Arnett, Jensen lead SABC Mixed Doubles after first squad
July 31, 2015
By Bill Vint
PBA Communications
HOUSTON, Texas – Former collegiate star Anita Arnett of Richmond, Texas, and partner Tyler Jensen of Fort Worth led the first qualifying squad in the 16th annual PBA/PWBA Xtra Frame Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles tournament Friday at Palace Lanes, averaging a composite 213.56 to pace their 42-team squad with a 3,417 pinfall total.
In second place after the opening squad were Kristin Warzinski of Muskegon, Mich., and Joe Findling, Mesquite, Texas, with a combined eight-game total of 3,272 pins, 145 pins behind the leaders.
Arnett, 32, and Jensen, 31, had never met until they were paired by tournament founder Donna Conners 10 years ago. Arnett, who was known as Anita Manns when she was named the 2002 USBC Albert Crowe Star of Tomorrow and won collegiate woman bowler of the year at Wichita State University, is now a pediatric nurse and the married mother of year-and-a-half-old son Mason. Jensen is a regional salesman for Storm Bowling Products, married with a young son.
But 10 years ago they were just two talented young bowlers. “Donna told me I needed to bowl in her tournament, and she told Anita she needed to bowl,” Jensen said, “and then she put us together. We’ve bowled together ever since.”
“We have a blast,” Arnett said. “Our personalities click. We laugh so much.”
“It’s like, wow, we’re done – see you next year,” Jensen laughed.
“We’ve bowled well together,” Arnett added. “We finished second or third one year.”
“Yeah, I can’t remember either. It’s like being married for 10 years and you forget.”
Arnett, said she doesn’t bowl as much as she once did due to her job and family, but is bowling Professional Women’s Bowling Association events when it’s practical. Jensen is a 12-year part-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour player and a regular in regional competition.
Their scores are likely to advance them into Sunday’s 30-team cashers round, but that will depend on how the two additional squads of 42 teams each bowl in their eight-game qualifying rounds on Saturday. Among the teams yet to bowl are three-time winners Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., and partner Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio.
The Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles event was founded in 2000 by Donna Conners as a tribute to her close friend, Luci Bonneau, who died of breast cancer in 1999. Since its inception, the tournament has become the nation’s largest high-profile mixed doubles bowling event, attracting dozens of PBA and PWBA Tour champions while raising in excess of $650,000 in the war against breast cancer.
The tournament, which is being covered live on PBA’s Xtra Frame video-streaming channel, concludes Sunday with the four-game cashers round at 8 a.m., followed by round robin match play at noon CT. The winners will be decided based upon a combined total of 20 games. The winning players, if they are members of their respective pro tours, will earn a PBA Tour or PWBA Tour title in addition to splitting the $15,000 first prize.
For Xtra Frame subscription information, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link. Fans also can follow game-by-game updates on pba.com under the Live Scoring tab.
PBA Communications
HOUSTON, Texas – Former collegiate star Anita Arnett of Richmond, Texas, and partner Tyler Jensen of Fort Worth led the first qualifying squad in the 16th annual PBA/PWBA Xtra Frame Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles tournament Friday at Palace Lanes, averaging a composite 213.56 to pace their 42-team squad with a 3,417 pinfall total.
In second place after the opening squad were Kristin Warzinski of Muskegon, Mich., and Joe Findling, Mesquite, Texas, with a combined eight-game total of 3,272 pins, 145 pins behind the leaders.
Arnett, 32, and Jensen, 31, had never met until they were paired by tournament founder Donna Conners 10 years ago. Arnett, who was known as Anita Manns when she was named the 2002 USBC Albert Crowe Star of Tomorrow and won collegiate woman bowler of the year at Wichita State University, is now a pediatric nurse and the married mother of year-and-a-half-old son Mason. Jensen is a regional salesman for Storm Bowling Products, married with a young son.
But 10 years ago they were just two talented young bowlers. “Donna told me I needed to bowl in her tournament, and she told Anita she needed to bowl,” Jensen said, “and then she put us together. We’ve bowled together ever since.”
“We have a blast,” Arnett said. “Our personalities click. We laugh so much.”
“It’s like, wow, we’re done – see you next year,” Jensen laughed.
“We’ve bowled well together,” Arnett added. “We finished second or third one year.”
“Yeah, I can’t remember either. It’s like being married for 10 years and you forget.”
Arnett, said she doesn’t bowl as much as she once did due to her job and family, but is bowling Professional Women’s Bowling Association events when it’s practical. Jensen is a 12-year part-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour player and a regular in regional competition.
Their scores are likely to advance them into Sunday’s 30-team cashers round, but that will depend on how the two additional squads of 42 teams each bowl in their eight-game qualifying rounds on Saturday. Among the teams yet to bowl are three-time winners Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., and partner Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio.
The Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles event was founded in 2000 by Donna Conners as a tribute to her close friend, Luci Bonneau, who died of breast cancer in 1999. Since its inception, the tournament has become the nation’s largest high-profile mixed doubles bowling event, attracting dozens of PBA and PWBA Tour champions while raising in excess of $650,000 in the war against breast cancer.
The tournament, which is being covered live on PBA’s Xtra Frame video-streaming channel, concludes Sunday with the four-game cashers round at 8 a.m., followed by round robin match play at noon CT. The winners will be decided based upon a combined total of 20 games. The winning players, if they are members of their respective pro tours, will earn a PBA Tour or PWBA Tour title in addition to splitting the $15,000 first prize.
For Xtra Frame subscription information, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link. Fans also can follow game-by-game updates on pba.com under the Live Scoring tab.