Bowling Video: Liz Johnson Tears Em Up at 2012 USBC Open Championships in Baton Rouge

No woman or man could bowl much better than Liz Johnson did the last two games of the team event at the 2012 USBC Open Championships in Baton Rouge, LA. As bowling writer, USBC hall of famer, and four-time Eagle winner Jeff Richgels commented, "One of the world's top bowlers--male or female!" Her teammates aren't bad either. You can watch every shot below.

Bowling Despite Handicaps

I posted an entry in May about a guy who battled his way back from a catastrophic accident to bowl a 300 game at this year's USBC Open Championships. Well, now we have the story of a Pennsylvania family in which the father bowls using a cane to steady himself in his approach and delivery, his wife bowls two leagues a week even though she's legally blind, and his son bowled with him at the USBC Open Championships this year even though his own eyesight is fading from retinitis pigmentosa. Check out bowl.com's story of this remarkable bowling family here.

Jeff Richgels on Keeping the USBC Open Championships in Reno

"It is expensive for anyone who can't drive to get there, but once you are there, it is very inexpensive and convenient. The hotels are cheap or free (if you gamble enough), you can walk from the downtown hotels to the Stadium and there are free shuttles from the airport to the hotels so a rental car isn't necessary. And there are plenty of decent and inexpensive dining options in the downtown area."

--Jeff Richgels

I live less than 150 miles from the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, NV, but I've bowled there only a couple of times. And even though I've been bowling leagues and tournaments for 46 years and lived in Sacramento for 6 1/2 years, I've never bowled the USBC Open Championships. I explain some of my reasons for this in this recent blogpost.

This year I had a chance to bowl the Open for free. Some guy on a Wichita team had to drop out at the last moment but had already paid his fees. I could have bowled in his place for just the price of gas to get myself to the Stadium and for lodging to stay there overnight. I declined. In a nutshell, I didn't want to inflict my lousy bowling on a team and doubles partner.

I also haven't bowled well at the Stadium, even on easier conditions. I'm very impressed by the size and majesty of the place, but there are things about it I don't like, including the ball returns. Also, I don't want to bowl there in the colder months, because I don't want to drive over treacherous mountain passes in the snow. Had I agreed to bowl for the Wichita guys, I would have had to "chain up" and drive in the snow during a winter that lasted almost all the way through spring.

Still, I'm glad that the Open has taken place in nearby Reno the past couple of years. I may still go take a gander at it one of these weekends before it's over this year. And I hope it comes back sometime in the future. The great Jeff Richgels posted an article to his blog about upgrades Reno officials are looking to make to the Stadium to book future USBC Opens there. Here are some of Richgel's suggestions:

"As for the Stadium improvements, here's a small wish list: a ball service of some sort that gets balls from the front entrance and/or parking areas to the locker room area without having to lug them, more space in the settee area, ball returns pulled back off the approaches, and a wireless system that will enable on-demand webcasting. I could list another dozen things but that's a start."

I hope they're able to do all of this and more, especially the suggested improvements to the ball returns. It's high time the National Bowling Stadium, of all places, gets those ungainly ball returns off the approaches altogether and helps usher in the day that they disappear from all the approaches of all respectable bowling centers.

You can read all of Jeff Richgels' informative article here.

Second Thoughts About the USBC Open Championships

"Where else can you finish in 15000th place and get a check?"

--Steve Potocny

I wrote yesterday about how I'd never bowled a USBC Open and probably never would because I didn't think I was good enough to spend my money and successfully compete against the superior bowlers and monster scores populating that tournament.

Well, an old acquaintance of mine posted a comment in reply to my entry that I'd like to share with you because I think it makes some eloquent and thoughtful points:

I'm surprised to hear that you have never bowled the event, considering how much of a supporter of bowling that you are.

This was my 16th visit - the last dozen or so consecutive - and I look forward to continuing this for years to come.

There are always really high scores rolled, but many more low scores. I have contributed too many of the low ones, and only one game of which I am proud - a 287 in 2009. Note that the three basic events pay (I think) one place in 3.5 entries, so despite the 850s sometimes bowled the cash lines are normally around 570 in singles, 1125 in doubles and 2700 in team. Where else can you finish in 15000th place and get a check?

The lanes can be challenging, but I have found that every few years you will hit a pair which has a good shot. It usually depends on who bowled on the pair before you. It happened to me again this year in singles - I probably had 3-4 boards at my target area. I was disappointed that I only managed 627, although my doubles partner rolled a 680.

I think the USBC does a good job running the event. I enjoy browsing the shops and it has allowed me to visit some places that I would otherwise probably never see (Billings, Baton Rouge and Louisville come to mind). I recommend that any real fan of the game get together with some friends of similar sentiment and participate some day. Even if your scores are not quite up to your THS norm, I suspect you will enjoy the experience.

