MONTANA

Issue XXX

STRIKE ZONE

March 2010

TOURNAMENTS GALORE! IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR By Tom Brendgord

U.S. Open Qualifier: Great Falls & Missoula Bowlers Win

The 2010 Men’s and Women’s U.S. Open Qualifier was again contested at Sleeping Giant Lanes in Helena, but this year one can say that there were three winners - Bruce Steffani, Tina Davis, and the economy. Great Falls’ Bruce Steffani, who placed 2nd in last year’s event, hammered out an impressive 233 to 178 win over Jon Conger of Missoula. While on the distaff side Missoula’s Tina Davis earned a small measure of revenge for Missoula with a 216 to 184 victory over Helena’s Terri Johnson in the championship match. But the biggest winner (or loser depending on how you look at it) was the economy. Entries were down by 33% on the men’s side compared to last year - 71 to 106. The women’s entries were down 32% compared to last year - 23 to 34. The only semi-bright side to the entry picture was that the women’s entries were still more than the 18 they had in 2008. The men would have had at least one more entry had not this year’s U.S. Open in Indianapolis been contested at the same time. Defend-ing champion, Mike Christensen of Great Falls was in Indiana representing Montana and doing a fine job of it as well finish-ing in 86th place, but could not make this event due to conflict. Probably the most significant difference from last year’s event (except for the number of entries) was in the men’s divi-sion where only five men from last year’s top 24 group made the top 24 cut this year lead by Steffani and Billings’ Brad Muri, who finished 3rd this year (4th in 2009). Conversely, the women had nine repeat top 16 qualifiers out of last year’s crop. Barb Lankford of Great Falls was a repeat stepladder finalist

garnering 5th place two years in a row. Mary Porter, Missoula and Karen Brocke-muehl, Bozeman, also re-peated their 2009 perform-ances in 7th & 9th places.

U.S. Open Qualifier - Men 1. Bruce Steffani - Great Falls 2. Jon Conger - Missoula 3. Brad Muri - Billings 4. Monte Baker - Bozeman 5. Dave Sears - Missoula 6. Rick Perry - Kalispell 7. Brian Clausen - Bozeman 8. Josh Hale - Billings 9. Doug Cuffe - Whitefish 10. Shawn Jacobs - Helena 11. Doug McLaughlin - Belgrade 12. Bernie Kuhns - Missoula 13. Matt Stricker - Billings 14. Bruce Hruska - Great Falls 15. Steve Krell - Billings 16. Lewis Dobie - Bozeman 17. Steve Martin - Great Falls 18. Mike Carrette - Great Falls 19. Wayne Kuntz - Missoula 20. Greg Liedle - Helena 21. Gary Miller - Belgrade 22. Cory Lustig - Billings 23. Terry Heinert - Helena 24. Tracy Potvin - Helena

U.S. Open Qualifier - Women 1. Tina Davis - Missoula 2. Terri Johnson - Helena 3. Kristen Dehn - Gt. Falls 4. Becky Millman - Billings 5. Barb Lankford - Gt. Falls 6. Julie Redfern - Billings 7. Mary Porter - Missoula 7. Guyla Streit - Ft. Benton 9. Karen Brockemuehl - Boz 10. Doreen Nyby - Belgrade 11. Staci Williamson - Kalispell 12. Sara Weathers - Missoula 13. Jenny Scott - Missoula 14. Amanda Jensen - Ft. Benton 15. Amber Lorenz - Missoula 16. Pat Pinkston - Bozeman

State Tournaments Coming to Anaconda,

Billings, Helena and Butte.

