Bowling Galore This Mother's Day

If you love bowling, you had an embarrassment of bowling riches to enjoy today.

First was the final 8 games of qualifying of the U.S. Women's Open live-streamed on Bowl.com and Ustream.com from Ft. Worth, Texas. Liz Johnson started out like a proverbial house afire and overtook longtime leader Kelly Kulick early on to sit atop the leaderboard at the end of the 24 games of qualifying. The top 24 who made the cut to bowl match play Monday and Tuesday include Kelly Kulick (2nd), Shannon O'Keefe (4th), Tennelle Milligan (5th), Lynda Barnes (6th), Leanne (Barrette) Hulsenberg (8th), Stefanie Nation (10th), Michelle Feldman (14th), Kim Terrell-Kearney (17th), defending champion Tammy Boomershine (18th), Tish Johnson (19th), Carolyn-Dorin Ballard (20th), and three Singaporean bowlers.

From what I hear, they'll bowl 12 games of match play Monday, 12 games Tuesday, all carried live online, and then there will be a stepladder final broadcast live Wednesday on ESPN2 at 9 PM EDT. And you should be able to watch part or all of the qualifying rounds online whenever you wish if you missed it live.

As if that weren't enough, PBA Xtra Frame carried the match play and final rounds of the PBA South Region Canton Open live from Canton, Georgia. One remarkable story in this tournament was a 12-year-old boy named Kamron Doyle of Brentwood, Tenn. He not only bowled in the tournament but came in 30th in the field of 94 and cashed, averaging around 213 as I recall.

What was even more remarkable is that this boy didn't look like me when I was 12, yet he still managed to bowl so well. I was 6'4 at that age. This kid looks more like 10-years-old, yet, he threw his 14 pound ball amazingly well and hung in there with some of the top pros in the Southern region. I can't wait to see how good he becomes over the next few years! And you can see how good he looks now by checking out Xtra Frame's archived coverage of today's Cashier's round. You can see a lot of him at around the 40 minute mark.

But I suppose the biggest story of all in this tournament was who won. If you want to find out who it was, all you need to know is that Walter Ray Williams Jr. bowled. I'll leave it at that, except to say that the winner shot 270+ in the final match. :-)

And if this wasn't enough to sate your bowling appetite, ESPN2 rebroadcast the men's and women's USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships. I don't know if ESPN2 will show it again or if you'll be able to catch it online, but I'll let you know if it does or if you can.

What a great bowling day this was. Happy Mother's Day to all.

Bowling Bytes--4/13/10

~ Concrete Software's PBA Bowling 2 3D Game Now Available for iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone -- "...The 3D PBA Bowling game allows users to play against PBA stars, such as Walter Ray Williams Jr., Wes Malott, and Pete Weber. The newest locations from the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, including Detroit, are offered for single games and tournaments. One of the most notable features included in the game is online leader boards, which allow users to view scores of other players worldwide..."

~ Jason Thomas: PBA Experience Showdown Racap -- "It was a tradition unlike any other...well, not exactly. But at least the star players of the PBA Tour didn't scream out profanities and berate themselves after each shot like a certain fallen from grace golfer during this Sunday's PBA Experience Showdown..."

~ PBA Announces PBA 2009-2010 Regional Tour Awards -- "The PBA has announced the season-ending awards for the 2009-10 PBA Regional Tour season. Each of the seven PBA regions recognized a Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Patterson Award winner. Four regions also recognized a Senior Player of the Year..."

~ Big scores this weekend at Storm Bowlers Journal Championships -- "For 64 years, the Storm Bowlers Journal Championships, presented by USBC, has complimented the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships as the ultimate warm-up for bowlers before they compete under the bright lights and custom scoreboards of the main event..."

~ Wichita State looks to defend national titles at USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships -- "The Wichita State University men's and women's teams (pictured) will look to defend their national titles when the 2010 United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships kick off April 15 in El Paso, Texas. The Shockers are among the 16 men's and 16 women's teams that advanced to the collegiate nationals, which will be conducted in an arena setting at the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center..."

~ 10 Minutes of Practice -- "It's the big tournament you've been waiting all week to bowl in. The time has come for you to get 10 minutes of practice on your pair of lanes before the real action starts. What do you do? Do you stand in your favorite spot and aim for your favorite target and see if your ball goes into the pocket like you hope it will? That's what most people do. But, I suggest an entirely different tactic..."

~ Conquering Psych Outs Q & A -- Part II -- "Q - Competitors sometimes psych me out. What’s a good way to cope? A – There are an endless number of things competitors can do, both subtle and heavy-handed, to interfere with an opponent’s bowling. Psych-out ploys can be aimed at distracting, upsetting, undermining confidence, and/or disrupting rhythm..."

~ The 4-Point Release System for easy axis rotation changes -- "I have read dozens of instructional books, as well as hundreds of articles discussing the importance of being able to manipulate ball reaction by changing the axis rotation at the release point. Unfortunately, these respected authors fail to present readers with a concrete system that would allow a bowler to systematically alter his or her release...leading to a consistent ball reaction."

~ You Can Never Please Everyone, But USBC Is Making the Tough Decisions (Bowlers Journal International, April 2010, p.6) -- "Let's start with the "shot heard around the world"--the introduction of beverages, including alcohol, to be served to bowlers during competition at the USBC Open Championships..."

~ Hit The Target (US Bowler, Winter 2009-10, pgs.20-22) -- "Just throw your ball down the lane, hit the pins and see how many fall down. What could be easier? That's the thought of many recreational bowlers and people who don't play the game very often. But if you're in a league and looking to improve your average, you know that consistently hitting the pocket is putting the ball where you want it to go on a regular basis. That's where targeting comes in..."