Back to reality

8/18/10

By Matt Cannizzaro
USBC Communications

Hello everyone.

So much has changed in the last few weeks.

In that time, I have driven nearly 4,500 miles from Reno to Fort Worth, Fort Worth to Fort Lauderdale and Fort Lauderdale back to Fort Worth.

I've said goodbye to new friends, reunited with old ones and even had a chance to relax a little bit and enjoy some sunshine. On my way through Florida, I had the opportunity to take down a 3-pound cheeseburger. It was all quite an adventure.

The National Bowling Stadium and this year's USBC Open Championships now are just memories. Gone are the days with 21 hours of crashing pins, the lines of team captains waiting to check in and the waves of bowlers headed back to the scale room. No longer does the national anthem let me know that it's 2:30ish and time for lunch.

No one has the front seven, and there won't be any new leaders today. We won't be handing out any bronze medals or 30 Clean awards, and no one will be wondering what the low-to-cash numbers are.

I am back at my desk at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas, and it's eerily quiet. The workday here is much more structured with less freedom to roam, and it takes some getting used to. At the tournament, if I get a little restless, I can go watch bowling or chat with some bowlers in the stands.

Scores for the 2010 USBC Open Championships have been finalized, the final prize checks are being stuffed and mailed as I type this, awards all have been ordered and the website already has been updated to promote and reflect the 2011 tournament, which is scheduled to begin on March 4, 2011.

It's much different this half of the year, but it's also a good opportunity to regroup and look ahead to next year.

For the next few months, I will dive into other projects and tournaments, but helping the Open Championships succeed as is travels to the same city in consecutive years for the first time won't be far from my mind.

That's the news for now. See you on the lanes.

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U.S. lefties come up empty in singles at World Men's Championships

8/13/10

By Lucas Wiseman
USBC Communications

RESULTS: Singles

MUNICH, Germany - Team USA left-handers Rhino Page and Patrick Allen finished outside of the cut to the semifinals in singles Friday at the 2010 World Tenpin Bowling Association World Men's Championships.

With three of the five qualifying squads completed, Page was in 31st place with 1,235 for six games, an average of 205.8, while Allen sat in 67th place with 1,172, an average of 195.3. The rest of the Team USA lineup will compete Saturday.

The top four players after the five qualifying squads will advance to Saturday afternoon's semifinals. Finland's Pasi Uotila had the tournament's first perfect game and currently leads with 1,357.

Page had games of 183, 227, 208, 205, 212 and 200 on the medium oil pattern at Dream Bowl Palace. Allen started with 180 and 169 before closing with games of 207, 224, 193 and 199.

"I think we both struggled with our ball reaction and physically," Page said. "I don't want to put words in PA's mouth, but neither one of us were really sharp. The conditions are really demanding and it showed."

With four players yet to compete, Team USA still has medal hopes in the event. Bill O'Neill and Chris Barnes begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting will bowl on the fourth qualifying squad, while Wes Malott and Tommy Jones will compete on the final squad.

The top four players after Friday's three rounds will sit and wait to see if they remain in position to contend for the gold medal. Mexico's Earnest Franco is second, trailing Uotila by four pins. In third is Japan's Nobuhito Fujii with 1,347, while fourth place belongs to Korea's Jang Dong-Chul at 1,346.

The 2010 WTBA World Men's Championships features 356 competitors from 65 countries competing for medals in six events - five-player team, trios, doubles, singles, all-events and Masters match play.

BowlingDigital.com will provide live streaming of the semifinals and finals of each event and coverage can also be viewed live on BOWL.com. The singles semifinals and final are scheduled to begin on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

View the original article here

Opening ceremonies usher in 2010 World Men's Championships

8/12/10

By Lucas Wiseman
USBC Communications

MUNICH, Germany - More than 350 players from 66 countries were celebrated Thursday night as the opening ceremonies officially ushered in the 2010 World Tenpin Bowling Association World Men's Championships.

The players took part in the traditional march out of the teams at Dream Bowl Palace, a 52-lane bowling center in suburban Munich that opened nine months ago.

The Championships begin with the singles event Friday morning. Qualifying will take place over five squads (three Friday and two Saturday) with the top four players after six games advancing to the semifinals Saturday afternoon.

