Cornerstone Newsletter - June 2008

June Davis — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:27:49 GMT

The Cornerstone

The Foundation Newsletter

Volume 11, Issue 6 June 2008

"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

May is Month of the Barnes’

If your name is Chris or Lynda Barnes, you certainly have more in May than Cinco de Mayo to get you excited. To say that May was a stellar month for them might be a little lackluster. May was a phenomenal month for the Barnes family.

To start the month, PBA star Chris Barnes won his first Chris Schenkel Player of the Year award. Barnes joined the tour 10 years ago and after amassing 10 titles, the Player of the Year award is the one award to elude him. Barnes made a Tour high nine championship rounds en route to two titles and 64 points in the Player of the Year race. His 64 points narrowly edged out six time Player of the Year, Walter Ray Williams Jr. by a mere two points.

But Chris wasn’t the only Barnes enjoying victories in May. Wife Lynda Barnes celebrated a second Queens victory as she successfully defended her top seed in the tournament. For her victory, she earned $30,000, a crystal trophy, a pendant and the Queens tiara. Barnes’ Queens titles came 10 years apart.

Winning the Queens didn’t stop Lynda though. Just two weeks later, Lynda joined several USBC Champions in the inaugural Clash of the Champions. In an interesting format that placed women against men, juniors against adults and seniors, Lynda survived qualifying and sudden death elimination to face PBA Tour star Sean Rash in the final match. Rash stepped up in the tenth frame needing to double and was unable to do so. Barnes claimed the inaugural Clash title and the $50,000 top prize.

Yep….I think May was pretty good for the Barnes family.

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USBC BOWLING BALL ‘MOTION STUDY’ CONFERENCE

Presentation scheduled for Oct. 9 in the Phoenix, AZ. area

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE……Greendale,Wisconsin. The recently completed United States Bowling Congress (USBC) bowling ball motion study, which was started to help protect the sport's future by addressing technology issues, has been selected as a presentation topic for the 52nd Annual Fall Technical Conference in October in Mesa, Ariz.

Co-sponsored by divisions of the American Society for Quality and the American Statistical Association, the conference will include presentations by researchers and practitioners dealing with technical aspects of statistics and quality in various industries. Representatives from MIT, Luleå University of Technology in Sweden, the Intel Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck & Company, Inc. are among those scheduled to give presentations.

The USBC seminar, titled: *Identifying the Critical Factors that Contribute to Bowling Ball Motion on a Bowling Lane*, is scheduled for 9:15 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 9 at the Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa Hotel. USBC Vice President National Governing Body Neil Stremmel, USBC Research Engineer Paul Ridenour and USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification Committee Technical Advisor Scott Sterbenz will be the presenters. The theme of the conference is "Statistics and Quality: Coming to the Table for Growth and Improvement."

The presentation is based on a two-year, joint study of bowling ball motion by USBC and ball manufacturing companies that was completed in March. Conducted by research engineers at the USBC testing facility in suburban Milwaukee, the study incorporated a robotic bowling ball
thrower (nicknamed *Harry*) and a sophisticated computer and electronic sensor tracking system (Computer Aided Tracking System – C.A.T.S.) which recorded data such as velocity and positioning of the balls as they were rolled down a lane. Statistical evaluations were used to validate which properties of bowling balls significantly influence their motion.

That study resulted in USBC creating a new manufacturing specification that: starting next year, (2009) will put limits on the porosity and chemistry of new bowling ball surfaces. The research was started because technological advancements in bowling ball cover stocks and cores in the
last two decades, combined with improved lane surfaces and lane oiling patterns, have contributed to an increasing rate of honor scores and overall scoring pace which is jeopardizing the integrity of the sport to the point where technology is having too great an impact on scoring
compared to player skill.

Typically the Annual Fall Technical Conference receives submissions dealing with statistics and quality issues relating to the manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries, said James D. Williams, Ph.D., statistical leader from GE Global Research and chair of the 2008 FTC
Program Committee which selected the abstracts for the conference. “The committee thought that this paper demonstrated sound statistical techniques to a non-standard technical problem,” Williams said. “The USBC paper introduces a unique application of quality and statistics that have not been seen before at the Fall Technical Conference. We felt that this paper would be interesting and enjoyable for the conference participants, and this is why we chose this paper to be the first contributed paper to be presented at the conference.”

