Bored and clicking through PBA.com the other day, I made a stunning revelation. Eight of the 64 exempt bowlers on the PBA have their own website. That’s right, eight. Some don’t even have a Facebook. Less than 10 have a Twitter.

Even one of the most talented, widely respected bowlers on the planet, Chris Barnes, doesn’t have his own website. He has a page that’s dedicated to him on a bowling website for which he’s the spokesperson. That doesn’t count.

I understand that bowling isn’t the most lucrative sport in the world and that website building doesn’t come inexpensively but have professional bowlers stopped to think of the responsibilities they have as a professional athlete to market themselves, not only for their own benefit but for the benefit of their sponsors? Besides that, I can guarantee that if done well, a website will make a public figure more money than they’ll ever put into it.

Pure laziness is what it is.

It’s clear in the way bowlers carry themselves how lazy they can be at times. Sure, bowling isn’t one of those sports where it takes a 6’5″, 250 lbs, superstar who can bench press 450lbs and run a 40m in 5 seconds flat to be successful. But if you’re anyone in the spotlight and there exists even a small fan base who look up to you, take some pride in yourself. Any publicist or agent will tell you that. I’m not asking all bowlers to go out and get plastic surgery to look like David Beckham. Start by getting a trainer. I’d settle for a haircut in some instances. Maybe a belt. Or black socks with their black dress pants would suffice.

It’s like bowlers are completely clueless as to how important their image is. Or they don’t care.

Either way, I can’t listen to players complain about prize funds and contract cuts any longer. If you don’t take yourself seriously as an athlete, why should anyone else? What makes you think that if you sit around all day, get handed some equipment and occasionally make it strike that you’re worth a six or seven figure paycheck?

Unfortunately being a bowler carries a negative perception these days, I can’t imagine why the public has these assumptions.

Five days after learning that his father lost a long battle with cancer, PBA standout, Tommy Jones overcame a tough field of competitors in the televised finals of the Samho Cup in Busan, Korea to claim the title.

As the number four seed, Jones had to win three matches before facing number one seed and fellow PBA superstar, Parker Bohn III. Match one  was a three player head-to-head as Jones defeated Japanese lefty, Teruyuki Obara and PBA right-hander Sean Rash of Chicago, Ill. with a high score of 258 to Obara’s 203 and Rash’s 224.

In matches two and three, Jones easily defeated Korean, Park Kyung Sin 237-179 before going on to pass Kang Sung Yu also of Korea 258-224 in the semi-finals.

In the championship match, Jones defeated Bohn to win the top prize of  30 million South Korean Won (approx. USD $26,325). Gotta love Korea, where all bowlers are millionaires.

In the closing ceremonies, Jones made a speech in which he dedicated his performance to the memory of this father.

Jones and several other PBA players are now heading to Bangkok, Thailand to compete in the World Bowling Tour event beginning September 24 and concluding on Friday, September 30.

Parker Bohn III shot 1559 for six games at the Samho Cup in Busan, Korea

After 18 games of qualifying at the Samho Korean Cup in Busan, Korea it’s New Jersey native, Parker Bohn III who leads the way. By shooting a remarkable 1559 (259.3 average) for the final six games of qualifying, Bohn jumped into the lead and broke the record for a six game total at the tournament by over 100 pins.

Several other lefties round out the leaders but other PBA players who advanced to the top 36 include: Sean Rash, Rhino Page, Mike Fagan, Jason Belmonte and Wes Malott. Players are now bowling six more games of qualifying before they cut to the top 12 for match-play. After round robin match-play, the top six players advance to the TV finals.

Scores at this tournament have been highest on the fresh oil pattern so I expect the cut for the top 12 to be around 5,400 or 225 average.

Other PBA players who didn’t make the cut to top 36 include: Pete Weber, Norm Duke, Chris Barnes, Mike Koivuneimi and Dan MacLelland.

Lanes Were Constructed Inside the El Paso Convention Center for the 2010 USBC Women's Championships

It’s a mutual feeling amongst bowlers that if the city of Reno were a music record, it’s beyond overplayed. Bound by agreement, the biggest tournament in the world, the USBC Open Championships has been held in Reno, Nevada five of the last 10 years. That, in addition to the Open Championships being scheduled in the ‘Biggest Little City’ for 2013 and 2014, bowlers are less than thrilled at the thought of going back.

Well, I’m pleased to announce that bowlers have a different city to look forward to as El Paso has been selected as the host of the Open Championships in 2015. I can’t disclose what other cities were in the running but I can say that they were all cities where a USBC national tournament has been held before. I guess cities are starting to see potential in the 75-100 million dollar economic impact bowlers make on their city within the matter of a only a few months. Go figure.

