Experienced team finds success at USBC Open Championships
07/05/08
With only two days remaining at the United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships, Corrine Ham of Cocoa, Fla., is in position to claim her first title at the storied event. In the meantime, she's been busy knocking down pins at the USBC Open Championships in Albuquerque.
The 41-year-old right-hander doesn't bowl as much as she'd like to because of her duties as the general manager of her family's bowling center in Titusville, Fla., but she accepted the opportunity to bowl in the Open Championships this week and helped Junior Team USA Support of Orlando, Fla., into fifth place in Team All-Events with a 9,821 total at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Friday. Fox Bowl 2 of Wheaton, Ill., leads with 10,025.
L-R Jr. Stephen Rodriguez, Clay Herrbach, Shawn Ryan, Corrine Ham, P.J. Haggerty
Ham, the daughter of two-time USBC Senior Queens champion, Shirley Levens, was bowling in place of 2007 U.S. Amateur champion, David O'Sullivan, who recently suffered a knee injury.
"I'm really glad I got to bowl with these guys, and I had a really good time," said Ham, who made her seventh Open Championships appearance and turned in a career-best 1,868 all-events total. "Coming in, I felt that team and doubles were the most attainable, so I was focused on those events. Our Team All-Events finish was a nice surprise."
P.J. Haggerty, a former collegiate standout and past member of Junior Team USA and Team USA, led the way for Jr. Team USA Support with a 2,077 all-events total and was followed by former Junior Team USA members Shawn Ryan (2,032) and Clay Herrbach (1,945), tournament first-timer Stephen Rodriguez (1,899) and Ham.
"In the scheme of things, you just want to bowl well and have fun," said Haggerty, who plans to continue his quest to earn an exemption on the Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour. "We look forward to this every year because we have such a good time when we get together. If I do get an exemption, I won't be able to bowl in this anymore, so I just want to enjoy it while I can."
For Ham, competing when she can is nice escape from the pressures of work, and finding success on the tournament lanes is an added bonus. Being a few days from a national title is even more exciting.
"It's something you never think you're going to do, so I'm very happy," Ham said. "I never was full-time into the sport because of my family and the business, so this is exciting. After we left, I knew there were still some good teams left to bowl, but I didn't fret about it. If it's meant to be, it will happen."
A month ago, William Thayer of Royse City, Texas, had his arm in a cast because of a broken bone in his wrist, but his recovery proved to be going well when he rolled a 299 game at the USBC Open Championships on Thursday.
The 40-year-old right-hander came within one shot of the 32nd perfect game of this year's tournament, but a stubborn 10 pin on his final delivery left him short.
"I struggled to tune everything out," said Thayer, who made his fifth USBC Open Championships appearance. "I really didn't feel nervous, but I did have to take a little more time to focus because this is such a big stage and the national tournament. Even though I didn't shoot 300, I am very proud of this game because I know there's a tough condition out there."
While Thayer was briefly disappointed about not achieving the elusive perfect game, that feeling was short-lived when he immediately started striking in his next game. After eight consecutive strikes, he left another 10 pin to end the second streak. He finished doubles with games of 198, 299 and 256 for a 753 series and teamed up with Ken Johns for a 1,364 doubles effort.
Thayer added 624 in singles and 609 in team for a career-best 1,986 all-events total. His previous high was 1,827 at the 2006 event in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Presenting sponsors for the 2008 USBC Open Championships are Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Circus Circus Reno in Reno, Nev. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; Brunswick, capital equipment supplier; Storm Products, Inc.; Roto Grip, official sponsor of the Roto Grip Sport Bowling Challenge; Isleta Casino & Resort; Santa Ana Star Casino, the official brackets sponsor; Rainbow Ryders, the exclusive hot air balloon company of the 2008 Open Championships; and Sandia Resort & Casino.
Albuquerque Convention Center, Albuquerque, N.M.
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
Team
1, Team Tilt (Thomas Ault Jr., Russ Wilson, Chris Greene, Joe Keltner, Jay Futrell), Lawrence, Kan., 3,374. 2, Turbo Grips 1, Chesterfield, Mich., 3,308. 3, Fox Bowl 2, Wheaton, Ill., 3,303. 4, Rhino for President, Pleasant View, Utah, 3,298. 5, Bowlingfordumdums.com, Pritchett, Colo., 3,284. 6, Bluemound Bowl, Milwaukee, Wis., 3,268. 7, Ballard's Bowling Solution 1, North Richland Hills, Texas, 3,258. 8, Play 2 Win, Lakewood, Ohio, 3,254. 9, Bowlers Universe 1, Rockford, Ill., 3,249. 10, Bluegrass Bowling & Golf, Lexington, Ky., 3,244.
