In conjunction with the WTBA International Open at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nev., the World Tenpin Bowling Association, tenpin bowling's governing body, held its first WTBA / Special Olympics event on Monday afternoon, Jan. 30. The event, which is part of the WTBA agreement with Special Olympics, featured PBA stars Mika Koivuniemi and Sean Rash and eight Nevada Special Olympic athletes. WTBA President Kevin Dornberger emceed the event.
When the USBC Open Championships returns to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., in 2013, the storied tournament will have changes designed to improve the event and ease of registration. First, the tournament's daily schedule will be adjusted to allow for fresh oil for all squads. Second, an enhanced online registration system will allow captains to enter and change their team information at any time,as payments are made. Also beginning in 2013, each event will cost $55 per bowler.
Russian international Nikita Koshelev (l.) led the 16th out of 19 qualifying squads in the WTBA International Open Friday afternoon at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas. With his 1354 six-game total, Koshelev is currently tied for the 43rd and last place to advance to the finals slated for Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, starting at Noon Pacific with Josh Blanchard of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and PBA champion Andres Gomez (r.) of Colombia.
Eugene McCune (pictured) of Munster, Ind. closed out his six-game series in Squad 16 Friday morning at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas with a huge game to shoot into the lead in the WTBA International Open, a World Bowling Tour event. Fresh off his victory in the PBA Cheetah Open, the three-time PBA champion started the day with 247, 266, 235, 256 and 203 before he closed things out with 298 to surpass previous leader Mike Fagan of Grapevine, Texas, by two pins.
Another nine players qualified for the divisional finals of the 2012 International Mini through Thursday's qualifying at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas, which brought the total number of finalists to 28. Among the players, who advanced from te to the finals on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5 starting at 8 a.m. Pacific were Candian Bowler of the Year Dan MacLelland (l.), and four-time PBA champion Ryan Shafer (r.) of Horseheads, N.Y.
The nation's top youth bowlers will have the opportunity to compete on PBA lane conditions and rub elbows with the greats in the game when Teen Masters Qualifiers will be conducted in conjunction with selected PBA Regional tournaments in 2012. PBA has entered into an agreement with Killer 'B' Promotions to conduct 18 Teen Masters qualifiers at PBA Regional events beginning in March through the end of May. The Teen Masters qualifiers will be conducted on lanes designated for Teen Masters competition.
With the top training tools and evaluation systems in the world, the International Training and Research Center has attracted national teams from across the globe. Now one of Europe's leading bowling programs has joined the growing list of nations using the ITRC as a temporary training home. Denmark is the reigning men's and women's European team champion and both teams decided to make the trip to Arlington, Texas. They are the first European team to train at the ITRC.
Two American flying heroes have been added to the speakers' list at the 2012 International Bowl Expo (June 24-28, 2012 in Reno, Nevada. The Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA) has announced former Air Force Capt. Scott O'Grady and Lt. Col. Kevin J. Sweeney USAF (Ret.) will give Thought Leader presentations during the bowling industry's annual convention and trade show.
The Professional Bowlers Association and the World Tenpin Bowling Association Wednesday announced an historic agreement that will result in the first true global professional bowling tour. The alliance will allow international and domestic PBA members who compete in World Bowling Tour events to earn PBA Tour titles in WBT events and to bowl in PBA Tour events in the United States.
Benjamin Doyle said he became a Sean Rash fan when Rash first joined the PBA Tour on a regular basis. But the 16-year-old Casper, Wyo., youth bowler (r.) never imagined he'd have the opportunity he got last week when he met and bowled with Rash (l.) during the USBC Masters at Sunset Station in Las Vegas. Doyle, a brain tumor survivor, got his chance through the Make A Wish Foundation. He spent more than an hour on the lanes with Rash on Jan. 28 at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center.
A "super bowl" of another kind will be televised Feb. 5 when four-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul hosts the fourth annual Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational Presented by Sheets™ Brand Sunday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN. Paul, who joined the Los Angeles Clippers at the start of the 2011-12 season, hosted the fundraiser which is fast-becoming a tradition during the PBA Tour season Jan. 12 at Lucky Strike LA Live and will benefit charities supported by his CP3 Foundation.
In the largest NCAA women's bowling tournament in the country, the
University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) rallied from a slow start to capture the crown and with it their first event win of the season. The Hawks used a masterful day three to beat No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) twice to take the title. In just her second tournament as head coach, Kristina Frahm, pushed UMES from a slow day one start to finish second and set up a title run on the final day.
Gary Thorne, who has made a name for himself broadcasting major sports on ESPN, officially joined the bowling family Sunday when he was the play-by-play broadcaster for the USBC Masters in Henderson, Nev. Thorne replaced Rob Stone who left ESPN to join Fox Sports primarily as lead studio host for soccer coverage. Thorne was hired to work the three live PBA events in 2012, the Masters, U.S. Open in February and PBA Tournament of Champions in April.
PBA champions Rhino Page (l.) and Jason Couch (r.) led the Gold Division of The International Mini in Monday's qualifying at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas.
Page posted the high four-game series of all players with 1015, a 253.75 average, to advance to the finals on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5 starting at 8 a.m. Pacific. Shannon Pluhowsky rolled a 1370 series to win the first six-game sweeper worth $1,000. 
The CTF has announced the 2011 Bowlers of the Year awards. Caroline Lagrange (l.), Montreal, Quebec and Dan MacLelland (r.), Windsor, Ontario are the adult awardees. In the Senior division, Debbie Ip, Edmonton, Alberta and Jack Brace, Toronto, ON are the winners. Youth Bowlers of the Year are Zachary Wilkins, Barrie, ON and Andreanne Blouin, Charlesbourgh, Quebec. This is Lagrange's sixth women Bowler of the Year award. 
The World Bowling Tour is heading into its second season featuring 14 events in 10 countries - five in the United States and one each in Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Finland, France, Japan, Korea, Kuwait and Thailand. The top 50 men and the top 50 women earn points based on how they finish in each event. The current points system is based on a continuous two-year cycle (2011-12). The top 3 men and top 3 women in the WBT rankings will qualify for the World Bowling Tour finals at the end of 2012.
