Category: Tournaments

Tournament news

NEBA bits

I had to bug out for home at the start of match play, but I did catch this afternoon’s final qualifying squad in the NEBA tournament. Surprisingly, I met up w/ Sean Richard on the bus heading up there, as it seemed his car was in the shop and he had to take a bus to the lanes for the afternoon squad (which he thought he had a chance to miss).

Anyway, I can tell you that Alex Aguiar, Brian Gaskill, Bill Major, and Jason Sherwood were the local qualifiers (at least the ones I knew). Also, Craig Asselin, who led all qualifiers with a +196 score, shot a 300 in the fourth game (of five) of the 6:00 PM squad yesterday…congrats again Craig. 😀 I’ll post a final update when the winner is posted on NEBA’s web site.

November 2008 People’s Tournament results

The People’s Tournament site reported Nancy Nunez (AMF Silver Lanes {CT}, 134 avg.) as the winner of the November event at E. Providence Lanes. Nunez defeated Al Brown (Town Line Tenpin, 194 avg.) by a score of 237-203 (with handicaps) in the title match. Representing Westgate Lanes, Terrance Williams (180 avg.) was in the final four, and Jason Sherwood (210 avg.) also made the top 8.

Additional note: The December People’s Tournament at Westgate Lanes will be a year-end special, run on Dec. 6th and 7th, with a guaranteed first prize of $5,000. See the tournament site for entry details.

Thought on Ultimate Scoring Championship

ESPN aired the tape of the finals of the Ultimate Scoring Championship today, which was meant to demonstrate the scoring potential of a typical league condition. However, this was not something we call a THS (Typical House Shot); a good-scoring house shot typically has an oil volume ratio inside boards to outside boards of 20:1. It was suggested by one of my chat mates that the ratio of the USC shot was on the order of 6:1, making it more like what the Coke Classic League bowlers are seeing on Monday nights here. Scores have been generally down in that league this year (I haven’t had an honor score to report from that league to date this season), so I wasn’t as surprised as others that the pros on today’s show didn’t score as well as one would have thought they would.

October 2008 People’s Tournament results

The People’s Tournament site reported Jon Corda (197 avg., Westgate Lanes; yes, that Jon Corda) as the winner of the October tournament at Westgate Lanes, defeating James Ruscio (176 avg., Town Line Tenpin, Malden) 212-203 (with handicaps) in the title match. For the other Westgate Lanes bowlers, Edmond Chan (199 avg.) was also in the top 8. Note: the linked page has Jon’s pretty picture, so that saves me from having to take one of him for the scrapbook page (for now…hehehehehe!).

Van Hees finishes 12th at Pepsi Viper Championship

Jonathan Van Hees of Newport, RI had another good week on the PBA lanes, finishing 12th in the Pepsi Viper Championship, being held at Thunder Alley outside of Omaha, NE. Van Hees qualified for the field of 64 through the Tour Qualifying Round (TQR), then qualified in 4th for match play. He survived the cut to 16 after going 5-3-1, but could only manage a matching 5-3-1 in the round of 16, with a 241-159 loss to Chris Loschetter in the last game of round robin play in that round putting Van Hees in a big hole going into the position round. Van Hees averaged 213.69 for his 32 games in the tournament. Loschetter, Walter Ray Williams, Jr., Brad Angelo, and Wes Malott will be the 4 bowlers competing for the title on ESPN tomorrow, while Michelle Feldman and Stefanie Nation will also appear on the broadcast for the Women’s Series title.

Jonathan Van Hees PBA World Championship cashers round update

Standings of PBA World Championship after cashers qualifying round

Jonathan Van Hees survived the cut to 40 for match play at the PBA World Championship, standing in 31st place with a +352 score (213.04 average for 27 games). If I figured out the brackets correctly, Van Hees will face Mike Scroggins in the first round of match play later today (top 8 in qualifying get a two-round bye in match play).

