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By PHIL GULICK
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 7, 2000
The championship tournament of the Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC) ends Saturday at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., and preparations are already under way for the 2001 event in Fort Lauderdale.
More than 100,000 bowlers and their families attended the WIBC championships in Reno and a record field will likely attend next year's event.
The tournament opens April 17 and runs through June 15 at Don Carter's Tamarac Lanes in Tamarac and at Sawgrass Lanes in Sunrise.
The WIBC convention is slated for April. The WIBC Web site (www.bowl.com) will begin accepting reservations next month for the 2001 tournament. Karen Lowe, of Fort Knox, Ky., took over the Division I all-events lead with a 1,833 pinfall last week, the first leaders' change in nearly a week.
There was also some shuffling in the lower ranks of other divisions except in the Classic, which has held firm the past three weeks.
High Roller, a combination of female pro bowlers from Cherry Hill, N.J., and Henderson, Nev., took over the Classic Team lead five weeks ago with a 3,234 total and has never been challenged. Kegel Training Center No. 1 of Sebring and Kegel Training Center No. 2 of Boynton Beach are second and third.
The Classic single and doubles division leaders are name pros who are dominating the all-events standings.
Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, a nine-time tour winner from North Richland Hills, Texas, heads the all-events with a 2,147 total. She is followed by Kendra Cameron of Sebring, Marianne DiRupo of Dearborn, Mich., and Allyson Allmang of Boynton Beach.
Marty's Angels of Panama City is tied for third in the Division III team event while Melbourne's Debbie Gordon and Ruth Soltau are tied for fifth in the Division III doubles and Linda Brooks of Cedar Key is fifth in the Division III all-events.
ATTENTION COUGARS! Arleen Gross is contacting parents, administrators and young bowlers in an effort to establish a team once again at Countryside High for the new season in August.
"My husband and I have been working very hard to get something going at Countryside, with limited success," Gross said. "We'd like to ask students coming into Countryside next fall who are interested in a bowling team to e-mail us at sgross@tampabay.rr. com."
Countryside fielded a boys squad in the 1998-99 Pinellas County High School League, but did not have a team last season. Boys and girls teams from Largo, Tarpon Springs, Clearwater and Palm Harbor University high schools formed an upper Pinellas league earlier this year and bowled a successful eight-week season.
In fact, the success of that league may cause Pinellas County to form two high school leagues next season.
The older league, started in 1972, put 10 girls and 11 boys teams on the boards last season. The Gibbs High boys won the state open invitation title.
The annual organizational meeting of the Pinellas league will be held July 27 at 3:30 p. m. at Seminole Lanes.
All coaches, center representatives and interested parties are invited.
TEAM 14 LEADS: Jessica Robinson's 232 scratch game propelled Team 14 to the top of the heap in the Junior Scratch Classic at Countryside Lanes two weeks ago. Robinson, who carries a 174 average, is teammed with J.R. Foraker at 2055 and Ryan Ohr at 166 in the scratch trio competition.
Robinson also is the individual match-points leader at 21.5, followed by Jamie Potter at 20 and Crystal Stutler at 18.
Shawn Ryan of Team 6 is the boys points leader with 26.5, followed by Nick Gates at 25.5 and Ben Zold at 24.
Top scorers two weeks ago were Cliff Barnes with a 279 game and Ryan with a 719 series. Kelly Fecke rolled a 606 series and Kelli McManus checked in with a 556 series.
The league is on the boards every Wednesday night.
JOHNSON FIRST: Seminole's Ron Johnson won the Division A singles title in the recently concluded American Wheelchair Bowling Association's (AWBA) national championship at the Showboat Casino in Las Vegas.
Largo's Jim Sullivan and Sebring's Don Popora finished second in doubles and Sullivan was ninth in the Division A singles competition. Pinellas Park's Gus Farnum was third in Division A singles.
MASTERS FIRST, TOO: Bob Masters of New Port Richey won his first NABI tournament and $350 Sunday at Seminole Lanes, defeating St. Petersburg's Dale Barber, 202-172. St. Petersburg's Rhonda Masanotti was third, Palm Harbor's Katie Heil was fourth and Pinellas Park's David Fay was fifth.
Boyd Ames of St. Petersburg rolled his first 300 game in the semifinals. NABI will be at AMF Clearwater Lanes this weekend with the first squad at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
AROUND THE LANES: Ron Clemow rolled a 300 game at Liberty Lanes and Frank Czarnicki Jr. fired a 290-824 at Seminole Lanes ... The Gary Hampshire scratch tournament is slated for July 22 and the Poor Boy Tournament is July 23 at Largo Lanes.
Phil Gulick can be reached at Xerxes6@aol.com or Xerxes6@Juno.com.