Professional Bowlers Association

SEATTLE – The Professional Bowlers Association has launched a new membership drive to encourage new members to experience PBA competition, former members to return to the fold, young bowlers to test their skills at the PBA level at an affordable price, and bowlers from around the world to enjoy the benefits of PBA membership as competitors in the new PBA-World Tenpin Bowling Association World Bowling Tour program.

The new membership campaign introduces a new low-cost PBA24 membership specifically designed for players ages 19-24, and a new PBA International membership to grant specific PBA benefits, including the ability to win PBA Tour titles, to international players who bowl in PBA-WBT events.

“The PBA24 program is designed to make membership significantly more accessible to a vital group of talented young bowlers who have decided they are not going to bowl in college or exhausted their collegiate eligibility, and are looking for the next challenge to expand their skills,” said PBA CEO Geoff Reiss. “There is no better place to do that than in PBA competition.”

In addition to the competitive challenges, membership in the PBA includes financial advances including discounted lineage fees for practice at hundreds of bowling centers across the nation that support the PBA, discounts on the latest in bowling equipment provided by PBA’s Registered Product Companies, instructional opportunities, a membership newsletter and a number of other privileges.

“From a purely economic standpoint, PBA membership provides a wide range of benefits that vastly out-weigh the cost of membership dues,” said PBA Commissioner Tom Clark.

For past members, the PBA is offering a no-penalty renewal program through March 31. Reinstatement and/or initiation fees will be waived for those who restore full and standard memberships – a savings of $99 – and an amnesty program will waive up to three months of dues owed for 2010 and/or 2011. Players who rejoin by March 1 who have won a PBA Tour, Regional or Senior title at any point in their careers will be eligible to enter the 2012 PBA Tournament of Champions.

New members and players who rejoin will be eligible for the new Regional Players Doubles Championship presented by Hammer (Feb. 10-12 at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas), and to receive invitations for the 2013 Dick Weber PBA Playoffs. And they will be eligible for all PBA Tour events during the 2012-13 season when the PBA returns to an open entry (non-exempt) policy for all tournaments.

The new PBA24 membership costs only $49 and includes all Standard Membership benefits plus a $50 discount off the entry fee for the player’s first PBA Regional tournament. Players must have a 200 or higher average for at least 36 games in the current league season, or a 190 or higher average in a PBA Experience or USBC Sport league, or in USBC-certified collegiate competition.

The PBA International membership costs $99 and is designed to allow international bowlers who compete in World Bowling Tour events to earn PBA titles, and to make those players eligible to bowl in the 2012 PBA World Series of Bowling. International members also will be allowed to enter up to three PBA Regionals and one non-WBT PBA Tour event in the U.S. other than a World Series event.

Players who apply for PBA International membership must be members-in-good-standing in their home country’s WTBA federation. A player who wins a PBA-WBT co-branded event must upgrade to full or standard membership in order to bowl future PBA events.

The PBA also has introduced a referral program whereby existing PBA members will earn a $50 discount on a PBA Regional entry for every PBA24 member who enrolls and designates the player as his/her “sponsor.”

To join, click on the “Join PBA” link in the upper right-hand corner on pba.com’s home page.

The nation’s top youth bowlers will have the opportunity to compete on Professional Bowlers Association lane conditions and rub elbows with the greats in the game when Teen Masters qualifiers will be conducted in conjunction with selected PBA Regional tournaments in 2012.

PBA has entered into an agreement with Killer ‘B’ Promotions to conduct 18 Teen Masters qualifiers at PBA Regional events beginning in March through the end of May. The Teen Masters qualifiers will be conducted on lanes designated for Teen Masters competition.

The Teen Masters, America's longest running national championship event for youth bowlers, has featured challenging lane conditions since its beginning in 1997. “Our slogan has always been ‘Bring Your Spare Game!’ Our partnership with the PBA strengthens the opportunity for America’s top high school competitors to test their bowling skills and mental fortitude in a demanding environment,” said Teen Masters founder, Gary Beck.

“This is a great program because it will provide youth bowlers with additional topflight competitive bowling opportunities through the setting of PBA competition,” said PBA Commissioner Tom Clark. “The goal is to grow competitive bowling among youth bowlers who love the sport and this is a great vehicle in which to do it.”

Many Teen Masters champions have gone on to advance to the top levels of the sport. On the boys side, Mike Fagan, the 1997 champion, and Ryan Ciminelli, the 2004 champion, have both become national PBA champions. On the girls side, Brittni Hamilton, the 2006 champion, and Danielle McEwan, the 2009 champion, have both claimed NCAA titles and membership on Team USA.

