PBA champion Sean Rash to serve as host, competitor in Aurora

27 September, 2016

PBA National Tour

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As if competing against the best bowlers in the world isn’t enough, Montgomery resident and nine-time Professional Bowlers Association titlist Sean Rash will assume the role of tournament host next weekend at Parkside Lanes.

It’s kind of ironic, but Rash (pictured) – who grew up in Anchorage, Alaska and starred as a collegiate bowler at Wichita State University before moving to the Aurora area – will invite the world’s best bowlers into his “home center” and then do his best to beat them.

Actually, it’s part of Rash’s nature as a professional bowler to do more than his fair share to promote his sport by organizing a tournament – the PBA Xtra Frame Parkside Lanes Open – that will bring many of the world’s proven stars into the Chicagoland area, where they will face off against the next generation of PBA stars in an intensive two-day competition.

To get the weekend started, he’ll introduce the players to Chicago area bowling fans during a pro-am and “meet & greet” sessions Friday night.

On Saturday, Rash and friends will begin competition with an eight-game qualifying round for all players at 10 a.m. That session will be followed by a BBQ party featuring a live band for all players beginning at 3 p.m.

Sunday, the top 25 percent of Saturday’s qualifiers will advance to two more six-game qualifying rounds at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., with total pinfall for 20 games determining the top five who will advance to the 3 p.m. stepladder finals.

All competition rounds of the event will be covered live by the PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel, a subscription-based video streaming service which is available on three-day, monthly and annual subscription plans.

Among the early entrants into the event are PBA Hall of Famers Pete Weber (left) and Walter Ray Williams Jr. (right), PBA Tour champions Dick Allen, Ryan Ciminelli, Tommy Jones, Eugene McCune, Bill O’Neill, Ronnie Russell, Ryan Shafer, Anthony Simonsen, E.J. Tackett, Kyle Troup, Cameron Weier and Rash; and a handful of Professional Women’s Bowling Association stars including three-time PWBA Player of the Year Liz Johnson and Oswego native Kristina Szczerbinski.

Chicagoland bowling fans will get a chance to watch a potent field of rising PBA stars, including 19-year-old Simonsen, a leading PBA Player of the Year contender; Tackett, the 2013 PBA Rookie of the Year; USBC Open Championships record-holder Matt McNiel of Minneapolis, and some of the Chicago area’s top players.

At stake will be a $10,000 first prize and a PBA Tour title. In addition, the tournament is the sixth tournament in an eight-event Xtra Frame PBA Tour Series which will reward the overall points leader with a $10,000 bonus. Tackett is the points leader heading into Aurora tournament followed closely by Jones, Ciminelli, Rash and Simonsen.

2016 PBA Tour Schedule & Champions

PBA Xtra Frame Parkside Lanes Open Schedule

Parkside Bowl, Aurora, Ill., USA (Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2016)

Friday, Sept. 30, 2016
2 p.m. – Practice Session
4 p.m. – Non-member meeting
5 p.m. – Meet and Greet the PBA players
7 p.m. – Pro-am

Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016
10 a.m. – Qualifying round, eight games
One in four advance
3-8 p.m. – BBQ Party

Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016
9 a.m. – Cashers round one, six games
1 p.m. – Cashers round two, six games
Top five after 20 games advance to stepladder finals at the conclusion of cashers round two.

Herbert Bickel