PBA World Championship: The local angle

PBA World Championship qualifying results

Congrats once again to Jonathan Van Hees of Newport, RI, who was the only New England bowler to cash in the PBA World Championship, the first tournament and major of the PBA Tour season, taking place this week in Wichita, KS. Van Hees qualified in a tie for 40th (field was cut to the top 25%, 53 places, after qualifying) with a score of +220* (212.22 average for 18 games). Van Hees will participate in the cashers qualifying round tomorrow. The two other New England bowlers in the field were Alex Aguiar of Dartmouth, MA (87th, +79, 204.39 average) and Keith DeCambra of Quincy, MA (T175th, -325, 181.94 average).

* Scores in pro tournaments are usually given in terms of +/- 200; simply multiply 200 by the number of games (18) then add or subtract the +/- figure to determine total pinfall.

People’s Tournament September 2008 results

The People’s Tournament reported Tammy Bellavance (AMF Cranston Lanes {RI}, 140 avg.) as the winner of the September tournament at E. Providence Lanes. She defeated Phil Hall (Brunswick Zone Lowell, 186 avg.) in the final match by a 224-169 score (with handicaps). For Westgate Lanes bowlers, Matt Richard and Alfredo Donato both made the final eight.

Note: There is no post about practice today, as I took the day off because of the Columbus Day holiday.

No reaction

Today’s practice was a continuation of a trend I’ve been noticing for a couple of weeks now…not getting the reaction out of my ball that I normally do, even on the house shot. Noting that to my chat pals, the fact that I’ve had the High-Voltage for about a year now, and that I’ve only recently had it rejuvenated, we agreed it was time to give the ball a resurface. “CoachJim,” however, said he wouldn’t take it to factory finish, however, and that I could experiment, with the gang helping me get the surface to what works for me. A procedure of sanding the ball with 240 abralon sandpaper, rejuvenating, hitting it again w/ the 240 abralon sandpaper, then rough buffing was suggested. I made the rare return to the lanes when the pro shop opened and relayed this to Ray, who said he could have the ball ready when the pro shop opens in the late afternoon tomorrow. It’s not a full resurface, so the procedure will only set me back $20. I plan on practicing again tomorrow just to see the results.

Upcoming tournaments:

  • The Tri-City USBC Women’s Bowling Association will hold their annual city tournament at Westgate Lanes on Nov. 15 and 16, with singles and doubles events. Entries close on Nov. 8. Start looking for flyers this week.
  • The Massachusetts USBC Women’s Bowling Association will hold their annual state seniors (age 50 and over) tournament on Nov. 1 and 2 at Westgate Lanes. It is a handicapped singles tournament, and entries ($35) close on Oct. 17.

Missed it by that much

With what might have turned out to be the wrong oil pattern being put down in the morning last week, I figured I just wanted an easy practice today, so I bowled all 3 games for score again. Today was a total opposite, as the lanes were hooking out the box, and even a stand-21-target-6 shot, which worked for me for the back end of league play on Wednesday, was missing the pocket high, and I ended up standing around 26 and getting the ball around 9 or 10 at the arrows, letting the oil hold the ball until the break point. I had a mix of good and bad shots, and it turned out I needed 9 pins filling a spare in the 10th frame of the last game for a 183 triplicate (three games with the same score); I left the 4-10 split, however, and missed the triplicate by a pin. Ouch!

Bowler of the Year tournament note: Derick Thibeault was the winner of the Brockton USBC Bowling Association’s “Bowler of the Year” invitational tournament at Westgate Lanes yesterday, defeating his father, Harry Thibeault, Jr., in the final match.

August 2008 “People’s Tournament” results

The People’s Tournament site reported that Don Lango (205 avg., AMF Silver Lanes {CT}) was the winner of the August event at Westgate Lanes (which I had participated in). Lango defeated Elliot Miller (170 avg., Westgate Lanes) 263-215 (with handicaps) in the title match. Additionally for the locals, Maya Christie (120 avg.) finished third, while Jim Yost Jr. (194 avg.) and Sean Richard (208 avg.) also made the top eight.

