february 3, 2010 sports reporter

8/14/2019 February 3, 2010 Sports Reporter

1/8

The East's Most Read Bowling Weekly

Sports ReporterThe Nation's Leading Bowling Tournament Newspaper Since 1940

Vol. 70 No. 48 February 3 - 9, 2010 50 cents

By George Faytok

MANALAPAN, NJ - Rusty Thomsen, 29

of the Morgan section of South Amboyclaimed the title at the 48th Monmouth

County Bowling Association Masters

Tournament at Knob Hill Country Lanes

in Manalapan.

Thomsen after qualifying second with

a six-game score of 1474 (Sean Riccardi

of Plainsboro, was the leading qualifier

with a 1492 pinfall that included the

tourneys high three-game series of 813)

then compiled a perfect 5-0 match play

record with the events high average of

238. In the two-game match play finals

Rusty defeated Lenny Pugliese III of

Long Branch 491-440. He then defeated Eric Nilson

of Long Branch 439-394, then edged Sean Riccardi

480-471 and Ryan Walsh of Port Monmouth 423-367

to gain entry to the championship match.Ryan Walsh qualified third with a six-game score of

1441. In the match play finals Ryan defeated Mike

Stone of Hazlet 406-365. He then beat John Paris of

Belford (the 1975, 1983, 1991 & 2006 Masters

Champion) 411-384, Ken MacWhinney of Neptune

465-399, before losing to Thomsen. In the Losers

Bracket, Walsh advanced to the championship match

by defeating Stone once again with a 424-359.

In the championship match, Thomsen claimed thetitle over Walsh rolling a 506-373.

Honor scores bowled in the tournament were: Sean

Riccardi 813; Ken Hayes of West Long Branch 300;

Greg Hess Sr. of Jackson 299 and John Furey of

Freehold 290 (11-in-a-row) .

226 participated in the tournament.

Rusty Thomsen Claims Monmouth County Masters Title

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Jan. 24, 2010) - Sports history was

made Sunday when Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., won the

45th Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of

Champions at Red Rock Lanes becoming the first woman to

win a PBA Tour tournament.

She defeated 2007-08 PBA Player of the Year Chris Barnes

265-195 in the championship match to win a $40,000 first

prize in PBA's signature event, plus a two-year exemption on

the PBA Tour.

"It's been a dream of mine to win a PBA Tour event but I

couldn't have imagined it would have come in the

Tournament of Champions," said the 32-year-old right-han-

der. "It may have looked easy but my legs were like jelly - it

got to a point where I couldn't feel them. Believe me, I was

nervous and I was just letting adrenalin take over."

The previous high finish for a woman in a PBA Tour eventwas second by Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., in the

2005 Banquet Open.

In 2006, Kulick became the first woman to earn an exemp-

tion on the PBA Tour by finishing sixth in the PBA Tour

Trials. Her best finish in the 2006-07 season was 22nd which

she accomplished twice.

Kulick recognized the potential impact her victory will have

for the future of the sport. "I believe this can only mean bigger

and better things for the sport," she said. "If in any way this

can be a boost for women's sports and bowling, I'm willing to

do my part. "I feel like I'm on a magic carpet ride right now

and I want to keep riding it higher and higher."

In the championship match Kulick started with four consec-

utive strikes, then had an open frame when she left the 7-10

split in the fifth frame. She then went on to fire the next six

strikes and a nine-count on the final ball to close the game.

Barnes was hoping for his second Tournament of

Champions win having previously won it in 2006. "When it

comes down to one game, a combination of factors have to

come together and they just didn't for me," Barnes said, "but

Kelly bowled great and she met every challenge."

In women's professional competition, Kulick won the 2007

United States Bowling Congress Queens and the 2003 U.S.

Women's Open in addition to winning the PBA Women's

World Championship in 2009.

"Kelly Kulick's win today at the PBA Tour's Tournament of

Champions is not only historic, it serves as a motivational and

inspirational event for girls and women competing at all levels

all around the world," said Women's Sports Foundationfounder Billie Jean King.

