The Cornerstone

                 The Foundation Newsletter

Volume 10, Issue 11     November 2007

"The crisis is upon us, friends.  Our sport is in trouble.  Many of you, that love the game as we do, will look at the crisis like a friend who is in trouble and needs our help.  We must not shrink from the task before us, we should welcome it.   It is 'our' generation that has been called to the challenge.  If not now, when?  If not us, who?"

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Letter from the Editor

The Start of the Season

And not just any season; the PBA season.

I don’t know about you, but watching reruns on TV and seeing the shows I’ve already seen just wasn’t enough; I’m ready to watch the Tour Season. Although, I did watch the Women’s US Open shows which gave me my “fix”. It was great to see the women on TV again and the competition was great. Lynda Barnes shot 289 in her match to secure a spot on the final show and Shannon O’Keefe shot 299 to secure her place on the final show. It was great TV.

But back to the tour…

If you’re like me, you’ve probably already signed up for the PBA Fantasy Game. I have and I’m really looking forward to this season. Over the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to see some of the tour stars. I “ran into” Chris Barnes’ while I was in Japan (Congrats to him for winning the Kegel Shootout!). I also saw Tommy Jones, Jason Couch, Billy Oatman, Dino Castillo and Tony Reyes as the Ebonite and Hammer staffers spent a week in the laceName w:st="on">KegellaceName> laceName w:st="on">TraininglaceName> laceType w:st="on">CenterlaceType>. Patrick Allen and Walter Ray Williams Jr. even came in for some practice to get ready for the Tour. Tommy Jones and reigning Player of the Year and Masters Champion Doug Kent are even doing live online chats (go to www.bowl.com or www.pba.com for the links to submit your questions or to join the chats). Official tour competition begins October 23 with the USBC Masters which will once again televise the live finals from laceName w:st="on">MillerlaceName> laceType w:st="on">ParklaceType>.

On top of all that, the QubicaAMF World Cup is right around the corner. The best of the best in amateur bowling head to St. Petersburg, Russia to compete for the coveted title. The US is sending reigning Amateur Champion Lynda Barnes and Team USA member Bill Hoffman as representatives for the competition. Competition begins on November 4.

The start of the season is right around the corner. 

From our Family to Yours:

Have a happy and plentiful Thanksgiving Holiday.

Team USA Selection Criteria

 GREENDALE, Wis. - Many of the country's top professional bowlers will be available to compete for the United States as the selection procedures for Team USA 2008 were announced Friday September 14 by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC).

Team USA 2008 will be comprised of a minimum of 12 women and 12 men.  Committees will select an undetermined amount of men from the Denny's PBA Tour as well as an undetermined amount of women from a pool of players that includes Team USA members since 1998 and former Professional Women's Bowling Association/Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour members.

The top two men and two women in the 2008 USBC Team USA Trials will earn automatic spots on Team USA while two additional men and two additional women will be selected from the field by the National Selection Committee.

Additionally, four men and four women already have guaranteed spots on Team USA 2008 by virtue of their performance or selection at the 2007 Team USA Trials. Those players are Lynda Barnes, Shannon O'Keefe, Tennelle Milligan, Shannon Pluhowsky, David Haynes, Bill Hoffman, David O'Sullivan and Rhino Page.

Last month, the World Tenpin Bowling Association voted to allow members of professional organizations to compete in international events, prompting USBC to change the selection procedures for Team USA in 2008.  "With the change to allow professionals, we felt it was necessary to adjust our selection procedures so those bowlers could become eligible to compete on Team USA in 2008," USBC Chief Kevin Dornberger said.  “Now, we are planning to announce the selected men and women during the week of the USBC Masters in Milwaukee."

In order to be eligible to be selected for Team USA 2008, Denny's PBA Tour players must submit their name and resume to the PBA by Oct. 2.  On the women's side, resumes must be submitted to USBC Team USA High Performance Director David Garber by Oct. 17.  "This is a significant step for the sport of bowling in becoming a viable candidate for the Olympic Games," Garber said. "Adding professionals to Team USA allows us to build the best team possible and align with criteria set by the International Olympic Committee."

The 2008 USBC Team USA Trials will take place Jan. 13-18 at Sunset Station in Las Vegas. The event is open to any USBC member, including those who submit resumes but are not selected for Team USA. Denny's PBA Tour players are also eligible but must receive an exemption from the PBA in order to compete.