Some go for the fun. Some go for the competition. Some go because of tradition and some go just because it is there. But regardless the reason, state tournaments are a huge and integral part of bowling in Montana. If you are planning a road trip to one of these tournaments, here is some helpful information. It all starts with the Montana USBC Open state tournament. This year’s event is being held in Billings and runs for five big weekends starting April 17th. The team event is scheduled for Fireside Lanes and the doubles & singles will be at Sunset Bowl. Easter will not interfere this year, as it is on April 4. The Open will run for two weekends and then skip the weekend of May 1-2. It will start again on Friday, May 7 and run Fridays thru Sundays until ending May 23rd. The reason for five weekends this year (as opposed to eight in 2009) is because it is being held in much larger bowling centers than what was available in Anaconda last year. Entries close on May 9, 2010. Greg McCannel is the tour-nament director. The 2010 Women’s State tournament starts on April 10th and runs for six weekends ending May 16th. It will be held in Ana-conda this year with the team event scheduled for Cedar Park Lanes and the doubles & singles at Copper City Bowl. Some Friday night shifts are available this year on April 23rd and 30th. There are still three divisions this year, but some changes were made to tweak the average limits with the A division now starting at 160 and the C division for 139 and lower averages. There are several optional scratch events including team, doubles, singles, and all events. These events are also available in the Open tour-nament this year. Peg Patterson is the tournament director. Entries close April 18, 2010. The Montana USBC Youth state tournament will be held on three big weekends starting April 10th and ending April 25th. It is scheduled for Helena with all of the events being conducted at Sleeping Giant Lanes. The entry deadline for guaranteed spots is March 15, 2010. The tournament director is Jacki Huff. The Pepsi YBC state finals is being held May 8-9, 2010 at Star Lanes in Butte. This event has undergone more major changes from last year with the biggest one being the reintroduc-tion of regional qualifying. Again there will no longer be a na-tional Pepsi Finals. However, the top two finishers in the scratch divisions will receive a paid entry into the national Junior Gold tournament. Scholarships will still be awarded at all levels, but bowlers in the handicap divisions will no longer have the ability to advance to the national level. Jane Crowder is the tournament director. The High School State Championships will no longer be conducted due to low entries resulting in huge losses. Hopefully, the economy will improve and this event will again be held.

Go to BowlMontana.com (tournament tab) for more information

and to download entry forms.

2

Montana Strike Zone The official newspaper of the Montana USBC Association

Publisher & Editor

Contributors

Tom Brendgord, 1299 Wicks Lane, Billings, MT 59105 Fax 406-252-3220 E-mail: t.brendgord@att.net

Laurel Walker, Ruth Sprankel, Arlene Ayers, Jim

Watkins, Ginger Ward, Bertha Crogan, Curt

Baca, Travis Jaynes, Greg McCannel, Rosalie Ded-

more, all MT Big Sky Scribes & MUSBC board

Advertising Rates Inside page Back page

$140 1/2 page $160

$ 75 1/4 page $ 90

$ 40 1/8 page $ 50

This publication is distributed 3 times yearly in March,

September and December. Ads need to be submitted to Tom Brendgord 10 days prior to the month of distribution .

Want tournament information? Download entry forms? Results?

GO TO

www.BowlMontana.com

SPARE NOTES By Laurel Walker, President MUSBC

March has come in like a lamb here on the Hi Line, and I hope your bowling is going well. If you haven’t already signed up for spots at the state tournaments, now is the time to get your registration sent in. Asso-ciation managers will be getting a reminder that the Youth rules have a misprint. Be sure that you include the March 1 averages when you register your Youth tournament bowlers. Women will be heading to Ana-conda, always a welcoming city, and the Open tourna-ment goes back to Billings this year for more fun. Please check to make certain that your local associations have elected delegates to attend the annual state assembly in Billings on Sunday, April 25, 2010. There will be committee meetings and a board meeting on Friday and Saturday of that same weekend, plus the Hall of Fame banquet on Saturday night. That gala event will welcome four new members into the Hall of Fame, and it is always a great time to visit with friends who attend. Please make your plans to join us! The national USBC annual meeting will be in Reno again this year, and I hope some of your associations will consider sending delegates. The workshops and help from the national representatives can really put your associations on the right track. One of the most important parts of our own annual meeting is the election of officers and directors. I would encourage every local association to tender some willing and gifted people to run for positions on the state board. I have decided not to run for reelection. As always, half of the board positions are elected each year, so there is ample opportunity for candidates. It would be very gratifying to see a handful of people running for each position. Please consider offering your time and talents, and get your applications sent in to Elaine Wilkinson, Nominations Chair. You can get those forms from our website. One of my favorite projects is the raffle we hold each spring to contribute to Bowl for the Cure. If any of you or your associations would like to help with baskets or raffle items, please feel free to do so. We will plan to draw for the winners during the annual meeting. Your friendship and support have been wonderful over the years I have served the bowlers of Montana, and I thank you. I will cherish all of the good memo-ries and will continue to support Montana bowling in any way I can. Thank you for your continued good work, and I hope to see you in Billings in April. **********************************

