Bowling leaders from around the world got a first-hand look at the new International Bowling Campus as the World Tenpin Bowling Association Presidium convened March 6 and 7. Representatives from nine countries were on hand for the meetings,
which were hosted by WTBA President and United States Bowling Congress
Chief Operating Officer Kevin Dornberger. Among the Presidium members in attendance were Jose Guandique of El
Salvador, Veronica Rajii of Chile, Vivien Fung of Hong Kong, Danny
Santos of The Philippines, Kim Thorsgaard Jensen of Denmark, Addie
Ophelders of The Netherlands, Bernard Pujol of France and WTBA
Secretary General Christer Jonsson of Sweden.
Seasoned campaigner Wendy Chai (pictured) did not give up when the going was tough and painful over the last few months. And her perseverance paid off yesterday when she was named in the six-member bowling squad for the women's world championships, which will be held in Las Vegas from July 25-Aug 2. The others in the team are Esther Cheah, Shalin Zulkifli, Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman, Sharon Koh and Zandra Aziela Ibrahim Hakimi.
With 72 combined career professional titles, Team USA will send its most seasoned team to the WTBA Women's World Championships. The biennial event will be held July 27-Aug. 2 in Las Vegas. Lynda Barnes (pictured left) and Stefanie Nation will be joined by professional veterans Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Liz Johnson, Kim Terrell-Kearney and Wendy Macpherson. The United States will be joined by 51 other countries in the quest to win medals in Singles, Doubles, Trios, Team, All Events and Masters. .
Thanks to a unique, new social-networking opportunity, anyone
can be a part of the 2009 World Tenpin Bowling Association Women's
World Championships, which will be held July 27 through Aug. 3 at Las
Vegas' Cashman Center. The community allows competitors, coaches and fans to come together
and communicate about all topics relating to this year's event. Join the 2009 World Women's Championships online community today.
At this point in his career, there aren't many bowling experiences that are new to Team USA member Walter Ray Williams Jr., but when he competes in the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup this November, he will take aim at a title he's never had a chance to win in the past. Williams was recently selected to represent the United States in the World Cup, which will take place Nov. 14-21 in Melaka, Malaysia. It marks the first time a professional bowler has represented Team USA in the event.
Siti Safiyah Amirah (l.), Malaysia, defeated Tina Hulsch (r.), Germany, two-games-to-none in the women's championship match Saturday afternoon at Oltremare Bowling Arena in Naples, Italy, en route to win the 9th World Ranking Masters and the $10,000 first prize. Amirah won the first game with 215.199 and sealed the victory with a 175-166 low-scoring encounter in game #2. Hulsch received $5,000 for second place. Qualifying leader Wendy Kok and Ghislaine van der Tol, both Netherlands, finished in 3rd and 4th place, worth $3,000 apiece.
Lucas Legnani (pictured) from Argentina finished the third 8-game block on dual lane condition with a 290 game to help grab the top seed for the men's single-elimination best-of-three games finals and his second 1.000 U.S. Dollar bonus. Legnani led the field of 24 bowlers from 17 countries with 5430 24-game total and an average of 226.25. Joining Legnani in the finals are six Europeans including three Englishmen and Basel Al-Anzi, Kuwait, representing the Asian Bowling Federation.
Wendy Kok (pictured left), Netherlands, was the most versatile player among the 23 women from 15 countries as she finished the qualifying of the 9th World Ranking Masters atop the leaderboard with 4935 pinfall total and an average of 206.62. The daughter of former Dutch standout Eric Kok led the top 8 players - five players from Europe, two from America and one from Asia representing five countries - into the single-elimination best-of-three games finals. As the qualifying leader, Kok received a 1.000 U.S. Dollar bonus.
1999 World Championships Masters champion and 2007 Bowling World Cup winner Ann-Maree Putney (pictured left) won the Australian Women's World Team Rolloff at AMF Keon Park. Putney averaged 212.67 over the final six-game qualifying block to win the trials with 260 points. The top six out of 10 players made the team. Joining Putney on the team for the Women’s World Championships in Las Vegas were Carol Gianotti, Maxine Nable, Natalie Shelley, Kara Triulcio and Bianca Flanagan.
Michael Schmidt of Tyndall, Manitoba and Caroline Lagrange from Montreal, Quebec won the Bowling World Cup Canadian National Championships conducted by Bowl Canada. They won the right to participate in the 45th QubicaAMF Bowling World
Cup to be held in Melaka, Malaysia between the 14th and the 21st. of
November in a new 52 AMF lane Melaka International Bowling Center
located inside the Melaka International Trade Centerr, which will
open in June. The National finals were held on the 40 lanes of Centre de Quilles 440 in Laval, Quebec, on March 14 and 15. 
The European Bowling Tour has recently announced it will have two tournaments in the 2009 schedule where players will compete on dual oil patterns. Following the lead of Ronald Dol and Luc Jensen, organizers of the EBT Hammer Bronzen Schietspoel Tournament which will use dual oil patterns for the third year in a row, the Brunswick Aalborg International will also be contested on dual oil patterns for the second straight year. Although dual oil patterns have been a mainstay of international championship competition for the last several years, most other high level singles events still use a single oil pattern, but times are changing.
Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, and Stefanie Nation of Arlington, Texas, will represent Team USA at the 2009 World Games this summer in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei. Bowling is one of more than 30 sports not currently included in the Olympics that will be showcased in the World Games for 11 days beginning July 16. Eight countries from each of the three zones (American, Asian and European) of the World Tenpin Bowling Association will represent bowling by sending one male and one female athlete.
Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno of the Philippines is the recipient of the 2009 World Bowling Writers Mort Luby Jr. Distinguished Service Award. Although Paeng's bowling career isn't over yet and he is still a force to be reckoned with in international tournaments worldwide, the USBC silver level coach is now dedicating most of his time to returning great services to the sport, including coaching conferences, exhibitions and as an ambassador for the United States Bowling Congress. Paeng is a 3-time WBW World Bowler of the Year (1998, '85 and '92) and was the first player elected to the WBW Hall of Fame in 1993. 