TERRE HAUTE —
The days leading up to and including the Thanksgiving holiday found Vigo Bowl busy with tournament action.
• Team Nichols won the Team Shootout title on Nov. 20-21. Team members were Ryan Nichols, Jonathan Sweatt, Larry Hatfield and Keith Mowbray. Second place went to Team Drake (Chris Drake, Larry Davison, Mandy Wilkins and Rick Fugate).
Drake and Mowbray rolled 300 games during the two-day tournament.
• Champions from two shifts were crowned in the Thanksgiving Day No-Tap Tournament on Nov. 25.
In the first shift (5:30 p.m.), first place went to Rufus Pace-J.C. Dressler (1,572), followed by Judy Elrod-Josh Richey (1,510) and Chuck Fields-Steven Fields (1,478).
High-game winners were Ryan Nichols (300, first game), Pace (300, second game) and Fred Modesitt (300, third game).
In the second shift (8:30 p.m.), Matt Wilkins-C.J. Cooprider (1,699) were champions, followed by Jeff Cox-Heather Cox (1,639) and Jay Grayless-Heath Bonacorsi (1,632).
High-game winners for the men were (first game) Wilkins, Grayless, Jordan Stone, Bob Lovvron, Josh Snowden, Chuck Thompson, Jason Hiddle, (second game) Wilkins, Jeff Cox, (third game) Wilkins. All had 300 games.
High-game winners for the women were Crystal Sullivan (258, first game), Sullivan (266, second game) and Karen Prettyman (258, third game).
Upcoming tournament information:
• Vigo Bowl — New Year’s Eve No-Tap Doubles Tournament is set for 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 31. Youth Scholarship Sport Shot Open is Jan. 1-2. Shifts are available at noon and 3 p.m. on Jan. 1, 9 a.m. and noon on Jan. 2.
Terre Haute Bowling Center — Josh Combs Memorial Adult/Youth No-Tap is at 1 p.m. on Dec. 12. New Year’s Sweeper is at noon on Jan. 1, with a $60 entry fee.
• Imperial Lanes — 700 Club Scratch Doubles is at 11 a.m. today.
• • •
•700 series, and then some — Melinda Clark bowled her first 700 three-game series recently in the Savannah’s Trophy House League at Vigo Bowl.
That’s quite an accomplishment, but especially when her first 700 is a whopping 752 series (250.67 average). Clark rolled games of 217-256-279, the last game also being a personal career high.
Thanks to league secretary Marjorie Clark for the news item.
• PBA news — The Professional Bowlers Association Tour is alive and well, though much of what will be shown on television — at least at the beginning of the season — will be tape-delayed.
I tuned in to ESPN last Sunday just in time to see Eugene McCune of Munster, Ind. win his second career PBA tour title in the PBA Cheetah Championship in Las Vegas.
If you missed it, McCune rolled a beautiful strike on his last ball to nip Norm Duke 238-237 with McCune’s father, PBA Hall of Famer Don McCune, in the audience.
Eugene McCune has bowled in all three PBA Regional events in Terre Haute in recent years, including this past summer.
As I mentioned, this was a tape-delayed telecast. All five of the “animal” pattern tournaments — Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon, Scorpion, Shark (names for the five different lane conditions on the PBA Tour) — were contested from Oct. 25 to Nov. 6.
The Cheetah Championship was shown on Nov. 28, the Viper, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark over the next four Sundays, starting today. Also tape-delayed will be the USA vs. The World on Jan. 9. These telecasts are all at 1 p.m. on ESPN.
I won’t spoil your viewing pleasure and tell you the winners of these tournaments. If you just can’t wait to know who won these tournaments, you can get all the details at www.pba.com.
The first live telecasts will be the PBA World Championships on Jan. 14-16. The first two days are on ESPN2, the finale at 1 p.m. on ESPN. Bowling in this three-day event are O’Neill, Sean Rash, Chris Barnes, Michael Haugen Jr., Wes Malott, Palermaa, Mika Koivuniemi and Jason Belmonte.
• “Bo” returns — In the good old days, every Saturday afternoon was the PBA on ABC-TV. Returning to ABC for the upcoming PBA Tournament of Champions (Jan. 22, 2:30 p.m.) will be Nelson “Bo” Burton Jr. as a special guest commentator.
Burton worked alongside Indiana native Chris Schenkel on the ABC telecasts for 23 years (1975-1997). Schenkel died in 2005. This is the first PBA telecast on ABC in 14 years. Oh yes, it will be a LIVE telecast.
Dennis Clark can be reached at dennis.clark@tribstar.com
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Dragon Arrives at Space Station in Historic 1st
Astronauts Enter World's 1st Private Supply Ship
Passenger Restrained on Flight to Miami Arrested
Police: Gunman Has Hostages in Realty Office
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Beer Here!: An Historic Exhibit
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Sudden Storm Topples Wisconsin Trees
Vegas Grocer Deported to Face War Crimes Charges
FAMU Bandmates: Victim Volunteered to Be Hazed
Raw Video: SpaceX Capsule's Docking Delayed
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Colorado College Student Shot While Trespassing
Will Smith & Josh Brolin on "Men in Black 3"
80-Year-Old Skydiver's Nightmare Jump
JWoww Sizzles in a Black Bikini
Sliders on the Grill
Cruise ship crunch
Backstage With Beyonce
Ultimate Creamy Potato Salad
Pope's Personal Butler Under Arrest
Jenny McCarthy's New Man
Tyler's Classic Coleslaw
Britney Spears Under X Factor Fire
Flesh-Eating Bacteria Victim Hits Milestone
Hurricanes and Heat Waves Across America
Kristen Stewart Is Red Hot
Shark Attacks Australian Fishing Boat
Bradley out for playoffs
Kayaker Survives Trip Over Washington Waterfall
Alison Brie Likes To Jog Naked
