Pictured Above, Third From The Right, Is Phil Hanna, With The Rest Of The Virtue Bowling Supply Crew.
Growing Up In Detroit, Is Where Phil Hanna, Of Glendale, AZ. Began To Excel In Bowling, And Got Into Promotions.
He Has 26 Perfect Games, With Three Of The Them, Coming In Different Parts Of The United States.
By Michael 'Chip' Begg - Managing Editor - thetenpinexpress.com - Director Mesa Metro Association
Glendale - - - With established tournaments in the State of Arizona. Such as the Strike Force Tour, and the ACBA. The question that always comes to mind among fellow bowlers is: Is there room in the Phoenix market to support another weekend event? Phil Hanna, of Glendale, AZ., always wondered that, too. And his response to that question would probably be, you never know unless you give it a try.
He started thinking of running a tournament of his own about eight years ago, while still living in Detroit, MI. And helping Miller Lite promote its doubles tournament through out the state. Miller Lite was always known to beer drinkers in the state as the one that was 'less filling and tasted great'
"About eight years ago, Miller Lite held a doubles tournament in Michigan. They held qualifying in multiple centers across the state. A percentage of entries from each participating center would advance to the finals. I ran squads at Plum Hollow Lanes in Southfield and generated 1/3 of the states entries. From that point on, I've always either hosted different events, or been apart of whatever I could," he said, of how he got into tournament promotions. "The main goal has always been to promote the sport and help it grow."
The Arizona Valley Trio Tournament came about because there wasn't a tournament in the Phoenix area than ran for consecutive weeks with one overall prize fund. The purpose of the trio tournament was to offer an event that is not available in the area.
"The turnout for the Arizona Valley Trio Tournament was great for the first year. Being sponsored by Virtue Bowling Supply helped add validity to the event," said Phil, of the first year of his tournament. "Virtue Bowling Supply is respected and highly recommended in the Valley. Having them as the First sponsor was an honor, and it definitely helped gain entries."
The Arizona Valley Trios Tournament was simple to understand. Teams comprised of three men, three women, or mixed. There were handicap and scratch divisions in each team categories. Side pots such as brackets and high games were also offered. Unlike the Strike Force Tour and the ACBA where it travels to a different tournament site. The Valley Trios stayed in one center.
"I count all the individuals that help make the event a success as resources, which are invaluable. Having a resource like Jason Lucero. Owner/proprietor of Glenfair Lanes as a resource in planning and preparing for an event, has been an awesome privilege," he said, of having the support of Glenfair Lanes. "Jason has experience in just about every aspect of the sport. Having the support and guidance of the proprietor makes it easy to choose the right house."
The AZ Valley Trios which ran from June 16 to July 28, had over 100 entries with participation from almost 200 bowlers. Phil felt it was encouraging to know that the target audience was receptive to the event that ran for seven weeks at Glenfair.
"My wife, Arica, is great at keeping things organized. In order, and presentable. Regardless of the event, organization and presentation are vital," said Phil, of hosting an event. "As far as structure and the event itself: Jason, Craig Spencer of Virtue and the SFT, and Theo Douthit, Tournament Director for the CBE tournaments. Have all played a vital role in the success of the Arizona Valley Trio Tournament. They all made themselves available to assist in any area I needed. My focus is going to be on making the Arizona Valley Trios a reoccurring event here in the valley."
Phil, who grew up in Detroit, once bowled in the largest USBC Association in the United States. Metro Detroit. He says that it was a great experience to be a part of.
"I started bowling in the Metro Detroit area when I was seven. Bowling in the largest USBC group in the country was: exciting, challenging, and life changing," he said, of the experience. "Being in an environment with so many good bowlers reminded me that there was always work to do to get better. One thing I truly miss about bowling in the Detroit area, is the amount of tournaments that were available to bowl in. Knowing that I was competing against some of the very best in the area, made each tournament that much better. If I won, I knew it meant that I earned it."
It is no secret that as bowlers, we always have a favorite place to bowl in. In Phil's case it was Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park. With 94 lanes, it was the largest bowling center in the Detroit Metro Area, and in the State of Michigan.