Team USA's Rhino Page and Patrick Allen will compete on the opening qualifying squad and will be the only U.S. players competing Friday. The Americans will then field Bill O'Neill and Chris Barnes in the first squad Saturday morning and Wes Malott and Tommy Jones will compete on the final qualifying squad Saturday afternoon.

The 2010 WTBA World Men's Championships features 358 competitors from 65 countries competing for medals in six events - five-player team, trios, doubles, singles, all-events and Masters match play.

Team USA bowls the practice session BowlingDigital.com will provide live streaming of the semifinals and finals of each event and coverage can also be viewed live on BOWL.com. Here's the live streaming schedule:

- Saturday, Aug. 14, 12:30 p.m., singles semifinals and final
- Monday, Aug. 16, Noon, doubles semifinals and final
- Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2 p.m., trios semifinals and final
- Friday, Aug. 20, 1:30 p.m., team semifinals and final
- Saturday, Aug. 21, 2 a.m., Masters Round of 16 and quarterfinals
- Saturday, Aug. 21, 7 a.m., Masters semifinals and final

View the original article here

USA third, eighth after opening round of trios at World Men's Championships

8/17/10

By Lucas Wiseman
USBC Communications

MUNICH, Germany - The United States sits in third and eighth after the opening three games of trios at the 2010 World Tenpin Bowling Association World Men's Championships.

Patrick Allen, Rhino Page and Wes Malott were the top U.S. finishers on the medium oil pattern Tuesday at Dream Bowl Palace in third place with 1,930, an average of 214.4. Bill O'Neill, Chris Barnes and Tommy Jones are eighth with 1,885.

Trios qualifying continues Wednesday with the final three games on the long oil pattern. The top four teams after six games advance to the semifinals Wednesday night to determine the medalists.

Allen had the top individual score among the Americans with a 686 series and was followed by Page with 623 and Malott, who closed with a 258 game to shoot 621. For the other trio, O'Neill led the way with 654, Barnes shot 634 and Jones had 597.

"We weren't looking too hot after Game 2," Allen said. "But Wes got in the right part of the lane, got comfortable and threw a lot of strikes to carry us. We're going to have to figure out how to score as a team on the long pattern tomorrow. Today we were just trying to stay in the hunt."

Malaysia's Alex Liew, Syafiq Ridhwa and Aaron Kong led the field Tuesday with a 1,964 total. Italy's Massimo Pirozzi, Mauro Rampi and Marco Reviglio sit in second with 1,956.

BowlingDigital.com will provide live streaming of the semifinals and finals of each event and coverage can also be viewed live on BOWL.com. The trios semifinals and final are scheduled to begin on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Eastern.

In the all-events standings after 15 games, O'Neill leads the field with 3,291, an average of 219.4, while Barnes sits in second at 3,246. Allen is currently sixth with 3,225, while Malott is 13th with 3,162.

The top 16 players in the all-event standings after 24 games advance to Saturday's Masters match play competition. Jones, who is 51st, and Page, who is 64th, are currently outside of the cut.

The 2010 WTBA World Men's Championships features 356 competitors from 65 countries competing for medals in six events - five-player team, trios, doubles, singles, all-events and Masters match play.

View the original article here

Association Operations - 08/12/2010

New membership products being tested
USBC headquarters is partnering with several local associations to test new membership products this fall. The goal of the pilot programs is to try new concepts designed to provide enhanced member benefits and an improved experience for bowlers. All concepts were designed after surveying USBC associations, league secretaries, proprietors, avid bowlers and casual bowlers.

Local associations in the test markets have agreed to participate in the pilot programs that will offer several types of awards, member gifts and price structures. In some associations, the program also involves testing a different processing system. USBC headquarters will work closely with all local associations participating in the pilot programs to ensure the associations are not negatively affected because of the tests.

We understand many of you will be eager to hear details about the pilot programs. USBC will share results and feedback when the tests are complete. If you have questions or concerns about the pilot programs, please contact your regional manager. 

New enhancements to "Find a Member"
The "Find A Member" function on BOWL.COM now provides more information. Enhancements to the search criteria allow searches to be performed within a range of zip codes, by association number or by state. Also, members with single letters for a first name, such as J A Smith, can now search for and display their information.  