"Kelly had a great week, defeating several of the top-ranked

men's bowlers in the world, and hopefully she can truly enjoy

the moment and appreciate how it is not only a big deal in

bowling, but a major moment in her life and potentially the

lives of others."

In the semifinal match, Kulick defeated eight-time Tour

champion Mika Koivuniemi 227-223 to advance to the final

match against Barnes. In the opening match, Koivuniemi

defeated three-time titlist Rhino Page, 255-215.

Kulick earned a berth in the Tournament of Champions, by

winning the PBA Women's World Championship last

September, the first PBA women's major tournament.

Kelly Kulick is Champion of ChampionsMakes Sports History as First Woman to Win a PBA Tour Title

Capturing 45th PBA Tournament of Champions

Charles Brower Hit 300

At North Levittown Lanes

Andrew Gray 300 at HolidayOAKLAND, NJ Andrew Gary

fired perfect with a 300 game

while contesting in the Tuesday

Early Mens League at Holiday

Bowl.

Craig Seeger shot a 769 set fol-

lowed by Danny Blanos with 765,

Tom Stellingwerf 759, Steve

Lindsey 757, Mike DeBiaso 299,

Eric Magner 286, Andrew

Davidowicz 284, Tim Dunkerly

279, and Brian Scott, Chris Parril,

Mike West, Dale LaGoda, and

Sam Perrotta, Jr. 278.

LEVITTOWN, NY Charles

Brower fired twelve strikes in a

row for a 300 game and finished

the session with a 749 series while

rolling in a recemt session of the

Monday Mens Tavern League at

North Levittown Lanes.

Howard Edelman shot 278,

Bruce Dargie 269-733, Patrick

Hunt 265, Paul Kraus and Howard

Finkelstein 259, Mike Kilgannon

277, and Justin Sullivan 268.

HOPELAWN, NJ Tom Martino,

Jr. took center stage spotlightwhen he topped the scoring in the

Middlesex County Classic League

firing impressive games of 279,

278 and 256 to finish the session

with the high series of 813.

Glenn Mohr, Jr. rolled 257-255-278-790 followed by Rami Ahmed

tossing 279-258-228-765, Dorien

Soto 257-278-222-757, and Andy

Polidura with 234-258-227-719.

Tom Martino, Jr. 813 at Majestic

Photo courtesy of PBA LLC

Kelly Kulick made history when she took home the prize

at the PBA Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.

Tournament winner- Rusty Thomsen, Tournament Manager- Joanne

Ramsey and Tournament Runner-up - Ryan Walsh.


2/8

2 SPORTS REPORTER February 3 - 9, 2010

J o a n Ta y l o r sTe n P i n R a p . . . .

New Automated System toEnter USBC Tournaments

ARLINGTON, Texas Beginning in February, the United States

Bowling Congress will offer a new, fully-automated way to enter the

USBC Open Championships online.

The option will be available Feb. 1 for teams looking to enter the 2011

event, which will be held at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

Team captains will be able to enter and pay online in six easy steps.

With the new system, returning team captains will be recognized by

their entry numbers from 2010, and their personal information will

appear automatically. Theyll simply be asked to edit or add informa-

tion, select or change their dates, choose the number of doubles and all-

events entries and pay the deposit or entire balance by credit card. New

captains will have to enter their information manually the first time, but

will not have to do so again in the future.

As the automated system continues to evolve, captains soon will be able

to sign back into the system and add or change roster information, input

participation information and pay remaining balances to lock in doubles

and singles times.

Beginning March 1, the automated system will be available for USBC

Womens Championships team captains looking to enter the 2011 event

slated for Syracuse, N.Y.

Paper entries still will be accepted for both events.

Since so much of what we already do revolves around the Internet, the

automated online system is the natural next step in the evolution of our

tournaments, said USBC Championships Director Brian Lewis. We

want to make things as convenient as possible for our bowlers, and the

new system really streamlines the process.ENTRY DEADLINES EXTENDED FOR

2010 OPEN AND WOMENS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Although the start of the 2010 USBC Open Championships is less than

a month away, its not too late to enter. The entry deadline has been

extended until April 1.