World Men’s Championships wrap-up

I felt I should devote a post to the just-completed WTBA World Men’s Championships, which was held in Thailand, and marked the first time that PBA professionals have been allowed to compete in the event. The decision to allow PBA participation really benefited Team USA, as they’re coming home with the lion’s share of the medals. Americans medaled in every event, which I’ll list here:

  • Doubles: Patrick Allen and Rhino Page (gold)
  • Trios: Bill Hoffman, Patrick Allen, and Rhino Page (bronze); Walter Ray Williams Jr., Chris Barnes, and Tommy Jones (bronze)
  • Five-man team: Bill Hoffman, Chris Barnes, Tommy Jones, Patrick Allen, and Rhino Page (gold)*
  • Singles: Walter Ray Williams Jr. (gold)
  • All-Events: Rhino Page (silver)
  • Masters: Walter Ray Williams Jr. (gold)

* Denotes team for knockout round. Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Rhino Page split duties during team qualifying, with one bowling with the national team for a three-game block while the other paced on a make-up team for All-Events score.

Complete coverage of the tournament, including full results, can be found on the tournament’s official web site. As an additional note about international bowling, the World Women’s Championships is scheduled for next year at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas, NV, and will be contested on the USBC Open Championships lanes.

Sidebar link to World Tenpin Bowling Association site added: As the World Tenpin Bowling Association, along with the member zone organizations, governs the major international tournaments (including, perhaps one day, the Olympic Games), I’ve included the link to their site in the sidebar. Links to future major international tournaments can be found from that site.

Local association tournament note

The Brockton USBC Bowling Association will kick off the 2008-09 fall/winter bowling season by running its Bowler of the Year invitational tournament on Sunday, Sept. 21 at Westgate Lanes. 32 bowlers representing all four of the Brockton USBC Bowling Association’s centers (AMF Taunton Lanes, Kingston Ten Pin, North Bowl Lanes, and Westgate Lanes) have been invited to compete in the tournament.

A learning experience

I had decided against getting the oil bled out of my ball, but I did stop in the pro shop to greet Ray, who was just back from vacation. He was getting swamped with orders for new balls and other services, but he did get a chance to look at the copy of my league log that I printed out for him, as well a copy of the printout of my first anniversary post later (which I told him he could look at at his leisure). He did fill me in on something he’s going to be running in the future, but I won’t post about it until he has the paperwork done for it.

I did get a couple of games of warm-ups in, and the lane, which I knew had the tournament shot on it, was playing tighter than even I expected, ending up with me standing left of the 20 board and trying to go between the second and third arrows. I thought I had gotten lined up at the end of the second game, so I was still fairly confident as I checked in. I did have to make the adjustment on my entering average, and when I saw the scorecard, I was notified I had 22 pins/game handicap.

I made the acquaintance of last month’s winner, Phil Hall, in the pro shop, and learned that he had a major head injury in his motorcycle accident. I learned that he operated a pro shop before his accident, and as he was watching me bowl my warm-ups, he had a look at my ball, giving the opinion that my span was too short. He gave me an offer to drill a new ball when I wanted one, but I’ve been doing so well with the ball Ray & company drilled that I don’t feel that I want to “change horses mid-stream”.

The fact that I had to play a tighter line meant there was no margin for error, and it was a struggle to break 150 during the series, especially in the second game, where I could only manage a 130, my worst game in months. Most of the time, I was coming in high, leaving a lot of splits, but those times I missed my target right, it would not break back to the pocket, so it was, indeed, much different than the house shot I’ve been used to on Wednesday nights. In an attempt to find a line I could play, I later moved outside to right of the 20 board and tried to take a more direct line to the pins, and though I had a double in the last game, that wasn’t working well, either. I ended up w/ a 150-130-153=433+66=499. I was glad I decided not to get in either the high game and series side pools or the brackets (where you’re randomly placed in a bracket with 7 other bowlers in your squad and advance based on how well you do in each game), the latter for which my performance meant I would’ve been a major donor.

The cut score turned out to be 658, about where I was expecting it, but I hung around for a bit after bowling. I told Sherm Cowan, the tournament director, after I bowled that I would chalk this up as a learning experience, and that I hoped to do better next time, also noting that I’ll have to save up for a ball better suited to heavy oil. I’ll post the usual recap of this tournament when Sherm updates the tournament’s web site with the results.

