"When I first saw him, the bowling ball was bigger than he was. Now, he's at a whole new level." ~ Tommy Jones
Bowling gets little to no coverage by the news and sports media these days. I'm not sure why this is. I'm guessing it has a lot to do with most people having no idea just how demanding a sport both physically and mentally elite-level bowling happens to be, and lingering stereotypes of beer swilling, pot-bellied Archie Bunker types having a fun night out with the boys.
This is why it's such a blessed event for bowling and its fans when the sport draws the serious attention of the media, and when the medium happens to be the hallowed New York Times, it's an especially big deal. Well, the sensational 14-year-old bowling prodigy Kamron Doyle has just been profiled in the New York Times, and I'm hoping the exposure will attract interest in the sport, especially among the young people who are bowling's future.
I'll be blogging more about Kamron in the days to come, but for now be sure to check out the New York Times profile here. Kamron Doyle is the real deal.
"At the U.S. Open, it's all about hitting your target and making spares, and I did pretty good at that." ~ Missy Parkin
The PBA U.S. Open may not pay out the most money to its top finishers of all the big bowling tournaments in the world, but it is arguably the most prestigious tournament of them all, and it is conducted on what are surely among the most demanding lane conditions of all elite bowling tournaments, the flat 42-foot U.S. Open pattern.
In this year's U.S. Open, 394 of the finest professional and amateur bowlers from several continents gathered at the fabled 82-lane Brunswick Zone Carolier in North Brunswick, N.J. on Tuesday to loft and grind their way through three 6-game blocks over three consecutive days of qualifying before the field was winnowed down to the cashier's round of 98 for another 8 games of qualifying Friday morning prior to being cut to the top 24. Those top 24 will now bowl one 8-game block of round-robin match play on Friday evening and two blocks Saturday to determine the four stepladder finalists for Sunday's live ESPN telecast at 3 pm ET.
If you've been watching PBA Xtra Frame this week, you've seen some remarkable bowling, enjoyed expert coverage by Mike J. Laneside, Jason Thomas, and Jackie Bowling, heard some great guest commentary from the likes of PBA legend Mark Roth, Johnny Petraglia Jr., PBA Commissioner Tom Clark, and 14-year-old bowling phenom Kamron Doyle, and you've no doubt gained a huge appreciation for just how incredibly difficult it is to cash in the U.S. Open and how tremendously well someone has to bowl to make it to the top 24 on those lane conditions.
You would have also seen the aforementioned Kamron Doyle become the youngest bowler ever to make the cashier's round of the U.S. Open, finishing in 61st place, ahead of a panoply of big name bowlers including Walter Ray Williams Jr., Tommy Jones, Kelly Kulick, Amletto Monacelli, Tom Baker, and Dick Allen in the cashier's round and a plethora of other outstanding bowlers who didn't cash.
You would have seen 64-year-old bowling legend Johnny Petraglia remarkably make the cut and finish in a very respectable 78th place.
You would have seen USBC Queens winner Missy Parkin bowl phenomenally well against her male counterparts to average 210.84 and finish 9th in the cashier's round, setting her up for match play and a possible TV appearance on Sunday. No woman has ever made it into match play in the PBA U.S.Open before. She also finished higher in the recent USBC Masters than any woman ever has before when she ended up in 11th place.
You would have seen multiple PBA titlists Jason Belmonte and Osku Palerma two-hand their way into the top 24, while lesser known but no less exciting two-hander Brian Valenta lofted the ball 30 feet down the lane while standing on the approach of the adjacent lane to crush the pins repeatedly and impress even the hard-to-impress Mark Roth who was a guest commentator at the time.
You would have seen Sean Rash shoot a desperation 289 to leap from well down the field into the top 24 with two games to go and then flail his way out of the cut.
You would have seen 50-year-old Pete Weber bid for an unprecedented 5th U.S. Open title by finishing 10th in the cashier's round.
You would have seen P.J. Sonday using mostly one strike ball all week to finish the cashier's round in 5th place, while defending champion Norm Duke, Masters Champion Mike Fagan, and a bevy of other great bowlers including Chris Barnes, Bill O'Neill, Dan McLelland, Rhino Page, and Jason Couch did what great bowlers do and make it to the top 24 for match play of the U.S. Open.
And last but not least, you would have seen Ryan Shafer show why he has to be far and away the best player never to win a major title. He ran away and hid from the rest of the field by averaging a blistering 224 on impossible lane conditions and leading second place Mike Fagan by 170 pins.
If you don't get PBA Xtra Frame, it's not too late to sign up and catch the 24 games of match play and expert commentary today and tomorrow. In any case, be sure to tune into ESPN on Sunday to watch the televised finals of the greatest bowling tournament of them all. And you can get the official scores and major backstories at the PBA website.
12-year-old Kamron Doyle has gotten a lot of attention recently, and rightfully so, after cashing in a PBA regional tournament. But there's another young bowling phenom who seems poised for great success at the collegiate and professional level. His name is Andrew Koff. He just won a PBA Regional title at age 18, just graduated from high school in Florida with a 4.0 GPA, and is widely considered to be the best junior bowler in America.