Teen Masters will also conduct a regular schedule of stand-alone qualifiers that youth bowlers can enter to earn spots for the National Championships. All qualifying events will determine invitations for the Teen Masters National Championships which will be conducted July 8-12 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Teen Masters conducted a landmark national championship event in 2011 that culminated with the Grand Championships being conducted on a specially-constructed lane in New York’s Grand Central Terminal where Zack Hattori of Las Vegas earned a record $64,000 scholarship.

The Teen Masters consists of four youth divisions: Boys High School, Boys Under 14, Girls High School, and Girls Under 14.

Entries are now being taken for Teen Masters qualifiers. For entry and additional schedule information visit http://www.teenmastersbowling.com/.

PBA Regional schedule that will include Teen Masters qualifiers

Midwest

March 2-4 – Pla Mor Lanes Open Presented by Brunswick, Muscatine, Iowa

March 30-April 1 – Liberty Lanes Senior Open Presented by Chuck Suda Allstate, Carpentersville, Ill.

May 18-20 – Stars & Strikes Open Presented by Ebonite, Scott AFB, Ill.

Central

April 20-22 – Grove City Open, AMF Stardust Lanes, Grove City, Ohio

May 18-20 – Baldo Campana Senior Open, Rebman Recreation, Lorain, Ohio

Southwest

March 2-4 – Etonic Open, Freedom Lanes, Duncan, Okla.

April 13-15 – Shawnee Firelake Bowling Center/Flintco Open, Shawnee, Okla.

May 18-20 – Fort Sill Open, Twin Oaks Lanes, Fort Sill, Okla.

Northwest

March 16-18 – DV8 Open, Caveman Bowl, Grants Pass, Ore.

March 30-April 1 – Tacoma Dodge Open Presented by Pawn Brokers, Paradise Bowl, Tacoma, Wash.

April 20-22 – Hawaii Storm Open, Hickam AFB, Honolulu

West

April 6-8 – Non-member Doubles Presented by Storm, South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas

April 27-29 – Earl Anthony Memorial Classic, Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl, Dublin, Calif.

East

March 23-25 – Mt. Greylock Bowl Open, North Adams, Mass.

April 5 – Kingpin Lanes Open Presented by Brunswick, Rome, N.Y.

South

March 23-25 – Fayetteville Senior Open, Lafayette Lanes, Fayetteville, N.C.

May 10-12 – Canton Open Presented by Columbia 300, Cherokee Lanes, Canton, Ga.

May 24-26 – Wild Magnolia Senior Open, Presented by Track, Sport Lanes, Martinsville, Va.

(Photo caption: From left, WTBA Executive Board members Christer Jonsson, Secretary-General, Sweden; Addie Ophelders, ETBF President, Netherlands; Jose Guandique, PABCON President, El Salvador; Pekka Korpi, First Vice-President, Finland; Vivien Lau, FIQ Secretary-General and ABF Past President, Hong Kong; Dornberger, FIQ and WTBA President and CEO; Mike Seymour, Vice-President, WTBA and the Australia Tenpin Bowling Federation; PBA Commissioner Tom Clark and PBA CEO Geoff Reiss)

LAS VEGAS – The Professional Bowlers Association and the World Tenpin Bowling Association Wednesday announced an historic agreement that will result in the first true global professional bowling tour.

The alliance between the PBA and the WTBA, the international governing body for tenpin bowling in the eyes of the International Olympic Committee, will allow international and domestic PBA members who compete in World Bowling Tour events to earn PBA Tour titles in WBT events and to bowl in PBA Tour events in the United States.

“This agreement fulfills a dream for all lifelong bowling fans,” said PBA Commissioner Tom Clark. “We created the PBA World Series of Bowling in 2009 to give bowlers from around the world an opportunity to come together in a unique competitive environment. Our goal was to take the next step in expanding competition around the world. To see it happen is the most significant step our sport has ever taken in creating world-wide awareness and recognition for bowling’s best players, regardless of where they live.”

WTBA President Kevin Dornberger said that the alliance is just the beginning.

“We are greatly indebted to the international bowling federations and tournament hosts who have given us the opportunity to create the World Bowling Tour,” said Dornberger. “We sincerely believe this alliance will lead to even bigger things.”

PBA CEO Geoff Reiss said the expanded relationship between the PBA and WTBA has the potential to lead to greater marketing and sponsorship opportunities.

