Ending Walter Ray's record titles streak is a matter of pride to Dick Allen
04/01/11
Defeating Walter Ray Williams Jr. (pictured left) and Mika Koivuniemi to win the Central Region championship in the Go RVing Regional Championship Round of the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs was an historic accomplishment that wasn't lost on winner Dick Allen (right).
"I take personal pride in being the one who ended Walter Ray's winning streak," Allen said after his victorious 289 game. "I've never bowled him on TV before and I may never bowl him on TV again, so to be able to go through life saying I'm undefeated against Walter Ray Williams Jr. on TV is pretty cool."
Williams, a PBA Hall of Famer and 47-time Tour title winner, had won at least one title in 17 consecutive seasons before his streak ended in the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs, the final event of the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.
By making the television finals in Indianapolis, however, Williams extended his remarkable streak of consecutive years with at least one TV appearance to 27…and 2010-11 is the first time since his streak started in 1985 that he has made only one TV show in a season. Every other year includes multiple appearances.
Special Olympics bowling superstar Kolan McConiughey (pictured left) was paid a surprise visit by his hero, 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions winner Mika Koivuniemi (right), prior to McDoniughey's league bowling session on March 24 at Colonial Lanes in Ann Arbor.
McConiughey, who was born with a cognitive impairment, bowled a stunning 857 series including games of 299, 258 and 300 in February. It wasn't a fluke performance. McConiughey now has eight perfect games and five 800 series to go along with a batch of Special Olympics bowling gold medals.
In a ceremony organized by long-time PBA Central Region competitor Doug Spicer, Colonial Lanes personnel and McConiughey's friends and family, Koivuniemi presented McConiughey with his 300 game and 800 series award rings.
"It's a great, great accomplishment," Koivuniemi, who personally has a high series of 847, told AnnArbor.com writer Rich Rezler. "I've heard about (Kolan) before, and finally I get to meet him. It was great."
For Rezler's complete story, including photos, and other news media coverage of PBA players and events from around the world, click here.
The "pre-game show" leading into the telecast of Sunday's second Regional Championships round of the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs is currently airing on pba.com's Xtra Frame, the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour's exclusive online video streaming service.
The Lucas Oil Regional Championships round, featuring the Midwest, Southwest and West/Northwest Region finals, airs on ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.
A similar pre-game show previewing the PBA Playoffs Conference Championships round on Sunday, April 10, at 1 p.m. will air on Xtra Frame, beginning Monday, April 4.
The final pre-game show will preview the PBA Playoffs finals, beginning Monday, April 11. The Dick Weber PBA Playoffs finals will air live from Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis on Sunday, April 17, at 1 p.m. Eastern.
There was no change at the top of the WBT rankings after the Kuwait Open, the fifth event in the World Tenpin Bowling Association's new World Bowling Tour series, but Sean Rash (right) of Montgomery, Ill., and Osku Palermaa of Finland dropped Chris Barnes out of the top three with their performances in Kuwait.
Mika Koivuniemi is the men's points leader followed by Rash and Palermaa. Barnes is fourth. Americans Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and Kelly Kulick are one-two on the women's list, followed by Nina Flack of Sweden.
Two qualifying events remain (Bangkok, Thailand, Sept. 24-30 and the Australian Masters, Oct. 10-22) to determine the top three for the finals of the inaugural WBT Finals presented by the PBA.
The men's and women's qualifiers will bowl for $10,000, $6,000 and $4,000 prizes in a special stepladder finals telecast that will be part of the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling in Las Vegas. For more information on the World Bowling Tour, click here.
Applications are now being accepted for the PBA's 2011 Billy Welu Scholarship, awarded annually to a male or female college student who competes in the sport of bowling and exhibits exemplary qualities as a student and citizen. Candidates must be amateur bowlers who are currently in college (preceding the application deadline) and maintain at least a 2.5/4.0 GPA or equivalent.
The scholarship winner receives a $1,000 award and the deadline for submissions is May 31. A scholarship application (pdf file) may be accessed by clicking here.
Dave Patchen (pictured) of Oregon, Ohio, defeated Mike Mineman of St. Louis, 211-200, to win the PBA Midwest/Central Region Stars & Strikes Senior Open sponsored by Allstate Insurance at Stars & Strikes Bowling Center on Scott Air Force Base Sunday, March 27.
