PBA Tournament of Champions titlist Kelly Kulick has landed a prime-time role in a new Bridgestone America’s advertising campaign, in which the company is poised to utilize its tire technology revolutionize the world of sports as we know it. The Union, N.J., resident will represent bowling alongside athletes from a variety of other "ball" sports – plus hockey – in the campaign.

  And rumor has it the Bridgestone spot may be included in the Super Bowl advertising lineup.

  "It’s an ad campaign for Bridgestone tires that relates the performance of their products to different sports, and they use athletes to get their message across," Kulick said. "I’m very excited to be asked to represent the PBA and bowling in the campaign."

  Bridgestone has prepared a series of teaser ads, including a 60-second "Press Conference" introduction that debuted during Monday’s Bridgestone National Hockey League Winter Classic telecast from Philadelphia. (A link to the introductory commercial is available on pba.com under the "In The News" tab).

  While the debut "Press Conference" commercial only includes a unique bowling ball that appears to be made of Bridgestone tire material, and a "cameo" head shot of Kulick, "There’s more to come," she said.

  Hank Boomershine of Brigham City, Utah, and Joe Slowinski of Lake Wales, Fla., have been awarded Gold level coaching status after successfully completing certification requirements through the United States Bowling Congress Coaching Certification and Development department.

  Gold level is the highest certification a coach can achieve through USBC. USBC recently conducted coaching recertification and, with the addition of Boomershine and Slowinski, there now are 16 USBC Gold coaches worldwide.

  "To reach this prestigious level as a coach takes a tremendous amount of dedication," said Neil Stremmel, USBC Managing Director National Governing Body. "We congratulate Hank and Joe for their hard work and commitment to the sport of bowling."

  Boomershine, 41, is vice president of sales and marketing for Storm Products, Inc. He started bowling at age 10 and began working in the industry at age 15. He has been involved in almost every aspect of the bowling industry during his career.

  "This is the final piece to a puzzle," Boomershine said. "You’ve worked your whole life putting all these elements together. To be certified as a Gold level instructor means a great amount."

  Slowinski, 44, is the administrative head coach for the Webber International University bowling program and the men’s head coach. He is a Master Teaching Professional at the Kegel Training Center and is a contributing writer for Bowling This Month magazine.

  "For me, it validates your hard work," Slowinski said. "I’ve really tried to help the sport by making people better and by contributing and sharing ideas. When I get excited about something, learn about it and share it so other people get excited – that’s it. It’s just validation of hard work."

  His father was a youth director, and when Slowinski was 17 he decided to take a coaching course through the Young American Bowling Alliance (YABA).

  "It was exciting to learn about the sport and how to coach," Slowinski said. "That’s where the seed was planted."

  The process of becoming a USBC Gold coach is similar to obtaining a doctorate in a field of study. Candidates are required to demonstrate knowledge through practical application and discussion. The final review program requires a coach to conduct a class, participate in an oral exam and give lessons to bowlers of various skill levels. The final review board consists of active USBC Gold coaches and USBC staff.

  Candidates recently went through the final review at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington.

  "You put so much effort and time into building the presentation – your philosophy and your thoughts on teaching," Boomershine said. "Then presenting it, defending it, knowing you are going to be graded on your output. And then everything else that went with it – all the certifications you had to do over your career, the long hours of coaching, teaching and doing lessons. It’s a long process."

  With help from Mayor Kip Holden, construction on the venue that will be home to the 2012 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships got underway in Baton Rouge, La., in January.

  Holden and Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Paul Arrigo helped snap the official string line and turned over the keys to the Baton Rouge River Center as dignitaries, supporters and media got their final look at the empty convention center before construction crews turn it into a state-of-the-art bowling stadium.

  "We are excited to welcome the 2012 USBC Open Championships back to Baton Rouge," Arrigo said. "It is a pleasure to host the largest indoor participatory sporting event in the world. We look forward to the bowlers and their families returning to our city to enjoy our culture, cuisine and hospitality."

  The USBC tournament crew welcomed the first of more than 40 truckloads of materials needed to transform the River Center into the biggest stage in bowling. Construction is scheduled to be complete during the first week of February.

  The finished venue will include 48 tournament lanes, four showcase lanes, squad room, locker room, concession area, offices and vendor space that will be bustling with nearly 60,000 bowlers during the tournament's 151-day run from Feb. 11-July 10.

  So far, more than 11,300 teams are registered to compete in the 2012 Open Championships, which will be the event's second visit to Louisiana. It first was held there, also in Baton Rouge, in 2005.

  "We're excited about being back in Baton Rouge, and we can't wait for the bowlers to see all of the changes to the city and the River Center since we were here in 2005," said Brian Lewis, USBC Managing Director of Tournaments. "We truly enjoyed the southern hospitality the first time around, and the community has rolled out the red carpet for us again this year. It has been nice to see some familiar faces, and it has been even better to see the trucks rolling in."

WEBCAMS MOUNTED AND READY

  Since being introduced in 2004, one of the most popular features of the USBC Open Championships page on BOWL.com has been the unique interactive webcams that are mounted in the rafters above the tournament lanes and give friends and family members a chance to watch the bowlers in action.

  Traditionally, there have been five webcams capable of taking live (still) pictures of the tournament action as it happens. Beginning in 2012, two of the cameras will be replaced with streaming cameras that will sweep the venue throughout the day and provide non-stop live video footage. The other three cameras will maintain the same capabilities bowlers and fans are used to.

  Viewers will be able to manipulate the three point-and-click cameras from home, allowing them to zoom in or out to photograph different parts of the venue.

