Twenty-two countries got together for the Pan American Bowling Confederation' Men's and Women's Championships held on the island of enchantment, Puerto Rico.
It was a star studded event at Carolina Lanes in San Juan but there was trouble, trouble, trouble in the air.
Breakdowns, scheduling issues, misunderstandings, lack of preparation, lack of breakfast, lack of transportation, lack of scores, lack of common sense.
These are familiar things in this part of the world but on this event they were so prevalent that it tampered with the shine and luster of the tournament.
Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Sep. 20-27, 2009)
Chris Barnes and Kim Terrell-Kearney capped off a successful week by Team USA by winning gold medals in Masters match play Saturday night at the 2009 PABCON Championships. In the title matches, Barnes defeated Ernesto Franco of Mexico, 2-1, while Terrell-Kearney swept Canada's Robin Orlikowski, 2-0,. Daniel Falconi of Mexico, Frankie Colon of Puerto Rico, Clara Juliana Guerrero of Colombia and Karen Marcano of Venezuela all shared bronze medals as they lost in the semifinals.
Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Sep. 20-27, 2009)
The 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships concludes on Saturday. The Championships features both men and women this year for the first time since 2005. Competition ends on Saturday evening with at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan with the men's and women's Masters. The United States Bowling Congress is providing live streaming of the events throughout the week.
Entering the final round trailing by more than 180 pins to Mexico, Team USA (pictured) stormed back in dramatic fashion to win the men's team event at the 2009 PABCON Championships. The United States finished with 6697 and easily pulled away from Mexico in the final three games while also breaking the event record of 6464 set by Team USA in 2007. The Mexicans finished nearly 300 pins behind with 6411. Venezuela took the bronze with 6210.
Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Sep. 20-27, 2009)
Mexico took the lead after the first 3-game block in the men's five-player Team event Friday at the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships. The Mexicans finished with 3345 pinfall total and an average of 223 after putting forward for a balanced attack. The team from the host country Puerto Rico is second with 3189. Team USA has a big deficit to overcome in the second three games on Saturday morning trailing Mexico by 181 pins in third place.
Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Sep. 20-27, 2009)
The Team USA women (pictured) put on a dominate performance Friday night as they rolled to a record-setting team victory at the 2009 PABCON Championships. Lynda Barnes Diandra Asbaty Kim Terrell-Kearney,
Shannon Pluhowsky, Shannon O'Keefe and Carolyn
Dorin-Ballard totaled 6494 for six games at Carolina Bowling Center, easily breaking the previous record of 6357 set by Team USA in 2008. Colombia took the silver medal with 6146, while the Dominican Republic earned bronze with 5969.
Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Sep. 20-27, 2009)
Team USA's men and women swept the gold medals in trios Thursday at the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships. Shannon O'Keefe, Lynda Barnes and Shannon Pluhowsky (l-r) earned the American women their first gold medal of the championships by finishing with a six-game total of 3980. For the men, Bill O'Neill, Tommy Jones and Chris Barnes, (l-r) earned the gold with 3915.
Silver for Mexico and bronze for Dominican Republic
Zussie Machon (l.) and Sofia Granda (r.) from Guatemala earned the gold medal in women's Doubles at the 2009 PABCON Championships. The duo averaged 218.42 on the last of three squads Wednesday at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico to win the title with 2621 pinfall total. Mexico's rising stars Daniela Alvarado and Sandra Gongora totaled 2457 to take silver, while Dominican Republic's Paula Vilas and Aumi Guerra earned bronze with 2440.
O'Neil, Barnes, Jones lead in All Events after 12 of 24 games
Team USA's Tommy Jones and Chris Barnes (l-r) smashed the doubles record en route to win the second gold medal for the United States at the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships.
Barnes and Jones combined to shoot 2788, an average of 232.33 over six games. to win the Doubles title at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Their teammates, David Haynes and Bill O'Neill, earned the silver medal with 2583. Puerto Rico's Frankie Colon and Luis Rodriguez took the bronze with 2569.
Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Sep. 20-27, 2009)
Venezuela's Karen Marcano (l.) started the women's Singles competition at the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships with a 278 game en route to win gold medal with 1364 six-game total Tuesday at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Team USA's Diandra Asbaty (r.) had to settle for the silver medal with 1355. Panama's Tilcia Lancini emerged as the surprise bronze medalist with 1323.
Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Sep. 20-27, 2009)
Competing as a Team USA member for the first time, Bill O'Neill
(pictured) put on a record-breaking performance in winning the Singles gold medal
Tuesday at the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships.
O'Neill totaled 1475 for six games, an average of nearly 246, to win
the opening event at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Mexico's Jorge Rosado finished with 1422 to take the silver medal and David Haynes, United States, got bronze with 138.Â
Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Sep. 20-27, 2009)
Nearly 220 bowlers from 22 countries took part in the opening ceremonies of the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships on Monday night at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The players participated in the traditional march out of the countries before a full house of spectators as officials declared the Championships officially open. Henry Newman, Secretary of the Puerto Rican Sports and Recreation Department, threw out the ceremonial first ball (pictured)
When Bill O'Neill (pictured right) began bowling at the high school level, he set a goal of one day competing for Team USA. He will get that chance next week when he takes to the lanes at the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Team USA's men and women enter as the defending champions in every event.
Team Canada will compete at the Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships which will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 20 – 26, 2009.