You can read Donnie Layman's PBA.com article about Koff here, and you can click on here to see a video profile of Koff.
I apologize for the fact that jury duty and bowling have cut into my blogging time this week and probably will through at least next week as well. So, let me take advantage of this opportunity to begin catching up on an eventful week in the bowling world.
~ Kelly Kulick takes another major title, wins U.S. Women's Open -- "The dream season continued to be a reality for Kelly Kulick as she won her second major women's title in 15 days on Wednesday, claiming the U.S. Women's Open, a United States Bowling Congress event. Kulick, of Union, N.J., defeated Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., 233-203, in the first live event televised from the new International Training and Research Center. Kulick also won the event in 2003 and became the 11th player to win the event more than once..."
~ The 11th Frame: Kulick completes the 'Kelly Slam' -- "It's only May and Kelly Kulick already has compiled the greatest year in the history of women's bowling. On Wednesday, she added the U.S. Women's Open crown to her prior wins in 2010 in the USBC Queens and PBA Tournament of Champions. That's three major titles -- one the first PBA Tour tournament a woman has ever won. If that "Kelly Slam" doesn't make it the greatest year in the history of women's bowling, I don't know what could. The sad thing is that Kulick may not have any more significant chances to win titles against the other best female bowlers, unless the PBA adds back the Women's World Championship..."
~ The 11th Frame: Update: PBA regional player Gollick fires 279-300-300-300 -- "PBA regional player and Storm Products staffer Tommy Gollick of Harrisburg, Pa., fired 47 straight strikes in games of 279, 300, 300 and 300 in a league Tuesday night...The United States Bowling Congress could certify the 879 series of the first three games but not the 900 of games 2-4, as USBC rules count the first three games or any other groupings of three games such as 4-6, 7-9 or 10-12 in a competition. The 47 straight strikes, which followed a split and open frame to start Gollick's night, would be a record if USBC certifies the series..."
~ Donnie Layman: Is Kamron's Success Bad for the Sport? -- "Is it bad for professional bowling when a 12 year old is competitive? There have been many, many pre-teen junior bowlers who have put up some pretty significant scoring numbers. The record for the youngest bowler ever to bowl a 300 game belongs to Chaz Dennis of Columbus, Ohio when he shot 300 on December 16th, 2006, which made him all of 10 years and 88 days old. The record for youngest to ever shoot an 800 series belongs to someone whose name I'm sure you've heard by now, Kamron Doyle. He achieved this on March 14, 2009 at 11 years, 2 months, and 1 day old. Young Mr. Doyle is also 3rd on the "youngest to shoot 300" list when he bowled his first 300 in May of 2008. He also became the youngest bowler to ever cash in a PBA event this past weekend with a 30th place finish at the South Region event at Cherokee Lanes in Canton, Ga.This leaves us with a tough question: Is this good for the sport of bowling?..."
~ Jason Thomas: Quick Take on Kamron Doyle -- "So, assuming you haven't been locked in a cage or cleaning up oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico (although, according to Mike J's recent blog, that may not necessarily disqualify you), you've heard that a 12 year-old from Brentwood, Tenn. cashed in a PBA regional tournament last weekend. The story is currently making the rounds in the national print and broadcast media and the world is generally marveling over the youngster's accomplishment.After watching the kid's interview on ESPN2 this morning, he came across looking like, well, a kid. From what I hear, he's a very intelligent (straight A student), well-mannered, likable pre-teen...who happens to be the youngest bowler in history to roll an 800 series (at 11), and now, to cash in a PBA tournament (he also rolled a 300 game at just 10 years, 5 days, making him the third-youngest ever to accomplish that feat). And after watching the video of Doyle compete on Xtra Frame, I was even more amazed than I was when I'd just heard about it. First off, this kid weighs just 80 pounds! When he stands next to the likes of Walter Ray Williams Jr., or even just an average-sized player like Jason Sterner, he resembles a Lilliputian attempting to slay the giant Gulliver. It's truly a shocking sight..."
~ USBC adds four new members to Hall of Fame -- "The United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame welcomed four new members on Wednesday during the first induction ceremonies to be held outdoors. The induction ceremony for Marshall Holman and Kim Terrell-Kearney for Superior Performance, Betty Barnes for Meritorious Service and John Handegard in the Veteran category was held in front of the International Bowling Campus, home of the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame..."
~ Cassidy Schuab powered his way into the lead in Istanbul Open -- "Two-handed lefty Cassidy Schaub (pictured left), United States, led the first qualifying on Thursday, the 9th overall, with 1591 six game total and an average of 265.17 en route to move to the top of the leaderboard in the 7th Istanbul Bowling Open currently underway at Timeout Bowling Center in Istanbul, Turkey. The Team USA member, who had already a 1502 under his belt, started his series with 249 and 237, then fired games of 299 and 300, the third perfecto of the tournament, before he closed out with 248 and 258 to take the lead. Schaub missed the tournament record of 1603 set by Martin Larsen, Sweden, in 2008 by mere 12 pins...3-time defending European Bowling Tour ranking champion Osku Palermaa (right), Finland, became the fourth player who cracked the 1500-bar and the fourth player who achieved perfection when he rolled games of 267, 233, 245, 300, 258 and 235 in Squad 10 to move into third place with 1538 (256.33)..."
