PBA’S YOUTH MOVEMENT MARCHES ON DURING GEICO PBA WSOB VIII

The PBA’s transition to a new youthful generation continued during the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VIII, presented by Silver Legacy, when 25-year-old E.J. Tackett of Huntington, Ind., became the sixth consecutive player age 25 or younger to win a PBA major championship.

The unprecedented string of victories in the PBA’s most prestigious tournaments began during WSOB VII when the oldest of the group – then-25-year-old Gary Faulkner of Memphis, Tenn. – won the PBA World Championship. Then, in order, Sweden’s Jesper Svensson (20) won the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions; Anthony Simonsen (19) won the USBC Masters; Graham Fach (23) won the Barbasol PBA Players Championship; and Francois Lavoie won the U.S. Open.

The last time prior to 2016 that a player younger than 25 won a PBA major championship was Oct. 2007 when Sean Rash, at age 25, won the USBC Masters in Milwaukee.

PBA “CHEETAH” BOWLING CHALLENGE SWEEPSTAKES BEGINS NEXT WEEK

Don’t forget: everyone who plays PBA Bowling Challenge Mobile Game is invited to participate in a special sweepstakes being conducted by PBA Cheetah Championship presenting sponsor Concrete Software, the creator of the PBA Bowling Challenge game.

Beginning at 1 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 19, mobile device users are invited to enter the PBA “Cheetah” Bowling Challenge. Look for the PBA Cheetah Championship as part of venue on the PBA Bowling Challenge game, and bowl one game. Everyone age 18 or older who records a score higher than the PBA Cheetah Championship winner bowls on the Dec. 18 ESPN telecast will be entered into the Concrete Software sweepstakes and eligible to win special prizes, including a special PBA bowling pin autographed by the winner.

If you don’t already play PBA Bowling Challenge on your mobile device, download the app and use the button on the landing page of the app to enter the tournament. The contest concludes at 12:59 a.m. ET on Dec. 26.

ON XTRA FRAME: RANDY GOES “ONE ON ONE” WITH PBA STARS

If you haven’t had a chance to catch up on the One on One with Randy Pedersen” series of exclusive Xtra Frame interviews with several of the PBA’s star players, you can find them all within the Xtra Frame archive.

The series of interviews include light-hearted chats with Anthony Simonsen, Chris Barnes, Tom Daugherty, Sean Rash, Ryan Ciminelli, Jason Belmonte, Jesper Svensson, Dom Barrett and Gary Faulkner Jr.

CALIFORNIA BOWLING WRITERS COMMEMORATE CHUCK PEZZANO

In memory of one of the PBA’s most revered hall of famers, the California Bowling Writers presented a plaque in Chuck Pezzano’s memory to the PBA during GEICO WSOB VIII. CBW life member Jackie Wyckoff presented PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark with the Chuck Pezzano PBA Media Room plaque that will be displayed at all future PBA Tour events in his memory.

Pezzano, who died in 2015 at age 86, was one of the most prolific bowling writers in history, contributing to more than 100 publications around the world. He was a charter member of the PBA Hall of Fame.

QUBICA AMF PBA REGIONAL UPDATE: MICHAEL CLARK WINS FIRST PBA TITLE IN OHIO

Michael Clark of North Olmsted, Ohio, defeated Tyler Wilds of Three Rivers, Mich., 210-185, to win his first QubicaAMF PBA Regional title in the McKinley Lanes Central/East Challenge at McKinley Lanes in Niles, Ohio, Sunday.

In addition to his first title and a $1,600 prize, Clark became eligible to enter the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions in early February in Shawnee, Okla. The tournament consisted of PBA members who do not hold a PBA title or non-members who have never won a PBA event.

Clark downed Bill Burns of Elizabeth, Pa., 186-147, and Wilds topped BJ Satkowski of Jackson, Mich., 216-188, in the semifinal round to set up the championship match.

• The Dec. 17-18 schedule, concluding the 2016 QubicaAMF PBA Regional season, includes the PBA/PBA50 Houston Southwest Open Doubles presented by Bowling Dynamix at Emerald Bowl in Houston, Texas, and the PBA/PBA50 Decker Appraisal Services Baker Trios presented by Hammer at Valley Lanes in Harrisonburg, Va.

• For complete QubicaAMF PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, visit pba.com, open the “schedules” tab and click on QubicaAMF Regional Tours to find the event(s) in your area. For more information about QubicaAMF, visit www.qubicaamf.com or, for social media posts, visit http://bit.ly/QAMFSponsorship1.

QUICK NOTES:

• Christmas shopping for something special for the PBA fan in your family? Visit The PBA Store for special discount prices just in time for Christmas. Click here: http://pba.firelakedesigns.com/.

• PBA Tour champion Kelly Kulick, representing Team USA, successfully defended her title at the World Bowling Women’s Singles Championships in Qatar on Dec. 11., defeating 2016 PWBA Rookie of the Year New Hui Fen of Singapore, 214-195, in the title match. In the men’s final, Denmark's Jesper Agerbo topped Malaysian left-hander Rafiq Ismail, 256-205.
• PBA member Diana Zavjalova defeated Sweden’s Pontus Andersson, 474-427, in the two-game title match of the Qatar Open Friday. Zavjalova, whose score included 16 handicap pins (8 per game allotted to women bowlers in the event), earned US$40,000 in the final PBA International-World Bowling Tour tournament of 2016. Because she accepted handicap pins, Zavjalova doesn’t receive credit for a PBA title. Zavjalova advanced to the title match by defeating Australia’s Jason Belmonte, 484-442, while Andersson eliminated Malaysia’s Ahmad Muaz in the semifinal round, 492-469.