Team USA Women Honored by USOC
After a near flawless performance at the 2008 Pan American Bowling Confederation Women’s Championships last month in Santiago, Chile, the six Team USA women who competed in the event have been honored by the United States Olympic Committee.
Team USA’s Lynda Barnes, Diandra Asbaty, Wendy Macpherson, Kelly Kulick, Liz Johnson and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard finished second in the USOC Team of the Month voting by National Governing Body press officers.
Led by Apolo Anton Ohno, the U.S. Men’s Short Track Speedskating 5000m Relay Team earned the top spot in the voting after pulling off a dramatic victory over the Canadian men’s team on the Canadians’ home ice at the World Cup II in Vancouver.
The Team USA women dominated the PABCON Women’s Championships, earning all six gold medals (singles, doubles, trios, team, all-events and Masters). Out of a possible 16 medals the United States could win, it took home 14. The exceptions being the doubles bronze medal and one of the Masters bronze medals.
Reno To Host 2011 USBC Open Championships
The United States Bowling Congress has reached an agreement to bring the 2011 USBC Open Championships to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. The 2011 Open Championships was originally scheduled to be held in Osceola County, Fla., at a new 100-lane bowling facility in the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex on land made available by Walt Disney World. The current credit market delayed funding for a key third party involved with the construction project, jeopardizing the timeline for completion. With the Open Championships now set to be held at the National Bowling Stadium in 2010 and 2011, USBC and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority are teaming up to provide unprecedented exciting incentives for bowlers who attend both tournaments. At the 2011 Open Championships:
• Every day, one bowler will win a high performance bowling ball.
• Every five weeks, one team captain will win a new car or truck.
• Team captains bringing four or more teams will receive a VIP stay complete with limo service and luxury hotel accommodations.
To be eligible for the incentive program, participation in both the 2010 and 2011 Open Championships is required.
"This agreement ensures the Open Championships has a first rate venue for 2011 and our partners in Reno stepped up to make it happen," said USBC Vice President of Tournaments and Events Jack Mordini. "
The numbers show that the bowlers enjoy going to Reno and our relationship has been a great one over the years. With these new incentives, USBC bowlers will have a better chance at winning big in Reno than ever before."
The RSCVA, along with partner hotels, plan to develop additional unique benefit packages for USBC bowlers in the months ahead. "We are extremely pleased to have been selected as the host city for the 2011 USBC Open Championships," said RSCVA President and Chief Executive Officer Ellen Oppenheim.
"We are looking forward to opening our doors and providing an unparalleled experience for championship participants."
USBC remains optimistic that the Osceola County facility will open by 2012, which means the 2013 USBC Women's Championship would be the first USBC event held there. "The impact of the credit crisis continues to be felt across the country," said USBC Chief Operating Officer Kevin Dornberger. "We recognize our members on the East Coast would like to see the Open Championships closer to home. The project in the Orlando area may not be ready in 2011, but we are committed to seeing an arena for bowling in this ideal location." As the Open Championships continues to grow, fewer cities have large enough venues available to host the event. The Open Championships requires 100,000 square feet of convention center floor space for seven consecutive months.
"USBC has talked with nearly every potential host city in the eastern portion of the country," Mordini said. "City leaders are increasingly cautious about booking one event for seven months straight, even one with a proven track record of success like the Open Championships."
The USBC Open Championships is the largest participatory sporting event in the world with nearly 85,000 athletes competing during a 140-day stretch from late February through early July. The Open Championships creates an estimated $100-million impact for the local economy of the host city.
U.S. Women’s Open shifts to Las Vegas in 2009
Kim Terrell-Kearney will have a chance to defend her title when the U.S. Women’s Open returns in 2009.
The U.S. Women’s Open, a United States Bowling Congress event, will return in 2009 and will be held in conjunction with the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Women’s Championships in Las Vegas.
For the third consecutive year, the U.S. Women’s Open will feature five television shows on ESPN, with the air dates to be announced at a future date. The event is scheduled to be held Aug. 3-9 at Sunset Station Hotel and Casino’s Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas.
The U.S. Women’s Open will immediately follow the World Women’s Championships, which will be hosted on the USBC Open Championships lanes at Cashman Center from July 27-Aug. 2.
"The ability to tie these two events together is a big plus because it will allow for a field of the best female bowlers in the world," said USBC Chief Operating Officer Kevin Dornberger, who is also president of the WTBA. "There is so much talent not only here in the United States but also internationally that it will be compelling competition."
