Inclement weather can't stop Georgia bowlers at USBC Open Championships
February 21, 2010
RENO, Nev. - With nearly two feet of snow in some parts of the Reno area, travel to the National Bowling Stadium became difficult and some bowlers had to make last minute changes in order to compete in doubles and singles at the 2010 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Sunday.
Two of those bowlers were John Chisena of Atlanta and Steven Vance of Stone Mountain, Ga., who were not supposed to bowl doubles together, but paired up when two of their teammates were unable to make the drive from nearby Carson City and another couldn't bowl due to injury.
The last-minute shuffle worked out in their favor, as Chisena and Vance set the pace in Regular Doubles with a 1,184 total. Chisena, a 56-year-old right-hander, led the way with a 598 series, while Vance contributed 586.
Vance, who uses a two-handed approach, finished doubles with four consecutive strikes and carried that momentum into singles, where he posted games of 225, 226 and 278 for a 729 series and moved into the Regular Singles lead for the third consecutive year. In 2008, he also rolled a 729 series, followed by 747 in 2009.
In 13 appearances at the Open Championships, Vance's singles average is 222.6, compared to 203 in doubles and 197.9 in team. This year, he added 598 in team and also tops the Regular All-Events standings with 1,913.
"The lane conditions were a little more playable for me on the singles pair compared to the doubles pair, and my key adjustment was walking slower to the foul line," said Vance, 36, who bowls regularly at Brunswick Zone Lilburn (Ga.). "It's always exciting to bowl well, and to also lead all-events means a lot. All-events is always something you want to strive for because there are nine games involved."
In the Classified Division, Lee Baird of Brownwood, Texas, set the bar with a 570 series in singles on the way to a 1,648 all-events total and leads both Classified Singles and Classified All-Events.
The 53-year-old right-hander added 562 in team and 516 in doubles to round out his 2010 tournament campaign. On the other side of the Stadium, Larry Grafreed of Chicago closed things out with four consecutive strikes to match Baird's singles effort. He added 500 in team and 478 in doubles for a 1,548 all-events total.
"I'm not going to hold my breath on the score holding up, but it's a great opportunity to see my name in lights," said Baird, who is the proprietor of Academy Lanes in Brownwood. "At nationals, I haven't been able to strike much, so I really work hard on my spares. I even drilled up a new spare ball before coming here."
To be eligible for Classified Singles and All-Events, individual bowlers must have an entering average of 180 or below.
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado and Silver Legacy Hotel/Casinos in Reno, Nev. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.
2010 USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
At National Bowling Stadium, Reno, Nev.
(Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls)
REGULAR DIVISION
Team
1, Pandorum (Leigh Trostel, Darin Belsito, Settee Johnson, Mark McClung, Justin Gibbons), Buford, Ga., 3,063. 2, Macanudos, Auburn, Ga., 2,961. 3, Bountiful Gardens, Hamlet, N.C., 2,926. 4, TEXA Tonka Lanes-GRN1, Minneapolis, 2,900. 5, Yeah Baby, John's Creek, Ga., 2,775. 6, Atlanta Fun Center, Atlanta, 2,741. 7, The B Team, Wichita, Kan., 2,710. 8, Sorcerers Two, San Antonio, 2,672. 9, McCroskey Attorney at Law, Newport, Wash., 2,670. 10, Shock and Awe One, San Antonio, 2,658.
Doubles
1, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga./John Chisena, Atlanta, 1,184. 2, Stephanie Gardner/Edgar Gardner, North Las Vegas, Nev., 1,138. 3, Jewell Ownbey/Forrest Ownbey, Newport, Wash., 1,128. 4, Glen Sims, Mason, Ohio/Jeff Deaton, Morrow, Ohio, 1,127. 5, Kass Himes/Carl Glaborg, Weiser, Idaho, 1,121. 6, James Brandt, Plano, Texas/Brian Trisko, Champlin, Minn., 1,120. 7, Tim Brown, Mason, Ohio/Kevin Betts, Cincinnati, 1,118. 8 (tie), Jose Cortes, San Antonio/Michael Walters, Waring, Texas, and Wyatt Moore/Dustin Moore, San Antonio, 1,114. 10, Malcolm White, Painter, Va./Popeye Vitelli, Princess Anne, Md., 1,113.