Doubles
1, John Socha, Oak Creek, Wis./Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 1,467. 2, Skip Wolfe, Dixon, Ill./Tom Carter, Rockford, Ill., 1,462. 3, Robert Slayton, Apple Valley, Minn./Jason Lutgen, Brooklyn Park, Minn., 1,445. 4, Todd Koehler, Appleton, Minn./Doug Blood, Montevideo, Minn., 1,444. 5, Erik Mattingly, Puyallup, Wash./Robert Hanson, Tacoma, Wash., 1,441. 6, Ted Baer/Josh Edenburn, Omaha, Neb., 1,439. 7, Rick Oelkers III, Valdosta, Ga./David Tolson, Summerville, S.C., 1,434. 8, Steven Levering, Landisville, Pa./Jim Rutherford, Coatesville, Pa., 1,428. 9, Ron Case, Oakley, Calif./Sam Carter, Ben Lomond, Calif., 1,422. 10, Mike Granberg, Batavia, Ill./Dave Rodak, Naperville, Ill., 1,419.
Singles
1, Bryan Young, Everett, Wash., 832. 2, Jason Price, Grand Island, Neb., 817. 3, Wilbert Moorer, Dover, Del., 784. 4, Warren Crawford, McKinleyville, Calif., 779. 5, Eric Lukins, Fort Myers, Fla., 778. 6, William Uthoff, O'Fallon, Mo., 775. 7 (tie), Larry Aldridge, Aurora, Colo., and Alexander Shand, Myrtle Beach, S.C., 774. 9, Alan Pecora, Drums, Pa., 773. 10, Ryan Shepherd, Collinsville, Va., 769.
All-Events
1, Jay Futrell, Derby, Kan., 2,183. 2, Bryan Young, Everett, Wash., 2,165. 3, Mike Rose Jr., Rochester, N.Y., 2,161. 4, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 2,160. 5, Warren Crawford, McKinleyville, Calif., 2,159. 6, Brian Kjergaard, Fulton, Ill., 2,147. 7, Edward Gallagher, Clarksville, Tenn., 2,141. 8, Todd Fenske, Weston, Wis., 2,132. 9, Gregg Zicha, Schaumburg, Ill., 2,124. 10, Chris Gibbons, Madison, Wis., 2,122.
Team All-Events
1, Fox Bowl 2 (Anthony Jordan, Pete Spreadbury, Walter Schaub, Gregg Zicha, Mike Nape), Wheaton, Ill., 10,025. 2, Team Tilt, Lawrence, Kan., 9,986. 3, Team Pabst, Madison, Wis., 9,977. 4, MoRich Enterprises, West Bend, Wis., 9,901. 5, Jr. Team USA Support, Orlando, Fla., 9,821. 6, Rhino for President, Pleasant View, Utah, 9,801. 7, Bowlingfordumdums.com, Pritchett, Colo., 9,794. 8 (tie), S & B Pro Shop 2, Sterling Heights, Mich., and Pam's Boys 1, Salem, Ore., 9,736. 10, Sack Toe, Sacramento, Calif., 9,717.
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
Team
1, Cardinal Lanes (Edward Hitschmann, Mike Steinert, Reuben Flagor, Tim Higgins, Gary Boxberger), 2,804. 2, Lake Country Rollers 1, Clarissa, Minn., 2,799. 3, T-Rays, Jamestown, N.D., 2,795. 4, Garden Center Lanes 2, Alexandria, Minn., 2,789. 5, D&H Glass, Harrison, Ark., 2,787. 6, Plattsburgh Bowl, Plattsburgh, Mo., 2,773. 7, Sego Electric, Clarion, Iowa, 2,759. 8, Pla-Mor Lanes 5, New Weston, Ohio, 2,750. 9, Lady Pros, Albuquerque, N.M., 2,748. 10, Firenab 2, Lincoln, Neb., 2,745.
