Editors Note: This is a new feature the tenpinexpress.com will be doing from time to time during the 2016-17 season. We feel it is important to bring awarness and publicity to as many leagues and tournaments as possible. Stay tuned and thanks for your continued support.
Not Just Another League, But A Challenge For Those Who Have Bowled In It The Last Four Years.
ACBA Provides The Conditions You Always Wanted To Bowl On, And The Competition To Go With It.
By Michael 'Chip' Begg - Managing Editor thetenpinexpress.com - Director Mesa Metro Association.
Chandler - - - Four years ago, Craig Spencer, came up with an idea for a unique league that would challenge the bowlers who bowled in it.
Since he is the current franchise holder of the Strike Force Tours' (SFT) Central Arizona Division, he wanted to organize a league where the shot that was put down before the league was bowled every week. Was the same or similar shot the bowlers would find at his tournaments through out the valley.
After all, the only way to get better in the game of bowling is to test your skills on different patterns. And as a result of his vision the ACBA Challenge League was originally formed in the summer of 2012 at AMF McRay Lanes. It is currently wrapping up its second summer season at Brunswick Kyrene Lanes.
"The ACBA stands for Arizona Classic Bowling Association. It is a scratch tournament bowling organization that has been around for a long time. I took it over in 2015 and tried to run some events that did mediocre, but not as well as I would have liked," said Craig Spencer, on why he got involved with the ACBA. "We took some time off, to help the demand for the ACBA raise again.
"I am excited to be announcing the return of the tournaments in this months Desert Bowler," he added. "The first event will be in September. I am also really excited to be partnering with Mike Dirmeyer on the events as he will be the tournament director for them. The scratch leagues that I have come up with and promoted over the years have all been branded with the ACBA name to keep the brand alive and communicate that its a scratch league, like the tournaments are."
The new league had 20 teams during its first season at McRay. And, 28 in its first season at Brunswick Kyrene.
"Craig currently runs the SFT, and he felt the ACBA challenge league would be good practice for those who bowl in his SFT tournaments, and for all bowlers who would like to bowl on harder lane conditions," said ACBA Kyrene secretary, Steve Steele. "We bowled at AMF McRay for two years, and we are now finishing up our second at Kyrene.
"The response to the league by the bowlers, has been very well. We ended up with 20 teams during our first season at McRay, and increased to 28 teams our first year at Kyrene. We had 25 teams this year," the secretary added. "I think another reason the league has been successful, is because we keep the cost down ($15 a week), so bowlers can afford to bowl in it. And, there is no big prize fund involved at the end of the league. The bowlers also get to bowl on different patterns during the course of the summer season."
The shots the league may choose to use during the course of the summer season may sound familiar to you and they are: USBC team, USBC singles. National team, 36 ft; National singles and doubles, 39ft; the wolf pattern, 32 ft; the cheetah pattern, 35 ft; the PBA chameleon pattern, 43 ft; and the scorpion, 47 feet.
"The competition overall in the league this summer has been very good. There are a couple of dominant teams that are running away in the standings (at the time of this writing, Shane's on Top, is in first place in the league, with 165 wins, 24 losses)," related Mr. Steele. "The whole idea of the league was to introduce these patterns to the bowlers and let them practice on it. We use the sport certified shots two weeks at a time, and switch it to a different pattern at the end of the second week."
Members of the Shane's on Top team include: Jakob Butturff, (213); Shane Valleau, (207); and Mike Morales, (199). The league uses a 21 point system where: 1 point is awarded for each match win, 1 point for each team game won, 1 point for each individual team series won, and two points for a team that wins total. Bowlers bowl four games a week.
Shane Valleau has the only perfect game rolled in the league thus far. Followed by Mike Morales (297), and Tim Simonis (279). On the women's side: Michelle Dragon, (258); Rachel Weyrauch, (233); and Tina Niles, (233); have posted their respective high games.
Others in the league who have carried a good average this summer are: Jeremy McElliot, (203); Ron Dodd, (197); Mike Bronsart, (197), Archie Temp, (191); and Bryan Mitchell, (191).
Mr. Steele has been involved in the game of bowling, for the last 30 years, and he first started to bowl in leagues in the east valley during the 1987-88 season. He won back-to-back senior doubles titles in the MMA, in 2009 and 2010.
The former floor covering contractor has three perfect games himself. Those coming in: January 2010; October 2014; and July 2015. His highest average of 219, was obtained during the 2011-12 season.
"The game of bowling changed dramatically when bowling centers made the switch from wooden lanes to synthetic ones," he remembers. "The equipment we owl with today, is a lot easier to bowl with than it used to be."
The ACBA Challenge League just expanded to the west valley this summer, and had 18 teams compete in it at AMF Deer Valley.
"I will not be changing anything with the current summer or winter leagues. There will be east vs west tournaments for the leagues, but not north vs south," added Craig. "I am just happy this kind of league is available for people. The "success" is it being available. The number of teams are irrelevant. For me, its about providing a league option for a type of bowler that isn't really into the strike fest that most leagues are."
So, when it comes time to make your bowling plans for next summer. Please remember this option available for you.
Phoenix And Mesa Bowling-News August 4, 2016