The PBA U.S. Open:
What Bowling Is All About

Extremely challenging lane conditions and 24 of the top bowlers in the world competing in round-robin match play for two days set the stage for an exciting match last Sunday at the 65th U.S. Open sponsored by Denny's and held at the 84-lane Brunswick Zone Carolier in North Brunswick, New Jersey.

This columnist traveled to North Brunswick last Friday morning and had this great opportunity to witness two gruelling days (Friday and Saturday) of round-robin match play for the 24 bowlers who advanced following 27 games of qualifying over the four previous days.

PBA bowlers Doug Kent and Todd Book put it this way, "the lanes are very challenging as they are oiled 40 feet from gutter to gutter and it doesn't take much to miss the head pin so with this difficult oil pattern if you do get an open, that's the way it is and you just have come back and get a few strikes if you can."

The 24 bowlers in the round-robin match play won out over the original 492 bowler field. Four of the 24 were amateurs.

This U..S. Open presented us with many great opportunities including meeting and getting to know Parker Bohn II, father of Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III, watched the Guru of Bowling Mo Pinel do "his thing" in the Semiz 11 Frame Pro Shop, chatted with Morich Bowling Ball Company Northeast Technical Advisor Mike Luongo, saw Cantonment, Fla. PBA Player Todd Book lose his PBA score sheet and heard him tell us he would have to pay a $50 fine for that......also had lunch-supper Saturday with Todd at our favorite Chinese Buffet Restaurant on Route 18 South, had a nice conversation with bowling great Johnny Petraglia, met and talked with two-handed Orange NSW Australian amateur bowler Jason Belmonte, attended the Sunday morning Youth Clinic where many of the top professionals teach and help youth bowlers for some two hours, attended the Sunday 2 p.m. ESPN live championship match and shared some bowling talk with the operator of the A. J. Pro Shop at Kiamesha Lanes Alan Jones and his wife Suzie of Livings;ton Manor and 17-year-old Daniel VanAken, student at Fallsburg Central High School who came down to North Brunswick Sunday morning for the PBA championship round and to watch the four bowlers in the Denny's All-American High School Championship which took place following the PBA event.

Alan, Suzie and Daniel said this was their first time attending a PBA Championship, they noted their enjoyment of bing there.

The U.S. Open championship round last Sunday afternoon offered much talk about the Grand Slam, two Majors in a season, $100,000 and the one accomplishment that has eluded Norm Duke in his illustrious career.

With so much riding on the line, getting a mark in the 10th frame was never more difficult for Norm..

Needing any spare to win the 65th Denny's U.S. Open, Duke left the 2-4-5-8, giving him flashbacks of the 2000 U.S. Open that slipped out of his hands by one pin. But facing the biggest spare attempt of his career, Duke converted to defeat Mika Koivuniemi, 224-216, to win his fourth career Major and 28th Denny's Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour title.
Additionally, he became just the second bowler in history to win the four Grand Slam events. the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Masters, Tournament of Champions, World Championship and the U.S. Open.

The win capped a wild roller coaster ride of a season for Duke, who just five weeks ago was on the verge of losing his Denny's PBA Tour exemption. He sat 51st in the PBA World Point Rankings after battling numerous injuries and, even worse, caught the flu the week of the Denny's World Championship.

Always known for having a flair for the dramatic, Duke made an incredible run through the World Championship to win his third career Major and, more importantly, earn a two-season exemption.

Fueled by the desire to win the most coveted event on Tour and the one he has had several close calls in, Duke was a man on a mission all week. Though he lost the top seed for the finals by going just 3-5 in the final round of match play Saturday night, he salvaged the No. 3 seed which meant he had to win three matches on Sunday for the title.

After looking unstoppable in defeating No. 4 Doug Kent, 234-160, and No. 2 Chris Loschetter, 267-245, to reach the title match, Duke faced the top-seed Koivuniemi, who was looking for his second U.S. Open title.

Koivuniemi held the lead until a spare in the eighth frame after which Duke struck in the eighth and ninth to take the lead. Koivuniemi had a chance to put some pressure on Duke by striking out, but he left a 2-pin with his first shot in the 10th, converting the spare and finishing with a strike to force Duke to mark.

With everything on the line, Duke re-racked but left the 2-4-5-8, one of the few bad shots he threw all day.

"I was protecting against going high because you can make the bucket but you can't make the 4-6," Duke (Clermont, Fla.) said. "But I wanted to strike, too, so it had to be somewhere in between. I didn't throw it awful, I just missed it enough. When I left that I thought, "It's over. I've done it again.".

Duke was referring to the 2000 U.S. Open title match against Robert Smith where he needed a strike with his first ball in the 10th frame to win, but he left the 8-pin to lose, 202-201.

"That was the longest 10th frame today," Duke, the first No. 3 seed since Dave Husted in 1996 to win the U.S. Open, said. "Under those circumstances, I was a lot calmer today than I had been on Friday and Saturday. Fatigue really plays a role in this event. If you watched last night, guys were dying and I was one of those guys. Not dying mentally, but physically. But I threw some warm-ups this morning and had the game I wanted to have and that really calmed me down."

