Team USA set to begin competition at 2024 PANAM Champion of Champions
October 04, 2024
ARLINGTON, Texas – Four American bowlers have journeyed to Peru and are hoping to do their country proud while representing Team USA on the lanes at the 2024 PANAM Bowling Champion of Champions, which will be contested at the VIDENA Bowling Center of La Villa Deportiva Nacional (VIDENA) in Lima from Oct. 5-10.
The American contingent features Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona; Crystal Elliott of Palm Bay, Florida; Matt Russo of Ballwin, Missouri; and Chris Via of Springfield, Ohio.
Action at the 2024 Champion of Champions begins on Saturday with the unofficial practice sessions with the official practice sessions and opening ceremony following on Sunday.
Tournament play gets rolling on Monday when both the men’s and women’s fields hit the lanes for eight games of doubles competition.
Sixteen games of singles will follow with all competitors completing two eight-game blocks, one on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday.
Singles competition isn’t all that will take place on Wednesday, however, as the medal presentations and the tournament’s closing ceremony will be conducted that night as well.
The 2024 Champion of Champions will award medals in singles, doubles and all-events in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
The Champion of Champions is a qualifying event for the 2025 PANAM World Championships; however, Team USA already secured its spot in that event by virtue of its strong performance at the 2024 PANAM Bowling Championships, which was contested at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, in August.
That means that the four Americans competing in Lima won’t have to shoulder the burden of ensuring that the team qualifies, so, instead, they can focus on bringing home as many medals as possible.
Coté has certainly shown herself to be more than capable of helping add to the American trophy case as the nine-time Team USA member and two-time Junior Team USA bowler has racked up more than 20 medals during international competition, including 12 gold.
Three of those medals – one gold and two bronze – were earned at the 2022 Champion of Champions, which also was held at VIDENA Bowling Center of La Villa Deportiva Nacional (VIDENA) in Lima.
Coté is looking forward to the opportunity to compete in an event where she has had success before and to serving as a mentor to Elliott just as Team USA legend Shannon O’Keefe and others did for her during her early years on the squad.
“This is my third time bowling this event, so I kind of know what to expect and how it runs,” Coté said. “It will be a little different for me this year though because last time I went with Shannon O’Keefe, and it was her last event for Team USA. This time, the roles are switched because I’m the veteran, and Crystal (Elliott) is the younger player.
“I’m just going to try to lead her the best I can and help her get comfortable. As long as we have fun and don’t get too caught up in the results, I think the good bowling will follow. Our goal is always to win. We have a pretty good group that I think will mesh well together, so I like our chances.”
Elliott is looking forward to the opportunity to learn from each of her teammates, particularly Coté, whom she credited with helping “show her the ropes” during her first season on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour, during which Elliott won the 2024 PWBA Rookie of the Year award.
“This past season out on the PWBA Tour, I was able to build a relationship with Bryanna (Coté),” Elliott said. “Now, I get the privilege of being on the lanes with her. She’s a role model to me and is truly like a mom. I hope that one day I can show the next generation of Team USA and PWBA bowlers the ropes like she did for me.
“I’m also very excited to compete alongside Matt (Russo) and Chris (Via). They have an understanding of winning on the biggest stages bowling has to offer, and I’m excited to learn from them. To be the best, you have to learn from the best, and I believe each of my teammates can help me learn something on this trip that I can apply to my future competitions.”
Elliott seems to be a quick study as she secured a pair of medals – silver in doubles and bronze in team – at the PANAM Bowling Championships in Reno in August, which was her first tournament as a member of Team USA.
The 2024 Champion of Champions is far from Russo’s first competition as a Team USA member as the talented two-handed lefty has competed in multiple events around the world during his seven years on the team, collecting 10 medals, nine gold, in the process.
Russo comes to Peru not too far removed from having collected his second Professional Bowlers Association title – he won the 2024 PBA Scorpion Championship in April – and he’s hoping to ride that wave to the top of the podium at the Champion of Champions while competing for the red, white and blue.
“This has been my best year in my career, and I’m looking forward to taking that confidence and momentum into Peru,” Russo said. “I’m honored to get to wear USA on my back for another year and compete for more medals, especially with Chris (Via). He and I have both had a lot of success internationally, and we’ve been friends for a long time, so the goal is to win gold in both events.”
Via shares the same goals, which isn’t surprising given the fact that he’s collected 11 medals, including five gold, during his eight years competing internationally for Team USA and Junior Team USA.
Nevertheless, he knows that the task isn’t likely to be easy due to the strong competition and challenging 2024 Champion of Champions oil pattern.
“I was part of the 2017 World Bowling Men’s Championships team that won gold on this pattern in Las Vegas,” Via said. “However, this isn’t a forgiving pattern, so we will have to be at the top of our game to repeat a performance like that one. But no matter how things go, I’m just looking forward to another exciting trip with Team USA and am thrilled to represent the red, white and blue with another awesome group.”
