With 2013 officially in the books, we take a look back at some of the year's most interesting moments in the world of bowling.
Florida Bowler is Youngest to Roll 300 Game
When Hannah Diem of Seminole, Fla., rolled 12 consecutive strikes during her Youth/Adult Fall league session at Liberty Lanes in Largo, Fla., she became the youngest USBC member to roll a certified 300 game. Click here to check out her interview with her local news station.
Natalie’s Striking Summer
Natalie Savant, 9, of San Antonio set goals of bowling in the 48 contiguous states and raising a little money for youth scholarships, and she became somewhat of a media star this summer. Click here to hear Natalie explain her Striking Summer and check out her appearance on Live with Kelly and Michael.
PBA Uses Blue Dye to Show Oil Patterns
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) introduced lane oil you can actually see, and for the first time, professional bowlers took their shot at visible oil patterns during the PBA World Series of Bowling. By adding blue dye to the lane conditioning oil, the PBA hoped to show the challenges bowlers face. Click here to learn more.
Team series record broken at USBC Open Championships
Lodge Lanes Too of Orlando, Fla., rolled the highest team series in the 110-year history of the USBC Open Championships in early April, shooting 3,538 at the National Bowling Stadium to break the 20-year-old record by a single pin.
Five-time Team USA member and two-time USBC Open Championships titlist John Janawicz threw three strikes in his final frame to put the finishing touches on the historic performance, which earned the group the 2013 Regular Team title.
Foreign Players Earn Major Titles
Australian two-hander Jason Belmonte became the second foreign player to win the USBC Masters, winning the event at Brunswick Zone Carolier in North Brunswick, N.J., in February for his first major title.
Belmonte edged Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, 258-245, to win the $50,000 top prize and a major title on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. The victory was his sixth career PBA Tour title. Click here to read more about Belmonte’s title.
Latvia’s Diana Zavjalova became the first foreign player in more than two decades to win the USBC Queens when she beat USBC Hall of Famer Leanne Hulsenberg, 190-160, at Sunset Station’s Strike Zone Bowling Center in Henderson, Nev., in September.
Hall of Famer Carol Gianotti of Australia was the last foreign player to claim the coveted crown, doing so in 1989, two years before Zavjalova was born. Click here to read more.
Team USA Wins its First World Games Gold Medal
Team USA won its first gold medal in bowling in World Games history as Mike Fagan of Fort Worth, Texas, and Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., won the mixed doubles title in Cali, Colombia.
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In the two-game gold-medal match, Team USA defeated Canada, 905-871, before a near capacity crowd at Cali Bowling Coliseum. Bowling has been part of the World Games since 1981, and the United States had previously been shut out of the gold medals.