The format for the U.S. Women’s Open will also slightly change in 2009. Participants will bowl three eight-game qualifying blocks over three days (Aug. 4-6) before the field is cut to the top 25 percent, who will bowl an additional 16 games on Aug. 7. The top 12 players then advance to the televised, single-game, match-play portion with the top four players receiving a first-round bye directly into the quarterfinals.
"We talked to a number of bowlers after this year’s U.S. Women’s Open and made changes they wanted to see," USBC Vice President of Media Pete Tredwell said. "There is now an incentive to be among the top four players after the qualifying portion concludes. This change also allows for a smoother television show as there will no longer be simultaneous matches."
The U.S. Women’s Open, which has an entry fee of $300, is open to any USBC female member and features a prize fund of $150,000, with $25,000 going to the champion.
Team USA Picks 10 Players for 2009 Roster
A star-studded cast of the country's top bowlers have been selected to join Team USA in 2009, completing half of the team's final roster.
A selection committee of USBC and PBA representatives picked Walter Ray Williams Jr., Tommy Jones, Chris Barnes, Rhino Page and Patrick Allen to join the men's team. On the women's side, Tennelle Milligan, Lynda Barnes, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Kim Terrell-Kearney and Wendy Macpherson were selected.
"There was such a deep pool of talent to choose from that this was really not an easy decision," Team USA head coach Jeri Edwards said. "We are very fortunate that many great players put their names up for consideration, and we look forward to the players we selected having great success in 2009."
All of the selected players were members of Team USA in 2008 and eight of the 10 saw action in international competition this year.
The five men were part of the Team USA contingent that won four gold medals at the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Men's Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.
Barnes, Dorin-Ballard and Macpherson, meanwhile, were a part of the team that swept the gold medals at the recent Pan American Bowling Confederation Women's Championships in Santiago, Chile.
Only certain players were eligible to be selected to join Team USA 2009 through the process that was just completed. The men were required to be exempt players on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, while the women must have been on Team USA at least once since 1998 and/or former Professional Women's Bowling Association/Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour members.
The selections only represent half of the final roster of 2009 Team USA players. All USBC members will have a chance to join the team by competing in the 2009 USBC Team USA Trials, which are scheduled to be conducted Dec. 15-19, 2008 at Sunset Station Hotel and Casino's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas.
The top three men and top three women finishers at the Team USA Trials will earn automatic spots on Team USA while the National Selection Committee will pick two additional men and two additional women to join the team.
Team USA will represent the United States in several international events throughout 2009, including the WTBA World Women's Championships, the Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships, the World Games and the QubicaAMF World Cup.
COLORADO SPRINGS WOMEN SET NEW STATE RECORDS
by Page Dew
Mark Miller of USBC Headquarters has confirmed new Colorado female state records have been set by the team of 4 Aces and a Kicker of Colorado Springs. On Tuesday, November 11, 2008 (Veterans night) at Kingpin Lanes in Colorado Springs these five ladies topped the old state records in the single game and series categories.
The team of Lisa Nielsen, Kerri Perea, Karin Ciesiolka, Patsy Dew and Alison Raines recorded a 1232 first game to break the previous record of 1,168 by Champions Choice Pro Shop of Colorado Springs from October 2003.
The 4 Aces and a Kicker 1232 initial game was followed by team games of 1133 and 1067 for a nice 3432 team series. Their 3432 pins easily beat the female state series record of 3,347 by the Denver team of Us and Them. The Us and Them team had held the title since 1990.
Here are the details of their accomplishments:
Lisa Nielsen: 246, 229, 214=689
Kerri Perea: 280, 232, 234=708
Karin Ciesiolka: 253, 211, 210=674
Patsy Dew: 216, 232, 196=644
Alison Raines: 237, 267, 213=717
Stephen F. Austin State University, St. Ambrose & William Penn Add Bowling to 2009-10 Season
On Nov. 13, the Stephen F. Austin State University Athletic Department announced its plan to add women’s bowling to its roster of sports offerings beginning the 2009-10 season.
SFA will become the 29th NCAA Division I program involved with USBC Collegiate, which remains dedicated to assisting NCAA and their member institutions in implementing varsity bowling programs. This process includes continuing education of university administrators, athletics personnel, prospective student athletes and the general public of the benefits of having a varsity bowling program on their campus.
St. Ambrose University and William Penn University have announced plans to begin fielding men’s and women’s bowling teams beginning the 2009-10 season, pushing the total number of NAIA teams sponsoring intercollegiate bowling to 19.
St. Ambrose and William Penn will be two of just three Midwest Collegiate Conference schools to sponsor bowling teams. Viterbo University, which also will be making its debut next season, is the other.
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