California bowlers have kept a promise made to our veterans in 1950 -- "We won't forget you."
Now it's Merced County's turn to roll for them.
Our local Bowlers to Veterans Link (BVL) scratch tournament is Sunday at Bellevue Bowl with an 11 a.m. start and a $10 entry fee. This is a special date for the tourney, as it coincides with Veterans Day.
There are six divisions for women, five for men, and six each for youth girls and boys according to average. All the funds help the VA hospital in Fresno, our VA clinic in Merced, and the new clinic to open soon in Modesto.
Last year our association raised $1,373 for the fund, through various efforts: sales from a special ball; league bowlers donated $1; and Bobby and Tommy Cardoza donated the linage to the fund.
In the 2011 state BVL finals, local Fred Ruell took the C division (136-150) championship.
Finals for the California USBC Helen Duval Veterans Tournament will be held March 30 at Double Decker Lanes in Rohnert Park in Northern California.
This Bud's for you
A computer-generated program paid out more than $950 to the winners in the Merced/Atwater Women's 500 Club Budweiser Invitational recently.
Plans are under way for a Holiday Doubles Tournament on Dec. 9, which will be a handicap event of regular bowling for men and women.
Silver Foxes
The Silver Foxes Bowling Club will be at Bellevue Bowl Saturday, with a check-in time of 10 a.m. First ball rolls at noon. This is a senior singles handicap event and the entry is $40. You roll four games of qualifying, before cutting to the top five qualifiers.
Seeing double
Our association recently held its annual Mix-Doubles Handicap Tournament at Bellevue with two teams finishing in a tie for first.
Association President Rae Coonce said the entries were the lowest they've had in years. The team event was dropped because of a lack of interest, it could drop the doubles if it lacks the interest, too.
The top mixed teams were Rae Coonce and Larry Valenti Sr. and Julie Flowers with Eric Hickman, with both teams rolling identical scores of 1,399. Both teams earned $112 apiece.
Ball on sale
Kristin Weimer said that all of her first-time bowlers in the Bellevue Senior League can purchase a ball for only $59.95, courtesy of the United States Bowling Congress.
The USBC has in place a "Welcome 2 Bowling" program for rookies. The offer is for a choice of a mid-performance level ball: The Brunswick Slingshot, Ebonite Cyclone, Storm Tropical Breeze, or 900 Global Hook. New members can log onto bowl.com/welcome and enter in the activation code provided to them to place an order.
When you receive your USBC membership card, there is a letter enclosed listing the discounts you can receive, an activation code and a direct link to the Bowling Information Center. The number is (800) 514-2695, extension 3151.
Bowling etiquette
Do you know about lane courtesy during league play? Have you ever been ready to bowl, but one of your teammates is not there or the other team's bowler is MIA? Here's a tip: Be ready to bowl when it's your turn. ... Have you ever wondered why bowlers take their sweet time getting to the approach?
Here's a tip: Don't carry long conversations with outsiders, and don't keep running outside to light one up. Be punctual. You owe it to teammates and opponents alike to keep your mind on the game at all times.
Don Surdich can be reached at (209) 777-1111 or via e-mail at desurdich@aol.com.
SCORING LEADERS
Larry Valenti Sr. 290
Garland Moore 265
Ron Gonzales 242
Lesley Xiong 206
Patty Harrell 196
Renate Stolte 236
Larry Valenti Jr. 276
Alex Castillo 230
Peggy Docherty 222
Kenny Schmitz 261
Mark Heffner 223
Cindy Souza 221 (123 average)
Doug Laidlaw 258
Lillian Slaton 181 (121 average)
Bill Helms 241
Justin Riley 279
Mike Danel 235
Adam Andrino 257
Ed Rowen 225
Judy Layton 177 (119 average)
Eric Hickman 235
Ron Danel 236
SERIES LEADERS
Janie Schropp 551
Renate Stolte 576
Ed Huddleston 606 (first 600 series)
Caren Thompson 607
Courtney Dahlin 634
Tosh Kajioka 651
Kevin Heil 658
Kevin Wagner 662
Larry Valenti Sr. 672
Gene Wallace 685
Don Surdich 689
John Nunes 708
Jim Fortin 716
Mike Robins 724
Nathan Flanagan 760
E-Mail
Print