Hall of Fame Banquet, Delegate’s Meeting/Board Election Headline Huge

Weekend in Billings April 23-25 By Tom Brendgord

It starts with a few committee meetings on Friday, April 23rd and ends with the Annual Delegate Meeting and MUSBC election on Sunday, April 25th. In between there will be a state Hall of Fame banquet on Saturday night, and a Montana USBC board of directors meeting on Saturday morning. This will all happen at the Hilton Garden Inn in Billings. The Hall of Fame Dinner starts with cocktail hour at 6pm Saturday at the Hilton Garden Inn, the official motel of the state Open tournament. Dinner will be served at 7pm. Tickets ($25.00 in advance) can be obtained from Bert Stiles 667-2258, email: fatalbert@mtintouch.net and Roz Gallup 652-5141. The inductees are Curt Backa (Great Falls), Bill Bighaus (Billings), Ruth Sprankel (Billings) and Don Smith (Bozeman). Curt Backa and Bill Bighaus are the bowling sportswriters for the Great Falls Tribune and the Billings Gazette respectively and strongly deserve this honor for their dedication to our sport over the years. The Delegate Meeting will start at 9 am on Sunday. Among other business, the delegates will elect new board members and some officers totaling about half of the board. It appears that both president, Laurel Walker, and second vice-president, Guy Rolison, will not be seeking reelection this year as well as some other incumbent board members. Hopefully, there will be a good turnout in both applicants and delegates.

3

On My Mind………On My Mind………On My Mind………On My Mind……… Averages, Lane Conditions, Bowling Styles By Tom Brendgord

I normally don’t spend a lot of time as a bowling spectator, so when I found myself watching a scratch tournament in Billings a while ago, I was amazed at what I saw. However, before I go into my discovery I need to digress to mention that I have recently moved and am now in Billings bowling with different bowlers on different lane conditions using different automatic scorers. What I have noticed in my new environment is an amazing collection of young bowlers, who rip the cover off the ball while delivering it at warp speeds. I know that these are warp speeds because the automatic scorer tells me that. These “young guns” are rolling 300 games, 800 series and 230 averages as if it is a walk in the park. Needless to say, I have been very impressed. Now, back to my observations as a spectator. While watching these same young guns that weekend, I noticed that a high per-centage of them follow-through across their body and also cut it off short. I was always taught to follow through straight or at the very worst away from your body. Following through across your body should result in a “pull” shot and a high hit or crossover. Following through short and across one’s body will allow a person to put a tremendous amount of turn and speed on a ball, but usually at the risk of sacrificing accuracy. But these guys were still hitting the pocket consistently! How could that be? And then it struck me that the lane conditions were so heavily oiled in the middle of the lane that pulling the ball with speed was the perfect combination to score. My conclu-sion was that now I know how these youngsters do it. But is that the best way to learn how to bowl? How will they do on a lane condition with a drier middle? A few weeks later I found out. I was bowling the city tournament in a different center that didn’t have heavy oil in the middle of the lanes. Although it was a humbling experience for all of us that day, it really didn’t bother me to bowl that “bad”, for I didn’t fall off nearly as bad for my average as most of the others did. That day on my pair of lanes there were ten bowlers of which nine carried averages well over 200. Some even as high as 230. The high series among us was 590. Some of those young guns were also there on other lanes and struggled mightily compared to their averages as well. Personally, I liked that condition. It was challenging to me and made me concentrate harder on both my timing and my target. So what is the moral to this story? Are proprietors, who put up unbelievably easy conditions in league, really doing favors for their bowlers? In less than a month I have observed two short-comings to that “easy” theory. Bowlers are carrying unrealistically high averages that are almost never attainable outside their home center. So when they have to bowl in a handicap event in a different center, they usually have no chance at all. Similarly, young bowlers are developing terrible habits in their styles because they can get away with it. While they might be idolized at home with the tele-phone numbers they are putting up, they would get eaten alive on the pro tour where proper execution is a must. I will admit that it is more fun to bowl good than to bowl bad and proprietors want their league bowlers to be happy. But there should be a happy medium that is amenable to all.