“The PBA is ecstatic over the overwhelming acceptance and support we have received from the World Tenpin Bowling Association’s leadership in making this relationship happen,” Reiss said. “For the sport of bowling, we have literally opened an entire new world of possibilities.”

The agreement was finalized during a meeting in Las Vegas between PBA leadership and WTBA’s Executive Board (Christer Jonsson, Secretary-General, Sweden; Addie Ophelders, ETBF President, Netherlands; Jose Guandique, PABCON President, El Salvador; Pekka Korpi, First Vice-President, Finland; Vivien Lau, FIQ Secretary-General and ABF Past President, Hong Kong; Dornberger, FIQ and WTBA President and CEO; Mike Seymour, Vice-President, WTBA and the Australia Tenpin Bowling Federation; Kim Jensen, ETBF Vice President, Denmark, and Veronica Rajii, 1st VP of PABCON, Chile.

The 2012 World Bowling Tour began in January with the Brunswick Ballmaster Open in Helsinki, Finland, which was won by Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa. The PBA-WBT agreement includes three tournaments in the United States (the Alka-Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels United States Bowling Congress Masters, won by Mike Fagan of Dallas in Las Vegas on Sunday; a new WTBA International Open currently underway in Las Vegas, and the U.S. Open Feb. 20-26 in North Brunswick, N.J.)

Other events will include stops in Japan, Kuwait, France, the Bahamas, Korea, Thailand, Austria and Australia. Players who bowl in the WBT events will earn points toward the second annual World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the PBA, which will be held during the 2012 PBA World Series of Bowling on a date to be announced.

WBT points are compiled over a cumulative span of two years. The top three men and three top women in WBT points will bowl for $20,000 first prizes in November during the fourth PBA World Series of Bowling. The finals will be televised by ESPN.

Beginning with the U.S. Open, all international and domestic PBA members who win WBT-PBA titles will be eligible to bowl in the end-of-season PBA Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas. PBA members will receive credit for official PBA Tour earnings from WBT events, but will only earn PBA Tour competition points in the USBC Masters and U.S. Open.

A new PBA international membership is available for non-domestic players. For information, call the PBA Membership Services at 206-654-6025.

While several WBT events allow women to compete in their own category, women will be eligible for PBA Tour titles only if they compete as equals against their male counterparts. Two events on the WBT schedule are for women only and will not be part of the PBA agreement.

Tournament formats and prize money will be announced later.

2012 PBA-WTBA WORLD BOWLING TOUR SCHEDULE

Jan. 6-15 - Brunswick Ballmaster Open, Tali Bowling Center, Helsinki, Finland, (men’s winner: Bill O’Neill, Southampton, Pa.; women’s winner: Krista Pöllänen, Finland; WBT points only). 
Jan. 23-29 – Alka-Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels United States Bowling Congress Masters, Sunset Station’s Strike Zone, Henderson, Nev. (winner: Mike Fagan, Dallas; PBA title and PBA/WBT points awarded). 
Jan. 28-Feb. 5 – WTBA International Open, Sunset Station's Strike Zone, Henderson, Nev. (WBT points only). 
Feb. 7-11 - International Bowling Championship 2012 supported by DHC, Hakata Star Lanes, Hakata, Japan (WBT points only). 
Feb. 20-26 - 69th U.S. Open, Brunswick Zone Carolier, North Brunswick, N.J. (PBA title and PBA/WBT points awarded). 
March 15-19 - 9th Kuwait International Open, Cozmo Bowling Center, Kuwait City, Kuwait (PBA title and WBT points awarded). 
March 16-25 - Brunswick Euro Challenge, Plaza Saint Maximin, Saint Maximin, France (PBA title and WBT points awarded). 
April 19-24 - USBC Queens (non-PBA event), AMF Euless Lanes, Euless, Texas. 
May 14-20 - Bahamas International Bowling Classic, Mario's Bowling and Entertainment Palace, Nassau, Bahamas (PBA title and WBT points awarded). 
June 16-21 - Daejeon International Open, Daejeon World Cup Bowling Center, Daejeon, Korea (PBA title and WBT points awarded). 
June 22-28 - Bowling's U.S. Women's Open (non-PBA event), National Bowling Stadium, Reno, Nev. 
Sept. 24-30 - PTT World Bowling Tour Thailand, center to be announced, Bangkok, Thailand (PBA title and WBT points awarded). 
Oct. 2-7 - 10th Columbia 300 Vienna Open, Plus Bowling, Vienna, Austria (PBA title and WBT points awarded). 
Oct. 8-27 - AMF Australian Masters, center to be announced, Sydney, Australia (PBA title and WBT points awarded).

