Bowling Bytes--6/16/10

~ Bob Handley Retains Senior Masters Qualifying Lead by One Pin Over Roger Kossert -- "Bob Handley of Winter Park, Fla., remained in the leader Tuesday after two rounds of qualifying in the 2010 United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters. Handley has a 10-game total of 2,291, an average 229.1, at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center. A day after shooting 1,171 in the opening round, Handley shot 1,120 to maintain his strong start. He leads Roger Kossert of Lithia, Fla., by one pin...Kossert, meanwhile, also put together another strong block after bowling well on the opening day. He moved up from third to second with 2,290. Kossert opened the tournament with 1,139 and shot 1,151 on Tuesday. He started the day with games of 256 and 259...All participants will return a final five-game block Wednesday. The top 63 players after 15 games will join defending champion Dale Traber of Cedarburg, Wis., and advance to the double-elimination match-play bracket on Thursday and Friday. The championship match is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. PDT on Friday..."

~ Denmark in top qualifying position in Trios after block 1 Women's European Championships -- "Kamilla Kjeldsen, Mai Ginge Jensen and Rikke Holm Rasmussen, Denmark, rolled games of 728, 648 and 723 to take a comfortable 134-pin lead in the Trios event of the 3rd Women's European Championships 2010 in Latvia after the first 3-game block on short oil with 2099 pinfall total and an average of 232.22..."

~ Live Pro Bowling -- "Have you ever attended a PBA Tour event in person? Recently, Steve's Bowling Blog featured a piece on a bowling clinic Steve attended, and he mentions he was very impressed by PJ Haggerty and Bill O'Neill, who were helping with the clinic. Obviously, pro bowlers are better than just about anyone in a house league somewhere, but Steve pointed out how the difference was amazing...Have you ever attended a PBA event? Maybe even bowled with a PBA Tour bowler, or in an event? How was the experience?..."

~ The 11th Frame: 2011 USBC Open Championships to start March 11 -- "The 2011 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships will start on March 4.USBC has not made an official announcement but USBC spokesman Matt Cannizzaro confirmed the date in response to a question on the tournament message boards here...The tournament has started somewhere in the middle of February in recent years, but USBC has had difficulty filling those early dates for a variety of reasons, including weather and bowlers not wanting to be "guinea pigs" for the lane conditions.With entries at their lowest level ever for the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., and likely down again next year when the tournament returns to Reno, eliminating those February weeks should not hurt the entry total..."

~ The 11th Frame: Kulick says goodbye to USBC Open Championships again -- "Kelly Kulick played to a packed house at the National Bowling Stadium as she again said goodbye to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, USBC reported. She ended with a 1,986 all-events total in her competition over the weekend. She will be ineligible for the Open Championships starting next season after she earned a PBA Tour exemption with her victory in the PBA Tournament of Champions in January...Kulick's minor events were webcast by USBC and are available for viewing here..."

~ The 11th Frame: Remembering state legend Vicki Vukovich -- "I first saw Vicki Vukovich when I was just a teenager starting to bowl in top state bowling tourneys in the late 1970s. Already in her 60s, Vukovich was one of the legendary figures my bowling elders pointed out to me...The thing was that even though she was already in her 60s when I was starting, she was still a formidable bowler...In 1979, she rolled a 792 series that was the third-highest in the country by a woman that season...Yet arguably her biggest feat was yet to come. That came in 1983, when at 69 -- 69!!! -- she made the match play finals of a Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour tournament at Olympic Lanes in Milwaukee. Not a senior event -- a regular LPBT event that featured the best women in the sport..."

~ Vukovich rolled strikes to spare, even at 69 -- "As if all her other bowling honors weren't enough, Vicki Vukovich became the oldest bowler - male or female - to compete in the finals of a professional tournament. She did that when she was 69...Victoria Vukovich died of congestive heart failure May 26. She was 96. A Milwaukee south sider, she last lived in Boca Raton, Fla., where she moved to be near her son's family..."

~ "Walter Ray Williams Jr.--The King or the Prince?" -- "Back in 2006, Walter Ray Williams Jr. finally hunted down the ghost of Earl Anthony's PBA record 41 titles by beating Pete Weber 289-236, in the Dydo Japan Cup to win career title #42. Then play-by-play announcer Dave Ryan aptly started calling Williams "The King", an honor certainly deserving of his historic bowling credentials...Walter Ray's monarchical nickname suits him and the sport of bowling well. Or does it? Taking nothing away from Williams' accomplishments at all, he certainly continues to astound and amaze (some would replace those words with bore and meddle) fans with his relentless pursuit of winning titles, making cash, acquiring milestones, etc...you begin to wonder if Walter Ray is more symbolic of another nickname, "Il Principe", or "The Prince". Namely, Italian public servant Niccolo Machiavelli's version of "The Prince"..."