While bowler's individual average records are still listed, we also have added composite averages for both standard and Sport bowling on the Leagues/Averages page.

This new feature is a benefit to associations, tournament managers, leagues and bowlers who have a need for composite averages. USBC has offered this feature for information purposes for leagues, tournaments and associations to aid in curbing average manipulation. It is not required that leagues or tournaments use this average but it is their option.

WinLABS updates and version 9.9.31
We are continuing to test the new version of WinLABs and expect WinLABs 9.9.31 will be available for download by the end of next week (August 20). Once available, you should download and install this version as soon as possible.

The new version includes awards and achievements for the 2010-2011 season and reintroduces youth data and functions.  Please note that if your association processes youth data, you will not receive the 2009-2010 data immediately. We will not make the youth 2009-2010 youth files available until Thursday, Aug. 25 in order to give you time to install the new version of WinLABs so that you can import this data successfully. If you do not have version 9.9.31 installed, you will not be able to load and process your youth transmission files properly. The updates are as follows:

Added WinLABs update link to connect to WinLABs download page on BOWL.comResolves some rebuild issues identified with version 9.9.30Resolves disk space issues when archiving old files during WinLABs installs

Youth

Added functionality for 2009-2010 youth National Data Change files to be imported into WinLABsAdded functionality to receive ongoing national data changes from the Online Youth System to be sent and imported into WinLABsYouth memberships can be viewed but not purchased or updated in WinLABsYouth leagues can be viewed but not set up or updated in WinLABsYouth averages can be entered or updated in WinLABsYouth achievements and awards from 2009-2010 can be seen in WinLABsYouth achievements and awards can be created and transmitted in WinLABsYouth award availability dates re-added

Leagues

Added lane conditions to league set up

Awards and Achievements

Added ladies Sovereign ringsAdded Changes to averages required for 2010-2011 achievementsAdded age requirements for youth achievements (Bowlopolis)Modified award names for Imperial and Sovereign rings to be included in award description

Delegates

WinLABs now verifies the number of delegates entered is not more than the number of allowable delegates for an association.

USBC WINLABS and Red, White and Blue webinars
For new, inexperienced WinLABS users and/or those needing a refresher, USBC has created a webinar focused on how the program can be used to complete the business process from the start of a season through the end of a season.

Specific topics will include:

Updating association informationPreparing for a bowling yearCertifying leagues and membersProcessing achievements and awardsProducing yearbooksPreparing for summer leagues

The Webinars are scheduled as follows (all times CDT):

Thursday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m.Saturday, Aug. 28 at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.Monday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m.Wednesday Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.Friday, Sept. 17 at 11 a.m.Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 5 p.m.

To register, please send an e-mail with your name, association name and number, email address and phone number lucy.herman@bowl.com.  Classes are limited to 25 participants, so please register early. Registration ends 48 hours before the webinar is conducted. After registering, we will send you webinar sign-on instructions and handout materials.

In addition, David Bartlett will host a webinar covering the new Red, White, and Blue patterns on Wednesday, Aug. 18 at 3 p.m. (Central). It will last approximately one hour and has proven to be very informative. This is information association managers will find essential for tournament operations, but also would be a great information session for any other board members that might be interested. If you or anyone on your board is interested in attending this webinar, please email David.Bartlett@bowl.com with your name and association information. The webinar is limited to the first 25 participants that sign up, so be sure to get registered early. 

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Marshall Kent named BWAA Bowler of the Month

8/17/10

ARLINGTON, Texas - Marshall Kent of Yakima, Washington, has been named the July 2010 Kegel Bowler of the Month by the Bowling Writers Association of America.

In a span of two weeks, Kent won the prestigious USBC Junior Gold Boys Division Championship presented by Brunswick, as well as the Boys Division in the fifth annual North Pointe Insurance Group $100,000 High School Open Singles Classic.

An upcoming senior this fall at West Valley High School, Kent earned an impressive $25,000 in scholarship winnings from the two tournaments: $10,000 from the Junior Gold win and $15,000 from the North Pointe Insurance victory.

The more dramatic of the two wins was in the USBC Junior Gold as the 17 year-old Kent struck out in the tenth frame of the tournament's final game, shutting out Matthew Gasn, Laurel, Maryland, 269-265.

