The 11th Frame
A little bit about a lot of things
There is a lot of variety in bowling and today’s column illustrates that very well.
We will start with tournaments and special events.
The annual City Bowling Championships begin Nov. 12 with the Squad of Champions. Past champions in any of the events as well as friends and teammates of those are especially invited to put together a team to enter. The day begins with breakfast at 110 a.m.
Most leagues will follow up the rest of that week by bowling the team event during the regular league session times.
Reminder: there are still openings for this weekend’s Basebowl trio tournament on Sunday, as well as the Bowling for Boobs charity event to benefit the fight against breast cancer. That will be held in November.
Al-Mar’s proprietor Bill Wammes has some spots available for upcoming tournaments including the annual Ohio Seniors (50+) Singles tournament which will be held Nov. 11. The cost is only $35 for six games which will all be bowled the same day. His squad bowls at 11:30 a.m. in Columbus.
Bill said at least two bowlers have won their age divisions from his squads over the last several years, earning an all-expenses paid trip to the national finals.
Bill also has room for the national USBC tournament which this year bowls in Syracuse, New York, which is driving distance for those that don’t wish to fly. His squad bowls May 18-19, 2018.
Contact Al-Mar for more details or to claim one of the remaining openings on the squads.
League openings
There are two specialty leagues which can still accommodate bowlers. The first one has begun and that is the second shift league which bowls at midnight on Thursdays. No longer does working the evening shift mean you have to give up your bowling. This league features three bowlers per team. The league began a couple of weeks earlier, but new bowlers and teams are welcome to join.
The second is the Farm League which begins its season on Nov. 8. This is a short-season (20 weeks) league. It is scheduled to accommodate farmers who wish to get their crops harvested before the league begins.
There is no requirement to be a farmer or any other member of the agricultural community. The only requirement is the desire to bowl and have some fun in this four-person league format.
Again, contact Al-Mar for details or to join one of these leagues.
By the way no livestock nor fertilizer is used during the league. It may be the most casual evening league in the city.
In the leagues:
Bill Wammes says this year averages across the board are up over last year. This is the first year for the new synthetic lanes and the vast majority of the bowlers are finding their way fairly well based on team averages.
We start this week with the youth leagues. Avery Latta is averaging better than 201 in the Bobcat 2 a Days league on Saturdays. This week he bowled the season high game of 257 for a fine 649 series. Brandon Knell was next high at 432. Collin Fahey had a 160 game. For the girls Kelly Miller leads the average list at 165. Linda Alfaro was high last week with her 195 game and 499 series.
Team 5 leads the league with a 38-11 record. Second place is held by Pin Shakers at 32-17 followed by Team 3 at 29-20.
For the younger youth, The buckeyes lead the Rally’s Junior All Stars at 32-17, followed closely by Team 1 at 30-19 and Al Mar Barbies at 29-20. Last week Conner Main led the boys with his 142 game for a 354 series. Jocelyn Zellers was high for the girls with 104 for 293.
In the Mixed Up Guys & Gals League, Stoudinger-Glick leads the standings at 22-6 followed closely by Family Tradition at 20-8 and T&A at 18-10.
Doug Trumbull led all bowlers last week with his 276 game and 696 series. Roger Pierstorff shot a 247 game; while Josh Crawford was only four pins back at 692. Treasa Hiler shot a 192 high game in her 512 series; while Cindy St. Peter bowled 172 game.
Switching to the Jack & Jill League A-Split Happens has a four-point lead over We’re Broken, 26-7 and 22-6 respectively.
Steven Hoodlebrink led the league last weekend with his 254, 630. Kirk Starkey edged him with his 255 game and was second in series at 624, Nancy Campbell led all the women with her 254 game. Robin Starkey shot a 630 so lead all the bowlers.
In the Fantasy Doubles league using scores from other leagues, Crusa-Wint leads at 24 /12-5 ½; while King-Dimick is second at 21 ½- 8 ½.
The aforementioned VTech 2nd Shifters League is led by Team 7 at 12-2. Wes Wint was high last week with his 233 and 667; and Bonnie Carrington led the women with 175,459.
Marsh & Marsh leads Division 1 of the Ladies Major with a 41-8 record, followed by Modern Woodmen at 32-17; and El Zarape at 29-20. In Division 2 Groom Room sits atop at 28-21, followed by Or’s Sunoco, 26-23 and Ruck & Wright Law offices at 25-24.
Mary Ann Dimick had the high series last week at 598 series with her 220 game. Yogi Wammes and her daughter Anita Dilsaver tied for the high game of 237; while Christine Owen had a 234 game.
In the Tuesday Coffee League Team 10 is atop the standings at 20-10 followed by Team 3 at 18-12 and Team 8 at 16-14. Last week’s high total for two games was Rosie Koontz at 310. Marie Feehan had the high game of 169,
Mills Jewelry has a 138-78 record to pace the East Division of the Elks League, followed by Effin-As at 132-84. JLS leads the West Division at 111 ½-104 ½ followed by Nine Balls at 196 ½ -104 ½.
Kent Vollmar led the men with 254,659. Lucas Jenne shot 253,652. For the women Sam Wiley had a 247 game and 630 series followed by Dawn Poirier with her 504 and Yogi Wammes had a 199 game.
Five teams averaged better than 200 last week led by ASD I Remodeling at 3,306 total pins, a better than 221 average. Sundae Station-Brant Enterprises shot 3,130; followed by Jug’s South at 3,119, Modern Woodmen at 3,012 and BG’s HandyMan at 3,001.
Brad Simon led the league with his 279 game for 769; Dave Walter and Kyle Waynick each had a 748 series Jake Wint had a 269 game in his 740 set; Ryan Spangenberg shot the high game of the night at 288 for his 722 series. Eave Walter also bowled a 279 game and Wayne Welling shot 278. Dave Walter is leading the league in average at 235.89.
ASD I leads the East division at 37019 Followed by Sundae Station at 36-20. The West division is led by Al-Smith Chrysler. The team only needs to tie one game in the last two weeks of the first third to clinch its division. Boys Nite Out is second in the division at 29-27.
Zach Steinman led the Eagles League last week with a 279 game and 737 series. Gary Wachter shot 268 for 711. His son, Michael Wachter narrowly missed a 700 with his 694 set. Bob Boltz shot a 263 game.
Gerdeman Insurance leads the East Division at 40-16 with four teams bunched close behind Rosenboom stands at 39-17; while Frisch’s Big Boy is another game back at 38-18; and American Family Insurance and Ryan’s Steak House are tied at 37-19. Over in the West division Naugle leads at 31015 followed by Pendelton and Sons at 25 ½-30 ½. Tin Man Heating is third in the division at 24-32.
Finally in the Randy Miller Memorial league which bowls four games a night Crusa-Miller sits atop the standings with a 96-64 record. Mitchell-Otte are second at 93 ½-66 ½ and Smith & Wesson is at 92 ½-67 ½.
Last week Jeff Sayre paced the bowlers with his 258 for 941; Juan Ybanes had 248, 906; and Kris Kolk shot 256, 897.
In the pros
There are a record number of countries represented in this year’s World Series of Bowling with 28. It would have been 29, however after losing his home and his job to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, 33-year-old Adrian McCoy of Road Town in the Britsh Virgin Islands had to forego his fourth visit to the event.
The last entry came from China with Fang Jiafei. Bermuda is also without an entry this year for the first time since 2012.