Calendar of Upcoming Bowling Events MARCH: Gary Gerhardt Memorial - The Bowl (Bozeman), March 13-14 Family Tourney State Finals - Snowy Lanes (Lewistown), 3/27-28 Youth Traveling League Finals - Missoula, 3/28 Ringin’ Ten Classic-Star Lanes, Butte - March 27-28 Pepsi regional qualifying: Star Lanes, Butte-March 7, 14, 21 Westside Lanes, Missoula-March 6-7 Snowy Lanes, Lewistown-March 20-21 Palace Lanes, Laurel-March 27-28 APRIL: MUSBC Youth State Championships-Helena-Apr. 10-25 (3 weekends) MUSBC Women’s Championships-Anaconda-Apr. 10-May 16 (6 wkends) MUSBC Open Championship-Billings-April 17-May 23 (5 weekends),

No bowling May 1-2 MUSBC Board Meeting - Billings, April 24 MUSBC Hall of Fame Banquet - Billings, April 24 MUSBC Delegates Meeting & Election - Billings, April 25 MAY: Pepsi YBC State Finals- Star Lanes (Butte) - May 8-9 SEPT: MT.Bowling Jamboree - Great Falls, Sept., 2010

Download the most current issue of the Montana Strike Zone at

www.BowlMontana.com

Proud Sponsor of the

2010 Montana USBC Open Tournament

Call today and Ask for the Sports Rate

Hilton Garden Inn 2465 Grant Road Billings, MT 59102

406.655.8800

4

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

IVERSON SCORES BIG IN MONTANA STATE

600 CLUB TOURNEY By Ruth Sprankel

Teri Iverson of Sunburst, Mt. did some fine bowling to claim first place in both the Singles & the Blind Doubles Events of the annual Montana State 600 Club Mail-a-graphic Tournament. She bowled nearly 125 pins over her average to win the singles by 20 pins over Karie Frydenlund of Shelby. Sharon Grubbs, of Billings, paired with Teri for the Blind Doubles to win the event with a total of 1,412. Great bowling! Following is a list of the winners (scores are with hdcp):

SINGLES: 84 entries @ $10=$840; 5:1 ratio=17 places 1. Teri Iverson - Sunburst - 751 $112.50 2. Karie Frydenlund - Shelby - 731 $ 95.70 3. Carol Hirschi - Billings - 727 $ 79.00 4. Ruth Sprankel - Billings - 726 $ 67.20 5. Shirley Kline - Rudyard - 723 $ 58.50 6. Pam Brendgord - Billings - 715 $ 50.40 7. Aquilla Robertson - Lolo - 708 $ 44.30 8. Tracy Shaw - Ronan - 706 $ 43.00 9. Darla Dunham - Billings - 705 $ 42.00 10. Elaine Lohrenz - Billings - 704 $ 36.60 11. Brandi Pitt - Lovell - 700 $ 35.60 12. Karla Visser - Manhatten - 695 $ 34.60 13, Betty Baker - Bozeman - 691 $ 33.60 14. Barbara Baumgartner - Great Falls - 685 $ 27.50 15. Laurel Walker - Rudyard - 685 $ 27.50 16. Judy Nevins - Shelby - 684 $ 26.00 17. Valerie Miller - Billings - 684 $ 26.00

