onefrombills
11-04-2008, 01:49 PM
More unforgettable memories were created last week as the historic 50th Anniversary season of the PBA Tour rolled on in Omaha, Neb. for the Pepsi Viper Championship at Thunder Alley Lanes. The PBA Women’s Series sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC), debuted this week, returning for the second season, and two new PBA titlists were crowned at the culmination of the week.
The Pepsi Viper Championship is the first of five PBA lane pattern championship tournaments featured during the 2008-2009 season. With a modified round-robin match play format and the bonus pin factor of receiving 30 extra pins per win, the race to qualify for the ESPN telecast was as close as could be.
Going into the final position round game of match play, five bowlers were vying for the final two spots on the top four telecast. Fans, fellow exempt bowlers and even the tournament directors were scrambling to figure out which bowlers would be in and which would be out.
With Thunder Alley’s split bowling center set-up, a majority of the top matches were on the low side of the center. However one crucial match was on the other side, where Wes Malott shot a huge 268 final game, finishing before the other top matches, thus awaiting his fate.
With the other bowlers in contention not knowing what had occurred on the other side, each match continued to come down to the 10th frame. In the end, it was Brad Angelo who squeezed out a victory over Jack Jurek ****202-195 to remain third seed, while a pesty ring 10-pin caused Mika Koivuniemi to fall out of the TV show. Wes Malott jumped from seventh to fourth with his huge 268 game, beating out Jurek, Mike Machuga and Mika Koivuniemi for the final spot on Sunday’s telecast.
The race for the top two spots for the PBA Women’s Series was equally as tight. Michelle Feldman had top seed locked up. However, second seed and a berth to the televised finals was still up for grabs. Stefanie Nation, who bowled against Feldman in the final position round match, needed to beat Feldman and still shoot a big game to hold on to second. Nation did just that shooting a clutch 244 to Feldman’s 221, beating out both Shannon Pluhowsky and Diandra Asbaty for the final spot in the TV finals.
When all was said and done after Sunday’s live ESPN telecast, two new champions captured PBA titles. In the Women’s Series championship match, collegiate standout Nation defeated ex-PWBA touring pro Michelle Feldman in an emotional victory. From the tears in Nation’s eyes, you could see and feel how much the win meant to her.
Then in the men’s championship match, it was a battle between Chris Loschetter and Brad Angelo, both arguably the best PBA exempt bowlers who were yet to have a PBA title. In the end, Angelo got the monkey off his back, shooting a huge 256 to Loschetter’s 215 to claim the victory.
Angelo, in his seventh year out on the Lumber Liquidators PBA tour, definitely proved that seven is a lucky number. Prior to the start of the season, I spoke to Angelo at our Brunswick professional staff training camp in preparation for the upcoming PBA tour season. When I asked him about his thoughts on the upcoming PBA Tour, he said “This will be season lucky number seven, and I’m looking to win my first title but above all have a consistent season.” Angelo has already proved just that with an early win and plenty more tournaments yet to come.
“This is something I’ve always dreamed of my whole life. It’s why I continue to bowl, and now I finally have the monkey off my back,” said Angelo.
Angelo has been bowling since the young age of three.
“When I was young, I used to set up my plastic pin set next to the TV during the PBA telecasts,” said Angelo. I watched Norm, Pete, and Earl compete on TV and I would bowl against them every week. After they bowled a frame on TV, then I would bowl a frame using my plastic pin set. So I grew up bowling against these legends in my own home. Now it’s crazy because I’m good friends with these guys,” Angelo added.
With a dream come true for two new PBA titlists this past week, what new memories will be made at this week’s Lake County Indiana Golden Anniversary Championship at Olympia Lanes in Hammond, Indiana? Stay tuned for this week’s competition, as the PBA Senior bowlers will compete alongside the PBA tour. The Lake County Indiana Golden Anniversary Championship marks the first televised PBA senior event since the Orleans Casino Senior Open in 2001.
The Pepsi Viper Championship is the first of five PBA lane pattern championship tournaments featured during the 2008-2009 season. With a modified round-robin match play format and the bonus pin factor of receiving 30 extra pins per win, the race to qualify for the ESPN telecast was as close as could be.
Going into the final position round game of match play, five bowlers were vying for the final two spots on the top four telecast. Fans, fellow exempt bowlers and even the tournament directors were scrambling to figure out which bowlers would be in and which would be out.
With Thunder Alley’s split bowling center set-up, a majority of the top matches were on the low side of the center. However one crucial match was on the other side, where Wes Malott shot a huge 268 final game, finishing before the other top matches, thus awaiting his fate.
With the other bowlers in contention not knowing what had occurred on the other side, each match continued to come down to the 10th frame. In the end, it was Brad Angelo who squeezed out a victory over Jack Jurek ****202-195 to remain third seed, while a pesty ring 10-pin caused Mika Koivuniemi to fall out of the TV show. Wes Malott jumped from seventh to fourth with his huge 268 game, beating out Jurek, Mike Machuga and Mika Koivuniemi for the final spot on Sunday’s telecast.
The race for the top two spots for the PBA Women’s Series was equally as tight. Michelle Feldman had top seed locked up. However, second seed and a berth to the televised finals was still up for grabs. Stefanie Nation, who bowled against Feldman in the final position round match, needed to beat Feldman and still shoot a big game to hold on to second. Nation did just that shooting a clutch 244 to Feldman’s 221, beating out both Shannon Pluhowsky and Diandra Asbaty for the final spot in the TV finals.
When all was said and done after Sunday’s live ESPN telecast, two new champions captured PBA titles. In the Women’s Series championship match, collegiate standout Nation defeated ex-PWBA touring pro Michelle Feldman in an emotional victory. From the tears in Nation’s eyes, you could see and feel how much the win meant to her.
Then in the men’s championship match, it was a battle between Chris Loschetter and Brad Angelo, both arguably the best PBA exempt bowlers who were yet to have a PBA title. In the end, Angelo got the monkey off his back, shooting a huge 256 to Loschetter’s 215 to claim the victory.
Angelo, in his seventh year out on the Lumber Liquidators PBA tour, definitely proved that seven is a lucky number. Prior to the start of the season, I spoke to Angelo at our Brunswick professional staff training camp in preparation for the upcoming PBA tour season. When I asked him about his thoughts on the upcoming PBA Tour, he said “This will be season lucky number seven, and I’m looking to win my first title but above all have a consistent season.” Angelo has already proved just that with an early win and plenty more tournaments yet to come.
“This is something I’ve always dreamed of my whole life. It’s why I continue to bowl, and now I finally have the monkey off my back,” said Angelo.
Angelo has been bowling since the young age of three.
“When I was young, I used to set up my plastic pin set next to the TV during the PBA telecasts,” said Angelo. I watched Norm, Pete, and Earl compete on TV and I would bowl against them every week. After they bowled a frame on TV, then I would bowl a frame using my plastic pin set. So I grew up bowling against these legends in my own home. Now it’s crazy because I’m good friends with these guys,” Angelo added.
With a dream come true for two new PBA titlists this past week, what new memories will be made at this week’s Lake County Indiana Golden Anniversary Championship at Olympia Lanes in Hammond, Indiana? Stay tuned for this week’s competition, as the PBA Senior bowlers will compete alongside the PBA tour. The Lake County Indiana Golden Anniversary Championship marks the first televised PBA senior event since the Orleans Casino Senior Open in 2001.