So far, more than 14,000 teams are scheduled to make the trip to RenosNational Bowling Stadium during the tournaments 136-day run. It will

be the events record ninth visit to Reno and the sixth time the tourna-

ment will be held at the 78-lane NBS.

Teams looking to enter the 2010 USBC Womens Championships in El

Paso, Texas, also still have time to get their entries in and join the more

than 5,800 teams that are scheduled to usher in a new era on the tourna-

ment lanes. The deadline has been extended from Jan. 22 until Feb. 19.

For the first time, the Womens Championships will be held in a con-

vention-center setting. USBC will install 48 lanes and the worlds largest

mobile scoreboard inside the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts

Center, and the tournament will feature three divisions, instead of five,

and an all-handicap format for the first time.

Sports ReporterEditor/Publisher - Dan McDonough

Pat McDonough - 1967-1996

Circulation Manager Editorial Assistant

Henry Allen Immaculatta D'Elia

Contributing Writers

Chuck Pezzano George Faytok Joan Taylor

Dick Evans John Jowdy

Martin Michel Vince Albrech Joe Rizzi

For information regarding advertising,

subscriptions, or editorial content call:

(201)865-5363

Fax: (201) 865-6246E-mail - [email protected]

Sports ReporterP.O. Box 1491, Secaucus, NJ 07094

Member

GRAND OPENING OF

THE INTERNATIONAL BOWLING CAMPUSJanuary 25, 2010Arlington, TexasThe theme of the grand opening was The Stars Shine Bright Deep in

the Heart of Texas and it was no exaggeration.

The grand opening of the

International Bowling Campus in

Arlington Texas was embedded in a

bowling summit over three days.

People came in from all over the

country and a few from outside the

US for the Southern Bowling

Writers Dinner and Roast, aBowling Writers of America

(BWAA) Board Meeting, and two

days of seminars wrapped around a

mini-expo. The Bowling Proprietors

of America (BPAA) and US

Bowling Congress held their board

meetings as well.

But they were all in town for the

grand opening of the bowling cam-

pus consisting of headquarters for

the BPAA which was always there,

USBC, and the newly-relocated

(from St. Louis, Missouri) Bowling

Hall of Fame and Museum.

After the United States Marine

color guard presented the colors and Miss Arlington, Christie Kibler sang the National Anthem, speakers gave

presentations, all emphasizing that the bowling campus is an asset to Arlington and is nestled among an evenlarger complex including the Dallas Cowboys new (football) stadium, the Texas Rangers stadium and the huge

amusement park, Six Flags Over Texas, a 212-acre mega complex itself. The mayor of Arlington and a US

Representative were there. Even John Berglund, former Executive Director of the BPAA, who was a big part

of getting the other integers of bowling to move in, flew in from St. Martin in the US Virgin Islands to enjoy

the fruits of his labor.

Ironically there are six flags in front of the bowling campus: bowling campus, USBC, American flag with a

Prisoners of War and Missing (POW/MIA) flag beneath it, the Texas flag, BPAA, and Hall of Fame/Museum

flag. USBC staffer Ron DeRoxtra quipped Six Flags Over Bowling

Hundreds of proprietors, pro shop owners and media representatives witnessed the usual ribbon-cutting cer-

emony and were treated to tours of the USBC offices, the museum, and the International Training and

Research Center.

The complex will be hosting the national Queens tournament in May and it was announced, Bowl Expo next

year.

It is the hopes of the politicians, Convention and Visitors Bureau and countless hotels in the area, that the

hundreds of acres will bring in families to enjoy the amusement park, sports stadiums, and bowling component

of this Texas-size megalopolis for many years to come.

photo by Joan Taylor

Arlington, Texas Mayor Robert Cluck, USBC President Jeff Boje,

Museum President Pat Ciniello, BPAA President Jim Sturm and

Arlington, Texas Chamber of Commerce President Wes Jurey.