BLIND DOUBLES: 22 entries@$20=$440; 6 places 1. Teri Iverson - Sunburst/Sharon Grubbs - Billings - 1,412 $105.60 2. Carol Hirschi - Billings/Bette Jensen - Msla - 1,390 $ 88.00 3. Shirley Kline - Rudyard/Bette Jensen - Msla - 1,387 $ 74.80 4. Shanna Fredrickson - Blgs/Aquilla Robertson - Lolo - 1,366 $ 66.00 5. Vicki Michael - Billings/Tracy Shaw - Ronan - 1,355 $ 52.80

5. Laurel Walker - Rudyard/Crystal Harris - Blgs- 1,355 $ 52.80

We in the State 600 Club would also like to ask for volun-teers to help us coordinate the entry blanks distribution in the 2011 tournament. If you would be willing to help us pro-mote the tournament and distribute entry blanks to bowlers in your area, please contact Ruth Sprankel at ilu-vbeaches@msn.com or at 406-252-5090. On a personal note - I truly love beaches and quite can't figure out how living in Montana and spending a great deal of time in bowling centers works in with the "beaches" thing? Thanks to all who entered. We'll see you next year!

**********

1ST ANNUAL MONTANA STATE 500 CLUB

TOURNAMENT RESULTS By: Mary K. Hart, Tournament Chairman

The first annual Montana State 500 Club Tournament was well received. We hope to continue to build the mem-bership & participation on this mail-a-graphic tournament. This year's winners of the Singles (scores include handicap) are: 1. Frankie Malmstrom - Billings - 695 2. Karlene Lehfeldt - Billings - 676 3. Beverly West - Billings - 672 4. Connie Johnson - Billings - 659 5. Diane Wise - Billings - 658

We are looking forward to conducting the 2011 tourna-ment and hope to attract more bowlers. We are also seeking volunteers from all areas of the state to become coordina-tors & help with the distribution and promotion of the tour-nament in your areas. If you can help us grow this tourna-ment, please contact Mary K. Hart at mkwindsor@msn.com, 406-259-6479.

A STORY FOR THE AGES By Tom Brendgord

In this time of huge scores, here is a true story out of Great Falls with some humor to it as well. On January 21, 2010, a good friend of mine, Al Pearsall of Great Falls, was bowling in the 725 Classified league at Little’s Lanes. That night Al rolled his 14th career 300 game to go with a 763 se-ries. Then, three days later during the Great Falls city tournament Al rolled his 15th career 300 game on his way to a 778 series. Just that is enough for a good bowling story, but there is more. You see, Al had a birthday on Friday, January 22. He turned 65 years old that day. As he was leaving the bowling center that Thursday, he was thanking the well wishers for his “happy birthday” and then stated that he gets to “file for Medicare tomorrow”. That’s not only great bowling, but a greater story and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Congratulations, Al.

5

NATIONAL NEWS NEW OFFERINGS AND PROCEDURES FOR USBC OPEN

By Tom Brendgord

(Editor’s note: This story is a reprint, that has been

slightly rephrased, of a media release from USBC head-

quarters on February 18, 2010).

