DeREMER “86’s” OPPONENTS TO CLAIM MASTERS TITLE

The 2007 South Sound USBC Masters Bowling Tournament completed Sunday, December 9^th at Tower Lanes with a familiar name emerging as champion.  Frank DeRemer rolled his way into his second masters win by moving up the stepladder one victory at a time.

Beginning the day at 287 over from his December 1^st qualifying round, DeRemer continued his consistent play by averaging 221 throughout match play.  His efforts topped only by tournament leader, Erik Mattingly, who dominated the field both in qualifying rounds and match play, averaging 240 for the entire tournament.

Accompanying Mattingly and DeRemer in the stepladder finals were Mike Kennedy, qualifying 5^th, John Gustafson, qualifying 4^th, and Mike Karch, qualifying 2^nd.  Fresh lane conditions on lanes 7 and 8 gave the field some oil to conquer after the day’s play took its toll on the lanes they had seen so far. 

Spares were the difference in many of the games rolled during the stepladder, as John Gustafson adjusted just enough to get past Mike Kennedy, 213-171.  Gustafson then faced Frank DeRemer, who strung a few strikes to ensure the 211-186 win.  DeRemer then rolled past Mike Karch in a 245-186 victory, which placed him in the final match against top-seeded Mattingly.  Carry and spare-making were the keys to the game as DeRemer’s opponent again fell 211-186.

The twelve-game day proved a long one for many of the tournament qualifiers, with pin carry coming and going as often as the snow flurries outside.  With bonus pins awarded for each win, tournament standings changed almost as frequently.  Bowlers made moves from bottom to top as each pair posed its own challenges.  Always with the same names atop the list, however, as Mattingly and DeRemer set the pace for the rest.  As champion, DeRemer earns an entry to the 2008 USBC National Masters Tournament.

Congratulations, Frank, on your terrific bowling! 

The South Sound USBC thanks Tower Lanes, Tournament Host, Tournament Sponsor, Miller Brewing Company as well as SSUSBC sponsoring centers for the success of this prestigious tournament.

 

2007 MASTERS TOURNAMENT QUALIFYING

POSITION	NAME	TOTAL
1	Eric Mattingly	1933
2	Frank DeRemer	1887
3	Mike Karch	1805
4	Bob Hanson	1804
5	Kelly Murphy	1769
6	Keith Boyd	1730
7	Mike Kennedy	1705
8	Brian Johnson	1702
9	Larry Borghi	1696
10	John Gustafson	1688
11	Jimmie Dillingham	1679
12	Jerry Ledbetter	1663
Low To Cash:
13	Rich Porter	1656
14	Tom Anderson	1643

The Tacoma 600 Club Holds Fall Tournament -

On November 11, 2007, the Tacoma 600 Club held its annual sanctioned 3 game tournament at Bowlero Lanes.  This was a handicap tournament – 90% of 210.  Twenty-nine women participated in this event that is open to all women who have had a sanctioned 600 series and have paid the $2 membership fee.

The Division I players had averages of 170 and up and the winners were:  1^st Place- Gloria Trial 683 (including HCP) $57; 2^nd Place – Gwen Terry 666 $43; 3^rd Place – Teresa Bearer $32.  Division II winners were:  1^st Place – Cookie Sauro 665 $60; 2^nd Place – Frankie Bolton 634 $45; 3^rd Place – Chidori Ray 631 $35 and 4th Place was Denita Searles 622 $25.   A big thanks to all of you who made this a successful tournament. 

The next 600 Club Tournament is the Spring 9 Pin No Tap Tournament.  The specific location has not been determined, but we are planning on conducting it on March 9^th.  Please marck your calendars so that you don’t forget to come out and have FUN.  If you have had a 600 series and have not joined this organization, please contact your office staff at SSUSBC, 473-4822, or Pam Burns, the Club Secretary/Treasurer, 584-8266.

 

 

 

RICHARDS NABS RED WHITE & BLUE AT JUNIOR GOLD

by brenda zimmerman

with statistical excerpts derived from bowl.com

 

The week began with nearly 1,600 of the top youth bowlers in the country competing for $100,000 in scholarships, individual titles and berths on Junior Team USA 2008.

 

Athletes in both the boys and girls divisions rolled 18 qualifying games July 9-13 at AMF Airport Lanes, AMF Thruway Lanes and Transit Lanes. The qualifying field then was trimmed to the top 96 boys and 48 girls for Friday morning's semifinals, which consisted of one six-game block. The top 32 boys and 32 girls closed with a six-game block in the finals.