After Duke picked up the 'bucket,' the diminutive crowd favorite who is one of the most emotional players the Tour has ever seen, pumped his fist and jumped wildly, showing just how much this event meant to him.

"I cannot put into words how special this is to me," Duke said. "Five years after I missed that shot against Robert I would still cry about it. It was the one thing I would constantly think about that I hadn't done. I could just never cap it off. Now, I'm the reigning champion of the U.S. Open."

The win capped off an incredible month for Duke, who became just the seventh bowler to win two Majors in one season. He moved past Mike Aulby into sole possession of sixth on the all-time titles list, moved into a tie for fifth all-time with his fourth Major and joined Mike Aulby as the only bowlers to win the Grand Slam, although his 1993 Masters title does not count as an official PBA title.

"This format, this grind. it's why so few people can actually win this event," Duke said. "There are probably 25 people out here who can actually win this. It's why Pete (Weber) has won it four times. Now after 27 years of dreaming, it means everything to my career."

Duke took home $100,000 for the win and extended his exemption through the 2010-11 season. Koivuniemi (Hartland, Mich.) earned $50,000 for second, Loschetter (Avon, Ohio) took home $25,000 for third while Kent (Newark, N.Y.) earned $13,000 for fourth.

The 65th Denny's U.S. Open concludes the 2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour. Chris Barnes wrapped up the 2007-08 PBA Player of the Year award last week, edging out six-time PBA Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr. by two points in the standings to win the award for the first time in his career.

For the fourth consecutive season, six bowlers will roll off for a $150,000 winner-take-all top prize in the Motel 6 Roll to Riches special event, which takes place Tuesday, April 8 at Colonial Lanes in Orlando, Fla., and aired as two back-to-back one-hour shows on ESPN, Sunday, April 13.. Participants included Duke, Kent, Sean Rash, Michael Haugen Jr., Parker Bohn III and Chris Barnes, who earned a berth in the event thanks to Duke winning two Majors. Barnes was the runner-up to Bohn in a fan vote.

New York's Jurek Needed A Win

Through the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Go RVing Classic at Norwich, CT recently Lackawanna (near Buffalo) New York's Jack Jurek was producing winning scores in the rounds of 16 and 8.

After winning the round of 8 match and with the projection that he had made the ESPN TV championship round Sunday afternoon it was a pleasant surprise to find Jack sitting down next two us during Saturday morning breakfast at the same motel that my wife and I along with Bob Cady and Barbara Korthright of Livingston Manor were staying at in Niantic, CT.

We shared general bowling conversation with Jack who noted that this is the first time the PBA tour had bowled on the new Kegal synthetic lanes installed at the Norwich Bowling & Entertainment Center.

In the tour's 49-year history this is the first time the Denny's PBA Tour ever took its show to Norwich, although the Tour has had an event in the state of Connecticut in seven consecutive seasons. The Mohegan Sun Arena (visited by us Saturday night) in nearby Uncasville, played host to the Tour the last six seasons. The Tour has two more years at Norwich.

Jack also pointed out that one of the brand named balls he uses is MoRich and that he know very well MoRich Northeast Technical Advisor Mike Luongo, a regular Bowling Tip contributor to this column who was also present at the Norwich center on Friday.

Jack said that the new Kegal synthetic surface and the PBA Chameleons (PBA Oil Pattern for the week) made many of the professionals use the "gutter shot" in which bowlers rolled their bowling balls very close to the gutter.

Newark NY Professional Doug Kent also talked with us about the lanes and his life on tour this year which we will feature in next week's column.

Jurek noted when asked about next year said that he definitely was looking at what could be his last three weeks on the Denny's PBA Tour because of the long drought he has had on the Tour.

Jurek in the round of 8 defeated Steve Harman 4-3 with gams of 203,-206, 194-210, 227-213, 199-236, 229-173, 239-141 and he won the last game 247-245 to advance to the TV round on Sunday.

Coming into his first TV match Sunday with Mike Edwards Jurek was out of the cut in 42nd for a 2008-09 exemption at season's end.

Jurek during the 2007-07 season was ranked 17.

"Double J" as he is nicknamed, enjoys hockey and lists Pete Weber as his toughest opponent. He won the 1984 AMF World Cup Championship in Sydney, Australia and in 1984 was named the Bowlers Journal Amateur of the Year.
During the 2006-07 Jack enjoyed his best year on Tour, setting career highs in match play appearance, TV finals, average and season earnings.

The popular pro-shop owner and operator at the............................. won his lone Denny's PBA Tour title in the 1995 PBA Turns Classic in Windsor Locks, Conn. He has made six other television appearances in his career and has made match play in 59 of his 232 career Denny's Tour events and has cashed 124 times.
Jack also owns 11 PBA Regional Tour titles.

