Bowling Bytes--6/17/10

~ Germany's Peter Knopp high qualifier in USBC Senior Masters -- "Peter Knopp of Bremen, Germany, earned high qualifier honors Wednesday at the 2010 United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters. Knopp (pictured left), who was in fifth place after the second round, has a 15-game total of 3,296, an average of 219.7, at the South Point Hotel and Casino Bowling Center. He shot 1,095 in Round 3 and leads Roger Kossert (right) of Lithia, Fla., by six pins...Knopp became Germany's first PBA professional in the early 1990s when played on the PBA National Tour from 1992 to '94. His best finish was a 13th place at the 1992 PBA Wichita Open...Ross Packard of San Jose, Calif., sits in third position at 3,286, while Kent Wagner of Palmetto, Fla., is fourth at 3,269. Bob Handley (pictured left) of Winter Park, Fla., who led after the first and second rounds, dropped to fifth with 3,254 after shooting 963 on Wednesday..."

~ Mike J. Laneside: A Great Adventure -- "...The GEICO PBA Team Shootout is an amazing production. Sandy Hummel and his Strike Market Inc. crew of six spent the last three days building a two-lane championship bowling venue from scratch on a piece of concrete in a great theme park. The event team of the Professional Bowlers Association has insured that all the details are ready to go and the ESPN production team inside and outside of the TV truck have assembled all the equipment necessary to produce seven and half hours of national television. Waiting for that first 3..2..1 and go Mike J. – in my mind is the history of the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour on national television. I ran home after bowling junior leagues to watch the Pro Bowlers Tour and now I glance down to notice that my hand with my 300 ring is holding a microphone with the iconic ESPN flag, I get to set the stage for this competition for the great fans of professional bowling..."

~ Xtra Frame to Provide Two Days of Exclusive Coverage From International Bowl Expo in Las Vegas -- "PBA.com’s Xtra Frame will deliver two days of exclusive, on-demand coverage of the latest news in bowling from International Bowl Expo 2010 in Las Vegas, Nev. “Bowlers Journal on Xtra Frame,” pba.com’s online video streaming service, will originate from the trade show floor at the Las Vegas Hilton Convention Center on Wednesday, June 30, and Thursday, July 1. As an added bonus, Xtra Frame will present reports from the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame’s Salute to Bowling on June 30. The Salute to Bowling is the IBM/HF’s largest annual fund-raising event...Xtra Frame’s Bowl Expo coverage will originate from the PBA booth where Mike Jakubowski (also known to Xtra Frame viewers as “Mike J. Laneside”) and producer Jason Thomas will talk with industry leaders, Hall of Famers and other personalities about what’s happening in the world of bowling in advance of the 2010-11 season. As a special bonus for Xtra Frame subscribers, Bowlers Journal International will offer special 25 percent subscription discounts to viewers during the video streaming sessions..."

~ Phil Hulst wins 2010 Bowling Promotion Cup -- "Dutchman Phil Hulst (pictured left) defeated PBA professional Michael Haugen Jr., United States, 219-172, to win the inaugural 2010 Bowling Promotion Cup. The made-for-TV invitational was held June 6 at Bowling Center Châteaubriant, France..."

~ English girls come from behind to win Trios gold in European Championships -- "England's Lisa John, Nicki Ainge and Hayley White (front row, l-r, with head coach Chris Buck, right, and assistant coach Jon Zadel) came from behind to win the Trio title in the 3rd Women's European Championships Wednesday at Zelta Boulinga Center in Riga, Latvia. Starting the second day of the preliminaries in 9th place, the English trio fired the highest 3-game series on long oil (2046, 227.33 average) to grab the fourth and final spot for the playoffs and went on to defeat the No. 1 and No. 2 seed to claim the gold medal..."

~ Sports of bowling, golf share both similar and different traits by Mark Miller -- "Professional golfer Jeff Sluman, an avid bowler since age 5 in his native Rochester, N.Y., who put two bowling lanes in the Hinsdale, Ill., home he's now selling, knows well the basic similarities between two of his favorite sports..."You have to have tremendous concentration for those three, four or five seconds when in bowling you are rolling it down the lane or in golf hitting a shot," he once said. "You have to be able to relax in between shots. And in the pros, both are individual sports. Observing the recent HP Bryon Nelson Championships in Irving, Texas, however, one can see the major differences between these sports many people play. Here are some examples..."

~ Yes, There is Oil on the Lanes -- "I see this every time I bowl during open bowling, but particularly during the summer, when families take to the lanes to have fun: people falling all over themselves because they don't realize there is oil on the lanes..."

~ A Jimmy Smith Bibliography -- "Jimmy Smith (1885-1948) was the first great professional bowler. He toured the country staging exhibitions and giving instruction. Between 1906 and 1921, he was considered the consensus match-game champion. He is a charter member of the bowling Hall of Fame. A list of articles about Smith appears below..."

~ Grand entrance sets the tone for for Arlington's International Bowling Musuem and Hall of Fame -- "From long-time bowlers to those just learning about the sport, visitors to the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame will feel the thrill of the new shrine in Arlington, Texas, from the moment they step into the Grand Entrance. Designed to give visitors an eye-catching preview of what they will see once inside, the Grand Entrance features a combination of historic and modern bowling people and events..."

~ Practice...How?? -- "1. Don't keep score...2. Focus on the process, not the results...3. Don't overtrain...4. Practice during warm-up..."