Greetings and salutations my bowling friends and welcome to another addition of Striking Spotlight. Now that summer is passed and were in full gear of the new season I wanted to reflect on a few stories from the past year. I hope this new season finds more Slashes and fewer dashes.
One that will sure raise attention from the Professional Bowlers Association is Six-time NFL Pro Bowl receiver Terrell Owens and Collegiate Star Marshall Kent, both set to compete in the PBA World Series of Bowling V. There were a lot of opinions about Owens bowling in the Open Championships and now at the WSOB. I have been one to believe that any news is good news and I sure hope the main stream media picks this up as I think we can agree we need the help right now.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to test my skills against the best players in the world,” said Owens, who earlier this year competed in the USBC Open Championships in Reno, Nev., Bowling’s largest amateur event.
“Marshall Kent’s great performance at the U.S. Open and status as two-time Collegiate Bowler of the Year have earned him this opportunity at the WSOB,” said Clark. “We want the country’s best collegiate player in the World Series of Bowling. He has a legitimate reason not to join the PBA right now because of collegiate eligibility rules, but we know he will be joining to test his talent against the best in the world on a regular basis as soon as he is eligible.”
Next story I would like to share is about Natalie’s Striking Summer. For those of you that may not be familiar with her story; Natalie Savant is a youth bowler from San Antonio that wanted to bring awareness of youth bowling to the front line and with the help of her family she set out on a mission to visit the 48 contiguous United States to have fun and raise awareness (and maybe a little money) for youth bowling! I had the pleasure of meeting Natalie at this past year’s Bowl eXpo in Las Vegas. From the minute you say hello to her you can see how much passion that she has for the game and the sport. This 9 year old has a really great start to her bowling resume as she already has a Texas State USBC youth title and 6th place all events to her credit. You can stay up to date with Natalie by her fan page at www.facebook.com/NatsStrikingSummer
Now how can we forget about the “ROOKIE” Pete Weber who won the USBC Senior Masters? Weber delivered a clutch finish after fellow Hall of Famer Lennie Boresch, gave him an opening in the final frame. Weber struck on his first shot in the 10th frame to lock up the win, 229-205, at the South Point Bowling Center. Weber went on to say “Even though it’s a senior tournament, it ranks right up there with all my other wins,” said Weber, who turned 50 in August to become eligible to compete on the PBA50 Tour. “I don’t care if it’s a senior major or a regular major. All majors are what make you great. I just can’t wait for the regular Masters to come along now.”
In closing this month I wanted to remember a few bowlers that are no longer with us:
Les Schissler
Barry Gurney
John Jowdy
Till next time stay Happy, Healthy and Bowling.
Brian Hirsch
Brian Hirsch grew up in Bronx, New York. After moving to Arizona and seeing bowling on TV there was something about it that brought him to the lanes that next Saturday and to this day the PASSION for the sport is still there!!!! Off the lanes you’ll find Brian cheering on the New York Yankees! When not working, Brian can be found Coaching, working at Bowling with LEVERAGE Pro Shops and spreading the word about Bowling.
Brian is a proud member of the MOTIV Bowling & Turbo Grips Staff’s.
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