Doubles
1, Jacqueline Snyder/Bill Calhoon, Cooksville, Ill., 1,282. 2, Janet Vaccari/Joe Vaccari, Gillette, Wyo., 1,255. 3, Frank Smyle Jr., Reeder, N.D./Jesse Smyle, Bowman, N.D., 1,240. 4, James Whisenhant, Robertsdale, Ala./Dean Swindle, Foley, Ala., 1,237. 5, William Palmer, Sussex, Wis./Henry Dotson, McCool, Miss., 1,220. 6, Daryl Peake, Mount Holly, N.C./Bob Butts, Charlotte, N.C., 1,207. 7, Ron Schara, Big Timber, Mont./Tom Schara, Rio Rancho, N.M., 1,205. 8, Arthur King, Grass Valley, Calif./Sandy Wagner, Loomis, Calif., 1,203. 9, Jim Kohlman, St. Paul, Minn./Michael Roscoe, White Bear Lake, Minn., 1,196. 10, Judy Waliczek, Pflugerville, Texas/Christopher Brown, Jonesboro, Ark, 1,192.
Singles
1, Brian Johnston, Grinnell, Kan., 701. 2, Jeremy Noland, Chelsea, Okla., 696. 3, Daniel Dabkowski, Columbia, S.C., 688. 4 (tie), Brian Washington, Hopewell, Va., and Tim Hoffpauir, New Iberia, La., 676. 6, Donald D. Mueller Jr., Fremont, Neb., 672. 7, Tim Wagner, Hardin, Mont., 669. 8, Brion Estis, St. Davids, Bermuda, 666. 9, John Zapalac, Bishop, Texas, 662. 10, Randy Gaines, Austin, Minn., 658.
All-Events
1, Daniel Dabkowski, Columbia, S.C., 1,857. 2, Bill Calhoon, Cooksville, Ill., 1,852. 3, Daryl Peake, Mount Holly, N.C., 1,849. 4, John Millet Jr., Greenland, N.H., 1,821. 5, Troy Schultz, Clarion, Iowa, 1,820. 6, Dave Lisson, Browerville, Minn., 1,815. 7, Kenny DeYoung, Valley Springs, Ark., 1,805. 8, Kenny Halsted, Harrison, Ark., 1,805. 9, John Victor, Rockford, Ill., 1,794. 10, Glenn Shields, Bowling Green, Ohio, 1,791.
United States
Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, NM, United States (Feb. 16 - July 7, 2008)
With only two days remaining at the United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships, Corrine Ham of Cocoa, Fla., is in position to claim her first title at the storied event. In the meantime, she's been busy knocking down pins at the USBC Open Championships in Albuquerque.The 41-year-old right-hander doesn't bowl as much as she'd like to because of her duties as the general manager of her family's bowling center in Titusville, Fla., but she accepted the opportunity to bowl in the Open Championships this week and helped Junior Team USA Support of Orlando, Fla., into fifth place in Team All-Events with a 9,821 total at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Friday. Fox Bowl 2 of Wheaton, Ill., leads with 10,025.
L-R Jr. Stephen Rodriguez, Clay Herrbach, Shawn Ryan, Corrine Ham, P.J. Haggerty
Ham, the daughter of two-time USBC Senior Queens champion, Shirley Levens, was bowling in place of 2007 U.S. Amateur champion, David O'Sullivan, who recently suffered a knee injury.
"I'm really glad I got to bowl with these guys, and I had a really good time," said Ham, who made her seventh Open Championships appearance and turned in a career-best 1,868 all-events total. "Coming in, I felt that team and doubles were the most attainable, so I was focused on those events. Our Team All-Events finish was a nice surprise."
P.J. Haggerty, a former collegiate standout and past member of Junior Team USA and Team USA, led the way for Jr. Team USA Support with a 2,077 all-events total and was followed by former Junior Team USA members Shawn Ryan (2,032) and Clay Herrbach (1,945), tournament first-timer Stephen Rodriguez (1,899) and Ham.
"In the scheme of things, you just want to bowl well and have fun," said Haggerty, who plans to continue his quest to earn an exemption on the Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour. "We look forward to this every year because we have such a good time when we get together. If I do get an exemption, I won't be able to bowl in this anymore, so I just want to enjoy it while I can."
For Ham, competing when she can is nice escape from the pressures of work, and finding success on the tournament lanes is an added bonus. Being a few days from a national title is even more exciting.
"It's something you never think you're going to do, so I'm very happy," Ham said. "I never was full-time into the sport because of my family and the business, so this is exciting. After we left, I knew there were still some good teams left to bowl, but I didn't fret about it. If it's meant to be, it will happen."
