Bowlers Journal International - February 2008 - (Page 37) COVER STORY there someday,” he says. Husted and Rogers bowl in a region that doesn’t have that many bowlers overall, and hence can support no more than 18 points events. It’s an entirely different animal in the South Region, which will have conducted 30 tournaments by March 31 (the end of the current season), or the in Southwest, with its 28. For about the first half of PBA history, regional players were called “resident pros,” and residents they were, not being allowed to compete outside their own region without permission of the directors of both regions involved. Thus, Chicago members might be denied entry in a regional in Merrillville, Indiana — practically next door. But now it’s wide open, with bowlers traveling all over the country to hit a particularly lucrative tournament. For instance, 150 bowlers took part in December’s Tri-Region Sands Open at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, one of them flying in from South Carolina and another from Texas. (Former touring star Eric Forkel won, pocketing $3,000. See "Regional Roundup" in this issue for details.) The process allows a player to declare a region even if he or she lives in another. The player then can earn points only in tournaments in that declared region. Last year, David Leverage declared the Northwest despite living in the Phoenix area, some 800 miles (by air) from the closest regular event. THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO THE TOUR THE GUYS WHO HAVE MADE IT TO the Denny’s PBA Tour say there is a blue-print for success — provided you have the raw talent to compete with the very best. For one thing, they urge bowlers to seek as much competition as possible. For kids, it means bowling every scholarship tournament you can handle, and getting on the high school or maybe college team. As an “adult,” bowl scratch leagues that feature sidepots. Hit every tournament that you can. Learn to bowl under pressure. “You must be willing to learn,” says five-time champion Chris Warren, “because if you aren’t, those of us who are willing to learn will beat you.” Other tips from the guys who have done it ■ Bowl PBA Experience leagues, and practice (a lot) at centers that’ll put out Sport or PBA conditions. ■ Create an account in which you put some or most of your winnings. Use that money to get your PBA card and enter regionals. The point: If you’re not good enough to win enough money to bankroll yourself, you’re probably not good enough to cash in regionals. ■ Get comfortable crossing with guys like Rhino Page, Pete Weber and Walter Ray Williams Jr. ■ Learn to deal with driving long distances and living out of a suitcase, even if it is for only a day or two at a time. Once you’ve made some regional checks, you may be ready for a Tour Qualifying round at a Denny's Tour stop, or perhaps the Tour Trials. But as Warren emphasizes, “Never stop learning.” — D.B. FILL 'ER UP AGAIN Even if you reside within the boundaries of your declared region, travel can be an excruciating affair. Nathan Bohr makes his home in Kansas, the northern-most state in the sprawling Southwest region. His parents live in Austin, so he stays a night or two with them on occasion, something that may help on the lodging, but does nothing for the driving. Bohr was behind the wheel for a whopping 1,600 miles (round-trip) in picking up 19,249 points for his thirdplace finish at Port Arthur, Texas. The former touring player has the points title sewn up (along with the exemption for 2008-09), so he won’t make the 550-mile drive to next month’s season finale in Albuquerque, but that doesn’t mean he’s avoiding the road. The member of Wichita State University’s 2003 national championship team is hitting as many TQRs as possible, preparing for his spot on the Denny's Tour. He made the cut at Medford, even reaching the Round of 32 (in which he fell to Riga Kalfas by a couple of sticks in the seventh game), and says his experience as a touring pro a couple of years ago is a real plus. Bohr is one of several players who lost their exemptions for one reason or another, and now are doing whatever it takes to get back. Four-time champion David Traber regained his card after winning the Midwest Region points race. Dave Arnold, who owns three national titles, is trying to hold off a hard-charging former Team USA star, Andrew Cain, with four West Region events left. And then there’s Jason Hurd. The nine-year Tour veteran was sailing along last season — until an assault in January left him with a badly damaged eye. He missed five stops, and those lost points pushed him below the cut line and into the cold. “It gives you an empty feeling when you watch some of your friends on TV,” he laments. At the Tour Trials, Hurd finished a disappointing 20th, so he went to work in the tough South Region, winning one event and bowling consistently enough to move into third place in points with one tournament remaining. To take the region, he’ll have to finish in the top couple of spots in Bermuda, while the two men ahead of him (Jason Sterner and Kip Roberts) falter badly. And if that doesn’t happen? “Tour Trials is an option. But when you feel something is taken away from you with no just cause, it leaves a bitter taste.” Interestingly, not every regional hotshot is gunning for an exemption. Dale Traber will finish second to his brother David, but wasn’t interested in touring anyway. Ray Edwards won the East, but he’s not about to give up his day job: design engineer at Brookhaven National Laboratory. “If the Tour had better money, maybe,” he ponders. “And if I could bowl better to get some of that money. But even if first place was $40,000 again, I don’t know if I’d go out.” Edwards won’t claim his exemption, bowlers journal international 37 FEBRUARY 2008
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