Pictured Above Are Special Olympians From Payson.
Special Olympians Have Their Day On The Lanes ....
Mesa - - - To the parents of a special needs child, whether a boy or a girl, the thought of them earning an athletic scholarship to a Division 1 University is nothing more than a thought. But, whenever these athletes do get a chance to showcase their athletic skills, they are more than eager to show their skills in an athletic competition.
That was evident on Friday November 17, as 150 athletes competed in a Special Olympics bowling event at Brunswick Zone in Mesa, Arizona. This two-day event, which attracted an additional 450 bowlers, concluded on Saturday November 18. There are 22 sports offered around the state of Arizona that Special Olympics athletes can participate in. Bowling has been one of the top sports that athletes get to participate in for the last 10 years.
"It takes a month to process the bowling event from start to finish," said Four Peaks Area Director Eve Vance, on what it takes to host the bowling competition for Special Olympics Arizona’s Four Peaks area, which is based in Phoenix. "By the time I leave the bowling center on Saturday, I will have a date for them when we will be back for the 2018 competition."
Organizing a big event like this, besides putting in a lot of time and effort, also involves having enough volunteers on hand for assistance. She doesn't have to travel far to find those volunteers.
"A group of students from Mesa Community College (MCC), volunteer for the event and they love doing it," says Mrs. Vance, of her support group. "Hopefully, in 2018, we can make it a bigger event. On Friday the event is school based, and on Saturday it is community based."
Just like in the Olympic Games, a gold medal is given to the Special Olympics athlete who finishes in first-place, silver for second, and bronze for third. Ribbons are awarded to those who finish in: 4th, 5th, and 6th place.
"It is the responsibility of the coaches and the schools to transport the athletes to the bowling event," she said. "They also have to get sports physicals done for the athletes, and turn in their registration by a certain date. The athletes are really excited after they win a medal or a ribbon and feel like they accomplished something."
The thanks Mrs. Vance and her staff gets from the parents, is the reason why they do this for them.
Simply put: "Every athlete," she said, "deserves the chance to participate."
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Phoenix - - -LOPE BOWLERS BACK FOR ANOTHER COLLEGIATE SEASON
The GCU Bowling Team is back and ready to begin the 2017-2018 USBC Collegiate Season. The program has expanded and now includes a 14 bowler Men’s Team and a 7 bowler Women’s team. The Men’s Team welcomes Donovan Koff, Jose Modic, Joshua Fearing, Justin Song, and Kyle Gilbert. Alex Washburn, Cameron Smith, Joshua Mabry, Kyle Reed, Kyle Simi, Matthew Green, Nicholas Ochse, Ronald Dela Torre, and Zachary Rapp have joined the team for its fifth year of competition. The Women’s Team welcomes Candace Garnder, LeAnne Kommenich and Rachel Rohrbacker. Correen Lieber, Deborah Papin, Emily Ornelas, and Jennifer Pheigaru return for the team’s second season.
The team’s schedule has expanded a bit as well. The Women’s team will bowl 6 regular season events and the Men will bowl 10 regular season events. Both will set their sights on qualifying for USBC Collegiate Sectionals and the Collegiate Club Championships in Indianapolis. Here is a list of our regular season tournaments:
GCU vs. ASU Challenge: October 13th (Men & Women)
SWIBC III & IV: October 21st – 22nd (Women)
West Coast Collegiate Team Championships: November 4th – 5th (Men)
Montclair Open: November 18th – 19th (Men)
Las Vegas Invitational: December 18th – 19th (Men & Women)
Collegiate Shoot-Out: December 20th – 21st (Men & Women)
Devils Duel: January 13th (Men & Women)
Antelope Shoot-Out: January 14th (Men & Women)
Sin City Open & Rebel Classic: January 26th – 28th (Men & Women)
ITC Sectionals: March 9th – 11th (Men & Women)
Collegiate Club Championships: April 7th – 8th (Men & Women)
Check back here each month for updates on the team as we continue to make a splash in the collegiate bowling world. If you are interested in joining the team or know someone who is, feel free to reach out to me at ben.canfield@gcu.edu. Lopes Up!
Story Courtesy Of Ben Canfield - GCU Bowling Coach
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Phoenix - - - GCU Knocks Off ASU in Annual Challenge Match
The 2017-2018 USBC Collegiate Season has begun for both the Men and Women of the GCU bowling Program! Both teams began their season with a win on October 13th at the 3rd Annual GCU vs. ASU Challenge. The teams competed in a "Weber Cup" style format that consisted of Doubles and Team Baker Matches. The Lope Men wrapped up the victory with a 3-0 victory in the final best of five baker match.
