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- JUNE 2015
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
Welcomes Japanese Bowling Centers
as Members
ARLINGTON, Texas – Nearly 60 bowling centers representing
more than 2,000 lanes in Japan have joined the Bowling Proprie-
tors’ Association of America (BPAA) through the BPAA Interna-
tional Membership Program.
The centers belong to the Brunswick Kai a group of Brunswick
equipped bowling centers that was founded in 1974 to help unite
the bowling industry in Japan. Brunswick Kai initially was estab-
lished with a focus on research, education, and tournaments.
The group evolved with marketing programs to grow the sport
and has developed sponsorship programs with well-known
brands throughout Japan.
Last October, BPAA Director of Membership and Educational
Services, Bart Burger, was invited to Brunswick Kai’s annual
convention in Okinawa to discuss the bowling industry in Amer-
ica and introduce the industry’s learn-to-bowl program, Bowling
2.0.
―The reaction to the Bowling 2.0 program simply has been over-
whelming,‖ Burger said. ―The program has received a great re-
sponse from centers in America and it’s exciting to share this
with centers throughout the world.‖
Bowling 2.0 is a four-week learn-to-bowl program developed by
BPAA, Strike Ten Entertainment and the United States Bowling
Congress to help teach the sport to new bowlers. Proprietors
then can roll the new bowlers into leagues to sharpen the skills
they learned through the program.
Everything a center needs to run a successful learn-to-bowl
program is included in the Bowling 2.0 kit, including guides for
proprietors and coaches, and weekly lesson plans with a DVD.
Proprietors also receive all materials needed to promote the pro-
gram, including customizable flyers, posters and more.
Over 1,500 bowling centers in the United States and more than
200 centers around the world already have Bowling 2.0 kits.
Brunswick Kai plans to have the materials in the kit translated
into Japanese for its centers.
―We look forward to working with BPAA and bringing the Bowling
2.0 program to our centers,‖ said Hiroshi Funaki, President of
Brunswick Kai and a proprietor of multiple centers in Japan. ―We
can learn from each other as we continue to bring more people
into our sport and raise awareness about this tremendous
game.‖
―We have lost a generation of bowlers in Japan,‖ Funaki said,
―We believe that BPAA’s Bowling 2.0 can help us revive league
bowling in our country.‖
To take advantage of their new membership with the BPAA,
Funaki plans to bring a group of more than 30 Japanese mem-
bers to International Bowl Expo, the bowling industry’s premier
annual convention and trade show scheduled for Las Vegas this
June.
by
Two-time World Bowling women’s world champion
Clara Guerrero
, a Colombia native now living
in Pflugerville, Texas, joined an elite group of PBA women bowlers when she defeated
Joe
Findling
of Greenville, Texas, 225-212, to win the $5,000 first prize and her second PBA Regional
title in the 16th PBA Jonesboro Southwest/Midwest Open, presented by MOTIV, Sunday at Jones-
boro Bowling Center in Jonesboro, Ark.
Holding a one-pin lead going into the final frames, Guerrero finished with four straight strikes to join
California’s
Missy Parkin
, a three-time PBA Regional winner, and New Jersey’s
Kelly Kulick
, New
York’s
Liz Johnson
and Japan’s
Yuka Tsuchiya
– all two-time standard regional winners – on the
elite list.
Guerrero, who also was the third woman to qualify for a PBA Tour television final (she finished
fourth in the 2013 PBA Cheetah Championship), started her road to victory by edging
Dino Casti-
llo
of Carrollton, Texas, 2-1, in the best-of-three-game Round of 12 match. She then swept
Mitch
Beasley
of Clarksville, Tenn., 2-0, in the Round of 8 and survived the semifinal round with a 204-
192 win over
Patrick Allen
of Mount Kisco, N.Y.
Findling
defeated
Roger Petrin
from Wichita, Kan., 2-1, in the Round of 12 before edging 2014
USBC Queens champion
Maria Rodriguez
, another Colombia native now living in Austin, Texas, 2-
1, in the Round of 8.
Findling
then overcame
Josh Blanchard
from Mesa, Ariz., 211-197, in his
semifinal match.
PWBA Regionals and PWBA on Xtra Frame
The first four ―women only‖ PWBA Regional tournaments, conducted by PBA’s regional managers,
will be open to PWBA-PBA members and amateurs. One event in each of the PBA’s eight regions
(East, South, Central, Midwest, Southwest, West, Northwest and Japan) will offer $10,000 prize
funds based on a minimum of 40 entries each.
Host centers and cities for the first four events include Bowlium Lanes, Montclair, Calif. (West Re-
gion), June 5-7; Secoma Lanes, Federal Way, Wash. (Northwest Region), June 12-14; Pro Bowl
West, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Central Region), June 26-27, and Liberty Lanes, Gastonia, N.C. (South
Region) July 4-6. Events in the other regions will be held later in the year, avoiding conflicts with the
revival of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour program.
And, in addition to the PWBA Regional events, all PWBA Tour events in July, Strom Sacramento
Open, August and September will be televised exclusively on Xtra Frame (click here for the full
schedule
In addition to the specific ―women only‖ PWBA Regionals, more than 60 additional ―standard‖ re-
gions tournaments will be PWBA Regional Challenge points qualifying events. In those events,
women will bowl alongside men, but earn points based upon how they qualify. The leading woman
in points in each PBA Region will earn a free entry into PBA World Series of Bowling VII in Reno in
December along with a chance to earn a berth in the PWBA Regional Challenge Finals that will air
on ESPN.
