WORLDLETTER-PLUS Early March, 2007
DENMARK:We have unfortunately received two cancellations from tournaments adopted for the European Bowling Tour 2007.
The organizer of Kungsbacka International Tournament (EBT 2007-21) notified us of the cancellation of his tournament and we received another cancellation from the organizer of Gutperle Viernheim Open (EBT 2007-15).
The organizer of Kungsbacka International Tournament announced the EBT Rules 2007 to be the reason for his wish to cancel. To this we state that all central parts of the EBT Rules for 2007 have been unchanged since they were published a year ago, which also indicates that all conditions for the organizer in Kungsbacka would have been exactly the same when the tournament should have been conducted in December this year, as they were when the organizer in June 2006 applied for his tournament to be adopted in the EBT 2007. In general, ETBF never changes the central rules and regulations for one year’s tour after the tour schedule has been published.
Adding a very good attendance of 261 players in the 2006 edition of the tournament, it is hard for ETBF to understand the real reason behind the cancellation, but it is a fact that the organizer does not want to conduct the tournament in 2007.
Concerning the Gutperle Viernheim Open, the organizer is announcing the German tax rules, and indeed a very thorough interpretation of these rules in 2006, to be the main reason for the cancellation. We have no reason to doubt this factual information from the organizer, but we regret very much the loss of the Gutperle Viernheim Open in the EBT 2007.
According to the general EBT Rules, it is de facto not possible for any tournament to leave the Tour after the composition of the Tour is published. The two tournaments will therefore keep their Tour stop numbers (15 and 21); no matter that they will not be conducted.
Furthermore, the tournaments are obliged to pay their EBT fees, exactly as the case for the previously cancelled Olympia Tournament in Helsingborg, for the purpose to contribute financially to the EBT 2007 they once joined and for the benefit of the players on the Tour. We, indeed, expect all three organizers to fulfil their obligations concerning their EBT 2007 fees.
Despite these hiccups in the ongoing tour, there are still many more excellent tour stops to enter for all interested bowlers from all over the world and the ETBF will continue unabated to develop its EBT products over the coming years for the benefit of bowling in Europe. Kim Thorsgaard Jensen, ETBF Vice President / EBT Director
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The Swedish Bowling Federation has, with a very short notice, decided to arrange a camp in Sweden for their national teams during the period of Brunswick Aalborg International 2007 (EBT 2007 Stop 09). In this context, the national teams are the four Swedish gross teams for women, men, U23 women and U23 men.
By this action, the Swedish Bowling Federation is blocking about 40 Swedish top players from signing up for squads in Brunswick Aalborg International 2007.
All tournaments (of course also Brunswick Aalborg International) must accept situations where clashes with activities in some federations exist, but in most situations important national activities are listed openly in the year calendars of the federations and clashes are therefore normally known way ahead of time.
When organizers are familiar with clashes in due time, they have a chance to defend their business, either by planning and acting according to known situations or by moving their tournaments a little, which we have seen happen from time to time for other organizers.
In this specific situation, where this absolute and tremendous clash came late, unexpected and as a big surprise, there is no possibility to adjust or change the situation for the tournament. We, in the organizing team of Brunswick Aalborg International, are therefore considering the action as very serious and damaging for our tournament, or though we are not familiar with the reason behind it.
Since Sweden for geographical reasons is a key market for Brunswick Aalborg International, there have already been some rumors that the tournament will be cancelled in 2007. It is therefore important for the tournament management to underline, that BrunswickAalborg International 2007 WILL be conducted in full scale, with the original prize pool of €62.000 and on its original dates May 21-27.
The international tournament in Aalborg is in 2007 organized for the 40th time, it is the oldest tournament in the European Bowling Tour and it is not the intention that the tournament should disappear, neither in 2007 nor in the future.
Anyhow, the loss of many Swedish top players is a very serious challenge for the tournament and we sincerely hope the missing attendance from a number of Swedish top players will attract other players to the tournament in Aalborg on May 21-27, 2007.