We wished him the best in the Championship TV match against rookie sensation Rhino Page but reminded him that we had to show no partiality once we took our front row press seats for the Sunday TV afternoon championship matches.

Collura & Hoffmann Score Tournament & League 300's

Vinnie Collura is a pure gentleman and a bona fide bowling technician and this talented right hander proved it on the lanes last Sunday morning as he blasted the maples for a perfect 300 game in the Tri-County NY United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Association tournament at Pin Street Lanes in Warwick.

Bowling in the 9 a.m. Doubles & singles event, he recorded the 12-strikes in a row in the first game of the doubles competition on lanes 13 & 14.

Vinnie noted that he struggled somewhat after the first game and finished the event with a 661 series.

This 300 was his sixth career perfect game and comes a little more than two months after he scored his fifth career 300 on December 26, 2007 with a 300, 246, 234, 780 in the Wednesday Men's league at Kiamesha Lanes.
Collura, 39, noted that he was only bowling in one league this year, the Wednesday Men's league at Kiamesha lanes, and that presently he holds down a 212 average.

He used a Hammer Black Widow bowling ball to record last Sunday's 300 game.
Vinnie's highest series is an 809.

All strikes were in the pocket for Sunday's perfect game.

Vinnie serves as Sergeant At Arms for the Tri-County NY USBC Association.

Association President David Kinney Sr., who is also manager of the Pin Street Lanes (formerly called Frontier Lanes) pointed out that the 300 game was scored on the regular house shot.

Vinnie and his wife Carena live in Monticello and Vinnie is employed as a Rehab Technician for the Center For Discovery in Harris.

John "Little Lefty" Hoffmann is also known as one of the great technical bowlers in the Tri-State area and he added to an already illustrious bowling career Tuesday night (March 4) when he recorded his 21st career 300 in the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters league at Kiamesha Lanes.

Bowling on lanes 11 & 12 Hoffmann smashed the maples for a 258, 300, 259 for his highest ever series of 817.
At one point of the 300 game and the third game of the night he rolled 19 strikes in a row with 12 coming in the perfect game and 7 more strikes in the first seven frames of the third game.

The "Little Lefty" bowled the 300 and 817 series using a new Roto Grip Quest bowling ball recently drilled for him by Mike Luongo who noted to this columnist when fitting and drilling out the new ball for Hoffmann that "John has a real nice game."

All 19 strikes were in the 1-2 pocket Hoffmann noted.

Hoffmann's Tuesday night team IAPOTH (I Ain't Paying On That Hit) consists of Bob Yakin Sr., Kevin Stackhouse and Roberta Yakin.

John won the high average bowler honors with a 229 in the Tri-County NY United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Association for 2006-2007 season. The 66-year-old bowled professionally from 1990 through 1993 in the Northeast Regional Professional Bowlers Association where he got his "Little Lefty" nickname from PBA Tour Bowler Tommy Delutz Jr. He is also the 2007 Tri-County NY USBC Men's Senior Champion and a New Jersey State Senior champion.
He presently maintains a 220 average and in addition to this league bowls in the Monday Men's league at Kiamesha Lanes, the Wednesday Mixed Businessmen's league at Callicoon Lanes and the Sunday Thunder 102 Mixed league at Kiamesha Lanes.

Last fall he also became a certified USBC instructor.

Hoffmann has been bowling for some 51 years, is retired and lives in the South Woods Road area of the Town of Thompson.

"Little Lefty" Scores 4th Tournament 300 Game

The 66-year-old "Little Lefty" from Monticello is just like good wine........they both seem to get better with age.

John Hoffmann, bowling last Sunday with his doubles partner Ed Townsend, in the noon Doubles & Singles event of the Tri-County NY United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Association tournament at Pin Street Lanes in Warwick recorded the tournaments fourth 300 game and his personal 22ed career perfect game.

The 300 came in game 2 of the doubles event and along with a 226 in the first game Hoffmann finished the series with a 707 series.

The four perfect games recorded in this year's Tri-County tournament include Hoffmann, Joseph Powell, Antonio Rivera and Monticello's Vinnie Collura.

Hoffmann's 300 was recorded on lanes 11 and 12 using a new Roto Grip Quest bowling ball recently drilled for him by Mike Luongo who noted to this columnist when fitting and drilling out the new ball for Hoffmann that "John has a real nice game."

Hoffmann is a well-known technical bowler and on March 4 recorded his 21st career 300 in the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters league at Kiamesha Lanes and in doing so recorded his highest ever series of 817.

In Sunday's match all 12 strikes were in the 1-2 pocket.

John won the high average bowler honors with a 229 in the Tri-County NY USBC Association for the 2006-2007 season. He bowled professionally from 1990 through 1993 in the Northeast Regional Bowlers Professional Bowlers Association where he got his "Little Lefty" nickname from PBA Tour Bowler Tommy Delutz Jr.