Texas bowler shoots 299
A month ago, William Thayer of Royse City, Texas, had his arm in a cast because of a broken bone in his wrist, but his recovery proved to be going well when he rolled a 299 game at the USBC Open Championships on Thursday.The 40-year-old right-hander came within one shot of the 32nd perfect game of this year's tournament, but a stubborn 10 pin on his final delivery left him short.
"I struggled to tune everything out," said Thayer, who made his fifth USBC Open Championships appearance. "I really didn't feel nervous, but I did have to take a little more time to focus because this is such a big stage and the national tournament. Even though I didn't shoot 300, I am very proud of this game because I know there's a tough condition out there."
While Thayer was briefly disappointed about not achieving the elusive perfect game, that feeling was short-lived when he immediately started striking in his next game. After eight consecutive strikes, he left another 10 pin to end the second streak. He finished doubles with games of 198, 299 and 256 for a 753 series and teamed up with Ken Johns for a 1,364 doubles effort.
Thayer added 624 in singles and 609 in team for a career-best 1,986 all-events total. His previous high was 1,827 at the 2006 event in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Presenting sponsors for the 2008 USBC Open Championships are Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and Circus Circus Reno in Reno, Nev. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider; Brunswick, capital equipment supplier; Storm Products, Inc.; Roto Grip, official sponsor of the Roto Grip Sport Bowling Challenge; Isleta Casino & Resort; Santa Ana Star Casino, the official brackets sponsor; Rainbow Ryders, the exclusive hot air balloon company of the 2008 Open Championships; and Sandia Resort & Casino. 2008 USBC Open Championships
Albuquerque Convention Center, Albuquerque, N.M.
REGULAR DIVISION
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
Team
1, Team Tilt (Thomas Ault Jr., Russ Wilson, Chris Greene, Joe Keltner, Jay Futrell), Lawrence, Kan., 3,374. 2, Turbo Grips 1, Chesterfield, Mich., 3,308. 3, Fox Bowl 2, Wheaton, Ill., 3,303. 4, Rhino for President, Pleasant View, Utah, 3,298. 5, Bowlingfordumdums.com, Pritchett, Colo., 3,284. 6, Bluemound Bowl, Milwaukee, Wis., 3,268. 7, Ballard's Bowling Solution 1, North Richland Hills, Texas, 3,258. 8, Play 2 Win, Lakewood, Ohio, 3,254. 9, Bowlers Universe 1, Rockford, Ill., 3,249. 10, Bluegrass Bowling & Golf, Lexington, Ky., 3,244.
Doubles
1, John Socha, Oak Creek, Wis./Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 1,467. 2, Skip Wolfe, Dixon, Ill./Tom Carter, Rockford, Ill., 1,462. 3, Robert Slayton, Apple Valley, Minn./Jason Lutgen, Brooklyn Park, Minn., 1,445. 4, Todd Koehler, Appleton, Minn./Doug Blood, Montevideo, Minn., 1,444. 5, Erik Mattingly, Puyallup, Wash./Robert Hanson, Tacoma, Wash., 1,441. 6, Ted Baer/Josh Edenburn, Omaha, Neb., 1,439. 7, Rick Oelkers III, Valdosta, Ga./David Tolson, Summerville, S.C., 1,434. 8, Steven Levering, Landisville, Pa./Jim Rutherford, Coatesville, Pa., 1,428. 9, Ron Case, Oakley, Calif./Sam Carter, Ben Lomond, Calif., 1,422. 10, Mike Granberg, Batavia, Ill./Dave Rodak, Naperville, Ill., 1,419.
Singles
1, Bryan Young, Everett, Wash., 832. 2, Jason Price, Grand Island, Neb., 817. 3, Wilbert Moorer, Dover, Del., 784. 4, Warren Crawford, McKinleyville, Calif., 779. 5, Eric Lukins, Fort Myers, Fla., 778. 6, William Uthoff, O'Fallon, Mo., 775. 7 (tie), Larry Aldridge, Aurora, Colo., and Alexander Shand, Myrtle Beach, S.C., 774. 9, Alan Pecora, Drums, Pa., 773. 10, Ryan Shepherd, Collinsville, Va., 769.