For more information about the tournament, check out www.bai2007.dk
Kim Thorsgaard Jensen,Tournament Manager, BrunswickAalborg International
EUROPEAN RANKINGS: After four events of the 2007 European Bowling Tour, three-time rankings champion Paul Moor of England holds onto his first place with a nice 44 point buffer over challenger Martin Larsen of Sweden. However, there’s a new leader in the ladies’ division with England’s Kirsten Penny taking over the hot spot.
Current standings – Men: 1. Paul Moor, Englandf 224 points; 2. Martin Larsen, Sweden 180; 3. Osku Palermaa, Finland 162; 4. Kimmo Lehtonen, Finland 140; 5. Alix Yoan, France 129; 6. Peter Smits, Netherlands 83; 7. Hermes Rodrigos, Brazil 80; 8. Ari Halme, Finland/Wu Siu Hong, Hong Kong 70. Ladies: 1.Kirsten Penny, England 178; 2. Krista Pollanen, Finland 160; 3. Piritta Kantola, Finland/Martina Beckel, Germany 128; 5. Nicole Sanders, Netherlands 122; 6. Britt Brondsted, Denmark 116; 7. Ghislaine v.d. Tol, Netherlands 111; Priscilla Maaswinkel, Netherlands 109. etbf.dk
MALAYSIA: A unique team competition of Malaysia versus the Rest of the World, the Canon Cup 2007, will take place at the Pyramid Mega Lanes in Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur on March 25th, the day after the 30th International Malaysia Open.
The top three Asian male and top two Asian female bowlers, based on their finishing positions in the Malaysian Invitational Bowling Championship Open Masters finals, will make up the Asian Team. There will be a minimum of one male and female Malaysia bowler in the Asian team (Team Asia).
The top three male and top two female bowlers from the rest of the world, based on their finishing positions in the Malaysian Invitational Bowling Championship Open Masters finals, will make up the Rest of The World team (Team ROW). If there is less than 5 bowlers from rest of the world in the masters finals, the first available European or American reserve will make up the team.
A one-game matchplay format head-to-head between players from each team, based on the rankings assigned, will be played on live TV. One (1) point for a win and no point for a loss. If there is a tie, a single frame roll-off will be conducted until the tie is broken. A total of five (5) matches for a total of five points will be contested.
A total of US$15,000 cash vouchers will be awarded in the following manner: a 5 – 0 win - US$12,500 to winning team, US$2,500 to opponent; b. 4 – 1 win - US$10,000 to winning team, US$5,000 to opponent; c.3 – 2 win - US$8,000 to winning team, US$7,000 to opponent
Playing uniforms shall be provided. Bowlers are allowed to stick on their own sponsors badges so long as the size of the logos do not exceed 3 x 3inches. Only a total of 2 badges are allowed. Terence Yaw, MTBC
SPAIN: Rodrigo Hermes, believed to be the first Brazilian to compete on the European Bowling Tour (EBT), fought his way through to the title match in the 5th Catalonia Open in Barcelona, March 4, against Sweden’s ebullient Martin Larsen (pictured). He earned that prestigious spot by defeating Hong Kong’s talented Wu Sui Hong, 208-191, to face the Swedish multi gold medalist. Larsen turned out to be the victor, 208-196, to scoop the €10,000 first prize. This saw the unique situation of the top three places going to three different continents.
Just 147 bowlers traveled to the moderate climes of the Catalonian city to contest the initial qualifying round, which saw Gery Verbruggen of Belgium, top ranked EBT player for four consecutive years, 2000-2003, just head England’s Paul Moor for first place (1496-1485), also top ranked EBT bowler for the years 2004-2006 and is also the current rankings leader.
Verbruggen was to eventually finish in fourth place, Moor ninth.
Final standings: 1. Martin Larsen, Sweden €10,000; 2. Rodrigo Hermes, Brazil €5,000; 3. Wu Siu Hong, Hong Kong €3,000; 4. Gery Verbruggen, Belgium €2,000; 5. Jean-Marc Lebon, Belgium €1,900; 6. Alix Yoan, France €1,800; 7. Kirsten Penny, England €1,700; 8. Timo Alho, Finland €1,600; 9. Paul Moor, England €1,500; 10. Osku Palermaa, Finland €1,400. Keith Hale
UNITED STATES: The United States Bowling Congress and Kegel have been selected by the World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA) to jointly host the 2007 World Ranking Masters in May, a move made necessary after original host country Qatar withdrew several weeks ago.