The 2010 USBC Open tournament began on Saturday, February 20th at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno with many changes that, hopefully, will be viewed as improvements. The changes include new Scale Room procedures, the allowance of beverages while competing, special check-in accommodations for team captains with four or more teams, opportunities for team captains reg-istered for both 2010 and 2011 and a fully-automated registration process. Bowlers have always had their bowling balls weighed and checked prior to both team and doubles and singles, but this procedure has now been improved. All balls still must be checked prior to bowling team, but only balls not present during team must be checked before doubles and singles competition. All bowlers are still required to report to the squad room with their equipment, however. Once on the lanes, bowlers will be allowed to con-sume beverages while competing. In the past, water was provided and all other drinks were prohibited, but an in-creasing demand has prompted the change on a trial basis. Behind the scenes, team captains with four or more teams will be able to enjoy a stress-free check-in experi-ence in the tournament’s new VIP check-in area, which is set away from the general check-in counter. In addition, captains are encouraged to register for 2011 so they can begin reaping the benefits of the Eagle’s Nest, a special club for dedicated captains. Eagle’s Nest members will receive a monthly E-Nest newsletter featuring tournament tips, latest bowling trends and special offers from Reno sponsors, USBC Travel and the Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Au-thority. All Eagle’s Nest members also will be eligible to win one of five cars or trucks that will be awarded at the 2011 Open Championships, also being held in Reno, airfare and lodging for the 2011 event or one of the high-performance Storm bowling balls awarded each day during the 2011 tournament. Captains with four or more teams also will be eligible for free upgrades on lodging in 2011. Any current or potential team captains interested in registering for 2011 now can do so using USBC’s fully-automated registra-tion system on USBCopen.com. This option was intro-duced earlier in February, and the step-by-step process has proven to be simple and quick.

INTERNATIONAL FAMILY TOURNAMENT By Tom Brendgord

The International Family Tournament is a doubles event featuring parents and their children bowling in a progression of levels with the ultimate goal to reach the international finals and win scholarships along the way. The first and second levels of qualifying have already occurred with the state finals next scheduled at Snowy Lanes in Lewistown on March 27-28. The following is a list of those who qualified for state finals advancement.

Western Region Parent/Youth Division: (adult listed first/youth listed last) 1. Michael McCullough/Turner McCullough 1461 2. Tiffany Cox/Caylor Cox 1451 3. Jim Clinton/Jacob Clinton 1439 4. Kristi Bauman/Kelson Bauman 1436 5. Travers Cox/Caydann Cox 1413 6. Patricia DeYoung/Taydem Baker 1407 7. Tiffany Cox/Caydann Cox 1404 8. Brent Sipe/Dylan Sipe 1387 9. LeAn Terio/Kyra Terio 1387 10. Kristi Bauman/Preston Downard 1387 Parent/Teen Division: 1. Steven Smigaj/Ashley Smigaj 1489 2. Renee Isono/Madison Reynolds 1461 3. Ron Gall/Brittany Gall 1450 4. Kevin Shulund/Hailey Shulund 1437 5. Larry Lambert/Jake Lambert 1375 6. Tana Lambert/Jake Lambert 1371 7. Judy McKinney/Kayla McVey 1352

Eastern Region Parent/Youth Division: 1. Tim Errecart/Logan Errecart 1440 2. Solotair Barcus/Ashton Barcus 1438 3. Jim Stiles/Hunter Errecart 1437 4. Ray Geiss/Tanner Geiss 1421 5. Colin Parish/Chance Parish 1411 6. Jon Ottenbacher/Toby Ottenbacher 1410 7. Tamie Marsich/Jacob Marsich 1404 8. Kathy Woodard/Nolan Woodard 1397 9. Iris Freeck/Thomas Freeck 1394 10. Greg Freeck/Thomas Freeck 1378 11. Craig Marshall/Dillon Marshall 1377 12. Michael Bowles/Christian Bowles 1376 13. Janice Marshall/Dillon Marshall 1352 14. Christy Ottenbacher/Karissa Ottenbacher 1345 15. Kit Krenelka/Jared Krenelka 1341 Parent/Teen Division: 1. Dan Kagarise/Daniel Kagarise 1526 2. Marie Murphy/Daniel Murphy 1409 3. Kerry Hardacre/SheaLynn Hardacre-Stiles 1396 4. Deanne Willoughby/Dayton Willoughby 1383 5. Donna Degner/Casey Degner 1360 6. Dean Hoyt/Amber Hoyt 1354 7. Carson Stiles/SheaLynn Hardacre-Stiles 1347 8. Kelly Corneliusen/Avery Corneliusen 1330 9. Bert Stiles/SheaLynn Hardacre-Stiles 1314 10. Janice Marshall/Kristin Marshall 1312 11. Todd Fergen/Cody Fergen 1287 12. Craig Marshall/Kristin Marshall 1286