Steve Potocny

I must admit that after reading this comment, I'm having second thoughts about my decision not to bowl the Open. I'm still not going to bowl it this year, and I don't think I'd ever be willing to travel farther than Reno to bowl it. However, I now feel more determined to improve my game so that if the Open returns to Reno within the next few years, maybe I'll feel confident enough to compete in the tournament and see how I do.

In the meantime, I may mosey on over to Reno sometime this spring to check out the action and get a sense of the tournament that one can't get from merely reading about it or watching live streaming of it on the Internet. Perhaps I'll see you there.

Bowling Bytes--6/1/10

~ Long journey ends with success at USBC Open Championships -- "Not even an erupting volcano could keep the United Kingdom's Ken Iredale from the 2010 USBC Open Championships. Although his trip to the National Bowling Stadium was delayed by a month, he wasted no time finding his way to the top of the Classified All-Events standings with a 1,810 total Wednesday. Harry Arnold of Falls City, Neb., previously held the lead with 1,796..."

~ USBC Hall of Fame adds new category -- "To recognize top performers in United States Bowling Congress competitions, USBC will have a new Hall of Fame category starting in 2011. The Outstanding USBC Performance category will recognize efforts by bowlers in USBC national events. This will cover performances of bowlers in tournaments such as the Open Championships, Women's Championships, Queens and Senior Queens, and Masters and Senior Masters..."

~ Junior team USA members impressed with the ITRC -- "Members of 2010 Junior Team USA had the chance to train at the International Training and Research Center during a camp held this week at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas. The training camp for the 20-member Junior Team USA started May 23 and team members were impressed with the new facilities..."

~ Mohr Takes PBA Senior Northern California Classic First Round Lead -- "Reigning PBA Senior Tour Player of the Year Ron Mohr of Eagle River, Alaska, averaged 234 to take the first round lead in the PBA Senior Northern California Classic at Harvest Park Bowl Monday. Mohr, who is trying for his fourth career title and first of 2010, rolled games of 215, 274, 233, 241, 249, 257, 216 and 190 for an eight-game total of 1,875 pins and a nine-pin lead over Harry Sullins of Chesterfield Township, Mich. Darryl Traber of Waterford, Wis., was third with 1,864 pins followed by Ken Croucher of Grants Pass, Ore., at 1,832; Ted Staikoff of Black Hawk, S.D., at 1,801, and Senior Tour rookie Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla., at 1,776..."

~ Kalfas Revives Game in Time to Win PBA Regional Players Championship -- "Riga Kalfas of Florence, Ky., revived his game just in time to win the Professional Bowlers Association Regional Players Championship at Thunderbowl Lanes Monday. Kalfas, a 42-year-old truck driver by day and bowling pro shop operator by night, defeated Chris Collins of Savannah, Ga., 236-216, to complete a near-perfect day and claim the $7,500 first prize along with a guaranteed berth in the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions, a record $1 million event with a $250,000 first prize..."

~ 2010 PBA Regional Players Championship--Match Play Rounds

~ PBA West Region Senior Leaders Through June 1, 2010

~ Mai Genge Jensen, Robert Andersson Lead top 8 into Round Robin Match Play finals -- "Day one leader Mai Ginge Jensen (pictured left), Denmark, and Swede Robert Andersson (right) finished the 18-game preliminaries in the 3rd European Bowling Tour Masters 2010 Tuesday morning at Lovvang Bowling Center in Aalborg, Denmark, atop the women's and men's leaderboard and lead the top 8 players into the Round Robin Match Play finals. Jensen won her second 400 Euro bonus on the combined oil pattern averaging 219.33 for the block and finished with 3906 pinfall total or an average of 217.00 for 18 games. Her compatriot, two-time defending EBT Masters champion, Kamilla Kjeldsen, was 58 pins behind in second place with 3848..."

~ Justin Lim, Cherie Tan set the early pace in 43rd Singapore International Open -- "The 43rd Singapore International Open Tenpin Bowling Championships is underway at Orchid Bowl at Orchid Country Club in Singapore. The tournament, which will be held from May 25 through June 5, 2010, offers 25,000 Singapore Dollars to the men's winner of the men's Open Masters Division and 5,000 for the women's champion. Local bowlers Justin Lim (pictured left) and Cherie Tan (right) set the pace in the qualifying as of Sunday, May 30, with 950 and 937 4-game total, respectively...PBA pro Tim Mack and his mother Joan Mack, United States (pictured left), tested the lanes at Orchid Bowl on Sunday. The former world champion and international standout posted (226,00 ave.) to move into second place in the Overseas Pool. Mack is currently sandwiched between Dilbir Singh (930) and Dhruv Sarad (868), both India..."

