Over the years, a number of PBA Tour players have been asked to make dreams come true for youngsters through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The latest was PBA Tour star Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., who granted the wish of 11-year-old cancer survivor Solomon Wohrer of Lancaster, Ohio.
Wohrer, who is recovering from Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, realized his dream by meeting and bowling with Rash prior to the PBA/PBA50 South Shore Doubles at Olympia Lanes in Hammond, Ind.
“I really like bowling and Sean is my favorite bowler,” Wohrer told the Northwest Indiana Tribune. “I thought about meeting wrestler Dean Ambrose, but I really wanted to meet Sean. It’s awesome to have my whole family here.”
In March Rash fulfilled a dream for Make-A-Wish kid Demetri Przybylinski,a12-year-old from Mokena, Ill., who had a cardiac condition. Przbylinski and his family attended all of the PBA League shows in Portland, Maine, met and bowled with Rash, toured the behind-the-scenes of a PBA Tour stop including ESPN and PBA trucks, and he received a new a Radical ball from Rash.
“It isn’t anything you get used to or want to get used to,” said the eight-time Tour winner and former Player of the Year. “Anytime you can make a young kid smile, that’s what it’s all about.”
Earlier this season PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. made a dream come true for 14-year-old Matt Brauckman of Carroll, Iowa at the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions in Indianapolis. Brauckman, who has Hodgkin’s lymphoma, beat Williams in a challenge match, 213-206.
UPCOMING ON XTRA FRAME: PBA60, PWBA “DOUBLEHEADER” BEGINS FRIDAY
Next up on Xtra Frame will be PBA60 Dick Weber Super Senior Open, presented by Pro Bowl West and Hammer, from Ft. Wayne, Ind., Friday thru Sunday, and the PWBA Lincoln Open from Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln, Neb., Friday and Saturday.
The Xtra Frame PBA Gene Carter’s Pro Shop Eastern Classic from Mid-County Bowling and Entertainment Center in Middletown, Del., Aug. 22-23, and the PWBA Minnesota Open from Island Xtreme Bowl in Welch, Minn., Aug. 21-22, are set for the following week. Wrapping up the August schedule will be the PWBA Detroit Open from Super Bowl in Canton, Mich., Aug. 28-29.
Bowling fans who want to sample Xtra Frame can subscribe on a three-day (72-hour) basis for only $3.99. Fans can lock in the entire August package with a full month Xtra Frame subscription for only $7.99. But PBA’s best package is the 12-month XF Season Ticket for $64.99, or $5.41 per month. To sign up, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link.
SMALLWOOD’S UNDERDOG WIN JOINS PBA MODERN CLASSICS LIBRARY ON YOUTUBE
Tom Smallwood’s underdog victory in the 2009 PBA World Championship will be the newest addition to the PBA Modern Classics library on PBA’s YouTube channel, starting Friday. Smallwood’s victory was an American success story, emerging from the ranks of America’s unemployed after being laid off at General Motors to chase a dream. He entered the old PBA Tour Trials, earned an exemption to bowl a full season on the PBA Tour, and converted his chance into the World Championship with an upset win over Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, earning his first PBA Tour title along with a $50,000 first prize. To watch all of the PBA Modern Classic championship events on YouTube, click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwuUW8zaol88yWoNbytvj286cU8TajCgg
PBA REGIONAL UPDATE: DAUGHERTY TOPS ALL-STAR FIELD IN LOCKPORT
PBA Tour titlist Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, Fla., defeated future PBA Hall of Famer Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C. 268-170, to win the PBA Strike N Spare II Midwest Region Open at Strike N Spare II in Lockport, Ill., Sunday.
Daugherty collected his first PBA Midwest Region title and earned $2,200 in an event that featured a number of top PBA Tour players who were in the area in advance of the Xtra Frame PBA/PBA50 Tour South Shore Double at Olympia Lanes in Hammond, Ind. Jones, a 16-time PBA Tour winner,defeated former PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., 228-169, in the semifinal game to advance to the championship match after defeating Mitchell Katic of Whiting, Ill., 214-206, to start the stepladder finals.
● Rick Graham of Lancaster, Pa. defeated Rusty Thomsen of South Amboy, N.J., 225-205, to win the PBA Bowlers Supply/Storm Products Eastern Open at Colony Park North Lanes in York, Pa., Sunday. It was Graham’s third PBA Regional title, his first since 2011, and earned him $2,700.