The men's and women's championships will be held at the 42 lane Carolina Bowling Center. Teams from North, Central, South America and the Caribbean will attend.
Canada's teams which were established at the 2008 National Championships held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, will be coached by Sandy Lowe, Lindsay, Ontario and Lucien Casagrande, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Men's and Women's championships will reunite in San Juan, Puerto Rico
After just two years in which the Pan American Bowling Confederation championships were split in a men's championship (2007 in Guatemala) and a women's championship (2008 in Chile), the championships will reunite in Puerto Rico. The 2009 PABCON Championships, which will be staged from Sep. 20 through 27 at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico, will feature both the best male and female bowlers of the PABCON member federations.
Twenty-two countries got together for the Pan American Bowling Confederation' Men's and Women's Championships held on the island of enchantment, Puerto Rico.
It was a star studded event at Carolina Lanes in San Juan but there was trouble, trouble, trouble in the air.
Breakdowns, scheduling issues, misunderstandings, lack of preparation, lack of breakfast, lack of transportation, lack of scores, lack of common sense.
These are familiar things in this part of the world but on this event they were so prevalent that it tampered with the shine and luster of the tournament. 
Chris Barnes and Kim Terrell-Kearney capped off a successful week by Team USA by winning gold medals in Masters match play Saturday night at the 2009 PABCON Championships. In the title matches, Barnes defeated Ernesto Franco of Mexico, 2-1, while Terrell-Kearney swept Canada's Robin Orlikowski, 2-0,. Daniel Falconi of Mexico, Frankie Colon of Puerto Rico, Clara Juliana Guerrero of Colombia and Karen Marcano of Venezuela all shared bronze medals as they lost in the semifinals.
The 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships concludes on Saturday. The Championships features both men and women this year for the first time since 2005. Competition ends on Saturday evening with at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan with the men's and women's Masters. The United States Bowling Congress is providing live streaming of the events throughout the week.
Entering the final round trailing by more than 180 pins to Mexico, Team USA (pictured) stormed back in dramatic fashion to win the men's team event at the 2009 PABCON Championships. The United States finished with 6697 and easily pulled away from Mexico in the final three games while also breaking the event record of 6464 set by Team USA in 2007. The Mexicans finished nearly 300 pins behind with 6411. Venezuela took the bronze with 6210.
The Team USA women (pictured) put on a dominate performance Friday night as they rolled to a record-setting team victory at the 2009 PABCON Championships. Lynda Barnes Diandra Asbaty Kim Terrell-Kearney,
Shannon Pluhowsky, Shannon O'Keefe and Carolyn
Dorin-Ballard totaled 6494 for six games at Carolina Bowling Center, easily breaking the previous record of 6357 set by Team USA in 2008. Colombia took the silver medal with 6146, while the Dominican Republic earned bronze with 5969.
Team USA's men and women swept the gold medals in trios Thursday at the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships. Shannon O'Keefe, Lynda Barnes and Shannon Pluhowsky (l-r) earned the American women their first gold medal of the championships by finishing with a six-game total of 3980. For the men, Bill O'Neill, Tommy Jones and Chris Barnes, (l-r) earned the gold with 3915.
Zussie Machon (l.) and Sofia Granda (r.) from Guatemala earned the gold medal in women's Doubles at the 2009 PABCON Championships. The duo averaged 218.42 on the last of three squads Wednesday at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico to win the title with 2621 pinfall total. Mexico's rising stars Daniela Alvarado and Sandra Gongora totaled 2457 to take silver, while Dominican Republic's Paula Vilas and Aumi Guerra earned bronze with 2440.
Team USA's Tommy Jones and Chris Barnes (l-r) smashed the doubles record en route to win the second gold medal for the United States at the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships.
Barnes and Jones combined to shoot 2788, an average of 232.33 over six games. to win the Doubles title at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Their teammates, David Haynes and Bill O'Neill, earned the silver medal with 2583. Puerto Rico's Frankie Colon and Luis Rodriguez took the bronze with 2569. 
Venezuela's Karen Marcano (l.) started the women's Singles competition at the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships with a 278 game en route to win gold medal with 1364 six-game total Tuesday at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Team USA's Diandra Asbaty (r.) had to settle for the silver medal with 1355. Panama's Tilcia Lancini emerged as the surprise bronze medalist with 1323. 
Competing as a Team USA member for the first time, Bill O'Neill
(pictured) put on a record-breaking performance in winning the Singles gold medal
Tuesday at the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships.
O'Neill totaled 1475 for six games, an average of nearly 246, to win
the opening event at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Mexico's Jorge Rosado finished with 1422 to take the silver medal and David Haynes, United States, got bronze with 138. 
Nearly 220 bowlers from 22 countries took part in the opening ceremonies of the 2009 Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships on Monday night at Carolina Bowling Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The players participated in the traditional march out of the countries before a full house of spectators as officials declared the Championships officially open. Henry Newman, Secretary of the Puerto Rican Sports and Recreation Department, threw out the ceremonial first ball (pictured)
Team Canada will compete at the Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships which will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 20 – 26, 2009.
The men's and women's championships will be held at the 42 lane Carolina Bowling Center. Teams from North, Central, South America and the Caribbean will attend.
Canada's teams which were established at the 2008 National Championships held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, will be coached by Sandy Lowe, Lindsay, Ontario and Lucien Casagrande, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