~ Missouri bowler joins 50-Year Club at USBC Open Championships -- "John Wonders Sr. of Florissant, Mo., added his name to the record books at the USBC Open Championships when he became the 129th bowler in history to compete in 50 tournaments. The 75-year-old right-hander has competed in 33 cities in 20 states and made his ceremonial march down Center Aisle surrounded by family and friends at the National Bowling Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Overall, his five decades on the championship lanes have been memorable...Wonders has been a major player in the bowling industry for much of his life, and he was a co-founder of the Hammer bowling ball brand, which still is a recognizable name on the lanes..."

Bowling Bytes--5/10/10

~ The Gambler: How John Handegard gambled on his dreams and won -- "John Handegard had seen this before. A 20-something PBA Tour upstart grips the tournament trophy while Handegard packs up his gear, another week behind him, and gone with it another chance at trading in his day job at the plywood mill for a life chasing dreams around the country on Tour. This week, the “upstart” is Wayne Chester, and this will be the only PBA title he ever wins. He turns to smile for the flashing cameras, and tells the man holding the microphone that this is a “dream come true.” Chester has captured that dream at just 25 years old; Handegard, who came in second, is 40. His dream will wait another 17 years..."

~ 12-Year-Old Kamron Doyle Becomes the Youngest to Cash in a PBA Tournament -- "Twelve-year-old Kamron Doyle of Brentwood, Tenn., finished 30^th in the PBA Canton (Ga.) Open Regional tournament Sunday, becoming the youngest bowler ever to cash in a PBA event. He earned $400 which will be deposited in a scholarship account. Bowling as a non-PBA member, Doyle had a 2,797 13-game pinfall total of 215.1 average bowling in a 96-player field which included some of the top regional and national tour professional players from the organization’s South region. The event was won by 2009-10 PBA Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr. Doyle is a youth bowling phenom who already holds the all-time record as the youngest bowler to roll a sanctioned 800 series (he rolled games of 279, 278, and 245 for an 802 three-game series at the age of 11 years, 2 months, and 1 day) and is also the third-youngest bowler to roll a 300 game in sanctioned competition..."

~ Xtra Frame Top Moment #3: Mixed Doubles Position Round -- "...At the start of the week, the chances of this event making our list was extremely low, mostly because the players treated this tournament with a bit more of a casual attitude than the usual event (heck, several top players even skipped it altogether). But as is always the case when you get tour players out on the lanes to decide a title, the competition heated up to a fever pitch in the position round. With Michelle Feldman and Jason Belmonte absolutely lapping the field, the position round was a battle between three teams for two spots on the telecast. In the best position were Kelly Kulick and Eugene McCune, but a final game collapse had them in jeopardy of missing the show. The teams of Tom Smallwood/Jodi Woessner and Brian Voss/Diandra Asbaty, meanwhile, were involved in a tight match in the 5-6 spots with Voss/Asbaty holding the lead heading into the 8th frame...Check out the entire position round free today on the pba.com home page, then later in the week by subscribing to Xtra Frame.

~ PBA Southwest Region Leaders through May 9, 2010

~ PBA South Region Leaders through May 10, 2010

~ Liz Johnson has another big day, leads U.S. Women's Open after Qualifying -- "Liz Johnson (left) of Cheektowaga, N.Y., posted the day's best block for the second consecutive day to take the lead in qualifying at the 2010 U.S. Women's Open, a United States Bowling Congress event. Johnson's eight-game pinfall total of 1,797 on Sunday at Cityview Lanes pushed her total to 5,307 pins (221.13 average) to give her the lead by nearly 100 pins over Kelly Kulick (right) of Union, N.J. Kulick averaged nearly 225 to lead the first two rounds of qualifying but averaged just over 201 on Sunday..."

~ Shaker Al-Hassan flies past his opponents to win ABF Tour Bahrain leg -- "Shaker Al-Hassan (pictured left9 cruised to the title in the Asian Bowling Federation Tour Bahrain leg Sunday at Funland Bowling Center in Manama, Bahrain. In the title match the UAE international flew past Yousif Falah (right), Bahrain, 279-175, to claim his fourth career title on the Tour. In the semifinal, Al-Hassan topped Ryan Lalisang, Indonesia, by 99 pins, 267-168, while Falah defeated his compatriot Fawaz Abdulla, Bahrain, 229-211..."

~ Minnesota duo takes doubles lead at USBC Open Championships -- "Three years ago, John Kreyer Jr. (right) of Fridley, Minn., made headlines with the first perfect game of the 2007 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and this weekend, he's back in the spotlight at the National Bowling Stadium. The 29-year-old left-hander threw 30 strikes on the way to games of 258, 279 and 279 for an 816 series and teamed up with fellow southpaw Steve Bohn (left) of Norwood, Minn., to take the Regular Doubles lead with a 1,514 total Saturday. Jeffrey Mersch of Orlando, Fla., and Erik Vermilyea of Mansfield, Texas, previously held the lead with 1,507..."