Hoffmann is also the 2007 Tri-County NY USBC Men's Senior Champion and a New Jersey State Senior champion.
He presently maintains a 220 average and bowls in the Monday Men's, Tuesday Mixed Firefighters, SundayThunder 102 Mixed leagues all at Kiamesha Lanes and in the Wednesday Mixed Businessmen's league at Callicoon Lanes.
Last fall he also becamse a certified USBC coach and is considered an excellent teacher of ths game.

Hoffmann has been bowling for some 51 years, is single and retired and lived in the South Woods Road area of the Town of Thompson.

Hoffmann along with Townsend, who averaged 194 for the three game match, scored a 1482 total which put them into fifth place at the end of their squad.

The Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

Bowlers: This week the tip is for all bowlers to truly assist you on how to best use the dots and arrows on the approach as target aids.

When preparing to execute a bowling shot, whether it is a strike or spare, you must be prepared to unerstand the path down the lane you intend your bowling ball to take. With this in mind, when stepping on the approach you should have a focal point, simply the point from which the ball will roll off your hand in the direction you intend it to go, picked out.

If you throw a hook ball, you will be rolling the ball toward the intended break point--the spot on the lane you expect your ball to change direction. If you are rolling the ball straight, the pocket or the pin/pins will be your intended target.
The tip: Look at your intended target and bring your eyes back to the spot on the lane that you are most comfortable looking at, whether it be the dots or an arrow.

To play the modern game, the sooner the ball comes off your lhand the better. If you are looking at an arrow and tend to throw or hit up on the ball instead of rolling it off your hand, bring your eyes more toward the dots.

If you are a bowler that tends to play more across the boards with a lot of rotation, your focal point should be as far right (or left) as in between the lanes to get the ball to the correct break point.

If you play a straighter game with a small hook, your correct focal point may be toward the 3-pin.

Remember, there is no substitute for making a good shot. If you combine good shots with good thinking, your scores will increase.

Mike Luongo is technically certified through IBPSIA as a Pro Shop Operator and Teacher. He is also a Silver Level Coach with the USBC and is also the Northeast Technical Advisor for the Morich Bowling Ball Company (Morich Enterprises, Inc.) Mike is a member of the Brunswick Pro Shop Staff. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached at 341-1694 or via e-mail at mikespro@warwick.net .



Youth League Bowlers
Record High Scores

Two Saturday Morning Youth league bowlers at Kiamesha Lanes recently recorded high scores.

Sixteen-year-old James Durland, a Sophmore at Monticello Central High School, scored a nice 265 game on lanes 1 & 2 using a Morich Ravage III bowling ball.

James is the son of Debbie and Paul Durland, has been boweling in the youth league for 11 years.
Daniel VanAken, 17, at student at Fallsburg High School who has been bowling in the youthleague for 2 years, scored game opf 178, 236, 265 using a Brunswick Fury bowling ball.

Daniel bowls with the A. J. Pro Shop team and is the son of Shirley and George Van Aken.


Local Scores
Callicoon Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Monday Hortonville Ladies league include a 188 by Joyce Brooks, Pat Peters 191, Amber Benson 201, 518, Rebecca Rhodes 181, Judy Mohn 180, Sue Naughton 192, Donna DuBois 506 and Lil Zieres 501.

In the Tuesday Delaware Valley Men's league Kris Rasmussen scored a 203, Joel Turner 203, Jon Wayne 204, Karl Adams 234, 198, Mark Schriber 222, 204, 606, Roger Miller 225, Tom Schultz 201, Mark Garro 222, 246, 632, Mark Hawley 214, 212, Dick Pomes 204, Brian Starr 202, 212, 607, Joseph Gager 201, Damien VanLeuven 219, 210, 618, Brian Kitson 226, 209, 603, Jon Duffy 199 and Scott Herbert 225.

In the Wednesday Mixed Businessmen's league Don Hill scored a 237, Phil Jacobi 235, 603, Brian Marino 210, Damien VanLeuven 215, Mark Rutledge 195, Mike Beseth 235, Kory Kessler 204, 214, Bruce Rutledge 216, 267, 661, Roger Widmann 200, Justin Lopez 202, 201, Bob Cady 206, Ed Townsend 200, 197, Tom Skiff Jr. 214, John Hoffmann 202, 201 and Shirley Townsend 199, 501.


Fox Bowling Center

Recent highlight scores in the Tuesday Ladies Early Birds league include a 187, 190, 186, 563 by Sally BallardKathleen Stanton 191, 209, 535, Linda Ferris 224, 525, Sherry Persbacker 181, 509, Tammy Kane 203, 506, Kathleen Maltese 185, 500, Lori Walker 202 and Melinda Ferris 190.