Singles
1, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga., 729. 2, Doug Patton Jr., Round Rock, Texas, 621. 3, Mitch Mitchell, Buford, Ga., 620. 4, Timothy Hawley Sr., San Antonio, 617. 5, Dallas Head, Ontario, Ore., 608. 6, Lonnie Eckhart, Kingsbury, Texas, 607. 7, Jim McCroskey, Newport, Wash., 603. 8, Chuck Rowe, San Antonio, 601. 9, Kendel Eckhart, Kingsbury, Texas, 595. 10, Stephanie Gardner, North Las Vegas, Nev., 594.
All-Events
1, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga., 1,913. 2, Forrest Ownbey, Newport, Wash., 1,848. 3, Doug Patton Jr., Round Rock, Texas, 1,814. 4, John Chisena, Atlanta, 1,808. 5, James Brandt, Plano, Texas, 1,799. 6, Wyatt Moore, San Antonio, 1,790. 7, Mitch Mitchell, Buford, Ga., 1,759. 8, Jose Cortes, San Antonio, 1,746. 9, J Eldred, Nyssa, Ore., 1,724. 10, Jeff Deaton, Morrow, Ohio, 1,722.
Team All-Events
1, TEXA Tonka Lanes-GRN1, Minneapolis, 8,400. 2, McCroskey Attorney at Law, Newport, Wash., 7,988. 3, Zips Lounge Two, Mason, Ohio, 7,977. 4, Head Pin Lanes One, Crystal, Idaho, 7,918. 5, TEXA Tonka Lanes-GRN2, Minneapolis, 7,900. 6, Comfortably Numb, Boerne, Texas, 7,834. 7 (tie), Zips Lounge One, Cincinnati, and Head Pin Lanes 11, Weiser, Idaho, 7,754. 9, Juliano's, Ossining, N.Y., 7,700. 10, Sorcerers Two, San Antonio, 7,634.
CLASSIFIED DIVISION
Team
1, 3 Jokers & 2 Queens (Mitch Mitchell, Susan Pickford, Kayla Chick, Tommy Gann, Jason Reynolds), Buford, Ga., 2,536. 2, Faribault Food, Cokato, Minn., 2,451. 3, Doug's Tax Service, Corning, Calif., 2,424. 4, Holt Motors, Cokato, Minn., 2,380. 5 (tie), Wipe Out, Evanston, Ill., and San Antonio Mixers 2, Boerne, Texas, 2,369. 7, Can We Bowl?, Orange, Calif., 2,328. 8, A 1 Window Co, Brownwood, Texas, 2,305. 9, Udder Bull, Orange, Calif., 2,234. 10 (tie), Associated Insurance Cent, Pocomoke, Md., and GSR, Reno, Nev., 2,201.
Doubles
1, Charles Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn./Jesse Carlson, Belle Plaine, Minn., 1,079. 2, Gary Hagemann/Ann Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn., 1,066. 3, Ron Carlson, Cokato, Minn./Rick Carlson, Delano, Minn., 1,052. 4, Lisa Mazzanti, San Antonio/Janet Pollock, New Braunfels, Texas, 1,031. 5, Robert Goldsborough, Crisfield, Md./Ellen Smith, Pocomoke City, Md., 997. 6, Tony Arabia/Tony Rasco, San Antonio, 992. 7, Kenva Calloway, Forest Park, Ill./Bryant Ross, Chicago, 987. 8, Tony Valdez, Chula Vista, Calif./Joseph Jamello, Saratoga, Calif., 983. 9, Kim Crain/Dean Light, Navarre, Fla., 974. 10, Kayla Chick, Ames, Iowa/Tommy Gann, Sand Springs, Okla., 970.
Singles
1 (tie), Lee Baird, Brownwood, Texas, and Larry Grafeed, Chicago, 570. 3, Daniel Phillips, Payette, Idaho, 564. 4, Gary Wilson, Virden, Ill., 558. 5, Angela Hoggatt, Lincoln, Neb., 553. 6, Tony Valdez, Chula Vista, Calif., 551. 7, Karen Downs, Auburn, Ill., 535. 8, Dean Light, Navarre, Fla., 531. 9, Joseph Jamello, Saratoga, Calif., 530. 10, Paul Wilson, Garden Grove, Calif., 524.
All-Events
1, Lee Baird, Brownwood, Texas, 1,648. 2, Charles Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn., 1,563. 3, Larry Grafeed, Chicago, 1,548. 4, Daniel Phillips, Payette, Idaho, 1,536. 5, Marc Mazzanti, San Antonio, 1,530. 6, Joseph Jamello, Saratoga, Calif., 1,508. 7, Jewell Ownbey, Newport, Wash., 1,506. 8, Angela Hoggatt, Lincoln, Neb., 1,505. 9, Jon Stuemke Sr., Orange, Calif., 1,502. 10, Linda Scott, Portland, Ore., 1,498.
