Inside: - The Bowling News

Will international players again dominate
PBA World Series of Bowling?
American players don’t expect repeat of last year’s performance
LAS VEGAS — During the
Professional Bowlers Association’s
World Series of Bowling
III at South Point Casino and
Hotel in 2011, international
bowlers stunned their American
hosts by winning seven of
eight titles awarded.
A year earlier, Finland’s
Osku Palermaa and Korea’s
Yong-Jin Gu made WSOB history
as the first international
players to win WSOB events in
a foreshadowing of things to
come.
While the World Series of
Bowling is not a team event,
the fourth annual edition will
resume Nov. 2-11 as a multievent
international competition
that will showcase 66 of the
most talented players from
around the world. WSOB IV
will feature players from a
record 17 countries (Australia,
Bahrain, Denmark, England,
Mexico, Sweden, Germany,
Korea, Venezuela, Colombia,
Finland, Canada, the U.S. plus
first-time participants Costa
Rica, Iceland, The Philippines
and Saudi Arabia). Sweden and
Korea are both sending the
largest contingents they’ve ever
sent to the World Series.
Whether team scores
are kept or not, WSOB IV is
going to be a matter of pride
for America’s best players
who hope to prevent another
spanking by their international
competitors.
“We had our chances to
win titles and didn't get it done
last year,” said reigning PBA
Player of the Year Sean Rash of
Montgomery, Ill., who led U.S.
players with a record six television
appearances during WSOB
III, but failed to win a title.
“With the format on TV
last year, the best player didn't
win every time, so to say. I do
think the international players
can repeat their performances,
but it’s a new year and new
things can and will happen. As
much as I travel worldwide, the
players around the world are,
for sure, very good, but I would
take our USA players any day
when it comes down to it.”
The most prominent international
players in last year’s
World Series, however, see no
reason why they can’t repeat,
led by Australian two-handed
star Jason Belmonte who won
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three WSOB III titles in 2011.
“I can’t see why we can’t
dominate again,” Belmonte
said. “The international contingent
has only become stronger
since the last WSOB. With the
formats as short as they are for
most of the events, it's possible
for anything to happen.”
Former PBA Player of the
Year Chris Barnes of Double
Oak, Texas, wasn’t surprised
by how well the international
bowlers performed a year ago,
but doesn’t expect a repeat.
“I’m sure there will be
more attention paid to that
(U.S. vs. international) aspect
this year, but we already knew
the international players were
very good,” the 14-time PBA
Tour titlist said. “Now everyone
else does, too. That being said,
I think the U.S. players as a
whole were disappointed in last
year's performance and will be
looking to improve on it this
year.”
Will the international
players repeat their domination
this year? “No,” Barnes said
emphatically.
Finland’s Osku Palermaa,
who became the first international
player to win the PBA
World Championship during
last year’s WSOB, disagrees.
“Of course (we can
repeat),” Palermaa said.
“Obviously after it happened
last year it can happen again,
but I don't think we will be as
dominant. There are so many
good players from both sides,
you never know.”
Mike Fagan of Dallas, who
had a career-year during the
2011-12 season, plans to do
his best to prevent last year’s
results.
“I don't know if the play
of the international players is
promoting American pride,
but it certainly was a wake-up
call,” Fagan said. “The rest
of the world has some great
players and a good number of
tournaments to sharpen their
skills. The international players
are certainly going to be a force
for many years to come.
“But I would find it difficult
for the Americans to get
completely shut out again at
the WSOB,” he said. “I’m going
to try my best to not let that
happen.”
“Anything is possible in
bowling, but I have a hard time
believing that something like
last year will happen again,”
fellow Finn Mika Koivuniemi
said, stopping short of discounting
another powerhouse
performance by the record
international contingent.
“Everyone now knows that
many international players can
win in the World Series.”
England’s Stuart Williams,
who won his first PBA Tour
title in last year’s WSOB, noted,
“Obviously it’s going to be
THE BOWLING NEWS | Thursday, November 1, 2012 | Page 15
nearly impossible for the international
players to win all the
titles again because there are
so many more U.S. players. But
I still expect a strong showing,
especially from the European
contingent.”
PBA Hall of Famer Norm
Duke of Clermont, Fla., doesn’t
see the World Series as a global
confrontation.
“This is not a team competition,
nor is it an ‘us against
them’ event,” Duke said. “It’s
all about individual pride. I
bowl for my family's living and
that’s plenty of motivation for
me. I’m trying to win bowling
tournaments against everyone
on earth.”
World Series IV will feature
five PBA Tour title events –
the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold
Cheetah Championship, Viper
Championship, Chameleon
Championship, Bowlers Journal
PBA Scorpion Championship
and the PBA World Championship
(the season’s first major).
