Brummett, Butturff top Day 3 standings at 2019 Pan Am Trials
March 07, 2019
Results - Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Overall | Total Points
ARLINGTON, Texas - If Sydney Brummett of Fort Wayne, Indiana, isn't satisfied with how things are going in life or on the lanes, she's not afraid to make changes or work harder.
The 23-year-old right-hander came into this week's Pan Am Trials just days into a new bowling-focused career, and when describing her new path, it seems like the weight of a bowling ball or two had been lifted from her over-extended shoulders.
Though her week at the International Training and Research Center didn't start as well as she'd hoped, a little extra practice with her Team USA teammates helped her find her way to the top of the standings on the event's third day.
Team USA's Pan Am Trials is the first half of a two-part qualifying process for the 2019 Pan American Games, which will take place in Lima, Peru, from July 26-Aug. 11. All four days this week, 24 games overall, are being broadcast live at BowlTV.com.
Brummett averaged more than 216 through six games on the 44-foot London oil pattern Thursday at the ITRC, where she paced the nine-player women's field with a 1,297 total. She improved from sixth Tuesday on the 41-foot Rome pattern and fifth Wednesday on the 36-foot Beijing pattern.
"I actually wasn't satisfied with the first two days," Brummett said. "My spare shooting was subpar, and, honestly, I just haven't been throwing it that great. The way I would describe it is that I didn't feel like I was throwing it like me. So, I came in here last night with EJ, Darren and AJ and just put in some work.
"EJ saw a few things, since he's watched me bowl since I was 12, and said 'Let's try this.' I came in today, and it all just clicked. For the first time in about a year and a half, I felt like I was bowling like me, so it was really exciting."
Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, finished second Thursday with a 1,276 total, and newly elected United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey, was third with 1,270. Johnson is the women's overall leader with a 219.72 average through 18 games.
On the men's side, Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona, claimed the top spot for the third consecutive day, and his versatility has given him a 365-pin lead in the men's overall standings.
The 24-year-old left-hander turned in a consistent 1,407 set Thursday, with a low game of 223 and high game of 258. His dominance over the first two days included a 300 game each day.
Nick Pate of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, finished second Thursday with 1,374, and EJ Tackett of Huntington, Indiana, was third with 1,357. Butturff has averaged nearly 244 through 18 games.
Yes, Butturff has had previous success at the ITRC, both this week and at the Professional Bowlers Association Tour season-opening PBA Hall of Fame Classic, but he treats each day as a new opportunity he can attack with a strategy proven to work.
"You don't know how a pattern is going to play, even by looking at a graph," Butturff said. "You have to use the warmup time to see where your ball is going to hook and where you'll have the best look. No matter what center or facility we're bowling in or what oil pattern or lane machine is being used, my process is the same. I always use those first few shots to see what the ball is doing, and once I determine the game plan, I give it all I've got."
The players earn points each day based on their finishing positions, and they'll receive additional points at the end of the four-day event based on their overall pinfall. The goal is to have as few points as possible.
When the Pan Am Trials process will conclude for the men at the 2019 USBC Masters and the women at the 2019 USBC Queens, the top two men and top two women will earn the opportunity to represent the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games.
This year's Pan Am Games will bring together approximately 6,700 athletes and feature 39 sports and 62 disciplines.
Competition at the ITRC will resume Friday at noon Eastern, and the players will face the 39-foot Beijing oil pattern. All of the week's lane conditions are from World Bowling's list of 12 patterns for 2019.
This week's Pan Am Trials will account for 60 percent of the points toward determining the two men and two women who will represent Team USA in Peru. The Masters for the men and Queens for the women will make up the other 40 percent of the points.
The Pan Am Games are the second largest multi-sport event, gathering the 41 National Olympic Committees that make up PanamSports and are held every fourth year. The Games last were contested in Toronto in July 2015. Bowling made its debut at the event as a demonstration sport in 1983.
The first edition of the Pan Am Games was held in Buenos Aires in 1951 and welcomed 22 countries competing in 18 sports.
When this week's portion of the Pan Am Trials concludes, Butturff will head off to the World Series of Bowling X, and Brummett will return to her new job as an assistant bowling coach for Indiana Tech.
Brummett's new opportunity will allow her to focus more on her own game, give back to the sport and have a flexible schedule that will help her stay prepared and sharp for the 2019 Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour season.
And, since Indiana Tech's practice center only is 15 minutes from her parent's house, she can live there, giving her more quality family time and likely a better deal on rent.
"I had to decide if I wanted a normal career, or if I wanted to bowl," said Brummett, who was a standout at Wichita State University. "Of course, I chose bowling because it's my love and my passion. It's going to be a fun journey, and I now get to write that my occupation is being a professional bowler. I'm very grateful for that."
During the 2018 PWBA Tour season, and through the end of the year, Brummett was working on her Master's degree, working a full-time job, bowling for two or three hours each day and then finishing the day with a two-hour gym session. That meant spending 14 hours a day away from her house.
"I honestly set myself up for failure last year, but that's OK, because I learned from it," Brummett said. "Now, I can have a better experience, and I know I'll be more prepared mentally and physically. I'm excited because I'll get to focus on bowling all the time."