LOS ANGELES – A “super bowl” of another kind will be televised Feb. 5 when four-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul hosts the fourth annual Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational Presented by Sheets™ Brand Sunday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Paul, who joined the Los Angeles Clippers at the start of the 2011-12 season, hosted the fundraiser which is fast-becoming a tradition during the PBA Tour season at Lucky Strike LA Live and will benefit charities supported by his CP3 Foundation.

The list of celebrities competing in the made-for-TV event include Reggie Bush (former USC star, Super Bowl winner and Miami Dolphins running back), Blake Griffin (L.A. Clippers forward and reigning NBA Dunk Contest champ), Michael Strahan (NFL great, Super Bowl winner and Fox NFL Sunday analyst), Jerry Ferrara (from HBO’s Entourage), Jesse Williams (of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy), Grammy award-winning recording star Ciara, and comedian Kevin Hart.

The PBA Tour has an all-star lineup led by PBA Hall of Famer and 35-time Tour titlist Pete Weber; Jason Belmonte of Australia, one of only two players in Tour history to win a Tour title with a unique two-handed delivery; six-time Tour winner Wes Malott, and four-time winner Ryan Shafer. Storm Bowling Products is once again the official bowling equipment sponsor for the event.

The telecast includes the Celebrity Super Shootout featuring all eight celebrities bowling a one-ball eliminator competition where the bowler with the lowest pinfall is eliminated. This year’s Celebrity Invitational uses a trios Baker format where a pro is part of a team with two celebrities and the pro bowls the first, fourth, seventh and 10th frames.

Making up the trios teams are: Belmonte, Hart and Paul; Shafer, Ciara and Strahan; Weber, Ferrara and Griffin, and Malott, Williams and Bush. In the opening match, Team Belmonte faces team Shafer and in the second match Team Weber faces Team Malott with the winners facing off in the final.

The show will also feature chart-topping teen sensation Mindless Behavior who will perform music from their current hit CD, “#1 Girl,” one of the biggest selling debuts from a new artist in 2011. The group gained popularity touring with Justin Bieber, Janet Jackson, and the Backstreet Boys. Their new single "Girls Talkin’ Bout" is climbing the radio charts now.

Paul, an accomplished bowler, founded his CP3 Foundation in 2005 as a tribute to his late grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, and the Winston-Salem, N.C., community where he grew up. The foundation has provided funding for activities ranging from a scholarship program to food drives to recreational support programs for children in under-served communities in both Winston-Salem and New Orleans.

Paul and Belmonte have won back-to-back titles in the special event. Other celebrity bowlers who have participated in previous events include fellow NBA stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant and Rudy Gay; NFL stars Hines Ward, LaMarr Woodley, Jack Del Rio and Bush, and hip-hop stars Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Lil Wayne and Nelly.

Benjamin Doyle said he became a Sean Rash fan when Rash first joined the PBA Tour on a regular basis. But the 16-year-old Casper, Wyo., youth bowler never imagined he’d have the opportunity he got last week when he met and bowled with Rash during the USBC Masters at Sunset Station in Las Vegas.

Doyle, a brain tumor survivor, got his chance to bowl with Rash through the Make A Wish Foundation. He spent more than an hour on the lanes with Rash on Jan. 28 at Sunset Station’s Strike Zone Bowling Center.

“When (Rash) first came on tour, he became my favorite,” Doyle said. “I love watching him. I want to be like him.”

Doyle, a 10th grader who carries a 208 average in his youth league, said Rash gave him some great tips about keeping good balance and working on his follow-through. Following his lesson, Doyle promptly threw six strikes in a row before leaving a solid 7 pin to end his streak.

“One thing athletes do great is give back,” Rash said. “I enjoy opportunities like this. When I was young and asked pros for help, they were always willing.

“It’s very touching to work with these kids, to see what they have to fight through. They battle through things that are life-threatening, but in reality, they’re human beings just like you and me, and that’s what matters most.”

Rash previously befriended 10-year-old Danny McCarty of Las Vegas, a victim of “brittle bone disease,” during the PBA World Series of Bowling.

