Bowlers Journal International - April 2008 - (Page 25)

TOURNAMENTS SMITH & DEKEN STRIKE GOLD IN LAS VEGAS A record field turns out for the 18th annual Golden Ladies Classic at The Orleans. FOR THE EIGHTEENTH CONSECUTIVE year, Jeanette Robinson accomplished what some would say is impossible: getting a large group of women to admit they're at least 50 years of age. The venue for this minor miracle was The Orleans Bowling Center in Las Vegas, and the occasion was the 18th annual Golden Ladies Classic, which Robinson founded at the old Showboat Bowling Center (R.I.P.). The 2008 field included five WIBC/USBC Hall of Famers (Fran Deken, Vesma Grinfelds, Virginia Norton, Robin Romeo and Lucy Sandelin) and, for the first time ever, two generations from the same family: 60-year-old Carole Coelho, a 192-average bowler from Henderson, Nev., and her 85year-old mother, Faith Douthitt of El Centro, Calif., who averages 170. One of the Hall of Famers — Deken — emerged with the title in the Super Senior Division (for those 60-plus). The Coweta, Okla., resident and former PWBA Tournament Director has dominated that class since winning it in 2005, and then finishing second in 2006 and again in 2007. This time, she averaged 215 and posted a 9-3 match play record as she coasted to a 117pin margin of victory over another former champion, Rose Smith of Las Vegas. Deken received $1,000 for the win, while Smith earned $650. In the regular Senior Division, another Smith — Karen, of San Marcos, Calif. — collected a $2,000 prize check when she defeated Loretta Ciantar of Monroe, Mich., in the championship match of the stepladder finals, 247-243. Char Hammel of Las Vegas, the 2006 Golden Ladies champ, won the first two stepladder matches. She began with a 208-197 triumph over Lynn Mining of Austin, Texas, and then downed 2007 USBC Senior Queens winner Luci Sandelin of Tampa, Fla., 234-195. But Hammel's march was stopped in the semifinal by Ciantar, 227-201. Ciantar received $1,100 as the runner-up, while Hammel earned $1,000, Sandelin got $900 and Mining pocketed $800. The field was the largest in the tournament's history, as 89 bowlers from 20 states — including Alaska — took part. BELMO'S DILEMMA What will Jason Belmonte do for an encore? That question comes to mind as the taping dates for the 2008 PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters approach. The all-star contingent of 16 players from around the world will go under the bright lights April 18-20 at the Metrodome in Barnsley, England. In last year's championship match, the "two-handed" phenom from Australia rolled a 300 game. The field also includes PBA champion Chris Barnes and 2007 World Ranking Masters champion Diandra Asbaty of the United States, as well as 2007 WRM men's champ Stuart Williams of England, 2005 QubicaAMF World Cup winner Michael Schmidt of Canada, 2007 European rankings leader Osku Palermaa of Finland, and England's Kirsten Penny, recent winner of the Qatar Open's $50,000 first-place prize. Rounding out the field are Or Aviram, Israel; Dominic Barrett, England; Guy Caminsky, South Africa; Alex Liew, Malaysia; Paul Moor, England; Biboy Rivera, Philippines; James Tidd, England; Ghislaine van der Tol, Netherlands; and Wu Siu Hong, Hong Kong. The Masters is a production of Matchroom Sport, which syndicates the programming to TV markets around the world. WALKER CALLS DETROIT SENIOR MASTERS VICTORY 'A MIRACLE' During the late 1990s and into the 21st century, local Masters tournaments have been dropping like flies off the competitive bowling map. But in Detroit — home of the world's largest local bowling association, with more than 70,000 members — the annual Masters tournament not only survives, but is complemented by a Senior Masters event as well. In the 2008 Senior Masters, conducted at Mayflower Lanes in Redford, Mich., Jim Burton held off two Detroit Bowling Hall of Famers to win the $2,000 firstplace prize. Burton qualified fourth with a six-game total of 1438, then won a quintet of two-game matches (including 426-308 and 459-387 decisions over Hall of Famers David Bernhardt and Larry Walker, respectively) to be the last man standing in the winners bracket. Walker emerged as the lone survivor of the losers bracket, and avenged his earlier loss with a 510-470 victory over Burton, leaving each player with one loss and forcing another match for the title. In the decider, Burton rolled a 278 in the first game to open up a 74pin lead, then coasted to a 502-393 triumph. "I can't believe it," Walker said afterward. "It's a miracle. It's like the perfect storm — nobody threw a big string of strikes against me except Walker in the next-to-last match." Walker received $1,500 as the runnerup, while Bernhardt pocketed $1,000 for third and PBA Senior Tour rookie Harry Sullins got $750 for fourth. KULICK: #3 IN JAPAN Following on the heels of Wendy Macpherson's success on the Japan PBA circuit, Kelly Kulick — the first woman ever to earn an exemption on the Denny's PBA Tour — made the trip across the Pacific to compete in the DHC Cup Girls International Bowling Tournament. The action took place at the home of the Oronamin C Japan Cup, the Shinagawa Prince APRIL 2008 bowlers journal international 25 http://PartyCasino.com

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

Bowlers Journal International - April 2008 Contents Leading Off Letters Bowlitically Incorrect Calendar Par Bowling The Coach Frame of Mind Inside Line The Truth Be Bowled Tournaments Pro Bowling PBA Bayer Classic PBA Pepsi Championship PBA Don Johnson Classic Regional Roundup Cover Story Up Close Senior Tour The USBC Move USBC Convention Pattern Play Anniversary Flashback Time Capsule Media Beat No Holes Barred Shop Talk Spotlight Marketplace Hall Marks Profit Prophet Advertisers' Index Classified Advertising Intelligencer Business Calendar Business People Strikes Me

Bowlers Journal International - April 2008

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