3/8

February 3 - 9, 2010 SPORTS REPORTER 3

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7KDQN\RXWR(YHU\RQHZKR3DUWLFLSDWHGLQWKH

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7KDQNVWR


4/8


19-YEAR OLD ALEX RODRIGUEZ TOPS HI TOR SHOOTOUTBy Mike Zacchio

WEST HAVERSTRAW, NY

Entering the new year that saw a

Yankees third baseman silence

the critics that said he didnt

have what it takes to win the big

show only two months ago, Hi

Tors most prestigious tourna-

ment was won by a promising

young talent that shares the

stars very name.

Alex Rodriguez, of Tomkins

Cove in Stony Point grabbed

qualified second in the 16-man

bracket after firing scratch scores

of 232-228-241-701. Dale Aivaz,

of Yonkers was the top qualifier

of the tournament with scratch

scores of 264-247-239-750.

Rodriguez bested Westchesters

Rich Butters Riccardi in the

championship 234-192. Bowling

in his first finals appearance,

Rodriguez seemed hardly fraz-

zled bowling on such a big stage.

In each of his finals matches,

Rodriguez not only won each of

his matches scratch, but was no

less than two marks better than

his counterpart even after their

handicap.

The first to fall to Rodriguez

was fellow Hi Tor bowler and

friendly rival, LanceMcLaughlin. Rodriguez came

out of the gate blazing with the

first six on one of the hardest

pairs in the house, but caught

two major breaks en route to the

win. McLaughlin held his own

for most of the match, but gave

Rodriguez his first break when

he missed a five pin in the sixth

frame to eventually do him in.

Rodriguez caught his second

break in the match when fouled

in his foundation frame. While a

foul in the ninth frame of a finals

match is hardly a break for

bowlers 99 percent of the time,

Rodriguez left the 8-10 split on

the shot. Rodriguez spared the

next shot to save an all but guar-

anteed open. Rodriguez won the

match 223-208.

The #6 seed, Chappy Jamison

was next on the list for

Rodriguez. Coming off a 240-

190 victory over Billy Tarsio in

the first round, Jamison gave

Rodriguez the only real run for

his money in the round of eight,

but still fell to the young gun

237-217. As the higher seed,

Rodriguez got to draw the pair

they would bowl on and fortu-

nately picked the same one from

his previous match. Once pastJamison, the road to the crown

was a freshly paved one for him.

Rodriguez was set to take on

Steve DeSilva in the final four

round. DeSilva seemed to strug-

gle a lot with the vastly different

lanes, not realizing the right lane

was approximately six to seven

boards tighter than the left.

Rodriguez was able to make the

necessary adjustments and

defeat DeSilva 220-179.

Riccardi made the most of his

efforts in the tournament, quali-

fying eighth; but it was the

bracket where he made the most

noise. Following qualifying,

Riccardi knew he had everything

working on his end, stating, Im

throwing the best ball in the

house right now. And he needed

everything if he wanted to take

the title home. With the most dif-

ficult road to the championship,

he nearly took down all of his

competitors. He won a nail biter

against Hi Tor sensation, Mike

Mullin 217-216. Mullin could

have forced a roll-off with a

strike on his fill ball, but left a

high six-pin. Riccardi then oblit-

erated another Hi Tor bowler,

Joe Rutella 224-160 in the round

of eight. In the final four,Riccardi and Aivaz gave Hi Tor

one of the best matches of the

night.

With the exception of a 2-8

chop early in the match, Aivaz

was spot on, like he was the

entire night. He packed the last

five to edge out fellow

Homefield bowler, Joette Healy

237-234 in the first round and

Darryl McDuffie 245-217 in the

round of eight. Aivazs 224 was

his lowest game of the tourna-

ment and the early open was a

huge obstacle to overcome.

Aivaz got a small window late in

the game that forced him to

throw a hit in the ninth and the

first one in the tenth to overtake

Riccardi. Aivaz stoned a 10-pin

in the ninth and Riccardi

advanced to the championship

with 237-224.

