Teams selected for 2018 PABCON Senior Championships

ARLINGTON, Texas – The eight bowlers who will represent the United States at the 2018 Pan American Bowling Confederation Senior Championships have been selected by the Team USA coaching staff.

The sixth edition of the PABCON Senior Championships will be held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, from Aug. 19-24. Competition will take place at the 30-lane Let’s Bowl, and be contested on the 41-foot Rome oil pattern.

Team USA’s representatives in the men’s division will be Steve Badovinac of Parker, Colorado, Lennie Boresch Jr. of Kenosha, Wisconsin, Warren Eales of Chandler, Arizona, and Bob Learn Jr. of Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Representing the United States on the women’s side will be Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Sharon Powers of Lakewood, Colorado, Lucy Sandelin of Tampa, Florida, and Paula Vidad of Sun City, California.

USBC Hall of Famer and USBC Gold coach Bill Spigner of Vernon Hill, Illinois, will lead the team onto the lanes.

“I’ve dreamt about this and prepared for it, and to have this opportunity is a dream come true,” said Badovinac, a 50-year-old right-hander who bowled his way onto Team USA for the first time at age 48. “My dad spent 36 years in the (U.S.) Army and was a decorated soldier, and my mom retired from the VA hospital, so being able to wear the red, white and blue and have Team USA on my jersey is an incredible honor and indescribable feeling.”

The United States last competed at the PABCON Senior Championships during its inaugural edition in 2008.

Men and women will compete in separate divisions for gold, silver and bronze medals in singles, doubles, trios, four-player team, all-events and Masters match play. Masters competition includes the top competitors from the all-events standings.

The PABCON Senior Championships is for competitors age 50 and older, while the PABCON Super Senior Championships, for bowlers 60 and older, will be held simultaneously at Let’s Bowl. The Super Senior version of the event first was conducted in 2013.

“I always look forward to representing Team USA, and I’m extremely proud to have been selected to compete,” Sandelin said. “Seeing that the event is in Canada, in our region, I was very eager and hopeful to be chosen.”

Competition at the 2018 PABCON Senior and Super Senior Championships officially will get underway with singles on Aug. 20.