The title was Patchen's first of the year in the PBA Midwest Region and the sixth PBA Regional title of his career. He earned $1,500 along with his title.
In the semifinal match, Mineman tied Dale Traber of Cedarburg, Wis., 279-279, and then won the one-ball roll-off, 10-9, to advance to the championship match.
A full slate of PBA Regional tournaments is on tap for the first weekend in April, launching the 2011-12 season for PBA regional players. For the complete schedule, including details about individual events in your area, go to pba.com, click on "regional tour" on the "schedule" drop down menu, and then click on your region.
PBA Hall of Famer and Triple Crown winner Johnny Petraglia (pictured left) will be inducted into the New Jersey State Bowling Association Hall of Fame during the organization's annual state jamboree Sept. 24 in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
First-year Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Exempt Player Lennie Boresch Jr. (right) of Kenosha, Wis., will be inducted into the Racine, Wis., USBC Hall of Fame on May 16 at Roma Lodge in Kenosha.
Australia's Jason Belmonte (left) had a busy two weeks in Kuwait. On March 17, Belmonte lost a semifinal round match in the Asian Bowling Federation Tournament of Champions to UAE's Hussain Al-Suwaidi, 195-194 (Al-Suwaidi went on to win the ABF TOC title). On March 21, Belmonte finished eighth in the Kuwait Open. Two days later, he captured the ABF Tour Kuwait 2011 title with a convincing 245-212 victory over Thailand's Yannaphon Larp-apharat at Cozmo Bowling Center.
PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss (right) of Alpharetta, Ga., is off to a successful start in his annual summer trek to Europe. Voss defeated Denmark's Jesper Agerbo in the title match, 235-190, of the Catalonia Open in Barcelona, Spain, on March 20. Voss earned 6,000 Euro for his second win on the European Bowling Tour, which translates into roughly US$8,200.
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2011 PBA Spare Shots #11
Defeating Walter Ray Williams Jr. (pictured left) and Mika Koivuniemi to win the Central Region championship in the Go RVing Regional Championship Round of the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs was an historic accomplishment that wasn't lost on winner Dick Allen (right)."I take personal pride in being the one who ended Walter Ray's winning streak," Allen said after his victorious 289 game. "I've never bowled him on TV before and I may never bowl him on TV again, so to be able to go through life saying I'm undefeated against Walter Ray Williams Jr. on TV is pretty cool."
Williams, a PBA Hall of Famer and 47-time Tour title winner, had won at least one title in 17 consecutive seasons before his streak ended in the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs, the final event of the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.
By making the television finals in Indianapolis, however, Williams extended his remarkable streak of consecutive years with at least one TV appearance to 27…and 2010-11 is the first time since his streak started in 1985 that he has made only one TV show in a season. Every other year includes multiple appearances.
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Koivuniemi pays surprise visit to Michigan Special Olympian
Special Olympics bowling superstar Kolan McConiughey (pictured left) was paid a surprise visit by his hero, 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions winner Mika Koivuniemi (right), prior to McDoniughey's league bowling session on March 24 at Colonial Lanes in Ann Arbor.McConiughey, who was born with a cognitive impairment, bowled a stunning 857 series including games of 299, 258 and 300 in February. It wasn't a fluke performance. McConiughey now has eight perfect games and five 800 series to go along with a batch of Special Olympics bowling gold medals.
In a ceremony organized by long-time PBA Central Region competitor Doug Spicer, Colonial Lanes personnel and McConiughey's friends and family, Koivuniemi presented McConiughey with his 300 game and 800 series award rings.
"It's a great, great accomplishment," Koivuniemi, who personally has a high series of 847, told AnnArbor.com writer Rich Rezler. "I've heard about (Kolan) before, and finally I get to meet him. It was great."
For Rezler's complete story, including photos, and other news media coverage of PBA players and events from around the world, click here.
Â
Watch PBA Playoffs "Pre-Game Shows" on Xtra Frame
The "pre-game show" leading into the telecast of Sunday's second Regional Championships round of the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs is currently airing on pba.com's Xtra Frame, the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour's exclusive online video streaming service. The Lucas Oil Regional Championships round, featuring the Midwest, Southwest and West/Northwest Region finals, airs on ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.