Rodriguez has spent a lot of

time into fine tuning his game in

the last year. His efforts have led

to four perfect games, three

league championships and now a

Shootout title and a $500 payout.


5/8


AT HOLIDAYTodd Ascenzo 684OAKLAND, NJ Todd Ascenzo paced the scoring in the Monday Nite

Early Mix League firing a high series of 684.

John Alessandrello hit 258-678, Scott Merwede 256-669, Stacey Bade

226-641, Ladi DiGagliano 266-638, and Mary Frances Fennelly 233.

Tim Scott 653OAKLAND, NJ- In the Saturday Junior-Major League Tim Scott shot

226-653, Kevin Macchia 221-648, Rich Gutches 244-648, and Anastasia

Deleon 213.

DJ Cramer, Jr. 762PISCATAWAY, NJ DJ Cramer,

Jr. led the Thursday Mens League

firing games of 289-223-250-762.

Troy Mellios shot 254-237-237-

728, Tom Mernagh 247-255-217-

719, Rob Giles 248-215-243-706,

Rob Lawless 248-244-223-715,

and Ryan Frech 232-243-216-691.

In the Metuchen Golf and

Country Club League Helen

Paterniti tossed a 209.

Boyd Smith shot 208 in the

Seniors League.

Tom Mernagh 757Tom Mernagh topped the scoring

in the Classic League firing 246-

280-231 for a high series of 757.

Paul Fair shot 245-236-225-706,

Glenn Willsten 254, and Tom

Sheehan 246.

Vinnie Milazzo 280Vinnie Milazzo shot 280, and Bill

Giarretta 244 in the Tuesday

AT&T League.

Ken Dzurilla rolled 266, Bill

Giaretta and Don Aman 248, and

Diane Toto 247 in the Wednesday

AT&T League.

Gary Wittmer 710Gary Wittmer rolled 214-249-

247-710, Kenneth Walker 266,and Skip Roto 247 in the South

Plainfield Mix League.

Felipe DaSilva 268Felipe DaSilva led the scoring in

the Hes and Shes League firing a

high game of 268.

Don Jackson shot 256, Bill Dye

255, Jim Mehalick 249, and Keith

Urquhart 227-242.

In the Somerset Run League

Frank Pirella shot 219-233.

James Dobosiweic shot 256 in the

Central New Jersey Pride League.

Mike Bizarro 678Mike Bizarro rolled 223-232-

223-678, and Nate Holiday 210-

238-214-662 in the Friday

Leftovers League.

Don Amann 258Don Amann rolled 258-257,

Robert Bressler 256, Bill Gaskill

247, and Nichole Toto 245 in the

Wed AT&T League.

THE STARS AT STELTON

HY-WAY BOWLROUTE 22, UNION, NJ908-687-9300

DANNY WILLIAMS, PROPRIETORAL BRIDGES, MANAGER


6/8


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D. Nykforuk 730ROCKAWAY, NJ Danny

Nykforuk led the scoring in the

Thu. Nite Mixed League firing

games of 278-258 for a high series

of 730.

Matt Franke hit 254-211-228-

693, Crabby Brown 242, Colin

Beasty 234, and Kimberly

Martinez 221.

Glen Malmstone 705ROCKAWAY, NJ Glen

Malmstone paced the scoring in

the Mixed League firing games of

260-236-209 for a high series of705.

Christopher Casey rolled 234,

Doug Cattan 233, Nicole Malson

256-625, Keri May 237-236-662,

Julianne Cromwell 235, Dawn

Dietzel 226, and Danielle Parker

214.

Erik Gary 700ROCKAWAY, NJ Erik Gary led

the scoring in the Fri. Nite Mens

League firing games of 247-238-

215 for a high series of 700.

Seth Kovach shot 247-218-220-

685, Jack Sakfan 242-235-670,

Joe Karas 246-224-665, Jason

Smith 268, and Ken George 248.

Joe Miller 684ROCKAWAY, NJ Joe Miller led

the Mon. Early Birds firing 258-

227 for a high series of 684.