  Currently, one of each type of camera is up and running, so visitors can stop by and check out how the construction process is unfolding at the River Center. The webcams can be accessed by visiting the Open Championships page on BOWL.com.ENTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED

  The entry deadline for the 2012 USBC Open Championships has been extend to March 1, 2012, so interested team captains have time to sign up their teams. There still are some prime times available, but spots are filling quickly.

  For more information on the Open Championships, or to register a team for 2012, visit BOWL.com/openchamp or call 800-514-BOWL.

Entry Deadline Extended for 2012 USBC Women’s Championships

  "I am excited to have the opportunity to join a team dedicated to renovating the National Bowling Stadium in Reno for future generations," Sturm said. "I felt stepping aside was necessary to avoid any appearance of a potential conflict and for the protection of USBC."

  Sturm's role will be to bring corporate groups and conventions to Reno and the Tri Properties that have an affinity towards bowling such as Bowl for the Cure, Bowlers to Veterans Link and International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame related events. Sturm, a nationally known instructor, also will run a training academy in Reno using USBC coaching and development programs.

   NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Marshall Kent of Yakima, Wash., and Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, N.Y., claimed titles at the United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials, earning the right to compete in the 2012 QubicaAMF World Cup.

  Kent and McEwan topped their respective fields in a grueling four-day, 28-game format in which the players in the field earned points based on their finishing position each round to determine the final standings.

  With daily finishes of third, 32nd, second and sixth, Kent finished with 43 points, while McEwan had daily finishes of fifth, fifth, second and third to total 15 points at Texas Star Lanes.

  The women's final came down to a single pin as McEwan just barely edged Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y. Johnson finished with 16 points, but had she gotten just one additional pin in Friday's final round it would have been enough to win the title. Johnson finished the final game with back-to-back open frames.

  "With this format and it being as close as it was, I wasn't really as nervous as I probably should have been because I wasn't exactly sure of the situation," said McEwan, who competes collegiately at Fairleigh Dickinson. "I came out here wanting to make Junior Team USA and to make Team USA and win is a really great feeling."

  With his sixth-place finish in Friday's final round, Kent was able to outdistance the men's field. Steve Smith of San Diego finished second 57 points, which was 14 points behind Kent.

  "It's unbelievable to be able to come out and perform the way I wanted to," said Kent, the 2010 USBC Junior Gold champion who bowls collegiately at Robert Morris-Illinois. "My mental game this week was probably the best it has ever been in my entire life, and that is what kept me in the game."

  The top three men and top three women in the standings earned automatic spots on Team USA for 2012. Joining McEwan on the women's team was Josie Earnest of Nashville, Tenn., and Diandra Asbaty of Chicago. Johnson, who finished second overall, was not eligible to occupy one of the automatic spots because she had previously been selected for Team USA 2012. On the men's side, Kent is joined by Smith and AJ Johnson of Oswego, Ill.

  The National Selection Committee added two men and two women to Team USA 2012. Jarret Mizo of Honolulu, John Janawicz of Winter Haven, Fla., Tammy Turner of North Ogden, Utah, and Leanne Hulsenberg of Roseville, Calif., were selected.

  The additions to Team USA on Friday bring the total roster to 20. The National Selection Committee added Patrick Allen, Chris Barnes, Tommy Jones, Bill O'Neill, Sean Rash, Liz Johnson, Kelly Kulick, Stefanie Nation, Shannon O'Keefe and Shannon Pluhowsky in November.

  Junior Team USA spots were also up for grabs at the Team USA Trials with McEwan, Rachel Gittings of Glen Allen, Va., AJ Johnson and Chris Via of Springfield, Ohio, earning automatic spots. The National Selection Committee added Tyler Cruz of Tacoma, Wash., Kamron Doyle of Brentwood, Tenn., Kaitlin Quinn of Livonia, N.Y., and Kelsey Muther of Wichita, Kan.

  There are now a total of 20 Junior Team USA members as 12 players got spots at the USBC Junior Gold Championships last July. The new members join Addileen Pointer, Elise Bolton, Holly Harris, Amanda Greene, Natalie Jimenez, Jessica Earnest, Kent, AJ Chapman, Andrew Koff, Gary Faulkner, Zack Hattori and Tyler Vostry.

  A total of 225 bowlers are competed this week with 145 in the men's field and 80 in the women's field. It's the highest entry count for the event since 2007 in Reno, Nev., when 233 bowlers took part.

  ARLINGTON, Texas - The New York State United States Bowling Congress Association has announced it will partner with the Youth Education Services (YES) Fund to provide grants to schools in New York.

  The grants, which will be in the form of in-school bowling grants and high school assistance grants, will be awarded by the YES Fund to schools in New York. The New York association has donated $37,000 toward the project.

  "We are very pleased that bowling officials in New York have decided to reach out and help young bowlers in their state," International Bowling Campus Managing Director of Youth Development Chad Murphy said. "These funds will help raise awareness of the sport and help high school programs in the state of New York."

  The donation will fund two in-school bowling grants and two high school assistance grants each year over the next five years. Selections will be made by the YES Fund as qualified applications are received.

  "This is a very exciting time for our state association, and youth bowlers in our state will benefit from this arrangement," New York State USBC Association President Priscilla "Pat" Zonneville said. "This will help fuel the future of youth bowling in the state of New York."

  Officials in New York also have created the New York State Youth Education Services Fund and additional monies within that fund will be used to award the state's existing scholarship program.

  The YES Fund is a joint initiative of the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America and the United States Bowling Congress. The YES Fund also is supported by its founding partners Brunswick, Columbia 300, Ebonite, 900 Global, Hammer, North Pointe Insurance, QubicaAMF, Roto Grip, Storm and Track.