On the Lanes with Jeff Jensen
April 09, 2010
In the coming months, we'll talk with some of the best-known bowlers at the USBC Open Championships and get their thoughts on their time at the tournament and what it takes to succeed on the championship lanes.
This week, we heard from Jeff Jensen, who is 17th on the tournament's lifetime average list with 210.4 through 25 events. He will take to the lanes this year on April 14 and 15.
Jensen is the nephew of USBC Hall of Famer Mark Jensen, who owns three titles (Regular Doubles and Team All-Events in 1988 and Regular Team in 1989) and a 300 game on the championship lanes (1989).
Jeff Jensen had a career year at the 2008 event in Albuquerque, N.M., where he shot 740 in doubles, 718 in singles and 653 in team for a 2,111 all-events total. He finished 13th in Regular All-Events.
HOMETOWN: Wichita, Kan.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS APPEARANCES: This year is 26.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TITLES: None, yet.
BOWLING BALL WEIGHT: 16
FAVORITE BRAND OF BOWLING BALLS: Storm, Roto Grip, Track and Columbia
ONE all-time favorite host city: Wichita
TWO best Open Championships memories: 1. going 60 clean in doubles and singles in 2008; 2. almost winning Team All-Events in 2000 (both memories were in Albuquerque)
THREE keys to success at the Open Championships: 1. stay slow; 2. keep ball in play; 3. make spares
FOURgettable Open Championships moment: Shooting 1,375 for all-events in Reno in 1990
FIVE bowlers in history on your Open Championships fantasy all-star team: Dick Weber, Bo Burton, Andy Varipapa, Joe Norris and Glenn Allison
SIX bowling balls currently in your Open Championships arsenal: Only four: Track Kinetic; Track 715c; Storm Virtual Gravity; Roto Grip Cell
SEVEN cities you'd like to see the Open Championships go to/return to: Wichita, Kan.; Indianapolis; Las Vegas; St. Louis; Orlando, Fla.; Dallas; Detroit
EIGHT favorite bowling balls ever: Ebonite urethane Nitro; Storm X-Factor; Columbia White Dot; blue plastic (original) Roto Grip; Columbia 300 black and wine U-Dots; Ebonite Turbo; Storm Deuce
NINE other current/eligible bowlers you would choose to join you on your ideal pair of companion teams at the Open Championships: Marc McDowell, Mike Shady, Lennie Boresch Jr., Bob Goike, John Gaines, Justin Hromek, Craig Jensen, Mark Jensen and Rick Steelsmith
TEN seconds or less, who is your favorite bowler of all-time?: Andy Varipapa
ELEVEN strikes in a row to start a game at the Open Championships, what's going through your head?: Think back to my best shot of the game and go
TWELVE years from now, where do you hope to be in your bowling career?: Hopefully, I'll be higher on the average list and have an eagle. I'd also like to have more than 100 perfect games to my credit (currently at 66 and fifth in the USBC record books for 300 games by brothers).
300 games, brothers
113 Joe (91) and Albert (22) Jimenez, Saginaw, Mich.
106 Dave (78) and Gary (28) Bingham, Brainard, N.Y.
105 Dean (91) and Daryl (14) Wolf, Reading, Pa.-Thomasville, Ga.
104 Keith (56) and Kevin (48) Bruening, St. Charles, Mo.
101 Jeff (66) and Craig (35) Jensen, Wichita, Kan.
This week, we heard from Jeff Jensen, who is 17th on the tournament's lifetime average list with 210.4 through 25 events. He will take to the lanes this year on April 14 and 15.
Jensen is the nephew of USBC Hall of Famer Mark Jensen, who owns three titles (Regular Doubles and Team All-Events in 1988 and Regular Team in 1989) and a 300 game on the championship lanes (1989).
Jeff Jensen had a career year at the 2008 event in Albuquerque, N.M., where he shot 740 in doubles, 718 in singles and 653 in team for a 2,111 all-events total. He finished 13th in Regular All-Events.
HOMETOWN: Wichita, Kan.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS APPEARANCES: This year is 26.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TITLES: None, yet.
BOWLING BALL WEIGHT: 16
FAVORITE BRAND OF BOWLING BALLS: Storm, Roto Grip, Track and Columbia
ONE all-time favorite host city: Wichita
TWO best Open Championships memories: 1. going 60 clean in doubles and singles in 2008; 2. almost winning Team All-Events in 2000 (both memories were in Albuquerque)
THREE keys to success at the Open Championships: 1. stay slow; 2. keep ball in play; 3. make spares
FOURgettable Open Championships moment: Shooting 1,375 for all-events in Reno in 1990
FIVE bowlers in history on your Open Championships fantasy all-star team: Dick Weber, Bo Burton, Andy Varipapa, Joe Norris and Glenn Allison
SIX bowling balls currently in your Open Championships arsenal: Only four: Track Kinetic; Track 715c; Storm Virtual Gravity; Roto Grip Cell
SEVEN cities you'd like to see the Open Championships go to/return to: Wichita, Kan.; Indianapolis; Las Vegas; St. Louis; Orlando, Fla.; Dallas; Detroit
EIGHT favorite bowling balls ever: Ebonite urethane Nitro; Storm X-Factor; Columbia White Dot; blue plastic (original) Roto Grip; Columbia 300 black and wine U-Dots; Ebonite Turbo; Storm Deuce
NINE other current/eligible bowlers you would choose to join you on your ideal pair of companion teams at the Open Championships: Marc McDowell, Mike Shady, Lennie Boresch Jr., Bob Goike, John Gaines, Justin Hromek, Craig Jensen, Mark Jensen and Rick Steelsmith
TEN seconds or less, who is your favorite bowler of all-time?: Andy Varipapa
ELEVEN strikes in a row to start a game at the Open Championships, what's going through your head?: Think back to my best shot of the game and go
TWELVE years from now, where do you hope to be in your bowling career?: Hopefully, I'll be higher on the average list and have an eagle. I'd also like to have more than 100 perfect games to my credit (currently at 66 and fifth in the USBC record books for 300 games by brothers).
300 games, brothers
113 Joe (91) and Albert (22) Jimenez, Saginaw, Mich.
106 Dave (78) and Gary (28) Bingham, Brainard, N.Y.
105 Dean (91) and Daryl (14) Wolf, Reading, Pa.-Thomasville, Ga.
104 Keith (56) and Kevin (48) Bruening, St. Charles, Mo.
101 Jeff (66) and Craig (35) Jensen, Wichita, Kan.