In the Wednesday Men's Independent league Tony Wright scored a 241-248, 679, Jeff Curtis 247, 224, 664, Shane Merwin 264, 213, 657, Andrew Bullis 215, 196, 232, 645, Al Bullis Sr. 211. 226, 200, 637, Robert Johnson 248, 628, Rod Pudney 221, 205, 199, 625, Steve Aitken 220, 223, 620, Al Bullis Jr. 223, 204, 620, Paul Ignatovich 202, 229, 616, Brad Tracy 227, 211, 610, Bill Gleim 223, 215, Lee Stanton 221, Steve Hopkins 205, 215, Gino Jones 223, John Lanner 224 and Carl Davis 236.

In the Thursday Men's Deposit National league Carl Davis scored a 224, 222, 238, 684, James Dibble 237, 256, 674, Robert Johnson 235, 200, 213, 648, Norm Ellis 234, 202, 200, 636, Donald Marino 214, 233, 633, Lee Stanton 235, 212, 632, Marc Fino 223, 225, 630, Brad Tracy 211, 215, 204, 630, Craig Gehrig 267, 236, 628, Thomas Anderson 206, 222, 620, Tony Wright 199, 224, 616, Robert McNaught 237, 204, 614, William Gleim 244, 612, Frank Couse 203, 200, 205, 608, Daniel Wormuth 225, 602 and Richard Layton 213, 204, 601.

In the Friday Couples league Paul Fritz scored a 299, 209, 241, 749, Bill Gleim 231, 212, 242, 685, Robert Johnson 203, 256, 648, John Stanton 200, 212, 233, 645, James Dibble 213, 235, 621, Robert Ellis 215, Rick Mills 222, Daniel Wormuth 212, Norman Ellis 214, Gino Jones 225, Sandy Winans 192, 500, Hope Jones 211, Tracy Resti 196 and Kristina Couse 182.


Kiamesha Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters league include a 257, 698 by Ed Guthrie, George Kelley 245, 663, Mary Lee Williams 220, 581, Crystal Price 213, Joan Lake 212, Dorian Jennings 578 and Roberta Yakin 564.

In the Friday Mixed Doubles league Tammy Pineiro scored a 211, 552, Kort Wheeler 209, 212, 610, Joan Redington 203, 530, Bob Linzer 221, Tom Skiff Jr. 220, 216, 608, Joan Lake 203, 193, 568, Kevin Stackhouse 195, Eddie Lake 199, 205, 245, 649, Paul Berens 214, 208, Orshii Niifa 233, Laresko Niifa 252, 198, 606, John Cascone 200, 201, 224, 625, Frank Emmens 202, 243, 197, 642, Andrew Douglass 203, Don Kuhlman 212, 226, 243, 681, Tom Skiff III 226, 223, 621, Jamy Flynn 191, Bryce Flynn 224, 205, 622, Rick Hendricks 231, 232, 645, Glenn Fraser 221, Vera Bernhardt 206, 515, Mike Osborn 212, 216, Allan Jones 235, 223, 628 and Rich Blackford 215.

In the Saturday Morning Youth leagues, in the Pee Wees division ASbigail Rustic scored a 92 and Tulsi Patel 84.
In the Bantams division Thomas Nola scored a 88, Sarah Rustic 83 amd Parth Patel 114.

In the Jr.Mjrs division Shawn Sinistore scored a 245, Ed Walsh 219, Pedro Agapito III a 188, 198, Amber Bock 157, Shivani Patel 179, Taylor Thomas 192, Jason Moss 199, 165, Francis Henderson 143, Michael Scuderi 158, 189, 160 and Jennifer Zeininger 145.

In the Preps division Cory Deitchman scored a 144, 148, 152, Michael DeGraw 111, Taylor McCormack 110, Tyler Bruderman 92, Rup Patel 133, Jared Friedman 135 and Trevor Scott 151.

New York's Doug Kent Having Difficult Year

What a difference a year makes.

Last year Newark, New York's Doug Kent earned the Chris Schenkel Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Player of the Year award.

Doug sat down with us at the Go RVing Classic event held several weeks ago at Norwich, CT and noted that his quick start at the beginning of the 2006-2007 PBA Tour made a big difference in last years successful season.

This year Kent has only made it into a couple of rounds of 16 and at Norwich made it into the round of 8 only to be defeated by the eventual champion rookie Rhino Page.

Doug and his wife are also the owners and managers of two bowling centers between Rochester and Buffalo.

He expressed his thoughts about the new type of Kegal synthetic lanes bowlers competed on in Norwich and noted that these new synthetic lanes forced many bowlers to use the "gutter shot" which in laymen's terms means that bowlers has to release and roll their balls fairly close to the gutter to be successful.

The new Kegal synthetic lanes also affected the ball reaction and controlling it mid-lane was more difficult because of over skidding.

Doug admitted that this season, "I have had difficult matching up my bowling balls with the lane surface."

Kent felt that at times there seems to be "no equity level for righties and lefties."

The Newark, N.Y. righty is presently ranked in 35th place.

The Professional Bowlers Association last year in their season-ending awards for the 2006-07 Denny's PBA Tour campaign named Kent the Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year.

