8
– NOVEMBER 2013
Helen Duval’s Bowling Tips
Balance at the Foul Line
How good is your balance at the foul line after you deliver the ball? Are you able
to stay there comfortably until the ball crosses the arrow area? Better yet, can you
stay at the foul line until the ball hits the pins?
Balance at the foul line serves several purposes. Balance helps you walk
straighter to the foul line. Balance gives you better control of the ball in the arm
swing. Balance gives you a better delivery at the foul line. Balance helps you face
your target, therefore helping you pick up your spares.
You should become familiar with the expression "balance line". Balance line is
defined as head over the knee, knee bent and knee over the sliding foot. This posi-
tion at the foul line gives you good balance and control of the ball.
Let's go into more detail on the three positions.
For the strike position on the approach, the bowling arm should be in line with
the second arrow.
For the 7-pin position, move your feet about nine bards to the right of your strike
position. Face the target with your feet, shoulders and hips. Walk, swing, reach for
the same second arrow.
For the 10-pin position, move to the opposite side of the approach, approxi-
mately to the end of the locator dots. Face,
walk, swing, reach and follow through over
the third arrow.
Lefties do the same thing but from the left
side of the approach for the strike, using the
second arrow for the 10-pin. For the 7-pin,
move to the extreme opposite side of the
approach from the 7-pin, then use the third
arrow from the left channel. Be sure you
face, walk, swing and follow through toward
your target.
You will see a big improvement in your
game with good balance and use of the
strike seven- and ten-pin lines.
PBA League Draft Finalizes
Eight teams add youth, experience, versatility with
final selections
LAS VEGAS (Nov. 3, 2013) – From team chemistry to versatility to experience, eight team leaders of
the Professional Bowlers Association League program rounded out their rosters for 2014 Sunday night
at South Point Bowling Center, adding the fifth member of their teams in a PBA League draft to close
the PBA World Series of Bowling V.
Drafting in reverse order of how they finished during the inaugural league season in 2013, Pittsburgh
Jack Rabbits‟ manager Tim Mack opened the draft by selecting three-time PBA Tour winner Eugene
McCune of Munster, Ind.
“It‟s incredibly difficult because of the talent available,” Mack said, “but I feel Eugene is a non-sense
kind of guy who can do a lot of things with a bowling ball. He‟ll fit great with the Jack Rabbits.”
Philadelphia Hitmen‟s manager Jason Couch then selected 2011-12 PBA Rookie of the Year Josh
Blanchard of Gilbert, Ariz.
“Josh is a class act and a phenomenal bowler. I‟ll throw him into our lineup at any time,” Couch said.
“He‟s just awesome.”
With the third pick, Silver Lake Atom Splitters manager Mark Baker selected 2003 USBC Masters
champion Bryon Smith of Roseburg, Ore.
“We aren‟t shy of personalities, so we needed a guy who can hang with our lineup,” Baker said.
“Byron‟s a great talent, can play any part of the lane and he‟ll be an asset to our team.”
L.A. X manager Andrew Cain selected 21-year-old PBA Tour rookie E.J. Tackett of Huntington, Ind.
“E.J. is definitely an upcoming talent. With all of the experience on our team, E.J. will add a lot of
energy,” Cain said. “He‟s fearless and he isn‟t afraid to throw it for the money.”
In the fifth position, BROOKLYN STyLES franchise player Sean Rash selected three-time PBA Tour
titlist Michael Haugen Jr. of Phoenix.
“Michael has been a great player for a number of years,” Rash said. “He can do more than throw it
straight; he‟ll be a great addition to our team.”
Picking in sixth position, Dallas Strikers franchise player-manager Norm Duke selected one-time Tour
winner Dave Wodka of Henderson, Nev. “Dave is a standout. He has all of the experience we need,”
Duke said. “He has a great demeanor and a great attitude.”
Del Ballard Jr., picked for last year‟s runner-up, the Motown Muscle, picked PBA Tour winner Tom
Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, Fla. “He‟s a Roto Grip guy and all of our guys know our equipment, so
why not go with that?” Ballard said. “Plus I like a guy with attitude.”
The defending champion New York City WTT KingPins‟ manager Carolyn Dorin-Ballard completed
the draft by picking one-time Tour winner Jake Peters of Decatur, Ill. “We decided from the beginning
to go with very little ego and team chemistry, and that‟s why we chose who we did,” Dorin-Ballard said.
The 2014 PBA League season is scheduled to get underway Jan. 22 at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen
Park, Mich., and will make its ESPN debut with a live telecast on Sunday, Jan. 26, at noon ET.
Preceding the start of the PBA League season will be a new Detroit Open singles tournament, pre-
sented by Xtra Frame, Jan. 17-19, at Thunderbowl Lanes. The Detroit Open will be an open-field PBA
Tour title event beginning with a nine-game qualifying round on Saturday, Jan. 18, followed by a 16-
player, nine-game match play round, concluding with a four-player stepladder final. The entire event
will be webcast live on Xtra Frame.
2014 PBA LEAGUE ROSTERS
No. 8 Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits
Manager Tim Mack, owner LaMarr Woodley. Roster: No. 1, Osku Palermaa, Finland. No. 2, Ronnie
Russell, Marion, Ind. No. 3, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla. No. 4, Martin Larsen, Sweden. No. 5,
Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind.
No. 7 Philadelphia Hitmen
Manager Jason Couch, owner Kevin Hart: No. 1, Bill O‟Neill, Langhorne, Pa. No. 2, Ryan Ciminelli,
Cheektowaga, N.Y. No. 3, Dan MacLelland, Canada. No. 4, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif. No. 5, Josh
Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz.
No. 6 Silver Lake Atom Splitters
Manager Mark Baker, owner Chris Hardwick. No. 1, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas. No. 2, Wes
Malott, Pflugerville, Texas. No. 3, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C. No. 4, Dom Barrett, England. No.
5, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore.
No. 5 L.A. X
Manager Andrew Cain, owner Chris Paul. No. 1, Jason Belmonte, Australia. No. 2, Mika Koivuniemi,
Finland-Hartland, Mich. No. 3, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J. No. 4, Andres Gomez, Colombia. No. 5,
E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind.
No. 4 BROOKLYN STYLES
Manager Johnny Petraglia, owner Jesse Williams. No. 1, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill. No. 2, Jason
Sterner, McDonough, Ga. No. 3, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla. No. 4, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw,
Mich. No. 5, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix.
No. 3 Dallas Strikers
Manager Norm Duke, owner Terrell Owens. No. 1, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla. No. 2, Rhino Page,
Dade City, Fla. No. 3, Mike Machuga, Erie, Pa. No. 4, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela. No. 5, Dave
Wodka, Henderson, Nev.
No. 2 Motown Muscle
Manager Del Ballard Jr., owner Jerome Bettis. No. 1, Mike Fagan, Fort Worth, Texas. No. 2, Chris
Loschetter, Avon, Ohio. No. 3, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y.. No. 4, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo,
Texas. No. 5, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla.
No. 1 New York City WTT KingPins
Manager Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, owner Billie Jean King. No. 1, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo. No. 2, Scott
Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif. No. 3, Stuart Williams, England. No. 4, John Szczerbinski, North Tona-
wanda, N.Y. No. 5, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill.
Helen Duval is on Facebook!