CHRIS PAUL CELEBRITY INVITATIONAL “RED CARPET INTERVIEWS” NOW ONLINE

Red carpet interviews with PBA and celebrity participants in Sunday’s Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational presented by Sheets Brand can be viewed on PBA Youtube page, including a Chris Paul interview by Xtra Frame's Jackie Bowling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vtpxoc5TeA).

Additional interviews feature Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush, Entourage actor Jerry Ferrara, former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, teenage musical group Mindless Behavior, “The Price is Right” host Drew Carey, Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin, and PBA stars Jason Belmonte, Pete Weber, Ryan Shafer and Wes Malott. The Chris Paul special event airs just in front of the Super Bowl Sunday on ESPN, starting at 4 p.m. ET.

NEW LANE PATTERN TO HONOR DON JOHNSON AT XTRA FRAME COLUMBUS EVENT

A new Don Johnson lane conditioning pattern will be specifically created for the PBA’s Xtra Frame Ricart Ford Open presented by Columbia 300, scheduled for Feb. 16-19 at Sequoia Pro Bowl in Columbus, Ohio. The Don Johnson pattern joins family of lane conditioning patterns the PBA has created in honor of some of its hall of fame superstars, including Earl Anthony, Dick Weber and Carmen Salvino, among others.

“The 45-foot pattern possesses excellent scoring potential if played correctly,” said PBA Deputy Commissioner Kirk Von Krueger. “Shot-making combined with choosing the correct angle of attack are both critical to success. Using too much ball surface or playing too deep could inhibit the scoring pace.”

The Xtra Frame Ricart Ford Open presented by Columbia 300 is the second of four PBA Tour events that will be webcast live, exclusively on the PBA’s online bowling channel, Xtra Frame. Full-year and monthly subscriptions to Xtra Frame are available on pba.com.

BOWER, TOMEK TEAM UP TO WIN CENTRAL REGION OVER/UNDER DOUBLES TITLE

Darryl Bower of Middletown, Pa. and partner Jim Tomek Jr. defeated Dick Gran of Hartville, Ohio and Bob Learn Jr. of Macomb, Mich., 2-1, in a best-of three-game match to win the PBA Central Region’s Legend Lanes Over/Under Doubles Classic at Legend Lanes in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Sunday.

Teams in the event were required to include one bowler age 50 or older, and one bowler under the age of 50. The title was Bower’s and Tomek’s first of the year in the PBA Central Region. It also was Bower’s 16th career PBA Regional title and Tomek’s eighth. They also split a $4,000 first prize.

Bower and Tomek won the first game against Gran and Learn, 422-400, lost the second game, 512-456, but claimed the title in the final game, 501-461.

On the Feb. 3-5 calendar are the PBA Southwest Region’s Carol “Stormin’” Norman Pro Shop U Can Bowl 2 Del Mar Lanes Open in Houston, Texas; the joint Midwest/Central Region Sparetime Lanes Senior Open presented by Allstate Insurance in Decatur, Ill., and the PBA West Region Jackson Rancheria Classic at Gold Country Lanes in Sutter Creek, Calif.

February’s schedule also includes a new Regional Players Doubles Championship presented by Hammer Feb. 10-12 at The Orleans in Las Vegas. The field will be limited to 70 teams on a first-come basis. For complete Regional tournament schedules and entry information, visit pba.com and click on “Regional Tour” under the “Schedules” drop-down tab.

QUICK NOTES:

Veteran announcer Gary Thorne made a successful PBA Tour debut as play-by-play announcer for Sunday’s ESPN telecast of the Alka-Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels USBC Masters, which drew the largest audience of the 2011-12 season – more than one million viewers. Thorne, who covers Major League Baseball and college football for ESPN, also is the television play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles and is a renowned for his National Hockey League broadcast coverage. He replaces Rob Stone, who has taken a new position with the Fox Sports Network.

PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss won the Columbia 300 Irish Open Tenpin Bowling Championships at Leisureplex Stillorgan in Dublin, Ireland, on Jan. 22, topping a 122-player field with a 27-game total of 6,582 pins, including match play bonus pins. Steve Kay of England finished second, 182 pins behind

Scott Salem, better known as “Scott the Engineer” to Howard Stern fans, will return to PBA competition during the 69th U.S. Open at Brunswick Zone-Carolier in North Brunswick, N.J., Feb. 20-26, and Howard TV will be on hand to cover all of Salem’s activities. Salem, an avid scratch league bowler in New Jersey, made his debut in PBA Tour competition during the 2010 PBA World Series of Bowling, generating extensive media coverage on Stern’s Sirius Radio broadcasts as well as on Howard TV.