Bowling Bytes--5/24/10

I'm back from something of a blogging hiatus, and today's entry is chock full of recent bowling news.

~ Pennsylvania bowler rolls 47 consecutive strikes -- "Tommy Gollick of Oberlin, Pa., set a United States Bowling Congress national record by rolling 47 consecutive strikes during league play at the Red Crown Bowling Center in Harrisburg, Pa., on May 11, pending the submission of certification paperwork. Gollick didn't exactly get off to a great start during his Tuesday night scratch league with a 4-10 split and open first frame. But the split did not foretell what would turn out to be a record-setting evening. After knocking down the 4 pin for a 9-count in the opening frame, Gollick struck out for a 279 game and then proceeded to throw three consecutive 300 games to finish the four-game set with a total pinfall of 1,179..."

~ Ohio bowler shoots 300 and 811 at USBC Open Championships -- "Earon Vollmar (pictured left) of Toledo, Ohio, got off to a rough start in singles at the 2010 USBC Open Championships, failing to mark in two of his first three frames. The 21-year-old right-hander decided to make a ball change, and everything fell into place. He rattled off a near-record 28 consecutive strikes on the way to games of 247, 300 and 264 for an 811 series, which is tied for second place in Regular Singles. Terrence Syring (right) of Bay City, Mich., leads with 833..."

~ Former champions challenge lead at USBC Open Championships -- "Five years ago, KR Strikeforce of Decatur, Ill., conquered a very demanding lane condition and outdistanced its nearest competitor by 119 pins to take home the Regular Team title at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. With success comes added pressure, and one of the team's main goals since winning has been to prove that the victory wasn't just a fluke. The group has only cracked the top 100 one time since winning, but nearly reclaimed the top spot at the National Bowling Stadium on Wednesday night..."

~ PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Mike Scroggins -- "The player who impressed me the most out on Tour this past season was Mike Scroggins. Although he doesn't throw the big power ball like Jason Belmonte or Tommy Jones, have the ability to throw the ball a gazillion different ways like Chris Barnes or possess an uncanny nose for the winner's circle like Walter Ray Williams Jr., the things Mike Scroggins does with the talent he has is a testament to what you can achieve by setting goals, believing in yourself and working hard..."

~ PBA Senior Tour Starts Western Swing May 30-June 2 With Northern California Classic -- "The Professional Bowlers Association Senior Tour resumes action May 30 with a stop in Northern California followed by two Senior majors—the Senior U.S. Open presented by the Suncoast and the United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters—both to be conducted in Las Vegas. Reigning PBA Player of the Year and Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. and defending champion Dale Traber head a list of more than 100 players scheduled to compete in the Senior Northern California Classic at Harvest Park Bowl in Brentwood May 30-June 2...PBA Hall of Famer Wayne Webb will try for an unprecedented third consecutive Senior U.S. Open title when the event returns to the Suncoast Bowling Center June 6-11. Webb, who recently moved to Columbus, Ohio, won the Senior Columbus Open in his new hometown April 27 for his third Senior Tour title...The Senior Tour will move to South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas for the Senior Masters June 13-18 where Traber will try to defend his Senior Masters title...PBA.com’s Xtra Frame video service will provide coverage of the Senior U.S. Open and Senior Masters. Click on http://xtraframe.pba.com/Info.aspx to subscribe to Xtra Frame to catch all the action..."

~ The 11th Frame: Jaros wins 43rd PBA Regional Title -- "Steve Jaros won his 43rd PBA Regional title over the weekend, pulling him within one of the all-time PBA record. Jaros, who earned $2,500, beat Anthony LaCaze in the title match of the Illinois Valley Classic in Peru, Ill. LaCaze won $1,300. The event, which was contested on the Shark pattern, was "old school" with qualifying, 16 games of round robin match play and a stepladder finals..."

~ PBA West Leaders Through May 24, 2010

~ PBA Southwest Region Leaders through May 23, 2010

~ PBA Central Region Leaders through May 23, 2010

~ PBA Hall of Famer Andy Marzich Dies at 74 -- "PBA Hall of Famer Andy Marzich of Torrance, Calif., died Tuesday after a battle with cancer. He was 74. Inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1990, Marzich was a six-time PBA Tour titlist who won all six of his titles between 1962 and ’64 with three titles coming in 1963 and two in 1964..."

~ Andy Marzich--R.I.P.

~ Donnie Layman: Andrew Koff's Rising Star -- "As many of you have already read, 18 year-old Andrew Koff of Miami won the Southern Region Jupiter Open this weekend. If you haven't seen this young man bowl yet, you're truly missing out on a potential legend in the making (yet another reason to subscribe to Xtra Frame). Being a South Floridian myself, I had heard his name making the circles as the "next big thing" in bowling in our area. At that time I had never seen him bowl in person, but had been told that there were a few videos from a couple of JBT stops in which he had made the finals. After doing some Google searches I came across the videos, and though at the time he was all of 13 his game sure didn't reflect it. He was playing angles on the lane that most kids that age haven't dared to attempt or been coached to "see", and he was doing it with accuracy and consistency. To say I was impressed by the video would be an understatement to say the least...This kid has the potential of becoming one of the all time greats in our game if he continues to pursue it..."

~ Mika Koivuniemi regains lead in European Bowling Tour rankings -- "With the victory in the 7th Istanbul Open, his second win on the European Bowling Tour this season and the fourth of his career, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, regained the lead in the men's ranking..."

~ Mika Koivuniemi shoots big games to win the 7th Instanbul Open -- "8-time PBA champion and PBA Player of the Year 2003-04, Mika Koivuniemi (pictured left), Finland, posted some big games en route to win his second European Bowling Tour title of the 2010 season in the 7th Istanbul Open Sunday at Timeout Bowling Center in Istanbul, Turkey. In the title match, Koivuniemi fired games of 258 and 290 to fly past Mykhaylo Kalika, Ukraine, 548-424, and to pocket the 10.000 Euro top prize..."

~ Team USA's Edwards, Janawicz blog from Guatamala -- "Today, three-time Team USA members Brenda Edwards and John Janawicz wrap up their blog from Guatemala City after concluding their experience at the 2010 Pan American Championship of the Champions tournament with a Gold medal in Mixed Doubles. The event was the first competition on the schedule for Team USA 2010, which recently visited Arlington, Texas, for the first Team USA training camp to be held at the International Training and Research Center..."

Bowling Bytes--5/14/10

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..."

~ 12 Year-Old Kamron Doyle on ESPN2's First Take (YouTube video of interview)

~ 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..."

~ Sundbyberg, Spader Dam win the men's and women's National Team Championships-- "Team Sundbyberg from Stockholm and Spader Dam (Queen of Spade) from Helsingborg captured the men's and women's title in the Swedish 8-player team league finals at Bowling Arena in Jönköping..."

~ 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?..."