~ Joseph Hostetler hits the BTM Clean Block Pot -- "Joseph Hostetler of Minerva, Ohio bowled a 932 series on May 10 to move into second place in The BTM tournament in Reno, one of the side tournaments contested at the USBC Open Championships venue in Reno, Nev. Hostetler was happy with his games of 212, 234, 233, and 253 though being a few pins shy of taking the lead since his 4-game block was clean with no open frames. He became the first bowler in two years to record a clean block in The BTM. If he is the only bowler this year with a clean block, he will collect the $12,500 jackpot. The 21-year-old took up bowling as a 14-year-old high school student. According to Joseph, long-time Team USA head coach Fred Borden saw him bowl, recognized his talent and began coaching him to refine that talent..."
~ How Do You Use Practice Frames? -- "If you're a recreational bowler who has never participated in a league, you likely have no knowledge of practice frames outside a casual reference you may have seen on one of the many bowling-themed episodes of any sitcom ever produced...But for league bowlers (those who show up on time, anyway), practice frames are an essential part of the bowling experience...So, how do you practice?..."
~ Mike J. Laneside: A Gulf of Mexico Oil Pattern -- "Lane oil is a frequent topic of conversation in bowling; its application determines the way the sport of bowling is played. Butch Cooper is a subscriber of PBA.com’s Xtra Frame – the official streaming video service of the Professional Bowlers Association. Cooper keeps track of oil conditions in more ways than one; he also works on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico..."
~ Patient Gengelbach Ends 28-Year Quest for His Second PBA Southwest Region Title -- "No one can accuse Kurt Gengelbach of being impatient. On Sunday, May 9, the 51-year-old Gengelbach ended a 180-tournament, 28-year quest for his second PBA Regional title by winning the PBA Del Rio Southwest Open at Jett Bowl. Gengelbach, who won his only previous PBA Regional title in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1982, defeated Bobby Stives of El Paso, Texas, 235-165, in position round, protecting a 34-pin edge over Stives heading into the final game. He also held off Chris Hibbitts II of Fort Worth, Texas, who rolled a 300 game to advance from third to second place. Gengelbach, with a 6-2 match play record and 16-game total of 3,591 pins (including match play bonus pins) finished 48 pins ahead of Hibbitts for the win and a $2,500 prize..."
~ Stuart Williams gets off to a great start in the 7th Istanbul Bowling Open -- "Fresh off his victory in the Bahrain Open last week, Stuart Williams (pictured left), England, got off to a great start on the first day of qualifying in the 7th Istanbul Bowling Open Monday at Timeout Bowling Center in Istanbul, Turkey. Williams, who bowled full time on the 2009-10 PBA Tour, had games of 258, 215, 211, 257, 279 and 236 to set the pace with 1456 six-game total and an average of 242.56..."
~ Breaking News WTBA Presidium has withdrawn the award of WWC 2011 to Malaysia -- "The World Tenpin Bowling Association Presidium has announced that it has withdrawn the award of the Women's World Championships 2011 to Malaysia. According to Christer Jonsson, WTBA Secretary General, the reason is that it has not been possible to agree on a written contract about the championship and the Congresses..."
~ How to Join the PBA Tour -- "Many amateurs have bowled good games and thought, “I just bowled a better score than the pros did on TV this week—I should become a pro bowler.”It’s not nearly that simple, but it is possible..."
~ The 11th Frame: Doyle, 12, is youngest ever to cash in a PBA tournament -- "Last June, when he was 11 years old, Kamron Doyle came within 54 pins of cashing in a PBA Regional in Smyrna, Tenn. As I blogged then, Doyle totaled 1,543 for eight games on the Shark pattern. Now that he's reached the ripe "old" age of 12, Doyle has taken the next step by cashing in the Canton (Ga.) Open Regional tournament, becoming the youngest ever to cash in a PBA tournament. The tourney the first weekend of May was won by Walter Ray Williams Jr. The Brentwood, Tenn., right-hander earned $400 for his SMART scholarship fund by finishing 30th in the 94-man field with a 2,797 total for 13 games. Full results are here..."
~ Questions about ball weight, bowler's tape and adjustments -- "Q: I’m planning to purchase a bowling ball for my 11-year old granddaughter. She has a passion for the game. She started with a 9-lb. plastic ball and has raised her average from 90 to 120 in less than a year. The center where we bowl has fairly dry heads, she throws the ball in the 11-mph range, and her style is similar to a stroker. Can you help me in picking between the T-Road Solid and the Street Rod Pearl balls in the 10 or 11-lb. range?...Q: When putting tape into the thumb hole, I know that most of it should go in the fingernail (back) side of the hole. Which is better to use, the white or the black tape? Also, how do you determine the proper size (3/4-inch or 1-inch)?...Q: I am a left-handed bowler and need some help for tournament competition. First, how do I determine the correct line to play on the lanes? Second, I have a problem with chicken-winging the arm-swing. And third, how do you choose the correct ball for the lane condition?..."