The USBC abstract is one of only 21 at-large papers selected from a pool of 57 submittals. “This year we had a larger-than-normal number of submissions and fewer open spots in the program to fill, thus making our decision of which papers to accept even that much harder,” Williams said.

“I believe that the use of statistical and quality techniques highlight a commitment to excellence in the sport of bowling,” said FTC committee member Jennifer Golek.

The USBC ball motion paper is in the running for the Shewell Prize, which is awarded to the most outstanding paper at the conference. That honor consists of a certificate of achievement and a cash prize. Entries are judged both on the oral presentation and any written material.

“We are honored that the USBC and its research work on bowling ball technology is receiving attention and respect from ASQ and ASA, both internationally known organizations,” Stremmel said. “This further legitimizes the work USBC has done in the sport of bowling.”

“I think it's important for the sport of bowling to be recognized because the methodologies taught and the theories practiced by such societies have useful applications outside of manufacturing industries,” said Sterbenz, an engineer at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich. “While manufacturing industries use statistics and numerical methods to improve quality and productivity, USBC is using similar statistical and numerical methods to preserve the integrity of the sport it governs. There are many other sports that are dealing with the same issues of scoring as bowling. Perhaps our presentation with ASQ in October will encourage other sports to follow USBC's lead in using data to drive decisions regarding specifications for their equipment.”

Stremmel and Ridenour also will discuss the bowling ball motion study findings in detail during technology presentations at International Bowl Expo in Orlando, Fla., (Monday, June 23 from 2:15-4:15 p.m.).

NOTE: PLEASE read the complete ‘ball motion study’ report, on: WWW.BOWL.COM

(You can find the 16-page, detailed report in the Equipment Specifications category).

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 more than 2.6 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. Since the mid-1980s, Equipment Specifications and Certification also has approved products for international competition such as the World Tenpin Bowling Association and the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs.

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Barnes clinches second USBC Queens title

By: Lucas Wiseman; USBC Communications

TAYLOR, Mich. - Her husband may be one of the best bowlers in the world, but Lynda Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, proved she's not so bad herself Wednesday as she won the 2008 United States Bowling Congress Queens.

Barnes, whose husband is PBA Player of the Year Chris Barnes, delivered three perfect strikes in the final frame en route to defeating Amy Stolz of Castle Rock, Colo., 215-195 at Skore Lanes to win the biggest and most prestigious title in women's bowling.

"Stepping up in the 10th frame in that situation is every athlete's dream," said Barnes, who also won the Queens in 1998. "When I looked up there and knew I needed all three strikes just to give me a chance, I knew I'd already done it a thousand times in my head and I just needed to get out of my own way."

Barnes entered the championship round as the top seed and survived seven consecutive matches without a loss to claim the title. She rebounded from a 2-4-10 split in the sixth frame and struck on five of her next six shots to win the title.

"This is a tough tournament, and I've been very fortunate because it takes the luck of the draw and bowling the right people at the right time," Barnes said. "I feel lucky to even have made it to this position."

While Barnes was competing in the championship match, her husband was calling the action for the live telecast on ESPN2, creating a unique situation for Barnes.

"I could hear him throughout the show, and I could hear some of his comments," said Barnes, the mother of 5-year-old twin boys, Ryan and Troy. "It was actually reassuring for me because I could hear him and it let me know I was doing the right things. Plus, I had the picture of my kids on the table, so between the two it really kept me focused."

After Barnes stepped up in the final frame and delivered three strikes, Stolz had an opportunity to tie the match if she could match with a three-bagger of her own. But on her first shot, she left the 2-5 spare to finish second.

"I just wanted to step up and throw a good shot," Stolz said. "Usually I'm great under pressure and I didn't throw a bad shot, it just didn't quite make it to the pocket. It felt really good off my hand, but it just hung out there a bit."

On the way to the title match, Stolz took out Australian Carol Gianotti, 217-179, and then defeated second seed Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., 234-232, in the semifinal. Gianotti defeated Joy Esterson of Annapolis, Md., 237-222 in the opening match.

