Top Moments of 2014

Top Moments of 2014

Now that 2015 is upon us, let’s take time to look back and remember some of the top moments of 2014. With all of this excitement in the books, one can only wonder what 2015 holds in store!

BELMONTE REPEATS AT MASTERS

It appeared that Australia’s Jason Belmonte’s run at becoming the first player in nearly 50 years to successfully defend the USBC Masters title was coming to an end in the final elimination match prior to the televised final. 

England’s Dom Barrett just needed a spare in the final frame to secure the fifth seed on the show, but left a 4-6-7-10 split, giving Belmonte the chance to throw two strikes in the 10th to sneak into the stepladder finals. The two-hander delivered, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Belmonte made his way through three opponents before defeating top-seeded E.J. Tackett of Huntington, Indiana, 221-177, in the championship match to become the first bowler since USBC Hall of Famer Billy Welu (1964 and 1965) to capture back-to-back Masters titles.

ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS 1 SHATTERS RECORD AT OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS 

The members of Artistic Expressions 1 of Oklahoma City knew they needed to post a record score if they wanted to capture the Regular Team title at the 2014 USBC Open Championships in Reno, Nevada.

Motion Plus Lanes of Cudahy, Wis., already had set the record earlier in the tournament with 3,561 and, despite a few close calls, only had a few weeks left to wait out until the end of the event. 

Artistic Expressions 1 had other plans, however, posting games of 1,255, 1,188 and 1,277 to finish with 3,720, besting the old mark by 159 pins and bringing home the coveted title. Ted Pritts led the way with a 768 series and was joined by Pete Thomas (758), Xeno Garcia (752), Jimmy McMartin (736) and Anthony Lavery-Spahr (706).

RODRIGUEZ TOPS KULICK AT QUEENS

Colombia’s Maria Jose Rodriguez emerged from the field at the 2014 USBC Queens as the No. 1 seed for the stepladder finals, but it appeared that two-time champion Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey, was on track for her third tiara as she posted a 257 average on her way to the title match at Reno’s National Bowling Stadium. 

Things changed for Kulick in the championship tilt as she was unable to strike after the fourth frame, and a 7-10 split in the ninth put the back-and-forth contest in Rodriguez’s favor. Rodriguez could have closed out the match with a mark in the 10th but failed to convert the 2-4-5-8, giving Kulick one last chance to double for the victory.

Kulick’s first offering found the pocket but did not knock out the 10 pin, handing the former collegiate standout from Maryland Eastern Shore her first major title, 190-189.

JUNIOR GOLD SETS ANOTHER RECORD IN 2014

The 2014 Junior Gold Championships once again raised the bar for participants as 2,479 USBC youth members from across the country made their way to Buffalo, New York, to compete for more than $200,000 in scholarships.

Tylor Greene of Davison, Michigan, and Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina, claimed the 20-and-under titles, while Adam Zimmerman of Deer Park, New York and Ashley Channell of Morris Chapel, Tennessee, won the 15-and-under division.

In the new 12-and-under division, Anthony Neuer of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and Madison Bailey of Rocklin, California, earned victories.

JUNIOR TEAM USA DEFENDS TITLE IN HONG KONG

The Junior Team USA boys team entered the 2014 World Youth Championships in Hong Kong as the defending team champion and had no intentions of giving up the spot as they cruised to the gold medal.

The team, featuring Kamron Doyle, Matthew Farber, Wesley Low and Greg Young Jr., defeated Malaysia, 812-735, to successfully defend the program’s 2012 title in Bangkok, Thailand.

Low also went on to capture gold in all-events with a record 18-game total of 4,224. The Junior Team USA girls program also left Hong Kong with some hardware as Liz Kuhlkin and Sarah Lokker were able to secure gold medals in doubles.

BARNES WINS WORLD CUP 

Team USA’s Chris Barnes swept the semifinal and final to claim the 50th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup men’s title in Wroclaw, Poland, while Colombia’s Clara Guerrero captured the women’s crown. 

Barnes’ performance on his way to the title included a perfect game in the semifinals against Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kalika before taking down top seeded Tobias Bording of Germany, 2-0. Barnes joined his wife, Lynda, in the winner’s circle at the event (2005).

Guerrero went the distance in her title match, defeating Malaysia’s Li Jane Sin in the deciding game, 265-211.