For the first time in his 18-year career the 2006-2007 PBA Player of the Year had a career-year, capturing two titles in a season for the first time and leading the Tour with a career-best $200,530 in season earnings. More importantly, both of Kent’s wins in 2006-07 were Majors, making him just the sixth bowler in PBA history to win two Majors in the same season.

The nine-time titlist last year captured the first Major of the season, winning three matches en route to the title in the 2006 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Masters at the Wisconsin Exposition Center in Milwaukee, Wis. Kent, who became the first No. 3 seed ever to win the Masters, defeated 2005-06 PBA Player of the Year Tommy Jones in the first match of the stepladder finals and amateur George Lambert IV in the semifinals before knocking off top-seeded Jack Jurek in the title match, 277-230.

Later in the 2006-2007 season, Kent captured his second career PBA World Championship, defeating Chris Barnes, 237-216, for the title in the 2007 Denny's World Championship at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Mich. The win made Kent the first player since Walter Ray Williams Jr. in 2002-03 – and just the sixth in Tour history – to win two Major championships in one season.

In addition to his two titles last year, Kent also posted one runner-up finish, falling to Pete Weber in the title match of the 2006 Etonic Championship. Kent’s three championship round appearances were his most since the 2001-02 season, and he went 6-1 in those three TV appearances with a 234.57 average. He finished fourth in the PBA World Point Rankings and ranked 10th on Tour with a 222.43 average.

Though it did not count toward official PBA titles or earnings, Kent also captured the season-ending 2006-2007 Motel 6 Roll to Riches special event, taking home the winner-take-all $150,000 top prize. He defeated Norm Duke, six-strikes-to-three, in a special Race to Six Strikes title match.

“This is what I set out to do 18 years ago. Winning Player of the Year is the one goal you always have and you always think ‘wouldn't it be amazing to just win it once,’” Kent said. “After I won the Masters it just helped me relax the rest of the year and I didn't have to worry about anything. The year itself was already a success because of the money, and I was just able to bowl and didn't have to think about any of the outside things.”

With his Denny's World Championship win last year, Kent also earned a four-season exemption through the 2010-11 season, which also forced him to adjust his career plans.

“Going into the 2006-2007 season, it was definitely going to be my last season. I was done,” Kent said. “I thought I'd still bowl some of the Majors I was eligible for, but I had seriously contemplated it being my last year.

He also renegotiated a two-year contract with his ball company "so after the two years we'll see where it stands,” he noted.


Debbie Durland Scores
255, 735 Series

Debbie Durland is truly one of the premier female bowlers in the Sullivan Tri-County area.

She added to her high-scoring talents on March 18 in the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters league at Kiamesha Lanes when she scored a 255 single and a real nice 735 series.

Durland, 48, from Wurtsboro, comes from a distinguished bowling family and she presently maintains a 204 plus average. She also bowls in a league at Colonial Lanes in Chester. Her husband Paul bowls in several men's league at Kiamesha Lanes and son Donald is an outstanding young bowler in several leagues at Kiamesha Lanes.

On January 29 of this year she recorded 11 strikes in a row for a 290 single and a 665 series.

Debbie uses a Morich Onslaught bowling ball.

Durland has one perfect 300 game bowled in August of 2004 in the Kiamesha Lanes Friday Doubles summer league and her previous high series was a 720.

Debbie is employed in the business office at Crystal Run Healthcare in Rock Hill.



Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

Bowlers: This week's tip if for bowlers using performance bowling balls.

These balls are made of urethane, urethane with reactive additives with or without particles.

All performance balls come out of the box with either some degree of matte finish, a compounded finish or polished finish.

When a manufacturer chooses a box finish for a bowling ball, many times it is for shelf appeal.

All companies want you to choose their products.

What you need to know as a customer is that the cover on your performance ball can be adjusted to best fit your needs.
What does this mean for a customer?

To maximize your scoring ability on a given lane condition, the cover stock on your bowling ball should match the lane condition.

If your ball is grabbing the lane too early, you will need some polish.

If the ball is already polished, use a higher degree of polish, preferable something with a slip agent. This will help you get the ball down the lane with less effort.

The telltale sign of a ball grabbing the lane too soon is when you see the ball start to hook and then it stops hooking.

On the other hand, if your ball is skidding too far down the lane, you will need some surface friction on the ball.

How much friction you need will depend on your ball speed, revolution rate and the amount of oil on the lane. The degree of matte finish could be as little as 4,000 or as much as 320.

reminder, these are adjustments to fine tune your ball reaction. It is up to your pro shop professional to help you purchase the ball or balls with the proper core and cover to match both your game and the lane surface on which you bowl.

Depending on how serious you are about your bowling, and how many centers you bowl in, you may need more than one ball to help you match the conditions.

And always remember: your equipment should be cleaned each time it is used.

Mike Luongo is technically certified through IBPSIA as a Pro Shop Operator and Teacher. He is also a Silver Level Coach with the USBC and is also the Northeast Technical Advisor for the Morich Bowling Ball Company (Morich Enterprises, Inc.). Mike is a member of the Brunswick Pro Shop Staff. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached at 341-1694 or via e-mail at mikespro@warwick.net .


