On the Lanes with Joe Petrowski
April 12, 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 Joe Petrowski, who was one of six USBC league bowlers who won a chance at going on national television to compete against some of the top bowlers on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour.
Petrowski, an Open Doubles champion at the USBC/Storm Bowlers Journal Championships in 2006, recently was a participant in the PBA Experience Showdown, which started in August 2009 and included all bowlers who competed in Sport Bowling leagues. Those leagues use many of the same lane conditions that are used on the PBA Tour.
For almost six months, the top bowler (highest scratch series) each week in those leagues was eligible to be entered in the PBA Experience Showdown. More than 1,300 entries were sent to USBC from Sport Bowling leagues across the country.
From those entries, 18 competitors were randomly selected as finalists and were divided into six groups based on the lane condition on which qualified. Three finalists were randomly selected from each category, and bowling fans went online to vote for their favorite bowler from each of the six lane patterns.
Fans cast more than 140,000 votes on BOWL.com, and after 15 days of voting, the field was narrowed down to six finalists- Petrowski, Patti Riddle of Palatine, Ill.; Bill Matovina, Clearwater, Fla.; Kevin Reuer, Hoffman Estates, Ill.; Brent Watson, Parkersburg, W.Va.; and Bobby Wenger, Wooster, Ohio.
All six finalists traveled to USBC Headquarters in Arlington, Texas, last week and battled for a spot on the TV show, which aired Sunday. Reuer won the six-game qualifying round to advance. Petrowski finished third.
The Showdown was a first-of-its-kind contest featuring five PBA Experience lane condition champions (Norm Duke, Cheetah pattern; Mike DeVaney, Scorpion; Jack Jurek, Shark; Bill O'Neill, Chameleon, and Rhino Page, Viper) along with Reuer.
Page went on to defeat O'Neill for the title and $25,000 top prize.
Following his visit to Texas, Petrowski's focus was on the Open Championships, where she shot 726 in team, 629 in doubles and 587 in singles for a 1,942 all-events total at the National Bowling Stadium.
Petrowski and his Lakeview Lanes teammates made a run at the Regular Team lead Sunday night, but fell short and settled into second place with 3,313. Bowlers Edge Pro Shop of Neenah, Wis., leads with 3,408.
Petrowski, a 36-year-old right-hander who has made 17 trips to the Open Championships, boasts an overall average of 207.7 and bowled a career-best 2,056 all-events total at the 1997 event in Huntsville, Ala.
HOMETOWN: East Syracuse, N.Y.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS APPEARANCES: 17
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TITLES: None, yet.
BOWLING BALL WEIGHT: 15
FAVORITE BRAND OF BOWLING BALLS: Storm
ONE all-time favorite host city: Corpus Christi, Texas
TWO best Open Championships memories: 1. having a chance to take the lead; 2. leaving the tournament in the lead
THREE keys to success at the Open Championships: 1. be prepared; 2. stick to the game plan; 3. make a good shot, one at a time
FOURgettable Open Championships moment: my four lowest all-events totals
FIVE bowlers in history on your Open Championships fantasy all-star team: John Martino, Greg Griffo, Mike Newman, Art Alexander and Marty Piraino
SIX bowling balls currently in your Open Championships arsenal: All Storm- Reign, Reign of Fire, Invasion, Natural, Virtual Energy, Hy-Road
SEVEN cities you'd like to see the Open Championships go to/return to: Syracuse, N.Y., Orlando, Fla., Raleigh, N.C., Tampa, Fla., Las Vegas, Corpus Christi, Texas, New Orleans
EIGHT favorite bowling balls ever: Storm Black Thunder, Storm Hy-Road, Storm Special Agent, Columbia Pearl Beast, Columbia Black U-Dot, Blue Pearl Hammer, Hammer Purple Vicious, Brunswick Crown Jewel
NINE other current/eligible bowlers you would choose to join you on your ideal pair of companion teams at the Open Championships: Linds Limited, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips or my current group.
TEN seconds or less, who is your favorite bowler of all-time?: Mark Roth
ELEVEN strikes in a row to start a game at the Open Championships, what's going through your head?: Take a deep breath, relax your swing and make a good shot.
