Bowlers Journal International - March 2008 - (Page 53)

REGIONAL ROUNDUP the tournaments paid out more prize money than entry fees received. It's little wonder players soon flocked to those events, and the membership rolls at the PBA’s Akron, Ohio, office swelled. By the late 1960s, the PBA was ready to expand the regional concept beyond its Eastern roots. Its leaders took a map of the U.S., divided the states into six contiguous groups, and assigned a director to each area with instructions to run tournaments. The original regional directors were Pezzano, Lee Haefner in the South, Pat Patterson in the Midwest, Roy Lown in the Southwest, Ted Hoffman in the West, and Al Thompson in the region called Headquarters, incorporating the PBA's home state of Ohio, along with Michigan and neighboring states. It took a little time for the program to catch on. Some of the regions in the hinterlands (i.e., beyond the East Coast) had a hard time fielding four representatives for the inaugural Regional Players Championship, held in 1969. Yet that season produced perhaps the most prominent winner that annual event has ever known when former Budweiser team stalwart and ABC/ USBC Hall of Famer Tom Hennessey took the crown. Given a few years, every region had its own thriving tournament program in place. By the early 1980s, when the Northwest Region was carved out of the vast West area to create a seventh autonomous region, PBA membership exceeded 3,000 for the first time. Membership hit a plateau in the face of competition from “megabuck” amateur events that had become popular by the 1990s, but the number of regional tournaments scheduled each year still approached 200. And the number has remained in that range through the trials, tribulations and ownership change of the parent organization. Currently, membership in the PBA exceeds 4,000, and the organization is in the midst of an aggressive recruiting drive, offering incentives and discounts to join or rejoin, especially since becoming a member no longer disqualifies anyone from Team USA opportunities. While the primary requirements and identifying features of PBA regional events have always been generally consistent across the country, regions have been known to develop their own identities and reputations — partly because of geographical circumstances, but also due to the varying personalities of the men (so far, no women) in charge, especially in the past. Today’s regional managers are directly employed by the PBA, not independent contractors as they were prior to 2000. With computer systems and more standard procedures in place, requiring further day-to-day accountability, the job has become more management-oriented. The days of the maverick tournament promoter lining up events and farming out most of the on-site grunt work are over. Indeed, running a regional tournament has become more of a one-person operation, without the assistant tournament directors, publicity assistants and ball weigh-in personnel of the past. Other than a different voice presiding over roll call, and the style of announcements during the event, tournaments conducted from one region to another are more similar than ever. Overall, respect for the value of the regional program may be growing, perhaps out of necessity. Since the program is a profitable part of the PBA’s overall operation — if not hugely so — more people are beginning to see it as the backbone of the organization, instead of the stepchild of a major national tour. That’s not what Eddie Elias envisioned when he started the PBA, nor how Chris Peters viewed it when he rescued the organization from financial peril some four decades later. Nevertheless, should hardships befall the national tour, the possibility of retaining a credible and solvent regional program, even under such undesirable circumstances, may not be out of the question. In fact, some have opined that more focus on the grassroots could lead to a bottom-up type of resurgence for the entire organization. EAST THIS IS THE COMMUTER REGION. Hotels around PBA East tournament ournament sites barely benefit, even though more than 100 bowlers typically descend upon a host city. That’s because most players in most East Region events reside within just a few hours of the tournament. The cost of living in metro New York City may be high, but bowlers from other regions think that Easterners bowl regionals on the cheap. The commuting aspect tends to make the experience more routine. In other regions, a certain collegiality develops among the players, the result of making frequent weekend road trips. That's not so common in the East. However, tournaments in this part of the country never lack player quantity or quality. It’s a bit surprising that the PBA’s original region doesn’t have a player among the top 15 on the all-time regional winners' list. It’s not for lack of homegrown talent, considering PBA Hall of Famers Mark Roth, Johnny Petraglia, Mike Limongello, Joe Berardi and Parker Bohn III all came out of the greater New York City area. But nobody gets an “easy” victory in the East when there are so many good players participating on a regular basis. Interestingly, the player with the most regional titles in the East is from Baltimore — a bit outside "commuter territory" for most events. Tim Criss has captured 18 of his 22 regional titles in the East. It suggests that having to pack an overnight bag along with bowling bags may help a player’s focus — or perhaps improve his rest. 1. Tim Criss 2. Parker Bohn III 3. Tommy Delutz Jr. 4. Ryan Shafer 5. Vince Mazzanti Jr. (4) 6. Gary Bondarchuk Johnny Petraglia (2) Ray Edwards Tony Torrice 10. Andy Neuer Gary Shultis 18 15 14 13 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 Note: Title totals shown on the following pages are through 2007. Numerals in parentheses indicate number of senior regional titles won, and senior regionals are included in a bowler's total regional title count. MARCH 2008 bowlers journal international 53

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Bowlers Journal International - March 2008

Bowlers Journal International - March 2008 Contents Leading Off Letters Bowlitically Incorrect Par Bowling The Coach Calendar Inside Line Tournaments The Truth Be Bowled Pro Bowling Back On Track Weber Tales Spares Do Matter Cover Story Up Close USBC Women's Time Capsule Flashback Strategy Session Guest Column Regional Roundup Team USA Trials Military Salute Global Guide No Holes Barred Marketplace Bowling Summit Museum Update Hall Marks Advertisers' Index Rememberance Classified Advertising Intelligencer Business Calendar Business People Strikes Me

Bowlers Journal International - March 2008

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