Team USA's Janawicz starts Men's American Zone Championships with victory in Singles
05/29/07
Two Team USA newcomers turned plenty of heads Monday at the 2007 Men's American Zone Championships in Guatemala City.
John Janawicz (left) of Winter Haven, Fla., shot 1,365 over six games to win the singles gold medal, while a late charge from Derek Eoff of Greenfield, Wis., earned him the bronze medal with 1,352.
Janawicz, playing up the No. 5 board with his Columbia 300 Stingray urethane ball, dissected the short oil pattern in the morning session. He started strong - striking on his first four shots - and began with 237 and 235 games.
"I threw some bad shots early, but I got away with them. That kind of loosened me up a little bit," said Janawicz, who won the 2004 American Bowling Congress Championships Tournament singles and all-events titles. "I was just trying to keep ahead of the moves. Throwing a urethane ball made it a lot easier going from pair to pair."
After posting his only sub-200 game (195) in Game 3, Janawicz quickly rebounded with a 249 in the fourth game. He grabbed the lead from Canada's Jean-Sebastien Lessard in Game 5 with a 236, while Lessard shot 173 on the same pair as Janawicz.
Janawicz's 213 in the final game held off a late charge from Mexico's Enrique Gutierrez, who shot 956 over his last four games. Gutierrez claimed the silver medal with 1,357.
Team USA's John Janawicz reacts after tripping a 2 pin for a strike on Monday at the Men's American Zone Championships in Guatemala. Photo courtesy of Kevin Hazaert.
Eoff (left), who struggled with the short pattern during practice in Houston and Guatemala, came on strong at the end of the evening session with a pair of 234s in Games 4 and 5 to vault into medal contention. He finished with a 236 on the strength of four late strikes to overtake Canada's Jean-Sebastien Lessard for the bronze.
"Fortunately, we drilled a ball (Storm Jolt Particle) in Houston that gave me a better look," said Eoff, who serves as a USBC Sport Bowling Coordinator and was a member of the inaugural Junior Team USA in 1999. "Once I got far enough right, it opened up the lane enough for me where I could stay loose and make pretty good shots.
"This feels unbelievable. Winning the bronze medal in my first event is icing on the cake."
Rhino Page of Fresno, Calif., finished fifth with 1,300, while David O'Sullivan of Orlando, Fla., placed 10th at 1,260. David Haynes of Las Vegas and Bill Hoffman of Columbus, Ohio, struggled in the low-scoring afternoon session - finishing 41st and 63rd, respectively.
Competition continues at 9 a.m. local time Tuesday (11 a.m. EDT) with the six-game doubles event. Janawicz and Page team up and will compete in the morning session, while Eoff and O'Sullivan bowl in the afternoon session and Hoffman and Haynes in the evening.
The Men's American Zone Championships, which will conclude June 1, features 18 countries and consists of six disciplines (singles, doubles, trios, team, all-events and Masters). The event is in Guatemala for the first time since 1966.
Beginning in 2007, the American Zone Championships moved from a quadrennial event featuring both men and women to a biennial event, with separate Women's American Zone Championships and Men's American Zone Championships alternating each year. The first Women's American Zone Championships is scheduled to be held in Chile in 2008.
Singles Results
Guatemala
By Kevin Hazaert, USBC Communications
Two Team USA newcomers turned plenty of heads Monday at the 2007 Men's American Zone Championships in Guatemala City.John Janawicz (left) of Winter Haven, Fla., shot 1,365 over six games to win the singles gold medal, while a late charge from Derek Eoff of Greenfield, Wis., earned him the bronze medal with 1,352.
Janawicz, playing up the No. 5 board with his Columbia 300 Stingray urethane ball, dissected the short oil pattern in the morning session. He started strong - striking on his first four shots - and began with 237 and 235 games.
"I threw some bad shots early, but I got away with them. That kind of loosened me up a little bit," said Janawicz, who won the 2004 American Bowling Congress Championships Tournament singles and all-events titles. "I was just trying to keep ahead of the moves. Throwing a urethane ball made it a lot easier going from pair to pair."
After posting his only sub-200 game (195) in Game 3, Janawicz quickly rebounded with a 249 in the fourth game. He grabbed the lead from Canada's Jean-Sebastien Lessard in Game 5 with a 236, while Lessard shot 173 on the same pair as Janawicz.Janawicz's 213 in the final game held off a late charge from Mexico's Enrique Gutierrez, who shot 956 over his last four games. Gutierrez claimed the silver medal with 1,357.
Team USA's John Janawicz reacts after tripping a 2 pin for a strike on Monday at the Men's American Zone Championships in Guatemala. Photo courtesy of Kevin Hazaert.
Eoff (left), who struggled with the short pattern during practice in Houston and Guatemala, came on strong at the end of the evening session with a pair of 234s in Games 4 and 5 to vault into medal contention. He finished with a 236 on the strength of four late strikes to overtake Canada's Jean-Sebastien Lessard for the bronze."Fortunately, we drilled a ball (Storm Jolt Particle) in Houston that gave me a better look," said Eoff, who serves as a USBC Sport Bowling Coordinator and was a member of the inaugural Junior Team USA in 1999. "Once I got far enough right, it opened up the lane enough for me where I could stay loose and make pretty good shots.
"This feels unbelievable. Winning the bronze medal in my first event is icing on the cake."
Rhino Page of Fresno, Calif., finished fifth with 1,300, while David O'Sullivan of Orlando, Fla., placed 10th at 1,260. David Haynes of Las Vegas and Bill Hoffman of Columbus, Ohio, struggled in the low-scoring afternoon session - finishing 41st and 63rd, respectively.
Competition continues at 9 a.m. local time Tuesday (11 a.m. EDT) with the six-game doubles event. Janawicz and Page team up and will compete in the morning session, while Eoff and O'Sullivan bowl in the afternoon session and Hoffman and Haynes in the evening.
The Men's American Zone Championships, which will conclude June 1, features 18 countries and consists of six disciplines (singles, doubles, trios, team, all-events and Masters). The event is in Guatemala for the first time since 1966.
Beginning in 2007, the American Zone Championships moved from a quadrennial event featuring both men and women to a biennial event, with separate Women's American Zone Championships and Men's American Zone Championships alternating each year. The first Women's American Zone Championships is scheduled to be held in Chile in 2008.
Singles Results