Visit BOWL.com/TeamUSA for more information about the athlete selection process for the Pan Am Games and to learn more about the Team USA program.
ARLINGTON, Texas - If Sydney Brummett of Fort Wayne, Indiana, isn't satisfied with how things are going in life or on the lanes, she's not afraid to make changes or work harder.
The 23-year-old right-hander came into this week's Pan Am Trials just days into a new bowling-focused career, and when describing her new path, it seems like the weight of a bowling ball or two had been lifted from her over-extended shoulders.
Though her week at the International Training and Research Center didn't start as well as she'd hoped, a little extra practice with her Team USA teammates helped her find her way to the top of the standings on the event's third day.
Team USA's Pan Am Trials is the first half of a two-part qualifying process for the 2019 Pan American Games, which will take place in Lima, Peru, from July 26-Aug. 11. All four days this week, 24 games overall, are being broadcast live at BowlTV.com.
Brummett averaged more than 216 through six games on the 44-foot London oil pattern Thursday at the ITRC, where she paced the nine-player women's field with a 1,297 total. She improved from sixth Tuesday on the 41-foot Rome pattern and fifth Wednesday on the 36-foot Beijing pattern.
"I actually wasn't satisfied with the first two days," Brummett said. "My spare shooting was subpar, and, honestly, I just haven't been throwing it that great. The way I would describe it is that I didn't feel like I was throwing it like me. So, I came in here last night with EJ, Darren and AJ and just put in some work.
"EJ saw a few things, since he's watched me bowl since I was 12, and said 'Let's try this.' I came in today, and it all just clicked. For the first time in about a year and a half, I felt like I was bowling like me, so it was really exciting."
Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, finished second Thursday with a 1,276 total, and newly elected United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey, was third with 1,270. Johnson is the women's overall leader with a 219.72 average through 18 games.
On the men's side, Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona, claimed the top spot for the third consecutive day, and his versatility has given him a 365-pin lead in the men's overall standings.
The 24-year-old left-hander turned in a consistent 1,407 set Thursday, with a low game of 223 and high game of 258. His dominance over the first two days included a 300 game each day.
Nick Pate of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, finished second Thursday with 1,374, and EJ Tackett of Huntington, Indiana, was third with 1,357. Butturff has averaged nearly 244 through 18 games.
Yes, Butturff has had previous success at the ITRC, both this week and at the Professional Bowlers Association Tour season-opening PBA Hall of Fame Classic, but he treats each day as a new opportunity he can attack with a strategy proven to work.
"You don't know how a pattern is going to play, even by looking at a graph," Butturff said. "You have to use the warmup time to see where your ball is going to hook and where you'll have the best look. No matter what center or facility we're bowling in or what oil pattern or lane machine is being used, my process is the same. I always use those first few shots to see what the ball is doing, and once I determine the game plan, I give it all I've got."
The players earn points each day based on their finishing positions, and they'll receive additional points at the end of the four-day event based on their overall pinfall. The goal is to have as few points as possible.
When the Pan Am Trials process will conclude for the men at the 2019 USBC Masters and the women at the 2019 USBC Queens, the top two men and top two women will earn the opportunity to represent the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games.
This year's Pan Am Games will bring together approximately 6,700 athletes and feature 39 sports and 62 disciplines.
Competition at the ITRC will resume Friday at noon Eastern, and the players will face the 39-foot Beijing oil pattern. All of the week's lane conditions are from World Bowling's list of 12 patterns for 2019.
This week's Pan Am Trials will account for 60 percent of the points toward determining the two men and two women who will represent Team USA in Peru. The Masters for the men and Queens for the women will make up the other 40 percent of the points.
The Pan Am Games are the second largest multi-sport event, gathering the 41 National Olympic Committees that make up PanamSports and are held every fourth year. The Games last were contested in Toronto in July 2015. Bowling made its debut at the event as a demonstration sport in 1983.
The first edition of the Pan Am Games was held in Buenos Aires in 1951 and welcomed 22 countries competing in 18 sports.
When this week's portion of the Pan Am Trials concludes, Butturff will head off to the World Series of Bowling X, and Brummett will return to her new job as an assistant bowling coach for Indiana Tech.
Brummett's new opportunity will allow her to focus more on her own game, give back to the sport and have a flexible schedule that will help her stay prepared and sharp for the 2019 Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour season.
And, since Indiana Tech's practice center only is 15 minutes from her parent's house, she can live there, giving her more quality family time and likely a better deal on rent.
"I had to decide if I wanted a normal career, or if I wanted to bowl," said Brummett, who was a standout at Wichita State University. "Of course, I chose bowling because it's my love and my passion. It's going to be a fun journey, and I now get to write that my occupation is being a professional bowler. I'm very grateful for that."
During the 2018 PWBA Tour season, and through the end of the year, Brummett was working on her Master's degree, working a full-time job, bowling for two or three hours each day and then finishing the day with a two-hour gym session. That meant spending 14 hours a day away from her house.
"I honestly set myself up for failure last year, but that's OK, because I learned from it," Brummett said. "Now, I can have a better experience, and I know I'll be more prepared mentally and physically. I'm excited because I'll get to focus on bowling all the time."
Visit BOWL.com/TeamUSA for more information about the athlete selection process for the Pan Am Games and to learn more about the Team USA program.