The following weekend, the Women’s team headed to Dallas to compete in to Southwest Intercollegiate Bowling Conference tournaments. They competed on two extremely difficult lane conditions and wrapped up the weekend with two 3rd place finishes! On Sunday, Jenni Pheigaru and Correen Lieber made their first All-Tournament Team of the season.
The Men started their regular season at the West Coast Collegiate Championships in Fresno, CA. They finished 2nd on Day 1 and 3rd on Day 2. Cameron Smith made the All-Tournament Team on Saturday and, freshman, Kyle Gilbert did the same on Sunday. Up next, the guys are off to So Cal for the Oak Tree and Linbrook Open on November 18th and 19th.
We would like to thank our sponsors Genesis Bowling and Virtue Bowling Supply for their continued support! Check back here each month for updates on the team as we begin our push for the postseason. Follow our team’s progress by following us on twitter, @GCUBowling, or giving us a "like" on Facebook. If you are interested in joining the team or know someone who is, feel free to reach out to me at ben.canfield@gcu.edu. Lopes Up!
Story Courtesy Of Ben Canfield GCU Bowling Coach
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Come And Meet The New Guy At Virtue Bowling Supply At Brunswick Mesa
Mesa - - - If its been a while since you have visited Virtue Bowling Supply at Brunswick Zone Mesa, you may have noticed someone new managing the pro shop there. That new person happens to be Gregory Thompson Jr. Having bowled in the Aquimo Open the last two years at Mesa East Bowl, Gregory is not new to the regional tour stop at the East Mesa bowling center, but is new to helping the customers at the pro shop.
"I have known Josh since his sophomore year of college, which was my first year on tour. He had asked me a couple of years ago, if I would be interested in relocating to Mesa, and managing the pro shop," explained Greg, on how he ended up relocating to Mesa. "I was not ready to make the move then, because I still owned my own shop in California. This time around the timing was right."
It seems like the move for Greg thus far, has been a good one for him personally and professionally. He finished fifth in the Aquimo Open this year. And 14th at the Petersen Classic this past summer in Chicago, Il.
"I have been bowling better lately. I was in a little slump, and it took a while for me to get used to my new surroundings," explained Greg, of relocating. "Bowling in the Petersen was tough. I was expecting harder conditions, so I did have a game plan of how to attack the lanes. Being bigger (about 6-5), I could loft the ball further than most, which gave me pretty good ball reaction. On the tougher pairs, I threw the ball straight and hard at the head-pin. That srategy left me with makeable spares. I think everyone should experience this event at least once."
He also bowled his first 300 game in the area in the Virtue Classic, which bowls on Tuesday night at BZM. He also has a fifth place finish in the Pam Buckner Classic in Reno, NV. In the first game of that tournament he rolled a 300 game as well.
"I like the area. The east valley is a strong bowling community," said Greg, of his time here thus far. "Craig and Josh have treated me like family. They have been a huge help to me professionally and personally".
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Arizona State Jamboree/Workshop A Huge Success For Mesa Metro Association
Mesa - - - The first of October usually signifies when the bowling season in the State of Arizona, begins to kick into high gear. And when the first of October rolls around, it also means the annual Jamboree/Workshop takes place. This year the Arizona State Jamboree/Workshop, was held in Mesa on October 6-7 at the Holiday Inn on Country Club. It was the first time in the history of the Mesa Metro Association that it has hosted a jamboree.
USBC Western Regional Manager, David Prange, was the keynote speaker at the workshop on Saturday morning. This year, he also brought an additional speaker along with him. That speaker was, Tracy Ebarb, who is the Director of Development for the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. The highlight of Dave's presentation, was noting some of the rules changes that took place in the last year, and a Q and A session following his seminar. He also showed highlightes of Team USA's successes for both the men and women's side from last year.
A tournament was held at AMF Chandler Lanes, for those who were in attendance following the workshop. Metro Phoenix won the Association Shootout. Team members included: Lou Ann Rickett, Herb Grassi, Alison Kozak, and Cory Vanderpoel.
"The jamboree was a huge success. The feedback the MMA received from hosting the event was all positive," said MMA President Mike Barrett. "Other than the recognition the MMA gets from hosting the jamboree, it allows more people from our board to interact with others."
A total of $1,934 was raised by the MMA, through 50/50 drawings, and raffling off auction items.
The Jamboree/Workshop will be held in Tucson next October.
Special thanks goes to Leslie Marsh and her board members, for the great job it did in hosting the jamboree.
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Kretzer Takes Lona King Saguaro Open
Sun City - - - Congrats goes to Brian Kretzer on winning the Lona King Senior Saguaro Open. The two-day event took place on October 7-8 at R.H. Johnson Lanes in Sun City West. He was the last man standing in the field of 73 bowlers, and defeated John DeBenedetta for this years title. Kretzer took home $3,000 for the top prize. Next years event will be held on November 10-11.
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