The World Ranking Masters, which will feature 48 of the world's top bowlers, will take place at the KegelTrainingCenter in LakeWales, Fla., from May 3-7. It will be the third time in the seven-year history of the World Ranking Masters that the event will be held at the Kegel facility.
"It's an honor for USBC and Kegel to step in at the last minute to host this event," USBC Chief Officer of National Governing Body Kevin Dornberger said. "The World Ranking Masters has quickly become regarded as one of the top events on the international bowling calendar."
As tournament hosts, Kegel and USBC have jointly selected Team USA members Bill Hoffman of Columbus, Ohio, and Diandra Asbaty of Chicago to represent the United States in the event.
Hoffman, an eight-time Team USA member, helped lead the United States men to their first gold medal in team event at the Men's World Championships last year. Asbaty, the USBC Youth spokesperson, is a nine-time Team USA member and two-time U.S. Amateur champion.
"Originally, no U.S. athletes were scheduled to take part in the World Ranking Masters," Dornberger said. "Having Bill and Diandra step in and compete is an added bonus. Both of them are world-class athletes who will represent the United States well in this event."
The World Tenpin Bowling Association solicited what it termed as emergency bids to host the World Ranking Masters after Qatar was unable to conduct the event. The WTBA selected the USBC and Kegel proposal over bids from Indonesia and Finland.
The World Ranking Masters features the top eight men and top eight women from each WTBA zone (American, European and Asian). Last year's event was held in Kuwait, where Khalid Al Dubyan of Kuwait won the men's title while Colombia's Sara Vargas finished first among the women. Lucas Wiseman, USBC Communications
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With a strong emphasis on organized coaching, Brunswick Bowling & Billiards – Retail Division has announced the additions of two professional bowlers (pictured) to its teaching staff. Two-time U.S Open champion Del Ballard will serve as a full-time teaching professional and two-time Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Bowler of the Year Carolyn Dorin-Ballard will serve as a teaching representative.
“We are thrilled with Del Ballard and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard joining Brunswick’s teaching staff to further promote organized coaching in all of our bowling centers,” said Don Jones, director of marketing, Brunswick Bowling & Billiards - Retail. “With help from the Ballards, we can convert the casual bowler into a more frequent customer. When people grasp the basics of bowling, it makes an enormous impact; it makes bowling more fun and that’s what brings people back.”
In their new roles, Del and Carolyn will work with bowlers of all levels at Brunswick Zone centers across the country. Their main focus will be leading clinics and lessons for high school and youth bowlers and working with them to become lifelong bowlers.
“The face of bowling is changing to include more families and casual bowlers,” Jones said. “Therefore, Brunswick is taking a lead in providing personal coaching and tips for bowlers of all skill levels to help improve their game.”
Del Ballard joined the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) tour at age 19 and won his first major title in 1987. From there, he went on to win two U.S. Open Championships, the Tournament of Champions, the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Masters and the Brunswick World Open. He has won 12 PBA Titles.
Carolyn Dorin-Ballard joined the professional tour in 1991 and won 20 PWBA titles, three major championships, five Women’s International Bowling Congress (WIBC) championships, and is a two-time PWBA Bowler of the Year and seven-time WIBC All-American. Dorin-Ballard also serves as the USBC spokesperson for high-school bowling and as the director of development for the Bowling Proprietors Association of America Foundation. Katie Hasse
It Would Have Been Fun And Interesting to Go Back in History and Discover How the Founding Fathers Decided on Different Rules for 150 Sports
By Dick Evans
It would have been interesting to be around when the founding fathers decided on some of the basic rules for different sports – especially bowling and tennis when it comes to second shots.
In many sports, especially the individual type, you live or die with your first shot or first swing or first kick or first serve.
Not in bowling and tennis.