6

Westside Lanes Westside Lanes Westside Lanes Westside Lanes & Fun Center

Montana’s Largest

Bowling Center

Featuring:

♦ 36 State-of-the-Art Lanes

♦ Full Service Café

♦ “Vegas” Style Casino with Live Poker

♦ Large Banquet/Meeting Room available

♦ Batting Cages

♦ Miniature Golf

Bowl dog lounge • Happy Hour Monday - Sunday 4:30-6 PM

• Karaoke Thursdays and Saturdays

• Live Music most Fridays

1615 Wyoming - Missoula, MT (406) 721-5263 STOP IN AND SEE US!

USBC BOARD APPROVES BUMPER BOWLING

AWARDS, HIGH SCHOOL MEMBERSHIPS

(Note: This is a reprint of a USBC news release 2/3/10)

Special achievement awards for youth competing in bumper bowling leagues and a new membership product for high school bowlers were recently approved by the United States Bowling Congress Board of Directors. Bumper bowling league competitors rolling 50, 75, and 100 games and/or 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 series are immedi-ately eligible to earn Bowlopolis emblems in those categories. These awards can be earned regardless of the bowler’s bumper league average and will continue to be earned on the same pro-gressive merit basis. These awards are being made available because USBC does not recognize bumper league averages making purchasable awards their only other option. The new USBC High School membership , which becomes effective August 1st, is available to those interscholastic high school bowlers who are not USBC Youth members. Bowlers may apply for the membership any time during the current inter-scholastic schedule. The cost for the new membership is $5.00. The USBC High School membership will provide the following: (1) USBC Youth membership card, (2) USBC official average (3) Eligible to bowl in USBC-certified tournaments when qualified, (4) Eligible to apply for USBC scholarships, (5) Eligible for nomi-nation to the Dexter USBC High School All-American team.

Women & Men

Doubles Calcutta • March 20-21, 2010 • 3 games qualifying Sat: 12:30, 3:30, 6:30

• Top 12 Women/24 Men teams bowl Sunday finals

• Hdcp: 80% of 420 • High Avg: 2008-09 or 1/1/10 • Mandatory 9:30 am Sun. check-in

• Westside Lanes employees eligible

• Lanes oiled between 3:30 & 6:30 • Calcutta auction Sat PM after qual.

ADDED MONEY

BOWLER WINS $10 MILLION JACKPOT WHILE

IN RENO FOR 2010 USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

(Note: This is a reprint of a USBC news release 2/22/10)

Most bowlers at the USBC Open Championships are excited when they bowl well enough to claim a share of the tournament’s prize fund, but John Johnson of Golden, Colorado, managed to become a multimillionaire before he even stepped on the tournament lanes. Shortly after exiting his flight to Reno on Sunday, Feb. 22, Johnson put $20 into an airport slot machine, and minutes later, he was the winner of the $10,422,754.08 Megabucks MegaJackpot. Reno has become a special destination for the 36-year-old Johnson and his teammates. Three of his six Open appearances have come at Reno’s National Bowling Stadium, plus while in town for the 2007 event, he and his wife, Stephanie were married. Johnson is a mechanical designer for BCER Engineering near Denver. Although he tried to not let his big win and the associ-ated flurry of media attention bother him, the right-hander posted games of 222, 138 and 192 for a 552 series. His team posted a score about 500 pins lower than the leading Regular division team. He still had doubles and singles to go. Johnson plans to keep coming to the Open wherever it may be, but you can bet that Reno will be a destination for him for years to come regardless of the occasion. He now has ten million reasons more in addition to bowling.