It will generate more than 100
hours of live coverage on PBA’s
Xtra Frame online bowling
channel and the first six ESPN
telecasts of the season (including
the Bayer Advanced Aspirin
WBT Men’s and Women’s
Finals presented by the PBA)
on Sundays at 1 p.m. ET from
Dec. 9 through Jan. 13.
WSOB IV also is the
launching pad for a new set of
goals by all players, including
the 2012-13 PBA Player of the
Year race.
“My goals are simple,” Rash
said. “I want to give myself
chances at making TV shows,
win titles, win majors, win
Player of the Year and keep
learning. Every time we shoe it
up, the game is changing.”
Barnes said, “My goals
include winning the USBC
Masters to complete the Grand
Slam and winning a second
Player of the Year title. To
accomplish this, I think I need
to win at least one of the WSOB
events, maybe two.”
Fagan wants to improve
upon last year. “It’s never easy
to win on the PBA Tour, so
my goals are to give myself
a chance in every event and
be prepared for anything,” he
said. “If I give myself many
chances, hopefully I can cash
in on a few. It’s also important,
because the World Series
formats are short, to come out
of the gates strong and not look
back.”
Duke has his eye on a
third Player of the Year award.
He won in 1994 and 2000. “I
want to have a shot at Player
of the Year. It’s a lofty goal
and usually requires a victory
in at least one of the majors,”
he said, “so all of my preparation
and decision-making is
with this goal in mind. It’s a
plan that has served me well
throughout the years.”
Belmonte’s goals are understated:
“I just want to bowl to
the best of my ability. If I bowl
each frame and focus on the
process, then I trust the results
I want will follow.”
Palermaa would settle for
another year like last year:
“I had a pretty good year last
year, winning my first major at
the WSOB, so I'll try and repeat
that. Bowling at the same place
for multiple events at the start
of the year gives you a chance
of doing good, so I'll try and
get a good start and just keep
the momentum going.”
Koivuniemi is one win
away from completing the
PBA’s “Grand Slam.” “My big
goal is to win the PBA World
Championship and get that
fourth major to complete the
grand slam,” Koivuniemi said.
Williams just wants to
be consistent in a good way.
“I don’t have any particular
goals, just to try and continue
learning and improving my
performances,” he said. “I
think the key to the World
Series in general is to stay
positive on the days when you
are struggling because it’s such
a long format for the World
Championship. Hopefully there
won’t be too many times when
I’m struggling.”
HISTORY OF PBA WORLD
SERIES TITLE WINNERS
2009
Motor City Open – Walter Ray Williams Jr.,
Ocala, Fla.
Cheetah Championship – Norm Duke, Clermont,
Fla.
Viper Championship – Rhino Page, Dade City,
Fla.
Viper Women’s Championship – Liz Johnson,
Cheektowaga, N.Y.
Chameleon Championship – Bill O’Neill,
Langhorne, Pa.
Chameleon Women’s Championship – Shannon
Pluhowsky, Kettering, Ohio
Scorpion Championship – Mike DeVaney, San
Diego
Scorpion Women’s Championship – Shannon
Pluhowsky, Kettering, Ohio
Shark Championship – Jack Jurek, Lackawanna,
N.Y.
Shark Women’s Championship – Kelly Kulick,
Union, N.J.
Women’s World Championship – Kelly Kulick,
Union, N.J.
Senior World Championship – Harry Sullins,
Chesterfield Twp., Mich.
PBA World Championship (concluded in Wichita,
Kan.) – Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich.
2010
Brunswick Pro Bowling Cheetah Championship –
Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind.
Pepsi Viper Championship – Bill O’Neill,
Langhorne, Pa.
Pepsi Chameleon Championship – Scott Norton,
Costa Mesa, Calif.
Scorpion Championship – Yong-Jin Gu, Korea
GEICO Shark Championship – Osku Palermaa,
Finland
PBA World Championship – Chris Barnes,
Double Oak, Texas
2011
GEICO World Bowling Tour Men – Mika
Koivuniemi, Finland
GEICO World Bowling Tour Women – Carolyn
Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas
Bayer Viper Open – Stuart Williams, England
Chameleon Open – Jason Belmonte, Australia
Scorpion Open – Dom Barrett, England
GEICO Shark Open – Jason Belmonte, Australia
Mark Roth-Marshall Holman Doubles – Wes
Malott, Pflugerville, Texas/Norm Duke,
Clermont, Fla.
Carmen Salvino Classic – Andres Gomez,
Colombia
PBA Elite Players Championship – Jason
Belmonte, Australia
PBA World Championship – Osku Palermaa,
Finland