Ball Busters Bring Some Heat With Them To Women's Nationals. From Ball Busters Women's Bowling League. Photo Courtesy Of Ball Busters.
Las Vegas - - - The Lady Ball Busters sent eight teams to the USBC Women’s Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 4–5, 2026. After being unable to use their team name in previous years, the group chose to proudly represent the Grand Canyon State under the name Arizona Heat.
The highlight of the trip came when Arizona Heat team members Shelly Dickens, Mary Jane Douthat, Dawn Johnson, and Cynthia Coor surged into first place in the Ruby Division with a team score of 2,172. Coor paced the team with a 589 series, followed by Johnson with 541, Douthat with 530, and Dickens with 512. Their outstanding team chemistry was evident throughout the event, but even more impressive was the excitement of taking the lead on one of the most challenging lane conditions featured at this year’s tournament.
The accomplishment sparked excitement among all 32 ladies traveling with the Arizona Heat contingent, as well as many of the bowlers competing on the same squad. Unfortunately, the lead was short-lived when LV Queens 3 of Allentown, Pennsylvania, edged Arizona Heat by just two pins. As of June 8, 2026, Arizona Heat remains in second place and is hoping to hold that position as tournament competition continues. Arizona Heat has also found success elsewhere on the leaderboard. Arizona Heat (6) currently sits in 26th place in the Sapphire Division with a team score of 1,630. Team members include Dyane Miller (357), Beth Cannon (344), Cheri DeBree (426), and Mary Striebel (508), whose efforts have helped keep Arizona well represented at this year’s championships.
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Congrats To Greg Thompson On Rolling Second Straight 800 Series At USBC Open.
Reno - - - Congratulations to Gregory Thompson of Gilbert, Arizona, for rolling an 804 series during his singles set at the #USBCOpen.
Thompson had games of 279, 246 and 279, putting him in fifth place in Regular Singles.
This is not Thompson’s first time in the spotlight at the Open Championships as he became the first bowler to roll a 300 and 800 at the 2025 event held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at the Raising Cane’s River Center.
Awesome bowling, Gregory!
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Tucson Metro USBC Update
By Mark Kerr, President
Tucson - - - The 2025-2026 bowling season in Tucson has wrapped up, with the conclusion of leagues in
Tucson’s five active bowling centers. Congratulations to the champions of their respective
leagues, to the bowlers who finished another season, and a high-five to the bowlers who posted new personal high games and series.
Tucson Metro USBC offers local awards (game and series key chains) and now the 11-In-A-Row Challenge Coins to bowlers. League secretaries are required to submit award requests in a timely manner, which has been challenging since some waited a long time or sent their forms in at the end of this season, which isn’t fair to the bowlers, as well as Tucson Metro’s Local
Awards Coordinator, Gloria Harris, who is working to get out the awards received at the end of the leagues. These awards are based on the league average of the bowler at the time the game or series was bowled. So far this season, a total of 1,629 Game Key Chains and 1,521 Series Key Chains have been handed out. A total of 49, 11 In A Row Challenge Coins were handed out in this past season. Tucson Metro USBC congratulates the bowlers on their accomplishments, as well as Gloria Harris, the Local Awards Coordinator, for her commitment and work for the bowlers.
The 2025-26 season had its share of honor scores bowled. A total of 43, 300 games were bowled during this season. Chris McHenry, Ryan Tetreault and Josh Quesnel each bowled two, 300 games. There were a total of 15, 800 series bowled in the 2025-26 season. Sean Brewster had the highest series of 838, with Matt Klaer, bowling an amazing three, 800 series. Congratulations to you all.
ANNUAL MEETING: The Tucson Metro USBC Association held its annual meeting on Sunday, May 17, at the Kaycee Club. Tucson Metro USBC thanks Louie Valenzuela and the Kaycee Club for donating the facility for the meeting, which had a quorum.
Elections for the Tucson Metro USBC Board, state delegates, and national delegates took place. Elected to the Tucson Metro USBC Board were: Ed Vegas, Alonso Sodari, Joe Shelton, Dennis Duplanty, Ken Lewis, Todd Thrasher, Joe Beard, and Kari Snyder. Elected as state delegates were Joe Shelton, Gloria Harris, Steve Harris, and Mark Kerr. Elected as national delegates were: Adela Lozano-Sodari, Gloria Harris, Joe Shelton, Steve Harris, Alonso Sodari, Mark Kerr, and Kari Snyder.
Three proposals were discussed at the meeting. It was approved to raise the Tucson Metro USBC sanction fee $1, and raise the minimum age for the Super Senior Masters to 65.A proposal to change the voting structure was defeated. Tucson Metro USBC wants to thank everyone who turned out and took part in the meeting, as well as Ready To Strike Pro Shop and David Hart, the new proprietor, for the donation of the bowling items that were raffled off at the meeting.
The Tucson Metro USBC Board’s new term will begin on August 1. CONGRATULATIONS TO: Gabe Stropka, who bowled his first sanctioned 300 game on May 27, in the Dynamic Duos Summer League at Lucky Strike.
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Mesa Metro Loses One Of Its Pioneers - From Mesa Metro USBC.
Mesa - - - The Board of Directors of the Mesa Metro USBC Association would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of one of our own, Mr. Dale Vickman, who passed away on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
Today, we honor and remember a remarkable man whose life was defined by service, dedication, leadership, and an unwavering love for the sport of bowling.
Dale Vickman was born on October 26, 1941, and spent his life making a positive impact on everyone fortunate enough to know him. In 1961, Dale joined the United States Air Force, serving his country with honor, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. After twenty years of distinguished service, he retired in 1981 with the rank of Master Sergeant.
No matter where life took him—from Germany to Mesa, Arizona—you could always find Dale on the bowling lanes. His passion for the sport began early and led to many accomplishments throughout his lifetime. His first major title came in 1967 when he was crowned Singles Champion at the ABC Invitational Open in Wiesbaden, Germany. He continued to excel, earning the prestigious Arizona State Masters Championship in 1974.
Dale's love for bowling extended far beyond competition. He became an AMF Certified Bowling Instructor in 1966 and later achieved USTBF Bronze Level Coach certification in 1992. From 1980 to 1995, he served as a staff member for the American Bowling Congress, helping shape and support the sport he loved.
Following his retirement from the ABC, Dale returned to his local bowling community with renewed passion. From 1995 to 2005, he served as Executive Director of the Mesa Metro USBC Association. During his tenure, he developed the association's operations manual, a resource that guided the organization for many years, and introduced the MBA brackets program in 1997. In 2000, he added another milestone to his impressive résumé by rolling his first 300 game.
While Dale earned countless titles, awards, and achievements throughout his life, those who knew him best will remember something even greater—his generosity, encouragement, and support of fellow bowlers. He was always willing to share his knowledge, celebrate the successes of others, and help strengthen the bowling community he loved so dearly.
Dale touched countless lives through his service, leadership, friendship, and passion. His legacy will continue to live on through the people he inspired, the programs he helped build, and the memories he created with family, friends, and fellow bowlers.
We are grateful for the time we shared with Dale and for all he gave to our community. His memory will forever remain in our hearts, serving as a lasting reminder of the connections, kindness, and experiences he brought to the world.
Rest easy, Dale. You will never be forgotten.
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