Local Scores

Callicoon Lanes

Recent highlights scores in the Hortonville Ladies league include a 186, 192, 552 by Sue Naughton, Mary Ardizzone 214, Ginny Connell 180 and Barbara Pingel 180.

In the Tuesday Delaware Valley Men's league Kris Rasmussen scored a 203, Joel Turner 203, Jon Wayne 204, Karl Adams 234, Mark Schriber 222, 204, 606, Roger Miller 225, Tom Schultz 201, Mark Garro 222, 246, 632, Mark Hawley 214, 212, Dick Pones 204, Brian Starr 202, 212, 607, Joseph Gager 201, Damien VanLeuven 219, 210, 618, Brian Kitson 226, 209, 603, Jon Duffy 199 and Scott Herbert 225.

In the Wednesday Mixed Businessmen's league Bob Cady scored a 199, John Fink 220, 213, 622, Ed Townsend 199, 211, Tom Skiff Jr. 210, John Hoffmann 254, Shirley Townsend 181, 190, 510, Peter Flanagan 204, Mike Hubbard 225, Dave Maus 211, Roger Widmann 226, 209, 629, Brian Marino 235, Damien VanLeuven 199, Alan Rutledge 203, 222, 237, 662, Kory Kessler 201, 216, 606, Bruce Rutledge 224 and Alan Hendrickson 211.

Fox Bowling Center

Recent highlight scores in the Tuesday Ladies Early Birds league include a 182 by Sally Ballard. Anne Couse 192, 538Tammy Kane 182, 188, Sherry Persbacker 202 and Jennifer Raymond 508.

In the Wednesday Independent Men's league James Dibble scored a 256, 258, 247, 761, Glenn Bowker 247, 233, 225, 705, Donald Marino 252, 235, 195, 682, Daniel Wormuth 220, 257, 204, 681, Sam Rowe 248, 233, 674, Thomas Anderson 248, 243, 666, Robert Johnson 243, 224, 657, William Gleim 256, 200, 639, Pat Kille 206, 248, 635, Paul Ignatovich 220, 213, 624, Frank Couse 244, 209, 622, David Thomason 209, 221, 620, Jim Thompson 223, 222, 617, Cecil Spencer 226, 201, 615, Marc Fino 235, 204, 611, Brian Drumm 243, 607, Richard Price 199, 195, 211, 605, Lee Stanton 217, 605, Jeremy Gulley 204, 223, 601, Josh Rice 222, 211, 601, Jay King 202, 224, 600, Brian Tiffany 215, 213, 600, Jonathon Wayne 226, Mitch Persbacker 226, Andrew Bullis 235, Arthur Gately 233 and Jack Hazen 225.

In the Thursday Deposit National Men's league Patrick Kille scored a 207, 217, 276, 700, Rick Mills 223, 238, 228, 689, Shane Merwin 212, 216, 246, 674, Paul Ignatovich 231, 201, 233, 665, Andrew Bullis 232, 243, 655, Frank Couse Sr. 248, 214, 654, Carl Davis 221, 236, 197, 654, Bill Gleim 247, 195, 207, 649, Ray Cornwell 207, 245, 639, Robert Johnson 213, 231, 634, Rich Lenio 203, 205, 220, 628, Brad Tracy 234, 220, 623, Jeff Curtis 226, 226, 614, Jim Valentine 223, 202, 611, Greg Barnes 222, Dave Mills 235, Tony Wright 234, Steve Hopkins 221, Lee Stanton 236 and Charles Dunlap 233.

In the Friday Couples league Norman Ellis scored a 221, 258, 672, Daniel Wormuth 213, 215, 224, 652, Andy Bullis 233, 224, 651, William Gleim 239, 214, 637, Rick Mills 213, 211, 212, 636, Howard Couse Sr. 213, 237, 633, John Stanton 205, 208, 215, 628, Howard Couse 217, 216, 626, Paul Fritz 232, 202, 612, Edwin Linkroum 212, 220, 608, Gino Jones 216, Anne Couse 215, 180, 180, 575, Jeannette Linkroum 207, 216, 562, Michelle Wormuth 188, 205, 528, Kristina Couse 190, 503 and Dawn Mclenon 183.

Kiamesha Lanes

Recent highlight scores in the Tuesday Mixed Firefighters league include a 267, 684 by Ed Guthrie, Kris Gwiozdowski 256, 705, Donald Durland 248, 682, Debbie Durland 255, 735, Debbie Wright 216, Carol MacAdam 215, 587, Barbara Yeomans 215 and Andrea Grossman 561.

