One of the highest honors any athlete, or anyone for that matter, can receive is an invitation to the White House.

Such was the case for 2015 PBA World Championship winner Gary Faulkner Jr. when he had the opportunity to visit the White House on Friday, March 4, and bowl on the White House Lanes located in the Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House in Washington D.C.

Faulkner received the invitation thanks to U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis who made it possible.

While Faulkner didn’t have the opportunity to bowl with President Barack Obama, he enjoyed nearly two hours bowling with his mother Wanda, sister Alex along (pictured right) with White House and Rep. Cohen’s staff members. They were then treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the White House.

Faulkner became the second African American to win a PBA Tour title when he defeated EJ Tackett, 216-178, in the championship match at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno in December.

Faulkner is the second bowler in the past few years to receive an invitation to the White House. Kelly Kulick, the only woman to win a PBA Tour title when she won the 2010 Tournament of Champions, earned an invitation in March of 2010 when she attended an International Women’s Day reception hosted by President and Mrs. Obama.

To get the full story of Faulkner’s visit read the Memphis Commercial Appeal
story.

Bowlingball.com becomes presenting sponsor for Xtra Frame Maine Shootout

Bowlingball.com, entering its 20th year as the world’s largest online bowling retailer, will be the presenting sponsor of the Xtra Frame PBA Maine Shootout April 4-6 at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine, PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark and bowlingball.com founder Keith Spear announced Thursday.

The bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout presented by Xtra Frame will be the first of 10 exclusive Xtra Frame PBA Tour event events in 2016, each awarding a minimum $10,000 first prize and a PBA Tour title along with a winner-take-all $10,000 cash bonus to the player who compiles the most competition points for the entire series.

The PBA Maine Shootout, which follows a weekend of PBA League Elias Cup competition at Bayside Bowl, will be a 64-player single-elimination, three-game match play event. A “draw party” will be held on Monday, April 4, to determine pairings.

Competition – all covered live, exclusively on Xtra Frame, begins with eight Round of 64 matches at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Additional Round of 64 matches will be held at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Winners will then bowl Round of 32 matches at 6 and 8 p.m.

Competition continues Wednesday, April 6, with Round of 16 matches at 10 and 11:30 a.m., Round of 8 at 2 p.m., semifinal round at 6 p.m. and the championship match at 7:30 p.m. All times are Eastern. Josh Blanchard of Mesa, Ariz., is defending champion.

Xtra Frame is PBA’s official online video-streaming service, currently serving more than 8,000 subscribers around the world.

PBA Regional Update: Harry Sullins wins 19th PBA50 Regional title in Ohio

Harry Sullins (pictured left with the trophy) of Chesterfield Twp, Mich., defeated Jeff Zaffino of Warren, Pa., by nine pins to win the PBA50 Victory Lanes Central Open presented by 900 Global at Victory Lanes in Galion, Ohio, Sunday.

Sullins finished with an 8-4 match play record and a total of 4,468 pins for 20 games, including match play bonus pins, to claim his first PBA Central Region PBA50 title of the year and the 19th PBA50 Regional title of his career. Sullins, who will be inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in the veterans category on April 28 in Las Vegas, also earned $1,500.

Canadian citizen and Wichita State University graduate Francois Lavoie (right), now living in Wichita, Kan., defeated non-member Cody Vaughn of Arvada, Colo., 226-203, to win his first PBA Regional title and the $2,500 first prize in the fourth annual PBA Lakewood Storm Southwest Open at Holiday Lanes in Lakewood, Colo., Sunday.

Lavoie, one of the nation’s top collegiate bowlers while competing for Wichita State, finished the qualifying rounds in second place, earnings byes until the Round of Eight in the single elimination finals.

The PBA rookie then started best-of-three-game match play against Sean Lavery-Spahr with a 300 game and followed with a 247 to advance. He then defeated Tyler Jensen of Fort Worth, Texas, 257-218, in the semifinal round to advance to the title match.

Vaughn, the qualifying leader, defeated Rick Schafer of Aurora, Colo., 2-0, in his Round of 8 match and Steven Badonavic from Parker, Colo., 192-184, in his semifinal round match.

Lennie Boresch (left) of Kenosha, Wis., defeated Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., 215-170, to win the PBA50 Monte Skeels Allstate Agent Midwest Open at Liberty Lanes in Carpentersville, Ill., on Saturday. Along with the $2,200 first prize, Boresch collected his 33rd overall PBA regional title.

Boresch defeated Dave Traber of Hebron, Ill., 256-235, in the round of 4, and Weber edged Scott Weber of La Salle, Ill., 234-189, in the semifinal round to set up the championship match.

David Haynes of Las Vegas defeated Chris Warren of Grants Pass, Ore., 245-241, to win the PBA Northwest/West DV8 Open at Caveman Bowl in Grants Pass, Ore., Sunday. The win was Haynes’ 10th in PBA regional competition. He also earned $2,000.

Haynes defeated Dean Richards of Tacoma, Wash., 244-184, to advance to the championship match. In the first stepladder match, Joe Goldstein Sr. of Hayward, Calif. defeated Thomas Ault Jr. of Portland, Ore., 216-180. In the second match, Haynes eliminated Goldstein, 194-181.

The only regional activity over the March 13 weekend is the one-day PBA50 Thunderbowl Midwest Open presented by Columbia 300 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The March 18-20 weekend includes the PBA50 Fayetteville South Open at Lafayette Lanes in Fayetteville, N.C.; the Odessa Southwest Open presented by Columbia 300 at Astro Bowl in Odessa, Texas; the PBA50 Showtime Lanes Midwest/Central Open presented by DV8 in Virden, Ill.; the PBA50 Rossi Lanes Eastern Open in Elmira, N.Y., and the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau Central/East Open presented by Radical at Bell-Wick Bowl in Hubbard, Ohio.

The March regional calendar concludes over the March 25-27 weekend with the Cooperfield Bowl Houston Challenge presented by 900 Global in Houston, Texas; the South Point West Challenge and Member/Non-Member Doubles, both presented by Track, at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas.

For complete PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, click here and open the “schedules” tab and click on Regional Tours to find the event(s) in your area.

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