~ Questions about ball reaction, revolutions and approach -- "Q: I put a great deal of spin on the ball and it just skids right down the lane. I’ve been trying to slow the spin but it kills my ring finger so much that I have pain the next week. Suggestions?...Q: I am a pretty straight-up-the boards track area bowler and have had some pretty good success. I’ve been told that I’m fairly accurate, which is important for tougher lane conditions. I’m able to stay behind the ball or come around it based on the lane condition that I’m facing. I am very happy with my style, but am wondering how to make the necessary adjustments to put more revs on the ball when it seems advantageous to do so...Q: I take a five-step approach, and need to know how I can finish in a solid position at the foul line. I also want to know how to have a ball drilled for a short hook...Q: Bill O’Neill, Doug Kent and Mike Wolfe came to Paris for a clinic, and now I want to learn more. I am 48, average around 195, and would like to know where I could go in the United States for a week of instruction..."

~ If Bowling is to Score Another Revival, We Have to Stop Disenfranchising the Women (Bowlitically Incorrect: Jim Dressel--Bowlers Journal International, June 2010, p. 10) -- "...The remarkable rise in the ranks of women bowlers was paved by several significant breakthroughs...The numbers that followed these landmarks were startling...To say that women sparked that renaissance all by themselves may be overstating their contribution, but they were certainly a factor in making bowling America's Great National Pastime...Bowling, generally, is going through some tough times, and this has put a drag on both the men's and women's numbers. But if we ever hope to score a rebound, perhaps the best hope is that the women once again will lead the way..."

Bowling Bytes--6/15/10

~ Kelly Kulick threepeats as BPAA Bowler of the Month -- "Kelly Kulick (pictured) of Union, New Jersey, has been unanimously named the May 2010 Kegel Bowler of the Month by the Bowling Writers Association of America. Her 2010 U.S. Women's Open victory was Kulick's fourth major title in the last nine months and the second in a fifteen day span. She added the Open title to the USBC Queens, PBA Women's World Championship, and her historic PBA Tournament of Champions victory...Kulick becomes the first bowler to win the BWAA Bowler of the Month award three times in a single calendar year since Tommy Jones in 2005..."

~ Mark Williams Plays Two Different Shots to Win 2010 PBA U.S, Senior Open -- "Playing two entirely different shots in the championship match, PBA Hall of Famer Mark Williams won the 2010 PBA Senior U.S. Open at the Suncoast Bowling Center Friday for his first major Senior Tour title. Using the same ball and playing the right lane from an extreme outside angle and the left lane much farther inside, Williams defeated reigning Senior Player of the Year Ron Mohr of Eagle, River, Alaska, 198-181, to also win his third career Senior Tour title..."

~ Handley leads at Senior Masters after Round 1 -- " Bob Handley of Winter Park, Fla., averaged 234.2 Monday to take the opening round qualifying lead at the 2010 United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters. Handley totaled 1,171 for five games, an average of 234.2, at the South Point Hotel and Casino Bowling Center. He had games of 223, 238, 227, 245 and 238 and leads a field of 298 of the top senior bowlers in the country..."

~ Harry Sullins Takes Early Second Round Lead in USBC Senior Masters -- "Harry Sullins of Chesterfield Township, Mich., took the early second round lead in the USBC Senior Masters Tuesday at South Point Bowling Center, averaging 211.3 for a 10-game total of 2,113 pins.First round leader Bob Handley was scheduled to bowl his second five-game qualifying round on the third and final squad of the day..."

~ Sport bowling helps California bowler find success at USBC Open Championships -- "Paul Appling of Camarillo, Calif., enjoys the challenge of USBC Sport Bowling lane conditions because they help prepare him for events like the USBC Open Championships. The 61-year-old right-hander has bowled in Sport and PBA Experience leagues for the last four years with the hope of improving his game, and he got the ultimate payoff for his hard work when he rolled the 26th perfect game of the 2010 Open Championships at the National Bowling Stadium on Saturday..."

~ International star Nepocumeno holds coaching clinic in Jakarta -- "USBC’s busiest coach, bowling ambassador Paeng Nepomuceno of the Philippines, cut short his participation in the ongoing Philippine International Open to conduct a four-day Level One and Bronze certification seminar in Jakarta, Indonesia...Paeng recently visited the International training and Research Center at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas, and was updated with the latest coaching techniques and the research being conducted at the ITRC. Paeng said he was amazed with all the new developments by USBC..."

