Page 6 - bwapr2013

6www.bowlingworld.com– APRIL 2013
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
Bowler Turning Blindness Into
Inspiration For Others
By: Frank Jolley
DailyCommercial.com
Henry Svetina has never seen a strike he's rolled in a bowling alley.
But, that hasn't stopped him from bowling two perfect games.
The Spring Hill resident, who was blinded in an industrial accident more than 20 years ago,
will be at Break Point Alley in Tavares -- formerly Classique Lanes -- to compete in a Pro-Am
event at 5 and 7 p.m. today against professional bowlers in town for a Professional Bowlers
Association South Region tournament. A total of 74 professionals still looking for their first PBA
championship have entered the only PBA event scheduled this year for a Lake County bowling
center.
Svetina, however, won't be there for the prize money.
His goal will be to show that a handicap is no excuse to become a wallflower.
"Bowling is a great sport and it's something everyone can do," Svetina said. "You don't need
a lot of strength to do it and you really don't need a lot of skill to have a good time at a bowling
alley. You just have to get out there and do it.
"No matter how bad off you think you are, you can bowl."
An Army veteran, Svetina lost his sight in 1991 when sulfuric acid sprayed into his eyes at an
airport in Long Island, New York. The chemical burned his retinas and rendered him blind al-
most instantly. The 51-year old said he can see about three feet in front of him and beyond
that, all he can see is blurry images.
"I can't tell if a person standing in front of me is a male or female," Svetina said.
Shortly after his accident, a friend took him to a bowling alley and taught him the game. Svet-
ina proved to be a quick learner and developed a feel for the sport.
He learned how read the markings on each lane -- the combination of dots and triangles
located just past the foul line -- to position himself to position himself for each roll. After Svetina
throws his first ball in each frame, he often has a spotter tell him which pins are standing -- if
any -- and he makes the necessary adjustments before rolling his next ball.
"Initially, I line up on the middle board and go for a strike," Svetina said. "After that, after I'm
told which pins are left, I count the boards and the marks and change my starting point. I've
never seen been able to see what happens when my ball hits the pins. I hear the sound, but
that's all.
"I've rolled plenty of strikes, but I've never seen any of them."
Svetina's success on the lanes has attracted plenty of attention over the years. He has ap-
peared in countless newspaper stories and has been the focus of reports on CNN and ESPN.
He said he doesn't bowl in any local league, choosing instead to compete in Pro-Am events
at PBA tournaments, where he can compete against professionals. Over the years, Svetina
said many professionals have thanked him after an event and consider him an inspiration.
"That makes me feel good," Svetina said. "I'm just doing something I enjoy doing and it's fun
to challenge the professionals. I'm not that far behind them. I don't consider myself an amateur
bowler and I hate it when people call me an amateur. I think of myself as a semi-pro bowler."
Svetina said he is sponsored by Brunswick, a company that produces bowling balls, shoes
and other equipment. Whenever he needs something, like a new ball, Svetina said the com-
pany provides him with one.
But he doesn't have the financial resources or sponsorship backing to offset the cost of being
on the PBA tour, which would involve paying for transportation to tournaments, as well as lodg-
ing and food while there. In addition, touring professionals also pay entry fees for each tourna-
ment they enter.
"I think I could be a professional, but I don't have the money it takes to compete at that
level," Svetina said.
Currently, Svetina lives in Spring Hill in a home he inherited from his parents. He has a girl-
friend -- a nurse -- who helps him through everyday life, although he is quick to point out, "I can
cook for myself."
Rich Kosto, owner of Break Point Alley, said Svetina contacted him and asked to compete in
the Pro Am. Kosto said Svetina will be a part of the event, along with area youth and a team of
handicapped bowlers called the "Quad Squad."
"They are a group of quadriplegic bowlers who have been bowling throughout Lake County,"
Kosto said. "One of them, Bill Miller, holds the world record for a handicapped bowler with a
255 score."
Admission to today's Pro-Am is free. Qualifying games for the professionals will begin at 10
a.m. Saturday and Kosto said he will not charge admission.
"I want people to come down and watch these guys and see the sport played at this level,"
Kosto said. "It's impressive to see what a professional bowler is capable of doing."
Scott Norton Averages 252 For
First Round Lead
Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions Williams in second place in bid to complete Triple
Crown, Grand Slam
INDIANAPOLIS (March 27, 2013) - Scott Norton of Mission Viejo, Calif., threw back-to-back
games of 300 and 296, and averaged 252.25 for eight games to take the first round lead in the
Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions lead Wednesday at Woodland Bowl.
Norton, who is trying for his third title of the 2012-13 season, and his first major win, said
"my pin carry today was ridiculous. It wasn't a case of the conditions favoring left-handers. It
was a matter of, if I hit the 1-2 pocket, I got a strike. It didn't matter if I was high in the pocket,
light or whatever, the pins fell.
"But if you're going to win out here, you have to have days like that. Lord knows I've had
enough of the other kind."
Norton finished the opening round of qualifying with a total of 2,018 pins for a 37-pin lead
over the all-time PBA Tour titles leader, Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla. Williams, a 47-
time titlist, has never won win the Tournament of Champions. If he can win this week, he'll
become the eighth player in PBA history to complete the "Triple Crown" (Tournament of Cham-
pions, U.S. Open and PBA World Championship), and the third ever to complete the "Grand
Slam" (Triple Crown plus USBC Masters).
Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., was in third place with 9,159 pins followed by Osku Palermaa of
Finland with a 1,940 total and Dick Allen of Columbia, S.C., in fifth place with 1,932 pins.
Barbasol PBA Tournament Of Champions
Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis, Wednesday
Round One (after 8 qualifying games)
1, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 2,018.
2, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,981.
3, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,959.
4, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 1,940.
5, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,932.
6, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 1,918.
7, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 1,891.
8, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,884.
9, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 1,881.
10, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 1,876.
11, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,875.
12, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 1,874.
13 (tie), Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C.,
and Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 1,867.
15, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 1,847.
16, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y.,
1,838.
17 (tie), Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla.,
and Andres Gomez, Colombia, 1,837.
19, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,836.
20, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,829.
21 (tie), Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., and
Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 1,820.
23, Dom Barrett, England, 1,812.
24, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 1,811.
25, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,808.
26, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,807.
27, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 1,788.
28, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,787.
29, Stuart Williams, England, 1,786.
30, Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 1,783.
31, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,777.
32, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 1,774.
33, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,771.
34, John Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 1,770.
35, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 1,768.
36, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 1,758.
37, Kurt Pilon, Warren, Mich., 1,756.
38, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 1,755.
39, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,746.
40, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,745.
41, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 1,743.
42 (tie), Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas,
and Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,726.
44 (tie), George Branham III, Indianapolis,
and Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 1,712.
46, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,703.
47, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,699.
48, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,692.
49, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 1,673.
50, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 1,654.
51, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 1,645.
52, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 1,642.
53, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, with-
drew, injury.
300 Games: Mike Scroggins, Scott Norton,
Scott Newell.
More PBA News On Pages 12 & 15
Scott Norton