David Haynes of Las Vegas may have bowled his way into the overall men's lead at the 2009 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials on Wednesday, but he said a lot of the credit belongs to his wife.

Haynes, a nine-time Team USA member, has flourished after his wife, Dotty, offered some criticism and coaching leading up to the Team USA Trials at Sunset Station Hotel and Casino's Strike Zone Bowling Center. His 18-game total of 4,149, an average of 230.5, leads the men's field, while Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., continued to dominate the women's division.

"My wife Dotty told me my arm swing and release looked like I was steering a school bus," joked Haynes, who owns and operates Nadeau-Haynes Bowling Supply in Las Vegas. "After she said that, I've been working hard to get my arm swing back to where it needs to be to compete at this level."

Haynes, who was in second place after the opening round, averaged nearly 10 pins a game higher Wednesday than he did on Tuesday. He leads Junior Team USA member Dean Richards of Tacoma, Wash., by 24 pins, while Brett Cooper of North Richland Hills, Texas, is third with 4,119.

"The scoring pace today was a lot higher than yesterday," Haynes said. "I would prefer that the scores be lower and the shot be more demanding, but I'm pretty confident the next two lane conditions will be that way."

Four players shot 300 Wednesday on the Short pattern, which was expected to be the highest scoring of the four USBC Sport Bowling certified lane conditions the players face this week.

Nathan Bohr of Derby, Kan., led off the day with a 300, and Bill Hoffman of Columbus, Ohio, was perfect using a plastic ball in Game 7. On the women's side, Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix and Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., also shot perfect games.

Johnson (pictured right) didn't have a perfect game, but she did maintain her overall lead among the women with an 18-game total of 4,212, an average of 234. After shooting 2,001 in the opening round, Johnson shot 2,211 in Round 2.

"There's still a lot of games left, and we are only halfway done," said Johnson, a current Team USA member. "I don't feel like I have to press as much now, though. I just have to continue doing what I'm doing and make good shots. It's a marathon, not a sprint."

A trio of Team USA members are next in the standings behind Johnson. Stefanie Nation of Orlando, Fla., is second with 4,014, Diandra Asbaty of Chicago is third with 4,003 and Pluhowsky is fourth at 3,935.

Competition continues Thursday with the third of four nine-game blocks. After 36 games, the top three men and top three women will automatically earn spots on Team USA. An additional two men and two women from the remaining field will be selected to join the team.

In addition, four spots on Junior Team USA 2009 are up for grabs. Two boys and two girls who are 20 years old or younger as of Jan. 1, 2009 who competed in either the 2009 Team USA Trials or advanced to the top 16 at the USBC Junior Gold Championships last July are eligible to be selected. The selections will be announced Friday.

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