~ PBA East Region Leaders through June 13, 2010

~ PBA Northwest Region Leaders through June 13, 2010

~ Nina Flack, Helen Johnsson defend Doubles title in Women's European Championships -- "Nina Flack and Helen Johnsson (r-l) claimed the first gold medal at the 3rd Women's European Championships 2010, when the Swedes successfully defended the Doubles title Monday at Zelta Boulinga Center in Riga, Latvia. In the championship match, the 2008 WEC Doubles champions defeated Finland'sPiritta Kantola and Krista Pöllänen, 454-429. Flack had 233 and Johnsson added 221 while Kantola had 248 and Pöllänen 181..."

~ Boris Karloff (1932)

Gone Bowling

I'm sorry that I haven't been posting as much as usual. I've been preparing for a trip down to Southern California today to compete in a 20-gamer tomorrow, 6/12. We'll be bowling our first 10 games on the Cheetah pattern and the second 10 on the Scorpion. We're supposed to start at 10 AM and finish around 10 PM, although, even with an hour break between blocks, I don't know that it will go THAT long.

Mike Devaney, P.J. Haggerty, Brett Wolfe, and other bowling luminaries are signed up to bowl in this marathon. So, it looks like a tough, tough field on challenging conditions.

I've been tempted more than once to withdraw, but I'm going to hang in there and do my best not to think about my competition or what they might be thinking (probably nothing) about me and just focus on being "all there" and making the best shot I can each and every time.

In any case, I expect to have a blast bowling and visiting an old friend afterward. And I'll be blogging here about the bowling part of it after I get home.

Until then, take care everybody, and happy bowling.

Fireside Lanes Bowling Clinic Report, Part 1

I've been bowling a long time, but I've always shied away from being coached. When I was younger, this was for two reasons. I didn't like to be told that there was something wrong with the way I bowled, because I was afraid it would make me feel even less capable and more insecure than I did already. And I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to learn the lessons I was being taught, which would not only waste my money but make me look and feel stupid at a time when I already felt stupid enough and wanted to avoid looking it as much as possible.

I guess I've matured a little over the years in ways beyond the strictly chronological and biological, because I've come to the point where I'm less concerned, although by no means entirely unconcerned, with protecting my delicate ego and not looking stupid. So, I'm more open to seeking outside help to improve my bowling game. After all, I've gone about as far and done about as well on my own as I probably ever will. If I want to be and do better, I need expert coaching.

My first formal coaching lesson came a couple of weeks ago from Debbie Haggerty, mother of touring pro P.J., and one of Bowlers Journal International's top 100 coaches and last year's Junior Coach of the Year. She has developed an awesome junior program at Fireside Lanes in Citrus Heights, CA, but she also coaches adults. She gave me some suggestions about altering my setup and approach to help me delay my timing and generate more leverage and power with my delivery.

Then I attended a veritable dream bowling clinic all day on June 6 at Fireside Lanes featuring Dr. Dean Hinitz, Bill O'Neill, P.J. Haggerty, Leanne Barrette Hulsenberg, and Gary Hulsenberg. We were given booklets with printed material culled from leading bowling publications about the physical and mental game, and we then assembled in the meeting room to be introduced to the coaches and given an overview of the day's activities.

I'll say from the outset that I regret not taking notes during Dr. Dean's presentations, because he had a lot to say, and it would have been nice to have a solid record of it all instead of fuzzier memories. I didn't record and don't remember exactly how he said it, but he quoted some old Chinese proverb about how fading words on old paper were better than the blank pages of forgotten memories. My advice to anyone who attends a clinic like this is to TAKE GOOD NOTES.

However, I did jot down some notes after I got home of what I managed to remember about Dr. Hinitz's instruction on the mental or psychological aspect of bowling, and I'll summarize them later. But first let me say a few words about other aspects of the clinic.

We performed some exercises such as forming into teams and trying to throw our balls in the channel between 40 and 60 feet down the lane. It was a lot harder for many of us than you might suppose. We were then assigned to pairs of lanes to throw balls while the coaches looked on and and offered each of us suggestions. Every few pairs had a different PBA animal pattern, and a different coach was assigned to that set of pairs. After bowling on one pattern while watched and helped by one coach, we would move to a different pattern for feedback from a different coach while Dr. Hinitz kept a watchful eye on the proceedings and walked around asking people at random what they were "working on."

P.J. Haggerty asked me what I wanted to work on. I told him I wanted, among other things, to develop a more powerful release. He watched me bowl and made some suggestions about things I could do to stop wrapping my backswing behind my back and releasing my ball too far away from my body for good leverage and control. He said this would help me be more accurate and consistent with my shotmaking and also give me more power. But he also cautioned against trying too hard to develop more power. After all, he said, the winningest bowler of all time on Tour is hardly a power player. Nor does he have anything approaching a textbook style.