~ The 11th Frame: McCune wins PBA Regional -- "Long-time PBA Tour player and champion Eugene McCune defeated Mark London 217-146 Saturday to win the PBA Midwest Region Liberty Lanes Open in Libertyville, Ill. With Mother's Day on Sunday, the event featured a special one-day format with all 65 bowlers on one squad for seven games of qualifying and the top 16 advancing directly into bracket matches. Scores were low on the Scorpion pattern with just under a 200 average (1,398) grabbing the last cash spot and a 203 average (1,421) making match play..."

~ Born a natural: Carson sophomore has eyes on a college scholarship, PBA Tour -- You could say Joey Bowers was born to bowl. “When I was 18 months old, I had Pepsi cans set up in the hallway and I would roll a ball at them,” said the 15-year-old Bowers, who is a student at Carson High School. “My parents were in leagues and they always took me with them, so I was down there a lot. When I was 3, I was in a league.” Nearly 14 years after his hallway bowling, Bowers has turned into a dominating force on the Northern Nevada junior bowling circuit, his average ranging from 215 to 230. He also is Carson High's best bowler, and a big reason why the school has won nearly 80 straight matches against other high school teams in the area..."

Bowling Quote of the Day--5/1/10

"I've seen bowlers at their best and at their worst. I've seen inspirational performances that I'll never forget, and I've seen bowlers on the verge of glory buckle under the pressure. I've seen bowlers come out here sick and hurt just to keep their participation streaks alive. My point is that in six years at the Open Championships, I have a lot of great memories."
--Matt Cannizzaro

Bowling Bytes--5/1/10

~ One for the lefties -- "...Three years ago, I interviewed a young bowler who got off to a rough start in his USBC Open Championships debut, but drew on his raw talent and pulled things together in time for a top 10 finish in singles. He was excited, nervous, overwhelmed and really just trying to prove himself. His goal was to earn a spot on one of the elite tournament teams, which he knew would come with time and experience. I've seen him at various events since, talked to him on occasion and seen his game evolve as he tests himself against different types of competition. I saw him walking around the National Bowling Stadium last week. He's usually pretty quiet, but always friendly and polite, and this year was no different. We chatted briefly, and I wished him luck and went on my way. This year, he finally got the invitation he'd been hoping for, and was scheduled to shoe up with an experienced team. If it were me, I would've been painfully nervous about letting my new teammates down, and he very well might have been, but I did not get to see him before his team event. Whether he was nervous or not is irrelevant, however, as nearly shooting 800 and leading your team into the top 10 is the perfect way to prove to yourself and your teammates that you belong..."

~ Three bowlers roll perfect games at USBC Open Championships -- "The second half of the 2010 USBC Open Championships is underway, and the scoring pace has picked up as three bowlers rolled perfect games at the National Bowling Stadium. Ken Konczos of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, rolled the 11th 300 of the year in his final game of singles Thursday night, while Matthew Randall of Allen Park, Mich., tossed the 12th in his last game of doubles Friday afternoon. Rodney Machacek of Lincoln, Neb., followed suit three games later to make it a baker's dozen..."

~ Mansour Al-Awami posts big scores on his way to the title in ABF Tour Egypt leg -- "Mansour Al-Awami (pictured left), Qatar, averaged over 245 en route to win his first career Asian Bowling Federation Tour title in the 2010 Egypt leg Friday at the International Bowling Center in Cairo. In the championship match, Al-Awami defeated Jassem Darwish (right), Kuwait, 237-200, to wrap up the title..."

~ Elite Level Conditioning Tips -- "You bowl all year round, but certain segments of your bowling calendar are busier/more important than others, right? Then you need to match your training with your bowling calendar to make sure you are at your best when it matters most. Periodized training will help you do so..."

~ The Need for a Scientific Approach to Our Sport -- "Ironically, the title of my monthly contribution to the Asian Bowling Digest suggests that bowling is a sport. And, from my 37 years of experience in this addictive enterprise of bowling, including 25 years as a coach, I believe bowling to definitely be a sport. Yet, the truth remains that bowling is understudied from a sport science perspective. We, as a tenpin community, really don’t know much about what is needed to enhance human performance, whether it be an in-depth biomechanical or physiological understanding of bowling..."

~ An 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, Bowling This Month, May 2010, pgs. 52-54) -- "A free armswing is one of the greatest assets for a solid fundamental game. Free armswings are the trademarks of bowling stars like Chris Barnes, Parker Bohn, Norm Duke, Pete Weber, and Walter Ray Williams...to name a few..."

Bowling Video of the Day--Wayne Webb at USBC Open

It looks like he still has the touch. At least on this shot.

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..."