Bowlers Journal International - April 2008 - (Page 44)

UPCLOSE GEE, THAT'S FUNNY. YOU SURE DON'T BOWL LIKE A ROOKIE WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T CALL RHINO PAGE,'ROOK.' ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO AVOID WHEN HE IS NAMED THE PBA TOUR'S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. AS THIS ISSUE WAS GOING TO press, Denny's PBA Tour rookie phenom Rhino Page won his ﬁrst Tour title. (We'll have the report on the Go RVing Classic in the May issue.) The victory cemented what seemed to be a certainty anyway: that Page would be named PBA Rookie of the Year for the 2007-08 season. Compared to other Tour rookies — those who earned exemptions COURTESY UNITED STATES BOWLING CONGRESS through the Regional Tour or the Tour Trials — Page has had to work harder most weeks. Just to get into the Round of 64 and to join those other rookies he has needed to perform well in the Tour Qualifying Rounds. "Perform well" doesn't even begin to describe how he has met the challenge. Page has dominated the TQRs, and then gone on to bowl admirably in the tournaments proper as well. How admirably? Well, after the Go RVing Classic, he ranked seventh on both the Tour's main points list and the Chris Schenkel Player of the Year points list, the latter emphasizing titles and championship round appearances. Obviously, the transition from amateur (Page was named BJI's Amateur Bowler of the Year for 2007) to pro is going quite well for the 24-yearold resident of Topeka, Kan. BJI's Jim Dressel caught up with Page about two weeks before the Go RVing Classic. How surprising has this PBA season been for you? I never thought I’d make it through so many TQRs, let alone make the show [four times]. I’m just trying to do my best, hopefully make the cut and work my way up from there. I guess you could call it a dream season. I talked to you at the Masters, and it was almost as if you were taking the TQRs for granted. You’re right; I did expect to do well. I've had a lot of success on the amateur side of things, and I knew that if I came out here and bowled my game, I’d at least have a chance. But to come out and make [four] TV shows and do as many other things as I have this season, I don’t think it would’ve been fair to expect that of myself. That’s been a Rhino Page learned his lessons well as a member of Team USA. Now, he's making his mark on the Denny's Tour. 44 bowlers journal international APRIL 2008

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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