 

Revered by some to be the "best junior bowler to come out of the State of Washington", Dean Richards has certainly let his bowling back his reputation up this week.  At each center, bowling conditions were challenging, with the squad at AMF Airport Lanes reportedly the toughest.  Richards squashed pins at all three locations with scores of 1322 (Thruway), 1232 (Transit) and 1264 (Airport), making all stops look like a trip to the candy store with an average of 212.

 

Using his knowledge of lane conditions and having balls with varying surfaces and weight blocks, Richards was able to conquer everything that came his way.  In first place for a portion of the tournament, Richards drafted just behind the leaders for the remainder of it.  As his final frames arrived on Friday, he found himself within just pins of leader, Adam Martinez.  He needed to double in the tenth to move ahead and claim the junior national championship, but came up just a few pins shy when it was all said and done.

 

No matter, though, as Richards' stellar performance throughout the grueling week proved enough to earn him a spot on Junior Team USA 2008.  His 6185 total pinfall earned him a third place tie with Geoffrey Young.  Along with Adam Martinez, he is joined by Josh Burkhardt (qualifying 2nd), and Matt O'Grady (5th).  To round out the team, the National Selection Committee added Michael Marsico of Owings, Maryland.; John Szczerbinski of Wichita, Kansas and Toby Sambueno of Aiea, Hawaii from the remaining qualifiers from Friday's finals.

 

Congratulations, Dean, on your historic and significant achievement.  You are an inspiration to your fellow bowlers, a shining example for your State of Washington, and now a national ambassador for our sport. 

 

May you never forget this moment of achievement, and enjoy every moment of the coming year!

 

complete results of this tournament, information about Junior Gold and Team USA can be found at www.bowl.com.

 

 

BVL SHINES THROUGH RE-CREATION

 

Bowlers to Veterans Link is pleased to present RE-CREATION!  Re-Creation is an entertainment group which tours the United States in order to show our military veterans how much we bowlers appreciate the sacrifices they have made for our great nation.  Coming in August to cities throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho, they'll provide countless hours of enjoyment to our local veterans.  See the schedule below, and plan on attending one of their shows.

 

Appreciating our veterans and giving back - that's what it's all about!

 

 

MEET US OUT AT THE BALLGAME !

 

South Sound Bowlers!  Take advantage of a great pre-season get-together at the ballpark as the Mariners take on the Chicago White Sox August 18th at Safeco Field.  Enjoy the view from our very own suite complete with food and (non-alcoholic) drinks for $105.00 per person!

 

Reserve your ticket(s) before June 18th to partake in this perfect opportunity for bowling fellowship and fun!

 

Contact the association office at (253) 473-4822 for more information.

 

BOWLERS HONORED AT COUNTY SPORTS DINNER

 

By Brenda Zimmerman

 

Three South Sound USBC Hall of Famers were honored Friday, June 1 at the Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame Dinner for their contributions to the sport of bowling.

 

Larry Fulton, Jerry Ledbetter and LuAnn Moore joined thirty-five other sports enthusiasts on stage to receive their Hall of Fame awards.  Alongside sports such as baseball, football, swimming, boxing and golf, it's a treat to the bowling community that our sport is being recognized by the "rest of the world".

 

Congratulations to you all on this great honor, and thank you from all of us in the South Sound Bowling Community for your dedication to the sport of bowling throughout the years.

 

 

SOUTH SOUND BOWLERS SWEEP SEATTLE

 

By Brenda Zimmerman

South Sound bowlers continued their domination of Seattle’s best on Thursday at Hiline Lanes in Seattle.  With only the senior men trailing going into the night’s match, South Sound’s teams held on to sweep the inter-city match-up despite charges by Seattle’s men and youth boy’s teams.

The night found South Sound’s senior men’s team, led by Jerry Ledbetter’s 845 4-game series,  coming from a 10-point deficit to claim a 40-30 win.  When asked where their team’s turning point was, South Sound senior Mike Estes quirked, ”There were lots of them, but most important was the fact that we were behind in the 7^th frame of every game, but somehow pulled it together as a team to win by the 10^th”.   Bob Bjorke added, “We got the strikes when we needed them, and that was the difference”.  South Sound’s senior team felt that this was the tightest match they’ve bowled against the Seattle All Stars.