Graham advanced to the championship match by defeating Jon Van Hees of Charlestown, R.I., 211-197, in the semifinal round while Thomsen defeated Greg Ostrander of Freehold, N.J., 258-187, in the other semi-final match.
● Former PBA member Clint Dacy from Keller, Texas, defeated Andy Patterson of Tyler, Texas, 210-180, to win the 19th annual PBA Killeen Southwest Open at Hallmark Lanes in Killeen, Texas, Sunday.
After receiving a first round bye in the single-elimination match play finals, Dacy eliminated Anthony Lavery-Spahr of Pasadena, Texas, 2-1, in the best-of-three-game Round of 12; three-time Southwest Region Player of the Year David Anthony of Austin, Texas, in the Round of 8, 2-0, and Brandon Bivens of East Ridge, Tenn., in the semifinal round, 208-203.
After qualifying in 14th place, Patterson eliminated Amarillo’s Mason Edmondson in the Round of 12, 2-1; Josh Maxson of Arlington, Texas, 2-0, in the Round of 8, and 18-year-old two-hander Anthony Simonsen of Princeton, Texas, 226-204, to reach the final match.
● The Aug. 14-16 PBA Regional schedule includes the Lefeld Implement Central/Midwest Classic at Pla-Mor Lanes in Coldwater, Ohio; the Dave Husted Northwest Open presented by MOTIV at Husted’s Milwaukie Bowl In Milwaukie, Ore.; the Crystal Automotive Spring Hill South Open presented by Track at Spring Hill Lanes in Spring Hill, Fla.; the Emerald Bowl Houston Southwest Challenge for non-title winners, presented by Track, in Houston, Texas, and the PBA50 Craig Mueller Memorial presented by Ebonite at Jersey Lanes in Linden, N.J.
● PBA50 Central and Midwest players will visit Bowling Green, Ohio, Aug. 17-19, for the PBA50 Progressive/German Insurance/Al Smith Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep Central/Midwest Classic at Al-Mar Lanes followed by the PBA50 Beverly Lanes Midwest/Central Open in Arlington Heights, Ill., Aug. 21-23. Also on the Aug. 21-23 schedule are the Greenville Southwest Open presented by DV8 at Shenaniganz in Greenville, Texas, and the PBA Xtra Frame Gene Carter Pro Shop East Classic at Mid-County Lanes in Middletown, Del., where a projected $15,000 first prize and a PBA Tour title will be at stake (Xtra Frame will cover the Gene Carter Pro Shop event live from start to finish).
● Closing out the August schedule over the Aug. 28-30 weekend will be the Tony Reyes Memorial Member/Non-Member Doubles presented by Brunswick at Fourth Street Bowl in San Jose, Calif.; the Grand Hotel, Casino & Resort Southwest Invitation at FireLake Bowling Center in Shawnee, Okla.; the LaFayette Lanes Fayetteville (N.C.) South Open presented by 900 Global, and the Illinois Valley Midwest/Central Open at I.V. Super Bowl in Peru, Ill.
For complete PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, visit pba.com, open the “schedules” tab and click on Regional Tours to find the event(s) in your area.
QUICK NOTES
● Craig Pezzano, the 57-year-old son of the late PBA Hall of Famer Chuck Pezzano, died unexpectedly Monday in Clifton, N.J. Craig Pezzano operated Pezzano’s Pro Shop inside Van Houten Lanes for 25 years, and had been employed by the center for an even longer period of time. He is survived by brothers Charles (Linda) Pezzano of Hawthorne, N.J.; Curt (Diane) Pezzano of Stevensville, Md., and Clay Pezzano of Clifton. Funeral services will be held Friday at the Bizub-Quinlan Funeral Home in Clifton. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that a donation be made to the Junior Bowlers Tour Scholarship Fund, 198 10th Ave., Hawthorne, NJ 07506.
● DV8 has joined the PBA “sweepstakes club,” offering a new high-performance DV8 Vandal to a lucky person who becomes a first-time Xtra Frame subscriber. A DV8 winner will be selected each month among those who purchase a monthly ($7.99) or XF Season Ticket (12-month plan for $64.99). New subscribers will be automatically entered into the sweepstakes.
● Book a room through HotelPlanner.com’s link on pba.com and you’ll automatically become eligible to win a $200 lodging certificate in the monthly sweepstakes sponsored by PBA’s official hotel booking partner. Subscribe to Xtra Frame (monthly plan at $7.99 or XF Season Ticket for $64.99) to automatically enter MOTIV’s monthly sweepstakes for a chance to win a new high-performance MOTIV bowling ball.