Matt Hoffman shot 222-221-222-

665, Ed Handy 267, Brian Soo

Hoo 244, Annette Rossi 210,a nd

Sheila Sell 201.

Kevin Sikora 654ROCKAWAY, NJ Kevin Sikora

paced the scoring in the Mon. Nite

Mixed League firing games of


Shawn Casey hit 242-203-203-

648, Chris Larick 248, and KaraCook 227.

Chris Bakos 661ROCKAWAY, NJ Chris Bakos

led the scoring in the NorBu

Lodge League firing games of


John Hearn hit 238-202-221-661,

Dave Martin 237, and Mary Ann

Abasto 202.

Joe Karas 631ROCKAWAY, NJ Joe Karas led

the scoring in the PBA Experience

League firing games of 225-207

for a high series of 631.

John Neral hit 225, and Nichole

Spratford 222-211-626.

ROCKAWAY ROLLERS


7/8


Jason Gomez 770HOPELAWN, NJ- Jason Gomez

led the scoring in the Madison

Park Mens League firing games

of 265-236-269 for a high series

of 770.

Jaydee Luistro shot 236-267-

247-750, Joe Vaccaro 290-234-

219-743, Steven Russo 253-266-

203-722, and Willie Zammitto

257-220-238-715.

In the Thursday Mixed Nuts

League Mike Kennelly shot 211-

248-627, and Joe Herber 235-

201-624.

Joe Plescia 745HOEPLAWN, NJ Joe Plescia

led all bowlers in a recent meeting

of the the Raritan Bay Mens

League pitching games of 267-

241-237 for a 745 set.

Don Richard shot 246-245-252-

743, Ted Lapka 231-279-228-738,

Joey Weisenstein 267-221-224-

712, and Paulo Toy 276-237-711.

Kevin Cristi 734HOPELAWN, NJ Kevin Cristi

led the scoring in the Friday Nite

Mixed League firing games of

280-227-227 for a high series of

734.

Nick Guarneri hit 267-245-681,

James Richardson 222-257-655,

and Kenny Anderson 243-258-

650.

Wayne Babert 703HOPELAWN, NJ Wayne

Bobert shot 211-236-256-703,

Jsaon Diszewski 213-203-601,

and David Caceres 266-601 in the

Avenel Youth League.

Anthony Scutari 677HOPELAWN, NJ Anthony

Scutari led the scoring in the

Merck League firing games of

221-223-230 for a high 677 set.

Eric Haltli shot 227-211-227-

665, Dan Wolf 233-617, and Jeff

Roberts 200-213-606.

Carmine Latin 696HOPELAWN, NJ Carmine

Latin paced the scoring in the His

& Hers League with 217-220-259

for a high series of 696.

Don Anione shot 256-216-214-

686, Bonnie DeSimone 259-231-

671, and Bill Smith 224-211-225-

660. Rick Wimple shot 259-637,

and Matt Kowal 234 in the Friday

Late Night Mixed League.

Lauro Perez 686HOPELAWN, NJ Lauro Perez

led the scoring in the Sunday NiteMixed League firing games of


Cid Stentella shot 248-225-672,

and Elio Carrasco 212-223-218-

653.

Erick Kerekes 688HOPELAWN, NJ Erick

Kerekes shot 201-242-245-688,

Ernesto Cabrera 207-235-628,

and Ralph Doerfler 232-245-616

in the Atlantic City Trios League.

Rollin E. Ball 657HOPELAWN, NJ Rollin E. Ball

led the scoring in the Thursday

Nite Mixed League tossing games

of 235-220-202 for a 657 high

series.

Mike Piomelli hit 201-223-611,

and Gis Quinn 201-213-603.

Vincent Babcock 676HOPELAWN, NJ- Vincent

Babcock paced the scoring in the

Friday Late Night Mixed League

firing games of 205-247-224 for a

high series of 676.Jack Gale shot 202-220-235-

657, and Rick Wemple 222.

Ricky Smith 668HOPELAWN, NJ Ricky Smith

led the scoring in the Saturday

Nite Mixed League firing games

of 226-256 for a high series of

668.