"The best league I bowled in while living in Detroit, was Free Enterprize. It was a mixed league that consisted of 54 teams of five. There was plenty of money to be won in side pots, and team competition was at an all time high," he said, of bowling at Thunderbird. "The last four weeks of bowling were position rounds, so it kept everyone honest. The best tournament I bowled in was the Gavie Tournament also held at Thunderbowl Lanes. The Gavie is basically the kickoff to the fall season. Every lane in Thunderbowl is used. 94 teams!"
He says the way Thunderbowl Lanes is designed, also lends a bit of intrigue in bowling there also.
"This center is unique because its comprised of 94 lanes in three different sections. 24 lanes in the arena is usually where the telecast are held. The main part of the center, which has 54 lanes are where I bowled most of my leagues in," he says, of the layout. "Last but not least, the north side section of the center also had 24 lanes. Thunderbowl is like the Mecca for bowlers. For the basketball player, its like the Madison Square Garden for the Midwest. The money available to win made Detroit a great place to bowl. Bowling in leagues with 50-60 teams that actually had a decent prize fund, set Detroit apart from any other place I've lived and bowled in."
Phil currently has 26 300 games to his credit and seven 800 series rolled. Three of his 26 300 games, were also rolled in different parts of the country. The first of the three came on March 21, 2012 at Plum Hollow Lanes in Detroit. The second at Mockingbird Lanes in Omaha, Nebraska on March 28, 2014. And the last of the three on July 11, 2018 at AMF Union Hills. His highest average since moving to the Valley, came during the 2015-16 season when he averaged 226 for 102 games in Shootout at Bowlero Christown. There is one person close to him who he credits for getting him into the game of bowling. Phil's wife, Arica, is an accomplished bowler as well. She won the National 40 Frame Event in Las Vegas in 2016. She also has rolled six perfect games. Her first came on March 18, 2007 at Royal Lanes in Detroit. And her most recent one came at Lakeview Lanes in Phoenix on March 26, 2017.
"Its a privilege to have a wife that enjoys bowling as much as I do. Its even more of an honor to have a wife that not only loves bowling, but excels at it as well," he said, of his wife.
"Since I've known her, Arica has always been a great competitor. Having the opportunity to witness her win major events is priceless. Arica's focus, drive to execute, and ability to overcome challenges are constant lessons that I'm grateful to learn from her."
And what about the reason why he has been so successful in rolling honor scores during the month of March?
"I have been able to obtain moderate success in bowling in different parts of the country due to being willing to remain a student of the sport," he says, of his successes in March. "If my older sisters were to answer why March is a good month for me, it would be because one of their birthdays is on the 29th. And the other one is on the 31."
It is also easy to understand where Phil gets his determination and drive from, in order to stay competitive in the game as well.
"My dad was a retired Vietnam Vet. He also managed hotels across the Metro Detroit area. My mother is a retired city employee, but she never bowled. My father, on the other hand, not only bowled while serving in the military, but continued to bowl throughout most of his life," he said, of his parents. "I was fortunate enough to get him to come out of retirement to bowl with me for a season or two when I made it to an adult league. The thing my father emphasized the most was execution. The better I execute, the higher my chances are to win. That mentality was not only taught for bowling, but it was taught for everything I wanted to pursue."
He also feels there was a time as a teenager, where he knew he had the ability to accomplish big things in the game of bowling.
"Around the age of 16 is when I started to see real improvement in my game. That's when everything started to finally click," he said, of knowing he was going to be successful in bowling. "From that point on, I have been improving. I've lived in a few different states and I can say the culture of bowling is different everywhere. My love for the game makes it easy to adjust to different climates."
Since moving to Phoenix from Omaha in September 2014, Phil can appreciate being in a warmer climate in the winter months. In the four years he has been here, were sure he doesn't miss scraping the snow and ice off of his windshield during the winter months.
"I don't think that one ever gets used to extreme weather. Living in Michigan, I never got used to the cold," he says, of adjusting to a different climate. "I just knew it was the same location. Same with Arizona, the heat in the summer is extreme. I haven't gotten used to it either. I've just learned to accept it."
Phoenix Bowling News - October 1, 2018