Barnes took home $30,000 for first place in addition to the Queens tiara, pendant and crystal trophy. Stolz earned $18,000 for second.

The USBC Queens, which is presented by Eldorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus, featured a field of 337 of the top female bowlers in the world competing for a total prize fund of $200,000.

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Barnes wins Bowling's Clash of Champions

By: Lucas Wiseman; USBC Communications

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - When she won the 2008 United States Bowling Congress Queens on April 30, Lynda Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, proved she was one of the best female bowlers in the world. Now, she can argue she's one of the best bowlers regardless of gender.

Barnes defeated four-time Denny's PBA Tour titlist Sean Rash of Wichita, Kan., 258-237 to win Bowling's Clash of Champions, a USBC event, in front of more than 1,500 fans at Kansas City Municipal Auditorium.

The inaugural event, which aired on CBS Sports, marked the return of bowling to network television for the first time in nearly a decade and was conducted in conjunction the USBC Convention in Kansas City, Mo. The Clash featured a field of 16 champions of USBC events and the U.S. Open competing for a $100,000 prize fund.

"It was an awesome crowd with fantastic energy," said Barnes, who received $50,000 for the victory. "You could tell it was filled with people who love bowling, and I just fed off that. It was a lot of fun."

Barnes, whose husband Chris is the reigning PBA Player of the Year, stepped up and threw three strikes in the final frame, just like she did in winning the USBC Queens, and forced Rash to throw two strikes and get nine to take the title. Rash made a solid first shot but the head pin flew across the deck and missed the 10 pin, giving Barnes her second major victory in less than two weeks.

"I just wanted to step up and make good shots, just like I do every time on the approach," said Barnes, who earned her spot in the Clash by winning the U.S. Amateur title in 2007. "I really thought Sean was going to strike out and win the title."

In Denny's PBA Tour events, Rash has a perfect 7-0 record on television and won the 2007 USBC Masters, but he couldn't continue his undefeated streak against Barnes.

"She is one of the best bowlers ever, male or female," said Rash, who got $25,000 for second. "Not only did she bowl great against me, but she also bowled very well in the semifinals and in the shootout round as well."

In the semifinals, Barnes trailed 2007 U.S. Women's Open champion Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., by 11 pins after five frames, but Barnes stepped on the accelerator and threw four consecutive strikes to pull out a 225-204 victory.

Rash took on USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships winner Tim Pfeifer of Cranberry Township, Pa., in the semifinals and came away with a 226-191 victory.

All four players advanced to the championship round by surviving one of the most unique formats in the history of bowling. Each player made it through their foursome in the one-ball, sudden-death round, defeating opponents who ranged in age from teenagers to seniors.

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PBA to grandfather Masters, BPAA All-Star titles

By: Rosie Leutzinger; Professional Bowlers Association

In light of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour's upcoming 50th Anniversary season, the PBA announced all United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Masters events and BPAA All-Stars since 1959 will count as official PBA Tour titles.

Prior to this decision, the PBA only counted USBC Masters titles as official PBA Tour titles since 1998 as the event has only been part of the Denny's PBA Tour TV schedule since that year. Now, all PBA members who have won a USBC Masters title since 1959 - the first year of the PBA Tour - will be credited with a PBA Tour title and a Major title.

Bowlers who won the USBC Masters prior to 1959 and amateurs who have won the event will not be credited with a PBA Tour title but will be credited with a Major title.

The BPAA All-Star - the U.S. Open's predecessor - had also not previously counted as either a PBA Tour title or a Major title. The event became the U.S. Open in 1971, the same year it became an official title. Now, every PBA member who won a BPAA All-Star from 1959 on will be credited with a PBA Tour title and a Major while bowlers who won the event prior to 1959 will be awarded a Major title.

"As we began to look forward to celebrating our 50th anniversary during the upcoming season, we believed the time was right to revisit the manner in which we recognize official titles," PBA Commissioner and CEO Fred Schreyer said. "With the USBC Masters a major part of our schedule for several years now and the BPAA All-Star being the predecessor to our most prestigious event in the U.S. Open, we felt the players deserved to reap the rewards of their efforts."