For rules, entry forms and more information on the 2008 USBC Team USA Trials, visit the USBC website, at: www.bowl.com.

The United States Bowling Congress (USBC), as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to nearly three million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience.

Bowl with US.

Liz Johnson wins U.S. Women's Open

By: Lucas Wiseman, USBC Communications

RENO, Nev. - With the crowd roaring around her, television cameras in her face and bright lights shining down on her, Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., managed to block it all out. As far as she was concerned, she was the only person inside the National Bowling Stadium on Sunday.

Johnson's intense focus paid off as she defeated Team USA's Shannon O'Keefe of Rochester, N.Y., 248-215 to win the 2007 U.S. Women's Open, a United States Bowling Congress event.

"I just felt like I was in a really good place, like nobody was even around me out there," said Johnson, who also won the U.S. Women's Open in 1996. "Once I stepped out on the lanes, I felt aggressive and focused. I really haven't felt that good in a very long time and I think it showed on the lanes today."

Johnson, who won 11 titles on the now dissolved Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour, grabbed the momentum early in the championship match against O'Keefe, starting with five consecutive strikes before leaving a solid 7 pin. O'Keefe, meanwhile, struggled to start the match with just one strike in four frames.

O'Keefe got back on track with strikes in the fifth, sixth and seventh frames but by then Johnson had created a nearly unbeatable margin. A spare in the ninth frame locked up the title for Johnson.

"Everything just fell like it fell into place for me," said Johnson, who made history in 2005 by becoming the first woman to win a Professional Bowlers Association regional event. "Physically I felt great and mentally nothing really mattered but putting it to the pins. I also think my experience helped. The ball choices I made and my focus all combined to help me win today."

O'Keefe entered Sunday's championship round as the top qualifier and the player to beat. She led the U.S. Women's Open field after 32 games of qualifying back in August, and in her quarterfinal matchup against Stefanie Nation, O'Keefe fired a nearly-perfect 299 game.

"Obviously, it's bittersweet because Liz and I are good friends," O'Keefe said. "I definitely came here to win, but it really was great just to be a part of this. I hope this event gives women's bowling the push it needs to get back in the right direction."

To reach the title game, Johnson defeated reigning U.S. Amateur champion Lynda Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, 257-187. Barnes struggled with her ball reaction on the right lane and never threw two consecutive strikes in the loss.

O'Keefe defeated laceName w:st="on">USBClaceName> laceType w:st="on">High SchoollaceType> spokesperson Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of North Richland Hills, Texas, 223-209. Dorin-Ballard left splits in the fourth and sixth frames as O'Keefe pulled away in the final frames.

The 2007 U.S. Women's Open, a USBC event, is sponsored by Banquet, the Eldorado Hotel/Casino in Reno, Nev., the National Bowling Stadium and Kegel, the official lane maintenance provider for USBC.

TASK FORCE TO STUDY BOWLING LANE SURFACE ISSUES

First meeting scheduled for Nov. 17 in Greendale, Wis.

GREENDALE, Wis. - The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) is forming a cooperative task force with companies that make bowling lanes to comprehensively analyze how issues relating to the sport's playing surface affect scoring and credibility.

The USBC and Manufacturer Lane Surface Task Force will consist of USBC research technicians along with representatives from synthetic bowling lane manufacturers. The group's first meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 17 at USBC Headquarters in Greendale, Wis.

Discussion topics for the meeting are expected to include lane surface friction, lane hardness specifications, surface roughness, use of an optical testing device and submission of lane surface samples for annual renewal by USBC.

"USBC is creating this task force to get the key people involved in the process for future testing and research we have planned in this area. Those studies may lead to new specifications or other changes in synthetic bowling lane surfaces," said USBC Technical Director Neil Stremmel.

"Research and testing of bowling lanes is one essential function of maintaining the credibility of the sport," Stremmel continued. "A lane is the playing surface for bowling just as tees, fairways and greens are in golf.  Like bowling balls and pins, lanes must meet strict guidelines so the sport is fair for all bowlers."

USBC recently added a new specification relating to the hardness of a synthetic lane surface. All new synthetic surfaces submitted to USBC for testing and approval must meet a minimum Sward Hardness reading of 35. That specification is a result of a new test procedure developed by the USBC Specifications and Certifications team, which analyzes surface friction and bowling ball footprint size in the readings. A Gauge R & R study, a statistical method recommended by the American Society for Quality, was used to determine the minimum limits.