Rich Nicholls shot 234-227-658,

Melissa Huntley 256-220-644,

and Chris Huntley 212-207-203-

623.

Jack Gale took the lead when he

rolled games of 222, 203 and 237

to finish with a league leading 662

series, and Dennis Lawrence post-

ed a 239 game in the Friday Late

Night Mixed League.

THE MAGIC AT MAJESTIC

!! Remember you read it here FIRST !!

That is why it PAYS to Advertise in the

Sports Reporter


8/8


SEATTLE, Wash. - Immediately after the second-

largest television audience in 10 years watched

Kelly Kulick's historic victory in the PBA

Tournament of Champions, the significance of her

achievement began to resonate around the world.

No sooner had the telecast, which drew a 1.52

Nielsen rating (more than 1.7 million viewers),

ended than National Football League star Terrell

Owens broke the news to his throng of Twitter fol-lowers: "Kelly Kulick just defeated Chris Barnes

265-195 to become the 1st woman ever to win the

PBA Tour!! Congratulations Kelly!"

Since Owens' "tweet," Kulick's triumph has cre-

ated an unprecedented news media frenzy for the

world of bowling, and two days after her surpris-

ing victory over Chris Barnes at Red Rock Lanes

in Las Vegas, she was still the hottest story in the

wide world of sports.

"The rich history of the PBA Tour has added

another chapter," said PBA Commissioner and

CEO Fred Schreyer of the huge ESPN audience.

"We are pleased that we can deliver such a strong

audience to our advertisers and sponsors at one of

our signature events. We look forward to continu-

ing to build on the momentum we have estab-

lished."Sunday's ESPN audience was quickly joined by

millions of other newspaper readers, radio listeners, online

visitors and network television viewers. Kulick's victory was

published by more than 300 major-market newspapers, from

the New York Times to the Los Angeles Times, and all stops

in between. She spent most of Monday on an airplane, flying

home to New Jersey, but the wheels no sooner hit the ground

than she was inundated with requests for appearances on

CBS' Early Show, ABC News, Fox Business, WABC-TV in

New York, and an assortment of ESPN programs.

She managed to fit in a handful of radio interviews as

well, including one with WGN Radio in Chicago, and

while she drove around New York City on Tuesday mak-

ing non-stop appearances, she did additional radio inter-

views with stations in Hartford/New Haven, Tampa, St.

Louis and with Sirius Satellite Radio.

"Kelly Kulick is a great representative of the sport ofbowling and the PBA, and she is doing a wonderful job

of telling compelling stories about the PBA and bowling

in general," said Tom Clark, PBA Deputy Commissioner.

"She is keenly aware of the opportunity she has to show-

case the sport, and that simply means greater value for

the entire industry."

The buzz about Kulick's milestone continued unabated.

Her Facebook page has been inundated. Her e-mail

account was temporarily overloaded. She had more than

300 text messages on her phone when her plane landed

Monday. And pba.com had recorded a record number of

visitors in the first 48 hours after her win.

Here is a sampling of what the American bowling and

news media community has been saying:

Randy Pedersen, 13-time PBA Tour champion and

ESPN color analyst: "What I witnessed on Sunday, given

the circumstances, could possibly be the best performanceI have ever witnessed in professional bowling, Nobody

gave Kelly a chance, yet she performed magnificently.

Under the most extreme pressure our sport can provide

she managed her game flawlessly. People need to under-

stand just how spectacular this accomplishment is."

Nelson Burton Jr., PBA Hall of Famer and long-time

ABC-TV color analyst: "She truly bowled with as much

determination and heart as I have ever seen."

Don and Paula Carter, bowling hall of famers: "What a

great show Sunday! We enjoyed every aspect of the tele-

cast."

Associated Press: "Kelly Kulick left all the guys in the

gutter."

Matt Fiorito, Detroit Free-Press: "Annika Sorenstam

couldn't do it, nor could Michelle Wie, although they got

tons of publicity in their failed attempts. But on Sunday,

Kelly Kulick proved to the world that in precision sports

at least, women can compete with men."