The list of all-time PBA Tour titlists will adjust only slightly due to the change. Walter Ray Williams Jr. still sits atop the all-time titles list with 44 victories, but second-place Earl Anthony now receives credit for his two USBC Masters titles and now has 43. The next three bowlers - Mark Roth and Pete Weber with 34 victories and Parker Bohn III with 31 - remain unchanged but Dick Weber moved up to sixth by receiving four more titles. Weber, who won the BPAA All-Star four times (1962-63, 1965-66), is now credited with 30 titles.

Other notable players who received additional titles include current Denny's PBA Tour exempt bowlers Norm Duke, Doug Kent and Chris Warren, who each won USBC Masters titles. The victory gives Duke 29 titles, Kent now has 10 while Warren has six. Duke and Mike Aulby, who moved from 27 to 29 titles with his 1989 and 1995 USBC Masters titles, are now tied for seventh behind Weber.

The list of Major winners, meanwhile, changes dramatically. Instead of Earl Anthony and Pete Weber being tied atop the list with eight Majors each, Anthony now stands alone with 10 Major titles. Weber drops into a tie for second with Aulby with eight Majors. Williams is fourth with seven Major titles and is followed by Don Carter with six and Norm Duke with five.

Other statistics and records, including TV appearances, will also reflect these changes. Additionally, Jason Queen will receive credit for his televised 300 game in the finals of the 1997 USBC Masters.

The 2008-09 Denny's PBA Tour marks the 50th season in PBA history. A celebration of the history of the PBA and its greatest players will take place leading up to and throughout the upcoming season, which kicks off in late October.

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Illinois, Alaska bowlers win Denny's All-American High School Championships

By Lucas Wiseman; USBC Communications

Natalie Cortese of Hoffman Estates, Ill., and Travis Moyer of Anchorage, Alaska, overcame the pressure of competing in front of ESPN television cameras Sunday to win national titles in the Denny's All-American High School Championships.

Moyer and Cortese each earned $3,000 scholarships by defeating their opponents at Brunswick Zone Carolier after the conclusion of the 65th Denny's U.S. Open telecast. The high school championships are scheduled to air on ESPN on Sunday, April 6 at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Cortese threw seven strikes, including five consecutive, as she defeated Samantha Santoro of Reinholds, Pa., 239-193 to win the girls title. Santoro matched Cortese's seven strikes, but a pocket 4-9 split and missed 10 pin were the difference in the match.

"This is a tournament I really wanted to be a part of and it feels amazing to win," said Cortese, who is headed to the University of Central Missouri to bowl collegiately. "There aren't many opportunities like this for high school bowlers, so I would definitely tell anyone who is going to be a senior to apply next year. The trip and experience I had this week tops everything else."

Moyer built an early lead and was propelled to a 237-172 victory over Kevin Tatrow of BelAire, Kan., by striking on nine of 12 shots in the boys championship match.

"It felt great to come out here and win some scholarship money," said Moyer, a four-year member of the National Honors Society. "Bowling out here under the lights was phenomenal and a lot of the friends I made this weekend were supporting me."

To wrap up Sunday's finals, Moyer and Cortese teamed up with a couple of PBA stars in a doubles showdown. Cortese and Kelly Kulick defeated Moyer and Tony Reyes 215-194.

The Denny's All-American High School Championships showcases 32 varsity high school athletes from 18 states. All players competed in eight games of qualifying Saturday morning before the field was cut to the top eight boys and top eight girls, who competed in round robin match play to determine the four players on the TV finals

For their second-place efforts, Santoro and Tatrow each received $2,000 scholarships, bringing the total awarded at the event to $10,000.

Denny's, the PBA and the United States Bowling Congress joined together to create the tournament for recognized varsity level high school bowlers. The 32 participants were selected based on their bowling skills as well as personal and academic achievements.

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Change of attitude required to help grow the sport of bowling

By: Mark Miller; USBC Communications

After years of asking people to join the United States Bowling Congress because of the things they will receive, it's time to ask them to belong because they believe in what the organization does for the sport.

Such an attitude adjustment was requested by United States Bowling Congress President Jeff Bojé during Friday's session of the USBC Annual Meeting at the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium.