Pre-tournament thoughts

I am looking at the prospect of bowling in tomorrow’s “People’s Tournament” at Westgate Lanes tomorrow with optimism, as it comes at a time when I’ve been bowling the best I ever have. The shot is going to be different, but not one I haven’t seen before…they put down the oil pattern used in the Coke Classic League, which I have bowled on in my winter practices, for all of the tournaments at Westgate Lanes also. In fact, I was averaging slightly higher for more games on the Coke Classic shot than I did on the house shot in that time, and keep in mind that those games also included my earlier practices when I was doing stuff like getting my timing back. Considering my recent improvement on the house shot, I think I can do well on the tournament shot now, as well.

To assess my chances, I looked at the cut score for the last two People’s Tournaments at Westgate Lanes, and it was in the 650-660 range both times. If I’m forced to use my current average (198 ) rather than the average I put on the entry form (the 194 of two weeks ago), and I’ll have to show Sherm Cowan the standings sheet from my league to bear this out, I will be getting 21 pins/game handicap (handicap is 80% of 225). Keeping in mind the recent cut scores, this means that if I have a series somewhere around 600 scratch, and I think I’m currently very capable of having that kind of series, I will either make the cut to 32 for match play, or be right on the bubble.

I am entered in the 12:30 PM (second) squad tomorrow, but the plan will be to arrive very early. The pro shop will also be reopening from vacation at 10 in the morning, so the plan includes having the oil bled out of my ball (which will take about an hour, from past experience), wait about a half an hour for the ball to cool, then try to get a game or two in on a lane with the tournament shot (which may be dicey because they’ll have the tournament and also the Sunday rent-a-lane special going on). I hope to take my noon medication before ordering lunch, then check in for the second squad while waiting for lunch. Hopefully, I’ll have time to eat before reporting to my assigned lane pair. The benefit of waiting for the oil to bleed out of my ball is that I’ll have an opportunity to talk to Ray and bring him up to speed on how well I’ve been doing in the Wednesday Summer Mixed League, which I’ve been waiting to do since he went on vacation.

Everyone wish me well! 😀

EDIT: I’ve been advised against having the oil bled out of my ball right before the tournament by one of my BowlingFans.com friends. I’m tending to agree with her (she runs a pro shop in northern California), as I’ve been very happy with the way my ball’s been reacting on the house shot recently, so maybe my ball doesn’t need to have that done yet.

July 2008 “People’s Tournament” at E. Providence Lanes

The People’s Tournament’s site reports that Phil Hall (186 avg., Brunswick Zone Lowell) was the July tournament winner at East Providence Lanes, defeating Ryan McPartland (199 avg., AMF Auburn Lanes) in the final by a score of 245-172 (with handicaps). For the locals, Stephanie Girouard (145 avg., AMF Taunton Lanes) led the way in 3rd, and Sally Toppan (166 avg.) was the top bowler from Westgate Lanes (5th).

The site notes that Hall suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident about a year ago, so I hope I can provide a similar story next week. 😀

The check is in the mail

I am about to spring a surprise…

My entry into the August 10th “People’s Tournament” at Westgate Lanes is on its way to Sherm Cowan, and I have also emailed him to let him know my average can be verified through LeagueSecretary.com. I knew when I decided to make my comeback that if I became any good again, I would very much like to compete in tournaments again, so I’m very much looking forward to this.

I will post the day before the tournament with pre-tournament thoughts, so if you want to wish me well, wait for that post to do so (if you can…hehehehe!)

First anniversary post

The first post to this blog was actually on July 4 of last year, but it has been one year since the bowling outing with my brother that started it all, so I will choose to celebrate this blog’s anniversaries on the anniversary of that outing. I’d like to first start off by thanking my readers for putting up with me the past year, but that I hope that you’ve found my adventures interesting enough to want to keep reading. 😀

Looking back on the past year, I’m amazed at how far I’ve come. I contemplated making my comeback wondering how good I could be after my injuries, and the results have exceeded even my wildest hopes. I broke 100 in my second outing with my brother, and was able to shoot 200 again shortly after beginning regular practice (a 218 on Oct. 15). I had felt I was ready for leagues around December, but the lack of openings in the leagues allowed me to bide my time, practicing through the winter season after deciding to wait until the summer to test myself in competition.

