Halstrom, 17, piles up pins and $14,000 in college aid

By PHIL GULICK

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 18, 2000

SEMINOLE -- Brian Halstrom is proving the adage that saving a bit here, a bit there eventually can add up to a tidy sum, be it pins, school grades or money.

Ever since Halstrom, 17, picked up a bowling ball at a very early age, he has strived to improve his game, tackling every minor/major youth scholarship tournament that came along. Most dramatically, he has won six of the Youth Bowlers Tour events offered by Steve and Trudy Lavoie at Brandon Crossroads Bowl in the past several years.

"With those winnings, plus wins in the Florida Youth Scratch Bowlers Tournament and others, I've accumulated about $14,000 in college scholarship money," Halstrom said. "It will go a long way at St. Petersburg Junior College this fall."

Halstrom is the son of high-average bowlers Gary and Renee Halstrom and the product of a finely tuned Young American Bowling Alliance (YABA) program at Seminole Lanes run by Nikki Salerno.

This summer, instead of bowling leagues, Brian and Gary will team to compete in the various money tournaments around the state. "I plan to go ABC this fall, but in the meantime we plan to make some money," Brian said.

"Going ABC" means Brian will graduate from the YABA ranks to the adult world of the American Bowling Congress with its more challenging competition.

"I also plan to bowl in the PBA southern regionals as an amateur, and I'm thinking seriously of the pro tour too," he noted.

Halstrom was the leader of the Dixie Hollins High teams that won state titles his freshman, sophomore and junior years and as many as six state and league titles overall since the Pinellas County High School League was formed in 1972.

He has 10 300 games and five 800 series in his portfolio, plus a 227 average that ranks among the highest in the county, youth or adult. His city tournament team tied for the championship last year; he is a two-time winner of a 24-game marathon in Venice, and has stashed a bunch of other trophies on his mantle.

"I think the biggest thrill of my bowling career so far was that state tournament we won in Miami when I was a freshman," Halstrom recalled. "We were behind going into the final frames and we pulled it out."

But perhaps the one honor Halstrom values most is the Troy Carlson Award he won recently at Seminole Lanes because it was bestowed on him by his peers. After each season, the center's YABA coaches choose six candidates based on bowling ability, sportsmanship and attitude and the young bowlers pick the winner.

DOUBLES RECORD: The Indiana duo of Billy Seprodi and Jim O'Connor set an ABC Championships Tournament record in Regular Division doubles with a 1,534 pinfall as the event winds down at the Albuquerque (N.M) Convention Center. Seprodi shot an 803 series and O'Connor fired a 731.

Seprodi's series included 30 strikes and was the seventh 800 series of the tournament. The previous record of 1,508 was set at the 1996 Salt Lake City event. Jerry Davis Sr. and John Moten Sr. of Jacksonville were pushed to fourth by the Indiana duo's record.

Team 8 Ball of Medford, Ore., continues to lead the Regular Team competition with a 3,513 total. Garran Hein of Brea, Calif., is the Regular Singles leader at 811 and Frank Jilek III of Burbank, Calif., is the Classified Singles leader with a 722 series. Team Superior of Arvada, Colo., is the Classified Team leader at 2,888.

Terry Chancey of Sarasota is third in Classified All-Events with a 1,900 total.

The tournament ends today.

Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of North Richland Hills, Texas, is leading with a 2,147 total, followed by Sebring's Kendra Cameron, Marianne DiRupo of Dearborn, Mich., and Allyson Allmang of Boynton Beach. Amateur Michelle Ewald of Lakeville, Mich., is fifth

Allmang and Deborah Corbett of Woodstock, Ga., are tied for third in Classic Doubles.

The pro-rich High Rollers of Cherry Hill, N.J., and Henderson, Nev., head the Classic Team competition with a 3,234. Kegel Training Center of Sebring is second and Kegel Training Center of Boynton Beach is third.

Jane Cathcart of Fruitland Park and Chris Kall of Leesburg are tied for fourth in Division I doubles at 1,198. The tournament ends July 8.

TEAM NO. 5 ROLLS: Chris Holly's 289 scratch game propelled Team No. 5 into first place in the Junior Scratch Classic at Countryside Lanes last week. Holly fired a 555 series, teammate Kevin Hindin shot a 576 and Chris Fitzgibbon added a 603. The squad has a 59-21 record, or 73.8 percent, which determines the high scorers.

Jessica Robinson's 663 series pushed Team No. 14 into a tie for second with Team No. 22. Robinson's teammates, Ryan Ohr and J.R. Foraker, shot 460 and 615 respectively. Jesse Francis with a 615 headed Team No. 22, with teammates Robert Saccente and Andrew Owens.

The league rolls every Wednesday night with about 70 teams filling the 40-lane center. Cheryl and Bill Bedford are league directors.

FSU MOVES ON: The mixed squad from Florida State University defeated Purdue University 283-252 last Friday in a quarterfinals match of TNN's televised Rockin' Bowl. The Seminoles will meet Indiana State University on June 30 in a semifinal match.

FSU is one of 16 teams surviving the two months of wild TV competition that included bowling from chairs, speed bowling and other non-traditional formats. The shows are taped in Las Vegas and rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Fridays on TNN.

AROUND THE LANES: Bill Merritt Jr. fired a 300-734, Kent Worrall shot a 299-789 and Jerrod Postlethwaite rolled a 298 game at Rainbow Lanes. Mike Olesh fired a 299-700 at Dunedin Lanes. ... Matt Shane rolled a 728 series and Jamie Lockhart posted a 638 to win Suncoast YABA Masters Tournament titles last week. ... Largo Lanes offers the Poor Boy tournament June 25.

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

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