TWELVE years from now, where do you hope to be in your bowling career?: still able to compete for USBC Open Championships titles
This week, we heard from Joe Petrowski, who was one of six USBC league bowlers who won a chance at going on national television to compete against some of the top bowlers on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour.
Petrowski, an Open Doubles champion at the USBC/Storm Bowlers Journal Championships in 2006, recently was a participant in the PBA Experience Showdown, which started in August 2009 and included all bowlers who competed in Sport Bowling leagues. Those leagues use many of the same lane conditions that are used on the PBA Tour.
For almost six months, the top bowler (highest scratch series) each week in those leagues was eligible to be entered in the PBA Experience Showdown. More than 1,300 entries were sent to USBC from Sport Bowling leagues across the country.
From those entries, 18 competitors were randomly selected as finalists and were divided into six groups based on the lane condition on which qualified. Three finalists were randomly selected from each category, and bowling fans went online to vote for their favorite bowler from each of the six lane patterns.
Fans cast more than 140,000 votes on BOWL.com, and after 15 days of voting, the field was narrowed down to six finalists- Petrowski, Patti Riddle of Palatine, Ill.; Bill Matovina, Clearwater, Fla.; Kevin Reuer, Hoffman Estates, Ill.; Brent Watson, Parkersburg, W.Va.; and Bobby Wenger, Wooster, Ohio.
All six finalists traveled to USBC Headquarters in Arlington, Texas, last week and battled for a spot on the TV show, which aired Sunday. Reuer won the six-game qualifying round to advance. Petrowski finished third.
The Showdown was a first-of-its-kind contest featuring five PBA Experience lane condition champions (Norm Duke, Cheetah pattern; Mike DeVaney, Scorpion; Jack Jurek, Shark; Bill O'Neill, Chameleon, and Rhino Page, Viper) along with Reuer.
Page went on to defeat O'Neill for the title and $25,000 top prize.
Following his visit to Texas, Petrowski's focus was on the Open Championships, where she shot 726 in team, 629 in doubles and 587 in singles for a 1,942 all-events total at the National Bowling Stadium.
Petrowski and his Lakeview Lanes teammates made a run at the Regular Team lead Sunday night, but fell short and settled into second place with 3,313. Bowlers Edge Pro Shop of Neenah, Wis., leads with 3,408.
Petrowski, a 36-year-old right-hander who has made 17 trips to the Open Championships, boasts an overall average of 207.7 and bowled a career-best 2,056 all-events total at the 1997 event in Huntsville, Ala.
HOMETOWN: East Syracuse, N.Y.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS APPEARANCES: 17
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TITLES: None, yet.
BOWLING BALL WEIGHT: 15
FAVORITE BRAND OF BOWLING BALLS: Storm
ONE all-time favorite host city: Corpus Christi, Texas
TWO best Open Championships memories: 1. having a chance to take the lead; 2. leaving the tournament in the lead
THREE keys to success at the Open Championships: 1. be prepared; 2. stick to the game plan; 3. make a good shot, one at a time
FOURgettable Open Championships moment: my four lowest all-events totals
FIVE bowlers in history on your Open Championships fantasy all-star team: John Martino, Greg Griffo, Mike Newman, Art Alexander and Marty Piraino
SIX bowling balls currently in your Open Championships arsenal: All Storm- Reign, Reign of Fire, Invasion, Natural, Virtual Energy, Hy-Road
SEVEN cities you'd like to see the Open Championships go to/return to: Syracuse, N.Y., Orlando, Fla., Raleigh, N.C., Tampa, Fla., Las Vegas, Corpus Christi, Texas, New Orleans
EIGHT favorite bowling balls ever: Storm Black Thunder, Storm Hy-Road, Storm Special Agent, Columbia Pearl Beast, Columbia Black U-Dot, Blue Pearl Hammer, Hammer Purple Vicious, Brunswick Crown Jewel
NINE other current/eligible bowlers you would choose to join you on your ideal pair of companion teams at the Open Championships: Linds Limited, Turbo 2-N-1 Grips or my current group.
TEN seconds or less, who is your favorite bowler of all-time?: Mark Roth
ELEVEN strikes in a row to start a game at the Open Championships, what's going through your head?: Take a deep breath, relax your swing and make a good shot.
TWELVE years from now, where do you hope to be in your bowling career?: still able to compete for USBC Open Championships titles