Six USBC bowlers still have a shot against the pros
March 04, 2010
After 15 days of online voting, six United States Bowling Congress league bowlers are closer to their chance of going on national television to compete against some of the top bowlers on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour.
Fans cast more than 140,000 votes to determine the six bowlers who advanced in the PBA Experience Showdown, a unique competition for USBC Sport Bowling members.
The six finalists will bowl a six-game qualifier at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington on April 6 with each game contested on a different PBA lane pattern. The winner of the qualifier will square off against the five winners of the 2009-10 PBA Tour Versatility Swing presented by BOWL.com events - Norm Duke, Rhino Page, Bill O'Neill, Mike DeVaney and Jack Jurek.
The finals will be taped April 7 and are scheduled to air April 11 on ESPN.
The six finalists, with their hometown, bowling center, and the lane pattern on which they qualified:
Bill Matovina, Clearwater, Fla., Seminole Lanes, Scorpion
Joseph Petrowski, East Syracuse, N.Y., Bowl-Mor Lanes, Chameleon
Kevin Reuer, Hoffman Estates, Ill., Beverly Lanes, Viper
Patti Riddle, Palatine, Ill., Brunswick Zone-Hawthorn, Cheetah
Brent Watson, Parkersburg, W.Va., Emerson Bowling Lanes, Shark
Bobby Wenger, Wooster, Ohio, Triway Lanes, Other Sport Pattern
Invited to join each finalist on the trip to Arlington is the league secretary and the center's owner. Each finalist qualified for the PBA Experience Showdown at a center that is a member of the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America.
The PBA Experience Showdown started in August 2009 for bowlers who were competing in Sport Bowling leagues. Those leagues use many of the same lane conditions that are used on the PBA Tour. For almost six months, the top bowler (highest scratch series) each week in those leagues was eligible to be entered in the PBA Experience Showdown and more than 1,300 entries were sent to USBC from Sport Bowling leagues.
From those entries, 18 competitors were randomly selected as finalists and were divided into six groups based on the lane condition on which they bowled to qualify. Three finalists were randomly selected from each category and bowling fans went online to vote for their favorite bowler from each of the six lane patterns.
Fans cast more than 140,000 votes to determine the six bowlers who advanced in the PBA Experience Showdown, a unique competition for USBC Sport Bowling members.
The six finalists will bowl a six-game qualifier at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington on April 6 with each game contested on a different PBA lane pattern. The winner of the qualifier will square off against the five winners of the 2009-10 PBA Tour Versatility Swing presented by BOWL.com events - Norm Duke, Rhino Page, Bill O'Neill, Mike DeVaney and Jack Jurek.
The finals will be taped April 7 and are scheduled to air April 11 on ESPN.
The six finalists, with their hometown, bowling center, and the lane pattern on which they qualified:
Bill Matovina, Clearwater, Fla., Seminole Lanes, Scorpion
Joseph Petrowski, East Syracuse, N.Y., Bowl-Mor Lanes, Chameleon
Kevin Reuer, Hoffman Estates, Ill., Beverly Lanes, Viper
Patti Riddle, Palatine, Ill., Brunswick Zone-Hawthorn, Cheetah
Brent Watson, Parkersburg, W.Va., Emerson Bowling Lanes, Shark
Bobby Wenger, Wooster, Ohio, Triway Lanes, Other Sport Pattern
Invited to join each finalist on the trip to Arlington is the league secretary and the center's owner. Each finalist qualified for the PBA Experience Showdown at a center that is a member of the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America.
The PBA Experience Showdown started in August 2009 for bowlers who were competing in Sport Bowling leagues. Those leagues use many of the same lane conditions that are used on the PBA Tour. For almost six months, the top bowler (highest scratch series) each week in those leagues was eligible to be entered in the PBA Experience Showdown and more than 1,300 entries were sent to USBC from Sport Bowling leagues.
From those entries, 18 competitors were randomly selected as finalists and were divided into six groups based on the lane condition on which they bowled to qualify. Three finalists were randomly selected from each category and bowling fans went online to vote for their favorite bowler from each of the six lane patterns.