Bowling Bytes--5/25/10

~ Dreams for Some Future PBA Stars Begins This Weekend at PBA Regional Players Championships -- "Just a year ago, Joe Ciccone of Buffalo, N.Y., had lost his exemption to bowl on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, and with his exemption gone, his dream of one day winning a PBA Tour title was severely limited. Winning the 2009 PBA Regional Players Championship at Thunderbowl Lanes in suburban Detroit, however, became a life-changing experience. Along with the RPC title, Ciccone earned his first trip to the PBA Tournament of Champions, an $8,000 prize and a boost in confidence that helped him also regain his Tour exemption the following week in the PBA Tour Trials. The PBA Regional Players Championship returns to Thunderbowl May 28-31 at Thunderbowl as a stand-alone event. There won’t be a PBA Tour Trials as a companion event this time around, but the ultimate prize at the end of the RPC rainbow is brighter than ever..."

~ South Point in Las Vegas to Host 14-Day 2010 PBA World Series of Bowling -- "South Point Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center on the south side of Las Vegas will host the 2010 edition of the Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling, a 14-day extravaganza that will award six PBA Tour titles and pay $625,000 in prize money by the time it’s over. The event, which will be open to PBA members from across America and around the world, begins Sunday, Oct. 24, and culminates with the taping of six television programs over two days Nov. 5-6. The shows will air on ESPN starting Sunday, Nov. 28.

~ Jason Thomas: A PBA.com Tribute to Lost -- "If you've followed my work here on PBA.com and Xtra Frame long enough, you'll know that I'm one of the world's biggest fans of the TV show "Lost", which ended last night. (That sound you hear is me, weeping...and trying to figure out what to do with the extra 3-5 hours a week I normally spend on watching/studying/talking about Lost). Lost references have slipped into many of my TV Recaps, blogs, episodes of "The Bowling Show" and, most recently, onto this week's tip with The Most Important Chair in Bowling. As far as I'm concerned, "Lost" was the best non-cable TV show in history, and last night's finale not only means that I now have a free slot on my calendar every Tuesday night at 9pm, but also stimulates a great deal of thought on the themes of the show...namely, survival, redemption, and being a part of a community of people you care about. Which, of course, leads me back to bowling, where nearly all of these things reside in my own personal/professional life. So, as a tribute to both my favorite TV show and my favorite sport/life pursuit, I thought it'd be cool to make a list of what people/places on the PBA Tour are the equivalent characters/places on Lost. Here goes nothing."

~ PBA midwest Region Leaders Through May 24, 2010

~ PBA East Region Leaders Through May 24, 2010

~ PBA South Region Senior Leaders Through May 24, 2010

~ Former USBC Masters winner moves into second place at USBC Open Championships -- "In 2002, Brett Wolfe of Tempe, Ariz., won the prestigious United States Bowling Congress Masters at the National Bowling Stadium, and he found success at the one-of-a-kind venue again at the 2010 USBC Open Championships. The 33-year-old left-hander was back in his comfort zone and averaged 249.4 on his way into second place in Regular All-Events with a 2,245 total Monday. Fellow southpaw Matt McNiel of Chanhassen, Minn., leads with a record 2,326..."

~ Brunswick signs professional bowler, Chris Loschetter, to pro staff -- "Brunswick Bowling announced today that Chris Loschetter, is the newest professional bowler to join its Pro Staff. Loschetter, who joined the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) in 2003, has 12 career 300 PBA games under his belt. Loschetter has appeared in 114 PBA Tour events, making nine championship round appearances and finishing second four times..."

~ Kamilla Kjeldsen takes the early lead in Bowltech Aalborg International 2010 -- "59 Danes and American Ken Bland Jr. took to the 30 lanes at Lovvang Bowling Center in Aalborg, Denmark, on Monday evening to kick off the Bowltech Aalborg International 2010. Two-time European Bowling Tour women's ranking champion and two-time EBT Masters winner Kamilla Kjeldsen (pictured left) rolled games of 223, 215, 279, 224, 243 and 213 for the field-best scratch series of 1397, a 232.83 average, and added 48 pins handicap to take the early lead with 1445..."

~ The Cost of Practicing Bowling -- "During the summer, serious or mildly serious bowlers want to practice. But, as with most things in life, bowling costs money. I'm curious to find out how other people practice throughout the offseason and what it costs. At any randomly chosen bowling alley, a game could cost as much as $3-$5. So on the high end, a three-game series would cost $15. Even if you only bowl once a week, that's $60 a month. To me, that seems high for a bowler loyal to his home center who is obviously practicing in preparation for that very center's league..."