Jytte Klein’s 768 pins helped her senior ladies sail to victory with a 6988-6308 pin fall.  Despite a 26.5 point charge by Seattle, South Sound men, with scores like Bob Hanson’s 903, prevailed with a 56-34 victory.  Cindy Mattingly’s 4-game set of 892 helped solidify an 8050-7452 win for the women.  Hungry for pins after Tuesday’s match, Seattle’s youth boys challenged South Sound’s lead, but fell short 8023-7809 due to scores such as Jon Homiak’s 805.   “The boys kept their spirits up tonight which helped them in the end”, youth coach, Mark Peters concluded.  And consistency from bowler Makenzie Cherne (averaging 206 for all eight games) on their side, South Sound youth girls rolled over Seattle 7321-6920.  Coach Peters, smiling, “It’s going to be fun to see how this lineup works in the baker matches at the Extravaganza”.

“This has been a great rivalry for many years,” Bob Hanson, a 16 time all-star remarked, “and there’s nothing better than a clean sweep of every division” 

South Sound All Stars will compete at their annual bowling extravaganza on June 2-3 at Riverside Lanes and San Juan Lanes in Anacortes.

 

ALL STARS ALMOST PERFECT IN

INTER-CITY MATCH

By Brenda Zimmerman for Bob Gunstrom

The South Sound’s finest Senior, Men, Women and Youth bowlers launched a near-perfect performance on Tuesday, May 14^th at Pacific Lanes as they completed the first of two inter-city matches against Seattle’s best.

Going into Thursday’s portion of the inter association matches, South Sound’s Men’s team leads by 36 points due to efforts like Ronnie Noel’s 1008 (4gm) series, and Shane Youells’ 800 (3gm) series.  South Sound’s Women’s team, led by Helen Lewis’ 934 (4gm) series pulled ahead by 489 pins.  Bunny Tuell’s 767 (4gm) set helped the Senior Ladies to a 404-pin lead.  South Sound’s Boys were helped by scores like Jon Homiak’s 914 (4gm) to lead Seattle by 361 pins, with the Girls’ team posting a 233-pin lead.  Despite efforts such as Bob Bjorke’s 987(4gm), and Gary Cloin’s 985 (4gm), the Senior Men trail Seattle by 10 match points (men and senior men’s team matches determined by match play points, while all other team matches determined by total pins).

Youth All Star Team Coach, Mark Peters, on his group of fresh faces, “For such a young team, they are veteran bowlers”, then added, “both the teams came together and held each other up – they all understand the concept of teamwork, and that’ll help them as they go into Thursday’s match and the All Star Extravaganza”.

All Star teams will continue their inter-city match at 7 pm on Thursday, May 17^th at Hiline Lanes in Seattle.  They’ll also bowl in an All-Area Inter association Extravaganza at San Juan Lanes in Anacortes June 2-3.

It Wasn't Hard...

to justify this year's inductees into the South Sound USBC Halls of Fame.  In fact, it was a BREEEEZE...

Congratulations to Gary Glein and Carolee Tighe whose names will be added to the select few who adorn the SSUSBC Halls of Fame.  Their commitment to the sport of bowling is unparalleled, and for that, we will honor them at our South Sound USBC Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 21st at the Tacoma Elks Lodge on Union Avenue in Tacoma.

Tickets may be purchased at the SSUSBC office and from various members of the association for $20.

Come out and honor these very deserving individuals and celebrate another outstanding year of bowling with your fellow members.

We'd also like to congratulate Jerry Ledbetter, who is being inducted into the Washington State Bowling Hall of Fame Saturday, March 3rd in Vancouver, Washington.  If you haven't seen his bowling resume, it is a shining example of a lifetime of dedication to the sport of bowling.

“Hall of Fame” Nominations due Feb. 1^st, 2007

Is there an individual that you know of who has displayed superior performance in the game of American Ten Pins, or has contributed through meritorious service to the general welfare and progress of the game?    

If so, pick up a nomination form at any of our local centers or the South Sound office, fill it out and turn it in by the deadline of February 1^st 2007.  Then that individual can be considered for nomination to the Hall of Fame. 

There are two categories: Meritorious Service and Superior Performance.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Must be 40 years old before February 1^st 2007. (waived for posthumous nomination)
2. Must be or have been an active USBC member for 15 years. (includes years under ABC, WIBC and YABA)
3. Must be or have been a South Sound USBC member for 5 years. (may include years as a member of GTBA, TWBA, VWBA and GTYABA)

This is a perfect way to honor someone who is or has contributed to the sport we all enjoy.  Take a look out there and consider submitting an individual for this recognition.  Those that will be inducted will be presented their award during the South Sound annual awards banquet on April 21st at the Tacoma Elks.