Figuring I had a new lease on my bowling life, I wasn’t satisfied with just returning to my old form, so I had a couple of lessons with Ray in the last year to figure out what my flaws were. The work on those flaws in practice allowed me to get to a point where I almost had a 700 series in practice (the recent 689), and to establish a new personal best official series (the 642 in the third week of my summer league). I have also become more consistent, averaging higher at this point (189) than my highest summer league average of my previous bowling life (which I remember being a 171). It is safe to say that my comeback attempt is now less of an attempt and more of a successful comeback. 😀

Giving thanks: I wanted to use my first anniversary post to give thanks to some people who I may or may not have already thanked on this blog, so here goes…

  • My family, first and foremost, for their support and gift cards, which I, of course, turned into useful practice. My brother, especially, has been encouraging, noting here that he’d rather see me bowling than in front of my computer. My brother also shared one of my special moments since my comeback started, my first 200+ game witnessed by family, something I had wanted my late mother to see.
  • The Minassians, and the rest of the staff at Westgate Lanes, for welcoming me back. Junior had told my sister that he was glad to see me back around the center, so I wanted to make sure they were included in this anniversary post.
  • The pro shop owner, and my coach, Ray DiSanto Jr., for his advice and support, as well as for putting my summer league team together. Here’s to many more years of a working relationship and friendship.
  • My teammates, Brian, Joy, and Ralph, for their encouragement and sharing one of my personal bowling highlights. I couldn’t have asked for better teammates. 😀
  • Everyone else in the Wednesday Summer Mixed League, just for being who they are.
  • The gang from the BowlingCommunity.com forums and especially the regulars on the #BowlingFans IRC channel, also for their encouragement. Special thanks here to “CoachJim” for his invaluable advice, including suggesting the thumb pitch change that served as the springboard to my recent improvement.
  • The WordPress user “prairieskooner” for his recent encouragement via commenting on this blog.
  • The first of two specific friends on the EFnet IRC network I’ll thank in this post, “Gozzo”, for pointing me to the story on Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew that helped spark the idea for the “Cross-training” feature of this blog.
  • Another friend on EFnet of long-standing, the user “lebron” (not the one that uses caps in his nick…I knew this one formerly as “chee”), for suggesting that I try to merge my bowling hobby with my Internet one; this blog is the fruit of that suggestion.
  • Finally, the rest of my online friends, whether I’ve been in touch with them through email, other forums, IRC, or instant messaging. I won’t name any names here, but you know who you are. 😀

I have tried to use this blog not only for the entertainment of my readers, but hopefully as a resource for bowling in my area (via my posting of local bowling news) and elsewhere (through linking of quality bowling sites in the sidebar). I have things planned for the next year, but will play my hand close to my vest for now (though I’ve mentioned some of it to my online bowling friends). I hope you will continue reading.

Today’s practice: So how did I celebrate one year since my return to bowling? Well, it happened to be a practice day, so I hit the lanes as normal. I continued working on keeping my arm in close, but also mixed something else in today: John Jowdy’s ring finger lead drill. The work resulted in me having a lot of good-quality shots during practice. I had a five-bagger in both my first game (a 226) and last game (a 236) sandwiched around a 181 middle game that could’ve easily been better for a 643 series, a pin better than my personal best official series. 😀

Standings update: I finally learned through the standings sheet posted at the lanes that my team had slipped to 4th place despite taking 6 points last week. Given the fact that I’ve been able to follow up good practices with good league nights, the fact that we’re bowling on the pair I had the 642 on, and who the opponents are, I feel good about Wednesday night. 🙂

Hall of Fame Classic canceled: I was told not a lot of people showed up for the Brockton USBC Bowling Association’s scheduled singles tournament at Westgate Lanes yesterday, so, unfortunately, the event was canceled. Here’s hoping they’ll run it next year at a time when bowlers will want to enter the tournament.

June “People’s Tournament” results: The People’s Tournament site reported James Ruscio out of Town Line Ten Pin (176 average) as the winner of this month’s event at Westgate Lanes. Ruscio defeated Roger Pemberton (Boston Bowl, 187 average) in the title match 270-206 (with handicaps). One of the teams in my league, “Fun and Games” (who else?), was well-represented among the cashers, as Sally Toppan finished 3rd, while Sean Richard was reported as finishing in 18th place.