For more information on Team USA, CLICK HERE.
The American contingent features Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona; Crystal Elliott of Palm Bay, Florida; Matt Russo of Ballwin, Missouri; and Chris Via of Springfield, Ohio.
Action at the 2024 Champion of Champions begins on Saturday with the unofficial practice sessions with the official practice sessions and opening ceremony following on Sunday.
Tournament play gets rolling on Monday when both the men’s and women’s fields hit the lanes for eight games of doubles competition.
Sixteen games of singles will follow with all competitors completing two eight-game blocks, one on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday.
Singles competition isn’t all that will take place on Wednesday, however, as the medal presentations and the tournament’s closing ceremony will be conducted that night as well.
The 2024 Champion of Champions will award medals in singles, doubles and all-events in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
The Champion of Champions is a qualifying event for the 2025 PANAM World Championships; however, Team USA already secured its spot in that event by virtue of its strong performance at the 2024 PANAM Bowling Championships, which was contested at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, in August.
That means that the four Americans competing in Lima won’t have to shoulder the burden of ensuring that the team qualifies, so, instead, they can focus on bringing home as many medals as possible.
Coté has certainly shown herself to be more than capable of helping add to the American trophy case as the nine-time Team USA member and two-time Junior Team USA bowler has racked up more than 20 medals during international competition, including 12 gold.
Three of those medals – one gold and two bronze – were earned at the 2022 Champion of Champions, which also was held at VIDENA Bowling Center of La Villa Deportiva Nacional (VIDENA) in Lima.
Coté is looking forward to the opportunity to compete in an event where she has had success before and to serving as a mentor to Elliott just as Team USA legend Shannon O’Keefe and others did for her during her early years on the squad.
“This is my third time bowling this event, so I kind of know what to expect and how it runs,” Coté said. “It will be a little different for me this year though because last time I went with Shannon O’Keefe, and it was her last event for Team USA. This time, the roles are switched because I’m the veteran, and Crystal (Elliott) is the younger player.
“I’m just going to try to lead her the best I can and help her get comfortable. As long as we have fun and don’t get too caught up in the results, I think the good bowling will follow. Our goal is always to win. We have a pretty good group that I think will mesh well together, so I like our chances.”
Elliott is looking forward to the opportunity to learn from each of her teammates, particularly Coté, whom she credited with helping “show her the ropes” during her first season on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour, during which Elliott won the 2024 PWBA Rookie of the Year award.
“This past season out on the PWBA Tour, I was able to build a relationship with Bryanna (Coté),” Elliott said. “Now, I get the privilege of being on the lanes with her. She’s a role model to me and is truly like a mom. I hope that one day I can show the next generation of Team USA and PWBA bowlers the ropes like she did for me.
“I’m also very excited to compete alongside Matt (Russo) and Chris (Via). They have an understanding of winning on the biggest stages bowling has to offer, and I’m excited to learn from them. To be the best, you have to learn from the best, and I believe each of my teammates can help me learn something on this trip that I can apply to my future competitions.”
Elliott seems to be a quick study as she secured a pair of medals – silver in doubles and bronze in team – at the PANAM Bowling Championships in Reno in August, which was her first tournament as a member of Team USA.
The 2024 Champion of Champions is far from Russo’s first competition as a Team USA member as the talented two-handed lefty has competed in multiple events around the world during his seven years on the team, collecting 10 medals, nine gold, in the process.
Russo comes to Peru not too far removed from having collected his second Professional Bowlers Association title – he won the 2024 PBA Scorpion Championship in April – and he’s hoping to ride that wave to the top of the podium at the Champion of Champions while competing for the red, white and blue.
“This has been my best year in my career, and I’m looking forward to taking that confidence and momentum into Peru,” Russo said. “I’m honored to get to wear USA on my back for another year and compete for more medals, especially with Chris (Via). He and I have both had a lot of success internationally, and we’ve been friends for a long time, so the goal is to win gold in both events.”
Via shares the same goals, which isn’t surprising given the fact that he’s collected 11 medals, including five gold, during his eight years competing internationally for Team USA and Junior Team USA.
Nevertheless, he knows that the task isn’t likely to be easy due to the strong competition and challenging 2024 Champion of Champions oil pattern.
“I was part of the 2017 World Bowling Men’s Championships team that won gold on this pattern in Las Vegas,” Via said. “However, this isn’t a forgiving pattern, so we will have to be at the top of our game to repeat a performance like that one. But no matter how things go, I’m just looking forward to another exciting trip with Team USA and am thrilled to represent the red, white and blue with another awesome group.”
For more information on Team USA, CLICK HERE.