Nothing new to female bowlers as the USBC Women’s Championships and Queens tournament were held in El Paso in 2010. Although there’s been some flack from outsiders regarding the safety of bowlers in El Paso as it borders Ciudad Juarez a known violent and drug trafficking city in Mexico.

Rest assured though that when I visited El Paso for a week in 2010, I spent majority of my time shopping, eating and bowling downtown which is only a few miles from the border and never once did I feel unsafe. My advice? Stay away from the border and like any city in the World, stay away from sketchy-looking individuals and you’ll be fine.

After a 24 year absence the women of Team USA can finally stand on the podium together and hear the national anthem play.

Today, the team of Liz Johnson, Kelly Kulick, Shannon Pulhowsky, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Shannon O’Keefe and Stefanie Nation qualified fourth and went on to defeat number one seed, Germany in the semi-finals before going on to claim the gold in the finals of the team division at the Women’s World Championships over Singapore 1,210-1,140.

Johnson led the team in the final match shooting 279. She was followed by Pluhowsky (256), Kulick (244), O’Keefe (226) and Dorin-Ballard (205). Nation did not compete in the final match.

Johnson explained this win as a victory for every woman who competed on Team USA since their last gold medal in the team division in 1987.

“We have all worked so hard for this and this win is for every person who has been a part of the Team USA program over the past 24 years,” Johnson said.

The team event also completed the all-events division for the women as well. Denmark’s Mai Ginge Jensen took the gold medal with a 24-game total of 5,744 (239 average). Canada’s Caroline Lagrange earned the silver with 5,687, while Pluhowsky took bronze with 5,607.

The top 16 players in the all-events standings now advance to the match play Masters event. Three members of Team USA qualified for the event, Pluhowsky, Johnson and Kulick.

The 2011 World Women’s Championships featured 171 bowlers from 33 countries. The teams are competing in six events – singles, doubles, trios, team, all-events and match-play Masters.

Bad news is that no player from the United States medaled in the Singles division at the Women’s World Championships this week in Hong Kong. Good news is they came back and medaled twice in the doubles division.

The USA duo of Liz Johnson and Shannon Pulhowsky are taking home the gold in the doubles division after defeating Singapore’s New Hui Fen and Jazreel Tan in the championship match 453-392.

Another USA pairs team of Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and Kelly Kulick earned the bronze medal after setting a record-breaking doubles score in qualifying and going on to lose their first match against eventual champions, USA’s Pulhowsky and Johnson. Okay, I know what you’re thinking.

“Are you saying that USA took out their own team to win the gold in the semi-finals?”

And yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.

And in this case, it was alright. USA’s Johnson and Pulhowsky went on to win the gold and Johnson explains how it’s always a team effort, regardless of the event.

“Today it wasn’t about Shannon and Liz winning the gold medal; it was about Team USA winning the gold medal. Whether its singles, doubles or any event, it’s always about winning for the team.”

However, I can’t help but be discouraged at the fact that besides scores being astronomical, both qualifying events so far at the tournament are record-setting performances and neither individual(s) has gone on to win the gold medal.

Besides Dorin-Ballard and Kulick, Shayna Ng of Singapore shot an astounding 1601 for six games (266.8 average) to lead the qualifying division of the singles event and ended up earning bronze after losing to Jacqueline Sijore of Malaysia 246-214. I think I speak for Ng when I say, that’s kind of b-s.

» Continue reading “Record Breaking Scores Bowled At Women’s World Championships”

The women of Team USA are ready and itching to begin competition at bowling’s Olympics this week in Hong Kong. Okay, not the actual Olympics but bowling’s version of the Olympics, the Women’s World Championships.

And now that they know what lane patterns they’ll be bowling on, the ladies are confident and determined to bring the gold medal in the team division home for the first time in 24 years. Head Coach Rod Ross wrote this on his Facebook minutes after the announcement:

       Seoul and Paris. Let the fun begin.

Seoul is a medium length pattern (39 feet) and will be laid out for Doubles, Trios and half of the Team divison.

Paris is the longest of the WTBA (World Tenpin Bowling Association) patterns at 47 feet. It will be laid out for Singles and half of the Team division.

The Masters division is bowled with each pattern alternating on each lane (one on the left lane, one on the right) to make up a pair.

Competition will begin at 8:00 am on Saturday in Honk Kong which is 7:00 pm CST on Friday in the U.S. All the action will be streamed live at BOWL.com.