Mike Rose, Jr. follow-up

As a follow-up to the Mike Rose, Jr. story, the USBC reported that Bryan Young of Everett, WA posted a 2165 score in the Regular All-Events at the USBC Open, dethroning Rose, who had been in position to become the first bowler to win back-to-back All-Events titles. Young’s effort was keyed by an 832 score in singles, which also puts him in the Regular Singles lead at press time.

April 2008 “People’s Tournament” at Westgate Lanes

As reported on The People’s Tournament site, William Tessier Jr., carrying a 208 average and bowling out of Walnut Hill Lanes in Rhode Island, was the winner of the April tournament, held on the 27th at Westgate Lanes. Tessier defeated April Raines (169 average out of Boston Bowl) in the final match 242-208 (scores with handicap). Rich Cornwall (178 average) finished third, representing the best finish by a Westgate Lanes bowler.

April 2008 NEBA at Westgate Lanes

As reported on NEBA’s site, Derek Pontes won his third NEBA title this weekend at Westgate Lanes, defeating Chris Joliceour 225-202 in the championship match. As I was there for much of yesterday’s action, I can report that Mike Rose Jr., sticking around for the tournament after Saturday’s exhibition match, edged out Alex Aguiar, his opponent in the match, by one pin for the top spot in qualifying, but both of their tournaments were finished after the second round of match play. Brian Gaskill, Bill Major, and Jason Sherwood were the other local qualifiers.

Initial meeting with NAT staff

As planned, I got an early start to my day and went to the lanes to meet with Jay Mantere, the tournament director for the Northeast Amateur Tournament. I mostly let him know about this blog’s existence and that I had the NAT’s site linked. I told him I may be bowling in the NAT in the future, but after learning that they will not accept summer averages for entry, I had to admit it would be a while before I did so.

I hung around a bit to watch the first game of the 10:30 AM qualifying squad, mostly at the pair to which Chris Mark was assigned. Before I left, Bob Hamilton alerted me that someone had shot a 289 with the first 10 in a row. I told Bob that I mostly reported the “real” honor scores (300, 299, 800 series), so I didn’t really ask for a name, but where I’m seeing Bob tomorrow at practice, I will probably relent (especially where I was in the building when it was shot) and get the name; expect an edit to this post tomorrow.

EDIT: It was Brian Gaskill who shot the 289 in the first squad.

Unplanned visit

I made a brief, unplanned visit to the lanes today because I thought I forgot to put my rosin bag back in my equipment bag after my lesson the other day. An inventory of the contents of my locker found that the rosin bag was in there, however. I did add two things to the arsenal: an old dish towel for use during towel drills (which I brought with me), and a shoe brush for when I slip in my slide (a $4 item at the pro shop).

Tomorrow’s plan is to head back there in the morning to meet the Northeast Amateur Tournament staff. It will be my only opportunity to do so for a while, as they plan to take a break during the summer and resume operations in the fall.

Another thing that is now on the “to-get” list is a dumbbell set, as “CoachJim” on the forums recommended wrist curls for me to build strength in my wrist. I should be able to get one at the local Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Tournament note: The Brockton USBC Association will run their first Hall of Fame Classic singles tournament at Westgate Lanes on Sunday, June 29. Entry flyers should be available at every bowling center under the Brockton USBC Association’s jurisdiction.

Addendum to US Open note (another local casher)

I’ve been indecisive about noting his accomplishment because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to because he’s not in the Coke Classic League (or any league in the Brockton USBC Association’s jurisdiction, AFAIK), but since his listed hometown is close, I will…Alex Aguiar of North Dartmouth, MA was also one of the 122 cashers in the 65th US Open this week.  Hope you will consider bowling Coke Classic next year, Alex. 😀

Coke Classic League bowler cashes at US Open

According to the qualifying standings available at press time, Jonathan Van Hees of Newport, RI, who is listed as having bowled this season for team “BLNT” in the Coke Classic League, will be one of the 122 bowlers that cash in this year’s US Open. Van Hees was in 70th position with Squad B, the last squad to complete their qualifying, bowling their final game of qualifying. Good luck the rest of the way, Jonathan! 😀