Bill O'Neill watched me bowl and suggested that I stop extending the ball so far out on my pushaway. He said my long pushaway caused me to tense my arm and muscle the ball into and through my backswing. He suggested that I use the hinged swing of a Chris Barnes as my model of the ideal pushaway and armswing.

Leanne set me up with a Mission demo ball to try out on the lanes and invited me to practice with her and her husband Gary whenever I wanted their help with my game and they were available. I really appreciated this. Leanne, who won 26 PWBA titles and has bowled on TV more than 100 times, has been one of my favorite bowlers for over 20 years.

Gary Hulsenberg, a PBA member and former Ebonite product manager for this region, watched me bowl and talked with me about my equipment. He observed my ball track and said that it, like Pete Weber's, was unusually close to and parallel with my finger and thumbholes. He said a good thing about this is that it puts the greatest amount of ball surface possible in contact with the lane without rolling over the holes. On the other hand, it presents, especially given my relatively soft ball speed, some challenges in selecting, laying out, and surfacing equipment so that it doesn't roll over the holes or lose too much of its energy before it gets to the pins. He offered to work with me in setting up an optimal arsenal of six balls or fewer that should enable me to handle effectively just about any lane condition and sport pattern especially that I encounter.

Toward the end of the clinic, Bill and P.J. got out their bowling balls and threw several shots on each of the patterns explaining as they went along what they were thinking and trying to do with each shot. I've seen P.J. bowl before on PBA Xtra Frame and from the spectator area of a local tournament, and I've watched Bill O'Neil numerous times on TV, but there's nothing like watching these two skilled and powerful pros perform their magic "up close and personal." Standing just a few feet behind them, I was struck by the smooth and effortless power of their deliveries. Of course you see a lot of guys, mostly younger ones, gripping and ripping it in your local bowling centers. But they don't throw it like P.J. and Bill and have the voluminous knowledge to go with it. My God P.J. and Bill throw the ball sweetly! They are very impressive. And they know more about bowling equipment, oil patterns, bowling physics, and biomechanics than most of us could ever dream of.

As for Dr. Dean's informative and inspiring words, I'll list the ones I remember, even if they don't appear in the order he presented them, in my next blogpost about the clinic.

Bowling Bytes--6/7/10

~ Kelly Kulick's remarkable season continues with PBA regional win in Lakewood, Wash. -- "Kelly Kulick, the first woman ever to win a Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour tournament, continued her storybook season Sunday by winning the PBA Northwest Region Tacoma Dodge Open regional tournament at Bowlero Lanes...Kulick, of Union, N.J., defeated non-member Curtis Messer Jr. of Grays Harbor, Wash., 259-200, in the title match to win her second career PBA regional event. She was the only woman entered in the 64-player field and now joins Missy Bellinder (right) of Lake Forest, Calif., as the only women to win two PBA regional tournaments..."

~ The 11th Frame: Kelly Kulick does it again -- "If there is any debate that Kelly Kulick is having the greatest year a female bowler ever has had, she seems to be trying to end it. Her latest victory -- her second PBA Regional win -- came over the weekend in the PBA Northwest Region Tacoma Dodge Open in Lakewood, Wash...In the semifinals, she edged former PBA exempt player and Masters champion Bryon L. Smith, 259-258. Her Round of 8 win came over multiple PBA Tour champion and veteran Chris Warren, 2-1 (206-256, 249-238, 249-215). And in the Round of 16, she beat former PBA exempt player Mitch Beasley, 3-1 (234-220, 194-214, 231-197, 203-177). That's some pretty tough competition!..."

~ PBA Midwest Region Leaders Through June 7, 2010

~ PBA Southwest Region Leaders Through June 6, 2010

~ PBA Northwest Leaders Through June 6, 2010

~ 2010 Men's World Championship will feature record 377 players from 67 countries -- "The World Tenpin Bowling Association and the host federation, German Bowling Union (DBU) have informed that the entry period for the 2010 Men's World Championship is over. Record 67 countries have submitted entry forms for record 377 players, who will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in Singles, Doubles, Trios, Team, All-Events and Masters from Aug. 11 through 22, 2010....The 2010 MWC will be staged at Dream-Bowl Palace, a state-of-the-art 52-laner in Unterföhring, a suburb of the city of Munich, close to Munich International Airport. Dream-Bowl Palace is the biggest bowling center in Europe and opened its doors on December 15th, 2009..."