If you have any questions please contact the South Sound office at 253-473-4822 or Committee Chair, Leigh Goodier at 253-250-1575.

 

Masters A Long Awaited Title For Hanson!

Sunday, November 19

 

Bob Hanson's bowling resume has been incomplete up to this point, but if you saw it, YOU'D never know that.  Earning every other local and state championship title imaginable, the Masters Title had been and elusive one for him, yet it continued to be the one he wanted most.  His patience paid off this weekend at Pacific Lanes as he emerged the champion of the South Sound USBC Masters Tournament.

This year's tournament was "gonna be a long one" as the format change beckoned many a bowler to Pacific Lanes.  In the past, the tournament ran two weekends, using the first as the qualifying round with the second consisting of the match play and stepladder finals rounds.

The association, with encouragement of many of the scratch bowlers in the area, changed the format to one weekend only.  "Since implementing the change, entries have increased, so the change in format looks to be what the bowlers want." stated Chet Richwine, Masters Tournament Chairperson.

So after nine games of qualifying on Saturday, the top 16 bowlers came back Sunday for another long day of bowling.  Match play consisted of 16 games, and the leader board changed as frequently as bowlers changed lanes.

 

Outstanding bowling was the treat for all who witnessed the day's progression, as matches were close in many instances, no matter how high or low the total pin fall was.  For example, a 257 score was shot, but failed to win the match to the adjacent 258. The same was true when spares were critical.  Many games ended in fewer than five pin differences.

 

Standing out from the crowd all day were Jerry Ledbetter, Mike Kennedy and Bob Hanson.  All three bowlers remained at or near the top of the leader board because of their ability to either strike, or stay out of trouble.  Creeping up the board, though, were many bowlers whose games heated up in the latter part of the day.  Frank DeRemer and Boeby Marks made their presence known to the leaders on many occasions, and hoped to jump into the stepladder finals with their late surges.

 

Ledbetter was in the lead for the better part of the day until he met up with some lanes that didn't quite react the same for him.  Kennedy and Hanson had been (up to that point) like dueling banjos taking over and giving up the second seed.  Kennedy took a 21-pin lead over second place, Hanson, but in the 15th game, Hanson took over the top spot with only a few pins to spare.

 

The sixteenth game was a position round, with bowlers in second through fifth spots changing once again.  And so the stepladder finals were set.

 

The story of the stepladder "road to the show" can be summed up in one word... Boeby.  Coming into the finals as fifth seed, Boeby Marks met Frank DeRemer, fourth, and prospered with his 224-201 win.  He then went on to face third-seeded Mike Kennedy and won in dramatic fashion 226 - 217 (a close one? just wait!).  After passing Kennedy, second-seeded Jerry Ledbetter thought he had Boeby's number when he forced him to have to double in the 10th to win, but Boeby didn't agree.  And as the second strike fell, Boeby finished with a 197-195 victory.  Close doesn't even come CLOSE to describing that one! But he was in for a much greater challenge ahead.

Pacing in anticipation throughout all three matches was top-seeded Bob Hanson.  With his Hammer Black Widow in hand, he knew in practice that he had a great look on the championship pair.  He just couldn't wait to get out there and roll his way to his first Masters Championship.  Marks, who'd been outstanding up to this point, struggled through the first frames of the match, while Hanson delivered powerful shots to the pocket time and again.  The difference paid off for Hanson in a huge way as he earned the 220-178 victory.

Alongside Hanson as he accepted his well-earned championship paycheck and his berth to the 2007 USBC Masters Tournament was his youngest of five sons, Daniel, who was possibly more excited for the win than his hero of a father.  Also in attendance was Hanson's wife, Carrie and his mom and dad, Ivy and Robert Hanson, Sr.

No one knows better than Hanson's parents how very long he has waited for this moment.  From his early attempts in the 80's, Bob and his parents fought many a pin battle, only to watch others claim the coveted Masters title.  So this is special for not only Bob, but his parents as well.  To see a son's dream become reality must bring great pride to their always loving hearts.

Congratulations, Bob, on your outstanding achievement.  In the words of so many in our bowling community... you've "FINALLY" done it!

Thanks so much to Chet Richwine, Masters Tournament Chairman, and the South Sound USBC Board Members who volunteered their time in support of the tournament.  Thanks also to Miller Lite, proud sponsor of the 2006-07 SSUSBC Masters, and to Pacific Lanes and their staff for their terrific service as hosts of this year's tournament.