It was the first time USBC or its predecessor organizations developed a specification for the hardness of a lane surface.

USBC seeks manufacturer volunteers for task force

USBC is inviting manufacturers of synthetic bowling lanes to join the USBC and Manufacturer Lane Surface Task Force. Interested parties should contact USBC Senior Technician Dave Sprager at dave.sprager@bowl.com or (800) 514-2695, ext. 3410 no later than Wednesday, Oct. 3. As with the ball task force, manufacturers agreeing to join the task force are responsible for making all arrangements and costs for attending meetings.

Bowling ball task force a working model

One reason USBC is forming the bowling lane task force is because a similar study group created to address bowling ball research has been valuable and successful.

The USBC Bowling Ball Specifications Task Force - comprised of representatives from 13 bowling ball manufacturing companies and USBC staff - was formed in 2005. Since that time, the task force has worked cooperatively to address bowling ball performance issues and their impact on the credibility and integrity of the sport.

One major successful outcome of the bowling ball task force is the USBC Ball Motion Study that began in 2005. USBC and major bowling ball companies have teamed up to test the impact modern, high-tech bowling balls have on the credibility of the sport of bowling. USBC has been working closely with the major bowling ball manufacturers in the high-level testing being performed on the lanes at the USBC research facility with the robotic ball thrower nicknamed "Harry" and the Computer Aided Tracking System (C.A.T.S.) technology.

The goal of this research is to better understand the motion of bowling balls using science and data analysis.

United States Bowling Congress

The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to nearly three million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience.

The USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification testing facility is the world's premier bowling research center. Within the eight-lane center in a climate-controlled building, team members regulate and standardize bowling equipment by concentrating on pin and product testing, research work, bowling center certifications and lane dressing inspections. The team of engineers, technicians and support staff provides lane-conditioning support for a variety of tournaments and Sport Bowling events.

Bowl with US 

CONTACT: Patrick Brettingen

USBC Communications

(800) 514-BOWL, ext. 3244

patrick.brettingen@bowl.com

On the Web: bowl.com

USBC unveils Online Bowling Coaching Course

Prospective bowling coaches may now earn their certification with the United States Bowling Congress right at their computers. Those wishing to teach new and lower level bowlers can complete USBC's introductory level coaching course - called Level One - online on bowl.com.

USBC Coaching has created text and video for the Level One online course that will take about three to five hours to complete. The course, which costs $60, allows students to advance through the material at their own pace, stopping and starting the course at any point.

The course includes an exam for each lesson and six exams focusing on developing a "coach's eye." The exams are graded online and once a student has successfully passed the course he or she can immediately print a validation certificate.

Until now, aspiring USBC coaches traveled to in-person Level I certification classes in various locations around the country.

"This is an exciting opportunity for volunteer coaches who have been unable to attend an in-person class," said Director of USBC Coaching Bob Maki .

"Online training technology has evolved to the point where coaches can receive a high quality, comprehensive experience that will equip them to teach beginning bowlers. Taking the course online allows coaches greater flexibility to complete the course at their own pace."

Topics covered in the online Level One course include: facility and equipment; safety awareness and etiquette; coaching the youth athlete; physical game development; strikes and spares; and mental game basics.

Since on-lane instruction is impossible for an online course, students are shown specific drills to enhance their coach's eye. Coaching students are then encouraged to go to their local bowling centers and practice the drills.

In-person Level I classes will continue to be held until Jan. 1, 2008, when Level I will transition to being available only online. USBC's intermediate level coach training program - known as the Bronze level - will be modified and basic components will be placed online on bowl.com by March 2008. USBC's advanced level coaching course - the Silver level - will be reviewed and will be available online by July 2008.

The USBC Coaching Program - the only coaching program for bowling recognized by the United States Olympic Committee - offers four primary levels of certification: Level One, Bronze, Silver and Gold.

The prerequisite for attending the Bronze class is successful completion of the USBC Coaching Level One course or past Young American Bowling Alliance Level I certification. Bronze certification must be completed as a prerequisite to participation in the Silver conference.

The finest instructors in the United States teach the USBC Coaching certification conferences, which train and certify coaches to teach the sport of bowling. The seminars also provide opportunities to learn from and network with these renowned instructors.

THE 2007 WEBER CUP
Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport

EUROPE vs. UNITED STATES
Barnsley Metrodome, England