Bowling

Lack of funding raises questions about future of women's tour

By PHIL GULICK, Times Correspondent
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 24, 2003

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Michelle Feldman might have thrown the final ball ever of the Professional Women's Bowling Association when she defeated Orlando's Kendra Gaines for the Dallas Open title July13.

The Open was the last stop on the tour's spring-summer schedule. The next stop, Bowl the Rogue Sept.14-18 at Grants Pass, Ore., was removed from the schedule.

During Sunday's TV show, PWBA president John Falzone talked about the precarious state of the tour. Later, PWBA chairman John Sommer set Aug.8 as decision day.

Falzone outlined some options that might save the PWBA: an influx of partnership dollars; someone could buy the tour; a takeover by interested parties or cancellation of the remaining schedule and restarting next year. He also said the tour could be shut down altogether.

The Women's International Bowling Congress extended its financial sponsorship agreement with the PWBA this year, but it was short term, sustaining the tour through Sept.1.

"When the PWBA publicly stated that the tour was in dire straits, we had to search hard for a way to make women's professional bowling work," WIBC executive director Roseann Kuhn said. "Advancing our sponsorship agreement a few months made sense for the short term."

The WIBC has partnered with the PWBA since the 1999-2000 season. Through this sponsorship, WIBC can support the PWBA by focusing on the professional players' involvement with the WIBC.

The America Bowling Congress, which governs men's bowling, provided short-term financial aid to the Professional Bowlers Association three years ago. It temporarily prevented the PBA from going under before three former computer moguls bought the tour.

The PWBA is based in Rockford, Ill., and was founded in 1981 as the Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour. It made several stops in Clearwater in the 1980s and '90s. The WIBC is the world's oldest and largest women's sports membership organization with almost 1.3-million members.

FELDMAN WINS: Feldman, a 10-year pro from Skaneateles, N.Y., won her 12th career title and first of the year with a 250-170 victory worth $15,000.

"This was a big win for me," said the 2002 PWBA bowler of the year. "I haven't been bowling well for the last four weeks, and it's really been frustrating. It's tough when you have a player-of-the-year season and then follow it up without a title."

Feldman was the top seed, averaging 221.66 with a 13-11-0 match-play record. Against Gaines, the right-hander started with five consecutive strikes and closed it out with four more. Gaines, who beat Australia's Carol Gianotti-Block 222-189 to reach the final, opened in the first three frames, putting her 70 pins behind. Gaines earned $8,000.

WILLIAMS HONORED: Orlando's Walter Ray Williams Jr. won his fourth ESPY as the country's best bowler, beating Chris Barnes, Norm Duke and Feldman.

Williams led the 2002-03 PBA season with three titles, including two majors (U.S. Open and PBA World Championship). He set a single-season record of $419,700 and was the first to top $3-millionin career earnings ($3,131,901). He was voted PBA player of the year a record-tying sixth time.

The PBA Tour resumes Oct.8 with the Banquet Open at Council Bluffs, Iowa. The PBA Senior Tour returns Aug.2 with the Manassas (Va.) Open.

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