All-Events
1, Jay Futrell, Derby, Kan., 2,183. 2, Bryan Young, Everett, Wash., 2,165. 3, Mike Rose Jr., Rochester, N.Y., 2,161. 4, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 2,160. 5, Warren Crawford, McKinleyville, Calif., 2,159. 6, Brian Kjergaard, Fulton, Ill., 2,147. 7, Edward Gallagher, Clarksville, Tenn., 2,141. 8, Todd Fenske, Weston, Wis., 2,132. 9, Gregg Zicha, Schaumburg, Ill., 2,124. 10, Chris Gibbons, Madison, Wis., 2,122.
Team All-Events
1, Fox Bowl 2 (Anthony Jordan, Pete Spreadbury, Walter Schaub, Gregg Zicha, Mike Nape), Wheaton, Ill., 10,025. 2, Team Tilt, Lawrence, Kan., 9,986. 3, Team Pabst, Madison, Wis., 9,977. 4, MoRich Enterprises, West Bend, Wis., 9,901. 5, Jr. Team USA Support, Orlando, Fla., 9,821. 6, Rhino for President, Pleasant View, Utah, 9,801. 7, Bowlingfordumdums.com, Pritchett, Colo., 9,794. 8 (tie), S & B Pro Shop 2, Sterling Heights, Mich., and Pam's Boys 1, Salem, Ore., 9,736. 10, Sack Toe, Sacramento, Calif., 9,717.
CLASSIFIED DIVISION
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
Team
1, Cardinal Lanes (Edward Hitschmann, Mike Steinert, Reuben Flagor, Tim Higgins, Gary Boxberger), 2,804. 2, Lake Country Rollers 1, Clarissa, Minn., 2,799. 3, T-Rays, Jamestown, N.D., 2,795. 4, Garden Center Lanes 2, Alexandria, Minn., 2,789. 5, D&H Glass, Harrison, Ark., 2,787. 6, Plattsburgh Bowl, Plattsburgh, Mo., 2,773. 7, Sego Electric, Clarion, Iowa, 2,759. 8, Pla-Mor Lanes 5, New Weston, Ohio, 2,750. 9, Lady Pros, Albuquerque, N.M., 2,748. 10, Firenab 2, Lincoln, Neb., 2,745.
Doubles
1, Jacqueline Snyder/Bill Calhoon, Cooksville, Ill., 1,282. 2, Janet Vaccari/Joe Vaccari, Gillette, Wyo., 1,255. 3, Frank Smyle Jr., Reeder, N.D./Jesse Smyle, Bowman, N.D., 1,240. 4, James Whisenhant, Robertsdale, Ala./Dean Swindle, Foley, Ala., 1,237. 5, William Palmer, Sussex, Wis./Henry Dotson, McCool, Miss., 1,220. 6, Daryl Peake, Mount Holly, N.C./Bob Butts, Charlotte, N.C., 1,207. 7, Ron Schara, Big Timber, Mont./Tom Schara, Rio Rancho, N.M., 1,205. 8, Arthur King, Grass Valley, Calif./Sandy Wagner, Loomis, Calif., 1,203. 9, Jim Kohlman, St. Paul, Minn./Michael Roscoe, White Bear Lake, Minn., 1,196. 10, Judy Waliczek, Pflugerville, Texas/Christopher Brown, Jonesboro, Ark, 1,192.
Singles
1, Brian Johnston, Grinnell, Kan., 701. 2, Jeremy Noland, Chelsea, Okla., 696. 3, Daniel Dabkowski, Columbia, S.C., 688. 4 (tie), Brian Washington, Hopewell, Va., and Tim Hoffpauir, New Iberia, La., 676. 6, Donald D. Mueller Jr., Fremont, Neb., 672. 7, Tim Wagner, Hardin, Mont., 669. 8, Brion Estis, St. Davids, Bermuda, 666. 9, John Zapalac, Bishop, Texas, 662. 10, Randy Gaines, Austin, Minn., 658.
All-Events
1, Daniel Dabkowski, Columbia, S.C., 1,857. 2, Bill Calhoon, Cooksville, Ill., 1,852. 3, Daryl Peake, Mount Holly, N.C., 1,849. 4, John Millet Jr., Greenland, N.H., 1,821. 5, Troy Schultz, Clarion, Iowa, 1,820. 6, Dave Lisson, Browerville, Minn., 1,815. 7, Kenny DeYoung, Valley Springs, Ark., 1,805. 8, Kenny Halsted, Harrison, Ark., 1,805. 9, John Victor, Rockford, Ill., 1,794. 10, Glenn Shields, Bowling Green, Ohio, 1,791.