U.S. amateurs top foreigners in 8 of 11 challenge matches

By PHIL GULICK

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 26, 2000

SEMINOLE -- The International Challenge Matches the past two weekends could be considered an unqualified success if you ask the originator, Jerry Krauss, whose Seminole, Sunrise and Sunshine lanes hosted the goodwill funfest.

"Our Swiss, German and French visitors had more fun than they could have imagined," Krauss noted. "We'll be returning the visit next year and we may hold another event like this in a couple of years."

The matches attracted 50 European competitors challenging a field of American amateurs. The format included mixed teams, men's and women's teams, mixed doubles, men's and women's doubles and singles, and a Baker format showdown. The Sirata Beach Resort on St. Petersburg Beach was tournament headquarters and a sponsor, along with BowlMaster.

Competitors paid $15 per person per event. The Swiss/German visitors also had the expense of traveling more than 3,000 miles to participate.

"Some of our visitors first went to the ABC tournament in Albuquerque (New Mexico), then flew here and will travel to Chicago for the Petersen Classic," Krauss said.

The visitors won the men's team, women's singles and mixed team events while Americans swept the eight remaining titles in men's singles, doubles and all-events; women's team, doubles and all-events, mixed doubles and the Baker competition. There were more than 430 entries.

The winning American women's team was composed of Hanh Pullen, Betty Blais, Marianne Zipse and Melinda Kasica, who rolled over the second-place U.S. team with a 2,294 pinfall. Norma Paquette and Nira Hamilton of St. Petersburg won the doubles with a 1,232 total, beating their Swiss/German rivals, Sanni Kampmann and Traute Behrendt, by 51 pins.

The Swiss/German team of Beat Grauwiler, Dominik Jola, Willy Steiner and Hans Ammann defeated the American quartet of Joe Rizzi, Don Vauiso, Harry Beierlein and Frank Durilla by 130 pins, 2,670-2,540. Rodney Paramore, visiting his parents from Valdosta, Ga., won the men's singles with a 722 series and the all-events with a 2,116 total.

Swiss/German competitor Jasmin Bell stopped St. Petersburg's Pullen 627-613 for the women's singles title, and Seminole's Bill and Donna Zuben captured the mixed doubles title with a 1,325.

The Baker Format title went to the U.S. team of Stan Dzierba, Steve Diesmann, Ron Kurmay, John Lewis and Ed Winkowski at 1,937.

The tournament ended Sunday with an all-star Swiss/German foursome of Stephen Korol, Gert Groepler, Grauwiler and Jola defeating an American "old-star" team of J.C. Smith, Ken Devol, Roy Ryan and Stan Dzierba by six pins in an exhibition match.

ROBERTS WINS STATE: St. Petersburg's Cedric Roberts, 12, won the 12-21 age-group handicap title of the Florida State Coca-Cola Youth Championships at Pensacola recently.

Roberts beat 526 other competitors in his age division to earn an expenses-paid trip to the national finals at Las Vegas in July, plus $500 in college scholarship money. His six-game total was 1,425, one pin better than the runner-up.

Roberts is coached by Mike Roberts and Debby Morris in the Skyway Lanes' YABA program on Saturday mornings and carries a 127 average. Skyway Lanes co-owner Patsy Wedding has directed the state Coca-Cola tournament for seven years.

Matthew Stromberg of Palm Bay won the boys scratch title. Ashley Kuczma of Panama City and Stephanie Polk of Homestead captured the girls titles and also will represent the state in Las Vegas.

FORMAT CHANGES: Changes were made for next season's state high school competition at a state conference of coaches, administrators and parents in Sebring two weeks ago.

Among the changes are a move to the Baker Format in the state tournament, plus a limit to the number of teams entered. Only 32 boys and 32 girls teams will be allowed for the next state championship Dec. 9 at Don Carter's Lanes in Lake Worth.

County championship teams are guaranteed berths if their applications meet the deadline, and the rest of the field is open to all other teams.

In the new format, all teams will roll three regular games, with the top 16 advancing. Two more regular games will be rolled before the cut to the top eight squads. The Baker Format will be used from then on, with five games each from the quarterfinals through the championship matches.

In the Baker Format, each bowler on a five-person team rolls two frames a game, with total scratch pins determining winners.

There no longer will be open invitational and championship divisions; all teams will roll scratch in one division. Gibbs High's boys won the open invitational division in last year's state tournament at Seminole Lanes.

A NEW LOOK: Bowlers interested in improving their game can look to the new Brunswick ProTrainer video system recently acquired by Seminole Lanes. The digital recording system uses two video cameras to capture a bowler's delivery and relay it to a computer. A coach then can recall the images to a monitor and take a student through the delivery, point by point, in stop action.

The computer not only stores and replays a student's images, but can recall from its memory hundreds of pro styles for side-by-side diagnosis.

The system is available for $40-$50 per hour with coaches Kenny Krauss and Bill Zuben.

AROUND THE LANES: Steven Warshawer rolled a 298-729 and Frank Raia managed a 298-756 at Dunedin Lanes. Other high scores: Tom Wolf 299-694 and Frank Ballou 299-771 at Rainbow Lanes; Jeff Skiers 297-820 at Countryside Lanes, and Aurelle Nunes and Dave Pedro 300 at Liberty Lanes.

-- Phil Gulick can be reached at Xerxes6@aol.com or Xerxes6@earthlink.net.

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