Two of those bowlers were John Chisena of Atlanta and Steven Vance of Stone Mountain, Ga., who were not supposed to bowl doubles together, but paired up when two of their teammates were unable to make the drive from nearby Carson City and another couldn't bowl due to injury.
The last-minute shuffle worked out in their favor, as Chisena and Vance set the pace in Regular Doubles with a 1,184 total. Chisena, a 56-year-old right-hander, led the way with a 598 series, while Vance contributed 586.
Vance, who uses a two-handed approach, finished doubles with four consecutive strikes and carried that momentum into singles, where he posted games of 225, 226 and 278 for a 729 series and moved into the Regular Singles lead for the third consecutive year. In 2008, he also rolled a 729 series, followed by 747 in 2009.
In 13 appearances at the Open Championships, Vance's singles average is 222.6, compared to 203 in doubles and 197.9 in team. This year, he added 598 in team and also tops the Regular All-Events standings with 1,913.
"The lane conditions were a little more playable for me on the singles pair compared to the doubles pair, and my key adjustment was walking slower to the foul line," said Vance, 36, who bowls regularly at Brunswick Zone Lilburn (Ga.). "It's always exciting to bowl well, and to also lead all-events means a lot. All-events is always something you want to strive for because there are nine games involved."
In the Classified Division, Lee Baird of Brownwood, Texas, set the bar with a 570 series in singles on the way to a 1,648 all-events total and leads both Classified Singles and Classified All-Events.
The 53-year-old right-hander added 562 in team and 516 in doubles to round out his 2010 tournament campaign. On the other side of the Stadium, Larry Grafreed of Chicago closed things out with four consecutive strikes to match Baird's singles effort. He added 500 in team and 478 in doubles for a 1,548 all-events total.
"I'm not going to hold my breath on the score holding up, but it's a great opportunity to see my name in lights," said Baird, who is the proprietor of Academy Lanes in Brownwood. "At nationals, I haven't been able to strike much, so I really work hard on my spares. I even drilled up a new spare ball before coming here."
To be eligible for Classified Singles and All-Events, individual bowlers must have an entering average of 180 or below.
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado and Silver Legacy Hotel/Casinos in Reno, Nev. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.
2010 USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
At National Bowling Stadium, Reno, Nev.
(Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls)
REGULAR DIVISION
Team
1, Pandorum (Leigh Trostel, Darin Belsito, Settee Johnson, Mark McClung, Justin Gibbons), Buford, Ga., 3,063. 2, Macanudos, Auburn, Ga., 2,961. 3, Bountiful Gardens, Hamlet, N.C., 2,926. 4, TEXA Tonka Lanes-GRN1, Minneapolis, 2,900. 5, Yeah Baby, John's Creek, Ga., 2,775. 6, Atlanta Fun Center, Atlanta, 2,741. 7, The B Team, Wichita, Kan., 2,710. 8, Sorcerers Two, San Antonio, 2,672. 9, McCroskey Attorney at Law, Newport, Wash., 2,670. 10, Shock and Awe One, San Antonio, 2,658.
Doubles
1, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga./John Chisena, Atlanta, 1,184. 2, Stephanie Gardner/Edgar Gardner, North Las Vegas, Nev., 1,138. 3, Jewell Ownbey/Forrest Ownbey, Newport, Wash., 1,128. 4, Glen Sims, Mason, Ohio/Jeff Deaton, Morrow, Ohio, 1,127. 5, Kass Himes/Carl Glaborg, Weiser, Idaho, 1,121. 6, James Brandt, Plano, Texas/Brian Trisko, Champlin, Minn., 1,120. 7, Tim Brown, Mason, Ohio/Kevin Betts, Cincinnati, 1,118. 8 (tie), Jose Cortes, San Antonio/Michael Walters, Waring, Texas, and Wyatt Moore/Dustin Moore, San Antonio, 1,114. 10, Malcolm White, Painter, Va./Popeye Vitelli, Princess Anne, Md., 1,113.
Singles
1, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga., 729. 2, Doug Patton Jr., Round Rock, Texas, 621. 3, Mitch Mitchell, Buford, Ga., 620. 4, Timothy Hawley Sr., San Antonio, 617. 5, Dallas Head, Ontario, Ore., 608. 6, Lonnie Eckhart, Kingsbury, Texas, 607. 7, Jim McCroskey, Newport, Wash., 603. 8, Chuck Rowe, San Antonio, 601. 9, Kendel Eckhart, Kingsbury, Texas, 595. 10, Stephanie Gardner, North Las Vegas, Nev., 594.