~ Karsten Aust rolls big games to win 33rd Grand Prix Zurich -- "Karsten Aust (pictured left) of Germany used a 792 3-game series in the 7-game final of the 33rd Grand Prix Zurich to cruise to the title Sunday at Bowling Center BeSeCo in Rümikon-Winterthur, Switzerland. Aust beat out qualifying leader Jean-Marc Godel (right), Switzerland, for first place by four points, 102 to 98..."

~ Kenneth Chua, Ili Syazana end 3rd Asian Universities Bowling Championship with Masters victory -- "The 3rd Asian Universities Bowling Championship, held at Pearl Bowling Center in Manila, Philippines from May 26-29, 2010, drew 83 students - 44 men and 39 women - from 15 universities and colleges. Players competed for gold, silver and bronze medals in Singles, Doubles, 4-player Team, All Events (18 games), and Masters...The women from Universiti Teknologi Mara and the men from De La Salle University - Taft won their respective Division Cup based on points given for the top 3 in the five disciplines. The Universiti Teknologi Mara (pictured above) beat out De La Salle University - Taft by 35 points to win the Overall Cup. The Universiti Malaya finished third..."

~ Cheng Chao Yu, Sin Li Jane win 43rd Singapore International Open from top seed -- "Chinese Taipei spinner Cheng Chao Yu and Sin Li Jane, Malaysia, won the men's and women's Open Masters titles in the 43rd Singapore International Open Tenpin Bowling Championships Saturday at Orchid Bowl at Orchid Country Club in Singapore..."

~ Should PBA Bowlers Earn Longer Exemptions -- "It doesn't seem like much--winning a standard PBA Tour title is worth one year of exempt status on Tour. Winning a major title is worth two years (three years for the U.S. Open). There are other ways to earn exemptions, but aside from winning a major title, there is no way to get an exemption of longer than one year. Is that enough? Should a bowler be rewarded beyond the current system?..."

Bowling Quote of the Day--Bill O'Neill on "The Real Deal"

"I hate it."

--Bill O'Neill replying to a question about whether he likes his "The Real Deal" nickname

Bowling at Fireside Lanes

I bowl at Fireside Lanes in Citrus Heights, California. It's about 15 miles east of my home in Sacramento. There are plenty of bowling centers closer to me than Fireside, but I doubt that any of them offer the value that Fireside does. Part of that value is monetary. I bowl two scratch leagues at Fireside.

In one of them, I pay only $15 dollars a week to bowl six games--three of singles and three of doubles. Granted, the prize fund isn't all that big, but this league offers an affordable way to get some good practice in a competitive format without breaking the piggy bank. And the people who bowl are a nice, friendly group. Not only that, but the guy who runs it is one of the nicest persons I've ever met in my life. I think the world of him. And, by the way, he bowled a 900 series in tournament play many years ago, before Glenn Allison famously bowled his perfect series. The format wasn't sanctioned, and you won't see his name on the USBC list of 900 series bowlers. But he was in the Guiness Book of Records for awhile for his accomplishment. I really enjoy this league. I just wish we had more bowlers in it.

My other league is a PBA Experience league with adult and junior participants. Bowlers Journal International's 2009 Junior Coach of the Year Debbie Haggerty runs it. We bowl four games of singles for $14 per week and bowl on each pattern for three straight weeks. There are some excellent adult and junior players in this league. Of course, this kind of league tends to draw bowlers who are interested in more than just high scores and averages. They want to improve their skills on the more challenging PBA patterns.

One of the most noteworthy of these players is a young man named Caleb Nakata. I am very impressed with the progress I've seen him make since I first watched him bowl three or so years ago. He used to come watch the PBA Experience League. Now, at the relatively tender age of 19, he's kicking butt and taking no names in it. Last week he bowled a sizzling, league-leading 299 game and 997 series on the Scorpion pattern. Nobody else was even close. This week, he bowled 850 on the Shark pattern. I know because I was on his pair and he destroyed my sorry posterior. It's true that I'm struggling right now to change my approach and release to generate more power and am failing miserably. But it's also true that Caleb Nakata is bowling very well and is clearly dedicated enough to get better and better. What's more, he's one of the nicest kids you'll ever meet.

One of the real pleasures I get out of bowling is watching guys like Caleb start out as beginners and blossom into fine players. Another fine junior bowler in the league is young Amanda Fry. She won the girl's division of the California state tournament last year. The first time I saw her bowl several years ago, I knew she'd be good. Her smooth, left-handed style is very reminiscent of Tish Johnson's, even though I'm not sure she's ever even seen Tish bowl.

I feel blessed to bowl in these kinds of leagues and be surrounded by these skilled and dedicated bowlers and fine human beings.