Jeff Wolf, Las Vegas Review-Journal: "Kelly Kulick

used a 15-pound bowling ball to smash a 52-year barrier

when she became the first woman to win a PBA Tour tour-

nament."

Andy Hutchings, The Sporting Blog,

sportingnews.com: "I'm too young to remember it ever

being truly popular, but I think it's fair to say bowling has

become a bit of a niche sport of lateToday, Kelly Kulick

might have changed that."

Entertainment&showbiz.com: "It can't get bigger

than this for 32-year old Kelly Kulick. The American

Professional bowler becomes the first women to win the

prestigious PBA title last Sunday in Las Vegas.Kelly

Kulick is also known to have been a part of Spider-

Man's comic book. She was featured as friend and for-mer girlfriend of Flash Thompson, starting with Friendly

Neighborhood Spider-Man issue no.20. She was includ-

ed into the comics after participating in a bowling pro-

am event with the daughter of one of the Spider-Man

writers."

Philadelphia Inquirer: "Kelly Kulick left all the

guys in the gutter yesterday when she became the

first woman to win a PBA Tour title, beating Chris

Barnes in the final of the 45th Tournament of

Champions in Las Vegas."

Dave Poe, Parkersburg News and Sentinel: "The

best sports story on Sunday? It wasn't Peyton

Manning and the Indianapolis Colts coming backfrom an 11-point deficit to defeat the upstart New

York Jets and advance to the Super Bowl. Nor was

it the New Orleans Saints' dramatic overtime victory

over the Minnesota Vikings. Rather, Sunday

belonged to Kelly Kulick. Who in the heck, many of

you are wondering, is Kelly Kulick? She's a profes-

sional bowler. She's arguably the best female bowler

in the world. On Sunday, she was the best bowler in

the world - period."

Sportsexaminer.com: "You might say that the

announcers were breathless by comparing Kulick to

Billie Jean King as a pioneer in women's profession-

al sports. But you can't deny she accomplished

something no other woman has. Golfers Michelle

Wie and Annika Sorenstam failed to reach those

heights when they competed on the men's golf tour."

Mason Lerner, Sports Chat, The Faster Times: "Kelly

Kulick made history and added a new twist on throwing

like a girl when she became the first woman to ever win a

PBA major at the Tournament of Champions in Las

Vegas."

All Headline News: "Kelly Kulick pounded 10 strikes at

the final of the 45th Professional Bowlers Association

Tournament of Champions Sunday at Red Rock Lanes in

Las Vegas, becoming the first woman to capture a title in a

male-dominated sport."

Francine King, Jacksonville Times-Union: "Terrell

Owens tweeted about it

.

Facebook pages filled with it. Bowling communities arebuzzing about it. On Sunday, Kelly Kulick achieved what

no woman had accomplished before her: a victory on the

Professional Bowlers Association Tour - and in one of its most prestigious tournaments."

Stephen Haynes, Newsday.com: "The call Joanne Byrne

received from her husband on Sunday informing her that

Kelly Kulick had become the first woman to win a PBA

Tour title didn't elicit much surprise. No, for the Levittown

Division girls bowling coach, there was just pride and a

little I-told-you-so."

Fort Worth Star Telegram: "Lynda Barnes, a pro

bowler whose husband, Chris Barnes, suffered the 265-

195 loss to Kulick, said she had no hard feelings. 'He got

run over - it's a simple as that,' Barnes said as she huggedfriends at the International Research and Testing Center

(Monday during the opening ceremonies for the

International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas). "But

you can't help but be happy for Kelly."

And many, many more........

Kelly Kulick's Tournament of Champions Victory

Creates National News Media Blitz for BowlingSecond-largest ESPN audience in 10 years watches historic telecast

Photo courtesy of PBA LLC

Kelly Kulick doing what she does best - Bowling.

The only flaw in the plan was when she purchased a ticket to fly back home to

New Jersey in time to watch the finals on TV and had to deal with Continental

to change that to a later flight so she could make history... and did that in style!

february 3, 2010 sports reporter

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