As Bojé stood in the middle of the legendary arena, on the four lanes used Thursday night for the taping of Bowling's Clash of Champions, he used his own personal story to emphasize his message of dramatic change. He noted the addition of triplets, including daughter Kristen with Downs Syndrome, changed his and his family's life.

"We need to look at the world through a different set of eyes," he said. "We need to change our message. We're not sorry Kristen has Downs Syndrome. We're proud of her and her sisters and brothers as well. We have to have people who are proud of our sport but we have to believe it ourselves. If we can't believe it, we can't expect other people to believe it."

Embracing change was a general theme that resonated throughout the day. Another way mentioned was for national, state or local associations and bowling center owners to cooperate to jointly promote programs crucial to their success.

That tone initially was set by USBC Vice President Darlene Baker in her Strategic Committee report and later by USBC Chief Operating Officer Kevin Dornberger in his report. Both noted that nationally, USBC's move later this year to Arlington, Texas, to help create the International Bowling Campus is a big step in that direction.

"Together, in one location, we will be able to achieve our goal of growing the sport and being recognized as a sport," Baker said.

"We desperately need to develop joint programs with proprietors, with your input and proprietor input, that can be implemented and it's a lot easier doing that down the hall than trying to find someone by telephone," Dornberger said.

"We need to develop programs for use by the proprietors," said Chief Operating Officer Kevin Dornberger. "We also must simplify and reduce local association requirements to allow you to spend more time promoting bowling as a sport.

To achieve that goal, association requirements are being revised so associations can spend more time working with proprietors.

"We will give you guidelines and suggestions," Dornberger said. "There will be fewer forms. The only things we will require will be those things required by state and federal law."

As the USBC/Bowling Centers of Florida program activation representative who works on joint programs, Jim Zebehazy said he has seen first hand how having two hats has been very beneficial.

"Working and building relationships with associations and proprietors has been very helpful," Zebehazy said. "Proprietors are just as interested in seeing bowling succeed. They just come at it a little different than we do. It is a different era where our success is tied together more than ever before. "

Development of the sport and changing the general public's perception that bowling is a sport are USBC's top priority issues. Nationally, USBC's involvement in televised events like the U.S. Women's Open, PBA Women's Series and the Clash of Champions are being done to address these issues because television gets more exposure for bowling than any other avenue.

Locally, associations and proprietors can help by budgeting money to purchase new In-School bowling kits and helping schools start high school bowling programs.

"You are USBC," Bojé said. "You are the governing body of the sport. Together, we'll grow the sport."

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Membership Report

We have members in all 50 states,
and the District of Columbia

We have members in 49 countries, including the United States:

Argentina Australia Bahrain Belgium Brazil Canada China Columbia Costa Rica Denmark Ecuador Egypt Finland France Germany Great Britain Greece Guam Guatemala Ireland Israel Italy Japan Korea Latvia Malaysia Mexico The Netherlands N. Ireland Netherlands Antilles
New Zealand Panama Philippines Puerto Rico Peru Qatar Scotland Singapore Slovenia South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Thailand Turkey U.A.E. Ukraine Venezuela

Corporate Sponsors

The problems that exist in our Sport are “industry-wide” problems that must be addressed by the entire Industry. The Foundation does all that they can to help, but we can NOT do it alone.

The Foundation has well over 1000-Members who have joined-in to assist. Some Members (Founding and Charter) have paid to show their support. Some Members (Associates) have just lent their “voice”. ALL of the members are important.

Even though The Foundation has NOT actively solicited bowling-related companies for help, some realize the importance of our “Mission” and have come forward with donations. We recognize the following companies for their loyalty and support to bowling.

KEGEL

KAT Travel

I.B.P.S.I.A.

EBN Services

Storm Bowling

Classic Products

Bobs’ Business, Inc.

Vincennes University

BowlersParadise.com

Virtualtournaments.com

Wichita State University

David Driscoll & Associates

International Bowling Industry Magazine

Stars and Strikes Bowling Newsmagazine

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The Cornerstone,

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The Foundation

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Phone: 863-382-2643

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Cornerstone Newsletter - June 2008