Others capturing votes were Brittni Hamilton, the USBC Junior Gold Girls Division Championship winner, Czech Open winner Brian Voss and  Chris Loschetter, winner of the European Bowling Tour 6th Storm San Marino Open.

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USA takes bronze, Sweden gold in doubles at World Men's Championships

8/16/10

By Lucas Wiseman
USBC Communications

WATCH: Semifinals | Final | Medal ceremony

MUNICH, Germany - The Team USA pairing of Patrick Allen and Rhino Page earned an unexpected bronze medal Monday night at the 2010 World Tenpin Bowling Association World Men's Championships.

After competing on the opening of five qualifying squads, Allen and Page didn't think their qualifying score would be high enough to advance to the semifinals as one of the top four teams. Instead, they slide into the semifinals as the fourth seed.

In the semifinals, the Americans fell to the eventual gold medalists, Sweden, 449-373. The Swedes went on to win the title with a 398-379 victory over Malaysia.

"We feel fortunate that we made it into the semifinals, but as a team we don't feel like we bowled as well as we should have on this pattern," Allen said. "The bottom line is that we aren't here to win bronze medals. Great bowlers are able to take advantage of situations like this, and we didn't get it done today."

Team USA fell behind early in the semifinal against Sweden and was unable to recover as Allen shot 209 and Page had 164. Mathias Arup had 253 for Sweden, while Martin Paulsson shot 196 in the winning effort.

In the championship match, the Swedes edged past the Malaysians after Nur Aiman left a 4-6-7-10 split in the final frame. That setup Arup to mark in the final frame for the title, and he delivered a perfect strike to lock it up.

Paulsson led the Swedes in the gold-medal match with 221, while Arup shot 177. Aiman shot 192 for Malaysia, and Alex Liew had 187.

Malaysia advanced to the championship match with a 429-325 victory over Germany's Bodo Konieczny and Jens Nickel. The Germans and Americans shared the bronze medal with the semifinals losses.

The Team USA pairing of Bill O'Neill and Chris Barnes finished just outside of medal contention, taking fifth place, 11 pins out of the semifinals. Wes Malott and Tommy Jones took 17th place, missing the semifinals by 68 pins.

Attention now shifts to the trios event, which begins with two days of three-game qualifying blocks on Tuesday. Team USA's Page, Allen and Malott will team up, while O'Neill, Barnes and Jones will join forces.

BowlingDigital.com will provide live streaming of the semifinals and finals of each event and coverage can also be viewed live on BOWL.com. The trios semifinals and final are scheduled to begin on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Eastern.

The 2010 WTBA World Men's Championships features 356 competitors from 65 countries competing for medals in six events - five-player team, trios, doubles, singles, all-events and Masters match play.

2010 WTBA WORLD MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Dream Bowl Palace, Munich, Germany
Monday's Results

CHAMPIONSHIP
(Winner earns gold, loser gets silver)

(1) Martin Paulsson/Mathias Arup, Sweden def. (2) Alex Liew/Nor Aiman, Malaysia, 398-379

SEMIFINALS
(Winners advance, losers tie for bronze)

(1) Martin Paulsson/Mathias Arup, Sweden def. (4) Patrick Allen/Rhino Page, United States, 449-373
(2) Alex Liew/Nor Aiman, Malaysia def. (3) Bobo Konieczny/Jens Nickel, Germany, 429-325

QUALIFYING
(Top 10, six games)

1, Martin Paulsson/Mathias Arup, Sweden, 2,621. 2, Alex Liew/Nur Aiman, Malaysia, 2,568. 3, Bodo Konieczny/Jens Nickel, Germany, 2,514. 4, Patrick Allen/Rhino Page, United States, 2,513. 5, Bill O'Neill/Chris Barnes, United States, 2,505. 6, Choi Yong-Kyu/Kim Tae-Young, Korea, 2,498. 7, Anders Lousdal/Frederick Ohrgaard, Denmark, 2,497. 8, Syafiq Ridhwa/Aaron Kong, Malaysia, 2,497. 9, Cho Young-Seon/Jang Dong-Chul, Korea, 2,493. 10, Cheuk Yin Mak/Wu Siu Hong, Hong Kong, 2,484.

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