All-Events
1, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga., 1,913. 2, Forrest Ownbey, Newport, Wash., 1,848. 3, Doug Patton Jr., Round Rock, Texas, 1,814. 4, John Chisena, Atlanta, 1,808. 5, James Brandt, Plano, Texas, 1,799. 6, Wyatt Moore, San Antonio, 1,790. 7, Mitch Mitchell, Buford, Ga., 1,759. 8, Jose Cortes, San Antonio, 1,746. 9, J Eldred, Nyssa, Ore., 1,724. 10, Jeff Deaton, Morrow, Ohio, 1,722.
Team All-Events
1, TEXA Tonka Lanes-GRN1, Minneapolis, 8,400. 2, McCroskey Attorney at Law, Newport, Wash., 7,988. 3, Zips Lounge Two, Mason, Ohio, 7,977. 4, Head Pin Lanes One, Crystal, Idaho, 7,918. 5, TEXA Tonka Lanes-GRN2, Minneapolis, 7,900. 6, Comfortably Numb, Boerne, Texas, 7,834. 7 (tie), Zips Lounge One, Cincinnati, and Head Pin Lanes 11, Weiser, Idaho, 7,754. 9, Juliano's, Ossining, N.Y., 7,700. 10, Sorcerers Two, San Antonio, 7,634.
CLASSIFIED DIVISION
Team
1, 3 Jokers & 2 Queens (Mitch Mitchell, Susan Pickford, Kayla Chick, Tommy Gann, Jason Reynolds), Buford, Ga., 2,536. 2, Faribault Food, Cokato, Minn., 2,451. 3, Doug's Tax Service, Corning, Calif., 2,424. 4, Holt Motors, Cokato, Minn., 2,380. 5 (tie), Wipe Out, Evanston, Ill., and San Antonio Mixers 2, Boerne, Texas, 2,369. 7, Can We Bowl?, Orange, Calif., 2,328. 8, A 1 Window Co, Brownwood, Texas, 2,305. 9, Udder Bull, Orange, Calif., 2,234. 10 (tie), Associated Insurance Cent, Pocomoke, Md., and GSR, Reno, Nev., 2,201.
Doubles
1, Charles Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn./Jesse Carlson, Belle Plaine, Minn., 1,079. 2, Gary Hagemann/Ann Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn., 1,066. 3, Ron Carlson, Cokato, Minn./Rick Carlson, Delano, Minn., 1,052. 4, Lisa Mazzanti, San Antonio/Janet Pollock, New Braunfels, Texas, 1,031. 5, Robert Goldsborough, Crisfield, Md./Ellen Smith, Pocomoke City, Md., 997. 6, Tony Arabia/Tony Rasco, San Antonio, 992. 7, Kenva Calloway, Forest Park, Ill./Bryant Ross, Chicago, 987. 8, Tony Valdez, Chula Vista, Calif./Joseph Jamello, Saratoga, Calif., 983. 9, Kim Crain/Dean Light, Navarre, Fla., 974. 10, Kayla Chick, Ames, Iowa/Tommy Gann, Sand Springs, Okla., 970.
Singles
1 (tie), Lee Baird, Brownwood, Texas, and Larry Grafeed, Chicago, 570. 3, Daniel Phillips, Payette, Idaho, 564. 4, Gary Wilson, Virden, Ill., 558. 5, Angela Hoggatt, Lincoln, Neb., 553. 6, Tony Valdez, Chula Vista, Calif., 551. 7, Karen Downs, Auburn, Ill., 535. 8, Dean Light, Navarre, Fla., 531. 9, Joseph Jamello, Saratoga, Calif., 530. 10, Paul Wilson, Garden Grove, Calif., 524.
All-Events
1, Lee Baird, Brownwood, Texas, 1,648. 2, Charles Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn., 1,563. 3, Larry Grafeed, Chicago, 1,548. 4, Daniel Phillips, Payette, Idaho, 1,536. 5, Marc Mazzanti, San Antonio, 1,530. 6, Joseph Jamello, Saratoga, Calif., 1,508. 7, Jewell Ownbey, Newport, Wash., 1,506. 8, Angela Hoggatt, Lincoln, Neb., 1,505. 9, Jon Stuemke Sr., Orange, Calif., 1,502. 10, Linda Scott, Portland, Ore., 1,498.