it out, taking care of yourself and getting plenty of rest. Within the last month, I have come down with two cases of common cold or mild flu. The second one began just days after finally getting over the first. Both episodes were unusually severe. Of course, I don’t know for sure where I picked up either one, but I had not been with large groups of people in several weeks. Except, that is, during the two nights each week that I participate in bowling leagues. And I distinctly remember several recent matches involving individuals, some on my own team, who showed obvious signs of having colds. I noticed because I know how easily viruses can be spread, and everyone wanted to slap my hand–again and again. My wife, Joanne, works for the Vanderburgh County Health Department. She bowls occasionally, and shies away from slapping hands. She knows that physical contact, especially hand to hand, is one of the primary means by which flu and cold viruses are spread. She always carries her little bottle of hand sanitizer; there’s one in her bowling bag!

Here is what the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about the flu and colds: “Flu viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose. Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick” (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm). The flu and common cold are similar, but are caused by different viruses. Generally the flu is worse than the common cold. For more information about the current flu threat, go to vanderburghgov.org/health and click on the green “2009 Flu Info” button. Now that we are concerned about the spread of the dangerous swine flu, it seems we should recognize that the bowler’s penchant for high-fiving and other forms of hand slapping is risky behavior.

I started bowling in the late 1950's when I was in middle school. There was no hand slapping. While in college (mid-1960's) I bowled for the University of Colorado, and I never saw anyone in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Bowling Conference slap hands. In the 1970's I bowled regularly in one league a week until I gave it up in 1981 due to family and career pressures. Over this time there was no hand slapping at all to begin with, but gradually it became more common to pass around high fives when people got a few strikes in a row. There was always plenty of applause, too. That is, hand clapping. Clapping is like high-fiving yourself. Your germs stay with you instead of being passed around. When I picked up my ball again and bowled in my first league in 24 years at Franklin Lanes in the summer of 2005, I noticed the change. Everyone was hand slapping, even for spares (as if that was reason to celebrate)! Since I didn’t want to be the odd man out, I bought into the hand-slapping culture of modern bowling, just like I bought a new state-of-the-art bowling ball.

Every year there is a mad rush to make a vaccine that will reduce our odds of contracting the season’s most threatening flu bug, and now we are faced with the potential for a pandemic of swine flu. Cold bugs are always out there. You never know when you might catch some, but I bet that bowlers are especially efficient at spreading them due to almost incessant hand slapping. That could also be a way for swine flu to be spread. Let’s quit this risky behavior and build camaraderie by clapping our hands in appreciative and encouraging applause instead. Here’s to your good health!
It seems to be good common sense. Is he paranoid, or the hundreds of people that bought all the hand sanitizer out of every store in Huntsville? Maybe this hand slapping thing is just a social conscience for us to be somewhat human. I can show some compassion for the smallest human contact without invading personal space. I, also, try not to infect anyone with my respiratory germs or touch my own eyes, mouth, or nose. Seems a good balance.

Interesting week 12 Apr 2009, 8:59 pm

It's never over
Easter Sunday had some pretty exciting television. I'm sure once you were finished with your family activities, you must have watched the PBA Women's Series Championship as well as the Masters. Using the simplified scoring system which counted number of balls thrown to clear the deck, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard was nearly eliminated in the first round with a 17. That averages to 3 strikes and 7 spares. In a regular scored game, that is anywhere from a high 180 to nearly 220 game if the 3 strikes are all together. To barely surviving the first round on the Cheetah pattern, she set the PBA television record for 20 consecutive strikes. She needed every one of them to advance and win the tournament.

Angel Cabrera, in the last pairing at the Masters, was fading while superstars Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were surging up the leaderboard. Cabrera birdied 3 of the last 6 holes to get into the playoff. He survives errant tee shot in the first playoff hole to win the Masters on the second playoff hole.

Obviously, the lesson is that it is never over. I have had a miraculous set to qualify or put myself back into contention. I have also been knocked out contention when a miracle 300 was bowled by another entrant to place me below the cut line. Exhilarating or painful, but powerful emotions were evoked.

Keeping an exemption
Georgia's Jason Sterner was just below the cut line at the conclusion of the US Open. Jason earned his exemption as the Southern Region's Point Leader in 2007-08. However, the PBA granted his petition for an exemption due to the unusual events at the US Open that caused him to fall below the cut line. As it seems, Mike Edwards was allowed to replace Pete Weber, who had to withdraw during the tournament. This situation gave Mike Edwards the extra points he needed to qualify for his exemption for the next season.

Lesson here is to know the rules if you are going to write a petition, whether a tournament or league. For the match play leagues, how many are following Rule 100k, paragraph 4? If each team has an absentee bowler, they must be lined up against each other. The rule states how you determine which absentee bowler wins.

Inside Information 7 Apr 2009, 8:33 pm

We are in the midst of the USBC National Tournament for 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Have you gone yet, or awaiting information on what balls to take and where to play the lanes? Well, I have not been yet, so I don't have any report for you. Remember the old days? You had to ask other bowlers who went before you to give you a report of where they played and what kind of ball they threw. You knew their game from league, so you could guage what you were going to do.

