Bowlers Journal International - March 2008 - (Page 55)

REGIONAL ROUNDUP SOUTHWEST A BOWLER MAY EMBRACE A DIFferent perspective when the next regional tournament on the schedule is more likely to be 800 miles away instead of a 90-minute drive. For that reason, as far back as the 1970s, the Southwest Region started experimenting with extended qualifying formats, bringing back more than just match play finalists for a second day of bowling. And why not? Nearly the entire field planned to stay in town anyway. In the formative years, it was the intent of long-time Southwest Director Cecil Caddel — who served from 1971 until Pete McCordic took over in 1997 — to make “events” out of his tournaments, in contrast to the quick-in, quick-out versions that worked in the East. Southwest tournaments seemed to lead the country in proprietor bashes, golf outings, host hotel sponsorships and the like. The two players who’ve made the most of it are Mike Scroggins and Henry Gonzalez, claiming 27 and 25 regional titles, respectively. Those are not unfamiliar names to bowling fans, since their credentials extend well beyond regional play. The Southwest also has its own version of Cal Ripken Jr. It’s hard to match the dedication of David Anthony of Austin, Texas, who started a streak of consecutive Southwest Region tournament appearances in 1994 that stretched to more than 250 events. In the process, he picked up two major regional titles: the 2004 Regional Players Championship and the 2005 Resident Pro Invitational. 1. Mike Scroggins 2. Henry Gonzalez 3. Del Ballard Jr. 4. Chris Barnes Mark Williams Sean Swanson Chris Warren 8. Danny Broadway Rick Lawrence 10. Greg Kemp Wes Malott Mark Scroggins 27 25 14 13 13 12 12 10 10 9 9 9 WEST LOOKING AT HIS RECORD, IT'S obvious Ross Packard is a tremendous bowler. How else could you win 27 regular regional titles, seven senior regional titles and two national senior titles? What’s unclear is whether the left-hander from San Jose, now a 60-year-old super senior, has ever been seen bowling outside the West Region. Even his national titles — in Brentwood, Calif., and Tucson, Ariz. — have come within the confines of the West, proving you don’t have to go far from home to make your mark. Then there is Walter Ray Williams Jr., a California native who notched 11 regional crowns in his home territory before relocating three time zones away to Florida. Since then, he has picked up another 16 wins — plus one in the Midwest Region, to boot. As if being the all-time leading titlist on the Denny’s PBA Tour weren't enough, Williams is the only bowler whose name shows up on the top-10 lists of titlists in two different regions. Among other distinctions, the West schedules a pair of tournaments each year that can't be accessed by car. It takes some advance planning, not to mention knowledge of airline baggage rules, to take part in the doubleheader of regional events held each spring in Lihue and on Hickman Air Force Base in Hawaii. For nearly 30 years, the West Region bore the steady, creative promotional and organizational imprint of Ted Hoffman, the region’s original director. 1. Ross Packard (7) 2. Dennis Horan Jr. 3. Eric Forkel 4. Larry Gray 5. Mike Taylor 6. Dave Arnold 7. Larry Laub (2) 8. Walter Ray Williams Jr. Curtis Woods Jr. 10. Jim Murtishaw Dave Wodka 34 27 17 16 15 13 12 11 11 10 10 NORTHWEST THIS IS WHERE EARL ANTHONY would have started had there been a PBA regional program in the Pacific Northwest during in the 1960s. In fact, he probably would have been on the national Tour considerably sooner had there been that kind of competition to help him develop his game and gauge his progress. Instead, Northwest bowlers had to wait a decade longer than players in the rest of the country to get their taste of regional tournament activity — unless they were willing to travel hundreds of miles to a West Region event in northern California. It wasn’t until 1980, under the urging of pro Gary Mage, that the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana split from the West Region to create a new, seventh region. Since then, Hugh Miller has played a recurring starring role, taking home the winner’s trophy 31 times. In fact, Miller’s dominance in the region helped him make a comeback on the national Tour when he was in his mid-40s. PBA Hall of Famer Dave Husted is next on the title list with 23, while his son Corey has shown signs of becoming one of the region’s new top players. In the 2006-07 season, the Northwest Region featured one of the strangest point list battles in regional history. In a race to claim the Denny's Tour exemption designated for the region’s point leader, David Leverage of Peoria, Ariz., prevailed over 63-year-old Ernie Schlegel in the final event. Schlegel, however, earned the Northwest Region Player of the Year Award. 1. Hugh Miller 2. Dave Husted 3. Bob Davidson 4. Scott Alexander 5. Doug Wallace 6. Ernie Schlegel 7. Bruce Hamilton 8. Rick Minier Matt Surina Chris Warrren 31 23 22 15 14 13 12 10 10 10 MARCH 2008 bowlers journal international 55

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

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.