Bowling Bytes--5/4/10

~ The 11th Frame: Could it be the last U.S. Women's Open? -- "It has to be a gloomy setting for the U.S. Women's Open, which starts Friday at Cityview Lanes in Fort Worth, Texas. Looming over the event is the cancellation of the 2011 U.S. Women's Open, which was announced last week by the financially strapped United States Bowling Congress. The big question is whether a sponsor can be found to rescue the event for future years, and perhaps even 2011. The event's demise also could make for an especially competitive tournament, as the world's top women bowlers vie to win the possible final U.S. Women's Open..."

~ Mike J. Laneside: To Hambone or not to Hambone -- "It is Shakespearean comedy or tragedy of epic proportion depending on your interpretation of ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Rob Stone’s catchphrase for throwing four strikes in-a-row. Whether it is actually really fun or disturbing the sanctity of bowling, the great fans of the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour regularly gather at television finals shows with their signs either celebrating or cursing The Hambone. As You Like It...Do you disappoint the fans who celebrate four strikes with cries of pork’s tastiest cut? Or do you satisfy Troilus and Cressida, or Troy and Cassie for that matter with a stout “four-bagger” even though that is really an old baseball term applied to the lanes? What’s a humble sportscaster to do as I ponder this conundrum for a Twelfth Night?..."

~ Keith Sharp Leads After First Round in Senior Miller High Life Classic -- "Keith Sharp of Orlando, Fla., averaged 247.7 to lead after the first round Monday in the PBA Senior Miller High Life Classic at George Pappas Victory Lanes in Mooresville, N.C. Sharp had games of 247, 239, 266, 255, 258, 258, 256 and 203 for a 1,982 pinfall total to hold a 57-pin lead over Dave Flemming of Fairborn, Ohio in second...Reigning PBA Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr., making his Senior Tour debut, finished the round in 11th with a 1,861 pinfall (232.6 average)..."

~ 2010 USBC Hall of Fame Profiles: Kim Terrell-Kearney -- "If Kim Terrell-Kearney’s leap from a teenager whose interest in bowling “faded through high school” to the USBC Hall of Fame seems implausible to you, don’t worry — it seems just as implausible to Kim Terrell-Kearney...Since her days as that young college star who was just trying to make sense of things, Terrell-Kearney’s dreams have compiled the itinerary of a traveling diplomat, from her San Francisco youth to the head coaching position at Delaware State University and, most recently, to the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas, where she works with Team USA Head Coach Rod Ross..."

~ John Jowdy elected newest member of Bowling Coaches Hall of Fame -- "Longtime bowling coach, writer and industry advocate John Jowdy (pictured left) has been selected as the 2010 inductee into the Bowling Coaches Hall of Fame in recognition of his superior coaching contributions to the sport...John Jowdy began his coaching career instructing and training youth bowlers in San Antonio in the 1940's and 50's, and since the late 60's has coached over 100 professional men and women bowlers...As a writer, Jowdy's columns appear in dozens of bowling newspapers and magazines as well as on Bowlingdigital.com and he is the author of two books on the sport, Bowling Execution and Bowling Execution, Second Edition..."

~ The 11th Frame: Hooray! Jowdy elected to Bowling Coaches Hall of Fame -- "It's quite possible that John Jowdy has impacted the careers of more top bowlers than any coach in history. In his long career with Columbia 300, Jowdy traveled the PBA Tour and provided coaching to hundreds of pro bowlers, from great stars like Marshall Holman to lowly journeymen like myself...Jowdy was best known for his emphasis on not "hitting up" on the ball at release -- eliminating lift, which had long been a fundamental of bowling. The advent of exotic bowling ball technology made hitting up a negative and Jowdy would tell students to release the ball like a jet landing on a runway..."

~ Dennis Eklund ends Super Six title drought in Orgryte International 2010 -- "In a title match between two members of the Swedish national team, Dennis Eklund defeated Martin Larsen, 202-195, to win the Örgryte International 2010, the third stop of the Swedish Super Six Tour 2010..."

~ Chris Barnes--The 40-Year-Old "Version" -- "One of these days, people will truly see themselves laughing at what they say or feel in regard to Chris Barnes when his career accomplishments and active participation as a professional bowler comes to its nadir..."

~ Chapter 5: The Information Age -- "...I like big data sets. I like searching for patterns and trying to explain them. I think data analysis is probably one of my greatest skills if not my greatest. I see the potential for study and analysis in many mundane things. I'm not sure exactly when I saw the potential to study bowling, but it was around the beginning of December 2008 that I started doing so..."

~ Any early swing can bring early elimination: Without synchronized timing of your arm and leg, it'll be tough to hit the ideal release point (John Jowdy: The Pro Level: Bowling This Month, May 2010, pgs. 52-54) -- "A free armswing is one of the greatest assets for a solid fundamental game...Nonetheless, free armswings can sometimes contribute to sub-par execution..."