When in the tournament city, you went to the civic center the day before you bowled and watched. You hoped to find a bowler with a similar style to predict your reaction. Well, that was the old days. Now, you have the Internet for additional information from total strangers. I ask friends and colleagues for information. I also read the USBC Open forum on bowl.com. Now, a new source of information that I don't recall viewing from previous years: YouTube.


Now, while at home, I can see other bowlers and judge how I would play the lanes based on low quality video. Of course, if I was posting a video of my nationals performance, it would certainly be edited to show my best shots. Hopefully, that would not be a short video!

You also still have the lane graph that is posted at bowl.com. But, as I have written earlier, who can read these things?

Child of the 80's 22 Feb 2009, 1:41 pm


I just finished watching the GEICO Plastic Ball Championship on ESPN. Congratulations to Jeff Carter for his first PBA title. As a fellow child of the 80's, I was thinking the exact same thing about Carter's shirt before Rob Stone mentioned the Van Halen reference. How many of you had this image in your mind when you first saw his shirt?

I also enjoyed following the scoring on this tournament during the week and watching some of the 'older' guys like Brian Voss and Pete Weber excelling in this format. Maybe, if they had an open format to this tournament, we could see some of the guys who love the strong arc type roll, such as Wayne Webb or Del Ballard.

Other interesting observations:
Though it was the PBA Cheetah pattern, only half the volume of oil was used. You can easily blame the ball manufacturers for the price of bowling going up. With the advent of resin bowling equipment, proprietors have to use twice as much oil on the lanes as they did 20 years ago. Does that sound correct? Has lane oil properties changed in the past two decades? If not, then there is twice as much oil on the lanes today than the days of the Yellow Dot.

There was a mini-controversy about this tournament. Wes Malott refused to enter because everyone was forced to use the same ball? Come on. I agree with Woody Paige that Tiger Woods would still win many tournaments if everyone used wood drivers. I'm sure Malott is confident enough to know he can be competitive with any ball in his hand. How about this theory? Anyone's ball contracts cause an issue with participating in this tournamen where they could not throw the sponsor's equipment? Notice how they worked around this by holding the sponsor's bowling ball during their interview segments.

1993 was the last year that the champion used a plastic ball in the championship match. That was Walter Ray's 13th career title, his 7th in that calendar year. Did you notice how many revolutions he had during that clip? He, and Norm Duke, are the most versatile players out there in my opinion. Can anyone identify that particular bowling ball he used? I can't find that tournament on YouTube.

Arnie Van Buren has passed 12 Feb 2009, 5:22 pm

Arnie Van Buren passed away on February 10, 2009 he was 92
Arrangements: Viewing will be Saturday Feb 14 at 12:00 at Elm Wood Chapel and the funeral will immediately follow at 1:00 pm at Elm Wood Cemetery.

Mr. Van Buren was a past treasurer for the Alabama State Bowling Association and was inducted into the Greater Birmingham and Alabama State Halls of Fame in 2002.

How many televised 300's? 4 Feb 2009, 5:30 pm

Ron Kantowski of the Las Vegas Sun has an article about the USBC building and tearing down a world class bowling facility for the USBC Open Championships. He makes an allegory that uses bad facts.
"...is more remarkable than watching somebody named Earl or Walter Ray roll a 300 game on TV (there have been 14 of those, but none since 1999)"
Well, there have been 18 televised 300 games. The problem with journalism these days is there is no fact checking. If you don't check your facts for a news story, you might as well write for a blog. A quick Google search for "televised 300 games" led me to this web page. This page references a February 2003 Bowling Digest article which lists all of them at that time. Page 1 of this link shows only 14 televised 300 games. I'm thinking the article reporter stopped his research at this one page. So, his reference was 6 years out of date. The author did not check to see if there were any perfect games rolled since then. If you love finding journalistic mistakes in the print or television media, there are a multitude of political blogs that love to highlight this type of mistake.

No wonder, my children's teachers don't trust a lot of Internet references for papers.

One Lane or Two 30 Jan 2009, 7:40 pm

Proper lane courtesy? No, that is a discussion for another time. It is now your practice time, one lane or two?

When I was a mere teenager working the counter at a Brunswick house back home, I remember one of the better bowlers insisting on a pair of lanes to practice. Bowling was more popular back then, and I thought he was a little arrogant to ask for two lanes for just himself when the bowling center was somewhat busy. Why does one person need a pair of lanes to practice?

One lane allows a slower tempo to practice. At over$2.50 a line, practice isn't going to be a lot of lines, so it does not need to be rushed in less than 15 minutes. When I used to get a lane for $10/hour, I would practically kill myself to get as many games in the timeframe as possible. Not much of a quality practice as simply a repeat of shots and getting as much bowling in for little money.

One lane also allows the conditioner to change more quickly if you are the only one throwing shots. "But you are making each lane different on the pair." So? This is not golf. I don't have to rake the sound trap after I was in it. Most people realize that most lane pairs are not equivalent anyway. Yes, they are very similar, but you can notice which lane hooks more or less. The difference may only be one board or you may not adjust your line between lanes, but it is there.

So, if you are alone or with one friend, why do you need a pair of lanes if the center is moderately busy?

[Last updated: 2010-06-01 11:40:31]

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