In the Friday Mixed Doubles league Tammy Pineiro scored a 212, 181, 545, Kort Wheeler 216, 213, 616, Bob Linzer 210, Tom Skiff Jr. 222, 277, 206, 705, Joan Lake 224, 551, Kevin Stackhouse 225, 211, 222, 658, Eddie Lake 222, 279, 693, Barbara Yeomans 192, Pat Mulhern 247, Tola Deylii 214, 539, Orshii Boldiis 225, Laresko Niifa 235, 201, 277, 713, John Cascone 214, Nancy Greene 189, Andrew Douglass 199, 254, 604, David Graham 226, 247, 647, George Kelly 268, 645, Liz Panagakos 210, Pete Panagakos 204, Mark Fedun 208, Dan Ricco 226, Bryce Flynn 197, Rick Hendricks 200, Glenn Fraser 202, Mike Osborn 201, Allan Jones 210, 268, 671, Deb Blackford 222, Sonya Robinson 186, Brent Lawrence 196, Tom Skiff III a 251, 214, 637 and Roberta Yakin 191, 519.

In the Saturday Morning Youth leagues, in the Pee Wees division Kaylynn Champange scored an 80.

In the Bantams division Parth Patel 119, 126, Thomas Nola 97, Nathaniel Goldsmith 100 and Nicole Scuderi 63, 67.
In the Preps division Cory Burns scored a 109, Rup Patel 137, 161, Chase Israel 126, Isiah Rosado 94, 101, Trevor Scott 140, 158, Meaghan McCormack 143 and Shelby Cooper 97.

In the Jr./Mjrs. division Francis Henderson scored a 143, 144, Keshan Patel 167, Michael Scuderi 143, 154, Shane Driefer 135, 140, Josh Natale 217, Jennifer Zeininger 171, Pedro Agapito III a 206, 223, Scott Bock 182, Shawn Sinistorie 166, Eddie Walsh 203 and Nick Price 178, 204.

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KULICK READY FOR TOUGH TASK OF DEFENDING USBC QUEENS TITLE

Even without a professional women's bowling tour, defending United States Bowling Congress Queens champion Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., says the fields are getting stronger each year in the few major women's events that remain.

Kulick will take on a tough field of more than 300 of the best women bowlers in the world when she attempts to defend her Queens title starting April 26 at Super Bowl Lanes in the Detroit suburb of Canton, Mich. The finals of the event will be televised live from Skore Lanes in Taylor, Mich., by ESPN2 on April 30 at 7 p.m. Eastern.

"I believe the fields today are stronger than they used to be with international bowlers coming over and the incredible number of tough collegiate bowlers," said Kulick, a current Team USA member. "There are so many talented players that there are no easy matches in the Queens anymore. It's a tough road to the top, and hopefully I'll be prepared enough."

Heading into last year's Queens, Kulick was by far the most tested and practiced player in the field. She had just come off an historic season in which she was the first woman to earn an exemption on the Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour and was as sharp as she had ever been in her bowling career.

"Bowling on the men's tour for a full season gave me a lot of on-lane preparation," said Kulick, who will automatically be seeded into match play as defending champion. "I don't feel like I've spent as much time on the lanes leading up to this year's Queens, but mentally I feel like I'm ready. I've taken the last few months to get in the gym and train. Hopefully, I'll be able to get to the point I was at last year and walk into those shoes to find the same level of success."

Should Kulick come away with another victory, she would become just the fifth woman to successfully defend a Queens title, joining Katsuko Sugimoto (1981, 1982), Donna Adamek (1979, 1980), Dorothy Fathergill (1972, 1973) and Mildred Ignizio (1970-71). Kulick also would become the seventh woman with multiple Queens titles.

The Queens kicks off with 10 qualifying games over two days before the field is cut to the top 100 for five additional qualifying games. The top 63 then advance to join Kulick in double-elimination match play, which begins at 1 p.m. April 28. The final five players will advance to the televised stepladder finals.

The qualifying and match play portions of the Queens at Super Bowl Lanes are open to the public at no charge. A limited number of tickets for the televised finals at Skore Lanes will be sold for $10 and can be purchased at either bowling center starting April 26.

For complete coverage of the USBC Queens, including stories, results and photos once the event begins, visit bowl.com.

United States Bowling Congress

The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to more than 2.6 million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience.

BOWLING CALENDAR

April & May, 2008. 27th Annual No-Tap Tournament.. Team and doubles. South Side Bowl, Scranton, Pa. Tel. 570-961-5213, www.southsidebowl.com

April 19-May 4, 56th Annual Idle Hour Lanes Tournament, Scranton, Pa., co-sponsored by The Times-Tribune. Men's Women's Mixed teams and doubles events--5 person teams. Info call 570-489-7526.

April thru July, 40th Annual Lilac City Tournament. The world's 2ed largest Amateur bowling tournament, Team, doubles, singles. Rochester, NY. Info call 1-800-36-LILAC, e-mail information@lilactour.com

April thru July, 32nd Annual Lilac No-Tap Tournament. Handicap tournament for men, women and mixed..featuring singles and doubles events. Reservations call 1-800-36-LILAC, e-mail information@lilactour.com

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