A similar pre-game show previewing the PBA Playoffs Conference Championships round on Sunday, April 10, at 1 p.m. will air on Xtra Frame, beginning Monday, April 4.
The final pre-game show will preview the PBA Playoffs finals, beginning Monday, April 11. The Dick Weber PBA Playoffs finals will air live from Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis on Sunday, April 17, at 1 p.m. Eastern.
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Rash moves up in World Bowling Tour rankings
There was no change at the top of the WBT rankings after the Kuwait Open, the fifth event in the World Tenpin Bowling Association's new World Bowling Tour series, but Sean Rash (right) of Montgomery, Ill., and Osku Palermaa of Finland dropped Chris Barnes out of the top three with their performances in Kuwait. Mika Koivuniemi is the men's points leader followed by Rash and Palermaa. Barnes is fourth. Americans Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and Kelly Kulick are one-two on the women's list, followed by Nina Flack of Sweden.
Two qualifying events remain (Bangkok, Thailand, Sept. 24-30 and the Australian Masters, Oct. 10-22) to determine the top three for the finals of the inaugural WBT Finals presented by the PBA.
The men's and women's qualifiers will bowl for $10,000, $6,000 and $4,000 prizes in a special stepladder finals telecast that will be part of the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling in Las Vegas. For more information on the World Bowling Tour, click here.
Â
Applications due May 31 for Billy Welu Scholarship
Applications are now being accepted for the PBA's 2011 Billy Welu Scholarship, awarded annually to a male or female college student who competes in the sport of bowling and exhibits exemplary qualities as a student and citizen. Candidates must be amateur bowlers who are currently in college (preceding the application deadline) and maintain at least a 2.5/4.0 GPA or equivalent.
The scholarship winner receives a $1,000 award and the deadline for submissions is May 31. A scholarship application (pdf file) may be accessed by clicking here.
Â
Patchen wins Stars & Strikes Senior Regional Title
Dave Patchen (pictured) of Oregon, Ohio, defeated Mike Mineman of St. Louis, 211-200, to win the PBA Midwest/Central Region Stars & Strikes Senior Open sponsored by Allstate Insurance at Stars & Strikes Bowling Center on Scott Air Force Base Sunday, March 27. The title was Patchen's first of the year in the PBA Midwest Region and the sixth PBA Regional title of his career. He earned $1,500 along with his title.
In the semifinal match, Mineman tied Dale Traber of Cedarburg, Wis., 279-279, and then won the one-ball roll-off, 10-9, to advance to the championship match.
A full slate of PBA Regional tournaments is on tap for the first weekend in April, launching the 2011-12 season for PBA regional players. For the complete schedule, including details about individual events in your area, go to pba.com, click on "regional tour" on the "schedule" drop down menu, and then click on your region.
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Quick Notes:
PBA Hall of Famer and Triple Crown winner Johnny Petraglia (pictured left) will be inducted into the New Jersey State Bowling Association Hall of Fame during the organization's annual state jamboree Sept. 24 in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. First-year Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Exempt Player Lennie Boresch Jr. (right) of Kenosha, Wis., will be inducted into the Racine, Wis., USBC Hall of Fame on May 16 at Roma Lodge in Kenosha. Australia's Jason Belmonte (left) had a busy two weeks in Kuwait. On March 17, Belmonte lost a semifinal round match in the Asian Bowling Federation Tournament of Champions to UAE's Hussain Al-Suwaidi, 195-194 (Al-Suwaidi went on to win the ABF TOC title). On March 21, Belmonte finished eighth in the Kuwait Open. Two days later, he captured the ABF Tour Kuwait 2011 title with a convincing 245-212 victory over Thailand's Yannaphon Larp-apharat at Cozmo Bowling Center. PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss (right) of Alpharetta, Ga., is off to a successful start in his annual summer trek to Europe. Voss defeated Denmark's Jesper Agerbo in the title match, 235-190, of the Catalonia Open in Barcelona, Spain, on March 20. Voss earned 6,000 Euro for his second win on the European Bowling Tour, which translates into roughly US$8,200.Â
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