Everyone knows that some rules have been changed in many sports to fit the changing times and demands of spectators and television.
And sometimes some obscure so-called rules are really just part of tradition.
When I asked a jai-alai expert why a player could run past the serve line before throwing the pelota with his cesta, his explanation – “its tradition.”
In other words, he couldn't find me a written rule about the unorthodox serve technique but as far as anybody knew it had been part of the Basque game forever.
That's tradition.
Although bowling had been around for ages, the American Bowling Congress was established in 1895 and the organizers of the new tenpin organization came up with most of the basic rules that still apply today – the lane measures 60 feet and the bowling ball may not weigh more than 16 pounds.
And then they decided that a bowler should get two attempts to knock down 10 pins in any frame. If he/she did it with one ball then the bonus was bigger.
Since I wasn't there to listen in on the debate, the ABC founders may have just been trying to create a fun game that would catch on with the American public.
There is no reason that the lane could not have been 90 feet long, that would have made the game much tougher and eliminated a lot of today's controversy about high scoring. If I recall correctly, one company built a 90-foot lane in the casino at the MGM Grand in Reno during an ABC Convention and bowlers learned how hard it was to throw strikes from that distance.
Of course, a 90-foot lane would have been tough on the proprietors, especially if you wanted to build a new bowling center today. That extra 30 feet needed for each lane really would have pumped up the construction prices.
I have no idea how the tennis founders decided that a singles court should be 78 feet long and 27 feet wide. Maybe they ran back and forth across different size courts before deciding that 78 by 27 was ideal from an endurance standpoint.
And unlike most sports, the tennis founders decided a player should get a second chance to get his/her serve in the serve box if the first serve was out of bounds. If the organizers had decided you only got one serve then today's game as we know it would be vastly different, especially on the pro level where anything goes on the throwaway first serve.
To make things even more complicated, the tennis rules makers came up with different rules concerning when the ball hits the net during a serve compared to when the ball hits the net once a game has started. On a net ball on your serve, you get a free serve if the ball was in. During a game, you have to hit a net ball if it remains in the field of play.
They also decided that no set should end in a tie and a player had to win by two games, for example 9-7. But that rule was eliminated in most pro tournaments because television wanted to speed up the game – thus the introduction of tiebreakers. In addition, clubs and tournament groups and even players can alter the length of a game if they so desire.
Unlike bowling which has a fixed set of standards for how the game will be played and scored, tennis allows different tournaments, leagues and players to determine a lot of their own playing rules.
For example, most colleges do not recognize let balls on serves...if the ball hits the net and lands in the serve box then it is in play. If the ball hits the net and falls out of the designated area, then the server loses the point.
Then there is baseball, which has no rule about the distance from home plate to any outfield wall but has definite rules about the size of the infield. And who in the world decided that three strikes constituted an out and four balls constituted a walk. That rule seems unfair to the batter or too fair to the pitcher depending if you are standing on the mound or standing at the plate.
In the old days, basketball gymnasiums came in different sizes – especially at the high school level – but the free-throw line always has remained the same along with the height of the basket – 10 feet.
But don't get the wrong idea. Not all sports are created the same.
American bowling is dominated by the game of ‘tenpins,’ but in the Northeast section of America the games of ‘duckpins’ and ‘candle pins’ were at one time very popular. For years, Canadians have loved the game of ‘five pins’ where each bowler is allowed three shots in a frame. That means you get three chances to knock over only five pins. The game is surprisingly difficult. Plus, in many parts of the world the game of ‘nine pins’ is popular.
Canadians enjoy football but on a 120-yard field. And of course there is the new Arena football concept that is slowly catching on. And for years, the goal posts were built on the goal line in the National Football League before being moved back 10 yards to the end of the end zone.
Of all the sports, tennis probably has allowed the most changes in the hitting apparatus (racquet), football the most changes in the configuration of the ball and bowling the most changes in the surface of the ball – wood, rubber, polyester, urethane, etc.
All are considered technological improvements for the different sports.
All of which makes me wish that I was around when the playing rules were established for more than 150 sports.