DECATUR, Ill. – Mitch Jabczenski of Novi, Mich., isn’t sure how he did it, but one day shy of his 61st birthday, he found himself leading the entire field after the opening round of qualifying in the PBA50 Tour Senior/Super Senior Doubles Classic presented by Brunswick at Spare Time Lanes Sunday.
Jabczenski, who has never finished higher than ninth place in a PBA50 Tour event, fired games of 210, 233, 215, 222, 211, 234, 269 and 222 for a 1,816 pinfall total – a 227 average – to lead not only his fellow 60-and-older Super Senior players, but the younger 50-59 Senior field as well. PBA Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli of Venezuela led the Seniors with 1,796 pins on games of 187, 212, 232, 177, 260, 203, 278 and 247.
“Don’t ask me how I did it,” Jabczenski said. “When I walked in and saw how tough the scoring was, I wasn’t very comfortable.
“I didn’t get in to Decatur until this morning,” he added. “I went to my niece’s wedding (Saturday) and it was a seven-hour drive to get here. I was exhausted, but I laid down for an hour. Maybe it helped. I didn’t throw ball very hard, but I guess I threw it hard enough.”
If the standings stay the same after Monday’s second eight-game qualifying round, Jabczenski would wind up as Monacelli’s partner for the match play competition on Tuesday.
After qualifying, all pins will be dropped and the top 14 senior players will be paired in qualifying order with the top 14 super senior players for two Baker format round-robin match play rounds Tuesday. After 14 games of match play, the top four teams will advance to a Baker format stepladder finals starting at 7 p.m. CDT.
Monacelli hopes to stay on top in the Senior division because there are PBA50 Player of the Year points at stake, and this will be his last chance. He is bowling with Team Venezuela in the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships next week in Las Vegas, and will miss the final PBA50 Tour event in Welch, Minn. So finishing high in Decatur is important to him.
The 16-game qualifying totals in Decatur will be the basis for PBA50 Player of the Year points awarded for the doubles event. The top Senior qualifier will earn 16 points, second place eight points, third four points and fourth place two points. Reigning PBA50 Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla., with 58 points, currently leads Monacelli by 18 points. Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., in third, 28 points behind Williams with 30 points. Lennie Boresch Jr. of Kenosha, Wis., is one point behind Weber.
The top three players in PBA50 Tour points also are competing for berths in the ESPN-televised PBA50 Tour Finals, a new special event that will be conducted during the PBA World Series of Bowling V at South Point Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center in Las Vegas in early November.
“After the first four games, I was only eight (pins) over (a 200 average), but then I got the right ball in my hand, the right grip and I bowled a lot better,” Monacelli said. “I’ve had a great year. I led almost every week but in match play if you don’t win, you don’t get the points. But I’m still in good position to make the top three for the finals at the World Series, so that’s my goal now.”
The PBA50 Tour completes its 2013 season with the Treasure Island Resort and Casino Open presented by Motiv at Island Xtreme Bowl in Welch, Minn., Aug. 18-21.
PBA50 SENIOR/SUPER SENIOR DOUBLES CLASSIC PRESENTED BY BRUNSWICK
Spare Time Lanes, Decatur, Ill., Sunday
ROUND ONE (after 8 games)
Seniors (ages 50-59)
1, Amleto Monacelli, 1,796.
2, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 1,765.
3, Tom Adcock, Decatur, 1,754.
4, Dale Csuhta, 1,731.
5, Lennie Boresch Jr., 1,706.
6, Harry Sullins, 1,703.
7, Pete Weber, 1,690.
8, David Axon, 1,688.
9, Wayne Webb, 1,679.
10, Kevin Foley, 1,671.
11, Walter Ray Williams Jr., 1,651.
12, Scott Smith, 1,642.
13, Don Holmes, 1,640.
14, Kenny Parks, 1,620.
15, Todd Kjell, 1,615.
16 (tie), Mike Edwards and Darryl Bower, 1,614.
18, Tom Baker, 1,590.
19, Bob Learn Jr., 1,587.
20, Robert Harvey, 1,582.
21, Bryan Goebel, 1,575.
22, Kent Wagner, 1,553.
23, Paul McCordic, 1,538.
24, Michael Shequin, 1,525.
25, Bob Markiewicz, 1,523.
26, Brian Miller, 1,520.
27 (tie), Mark Williams and Al Pote, 1,502.
29, Bennie Holman, 1,489.
30, Roger Painter, 1,486.
31, Frank Miceli, 1,485.
32, Gene Davis, 1,458.
33, Tim Pierce, 1,449.
34, John Dudak, 1,425.
35, Tom Howison, 1,420.
36, Tom Carter, 1,418.
37, Chris Keane, 1,408.
38, Rick Woloszyn, 1,387.
39, Jamie Lynn Fox, 1,386.
Super Seniors (ages 60-older)
1, Mitch Jabczenski, 1,816.
2, Mike Chrzanowski, 1,685.
3, Marc Lineberry, 1,669.
4, Don Blatchford, 1,668.
5, Rick Minier, 1,663.
6, Gary Dickinson, 1,647.
7, Ted Staikoff, 1,640.
8, Emilio Mora Sr., 1,636.
9, Sal Borngiorno, 1,631.
10, Harv Pallas, 1,629.
11, Dick Selgo, 1,625.
12, Dave Bernhardt, 1,624.
13, Bill Henson, 1,608.
14, Don Sylvia, 1,606.
15, Roy Buckley, 1,600.
16, Tim Kauble, 1,581.
17, John Petraglia, 1,577.
18, Sam Perrotta, 1,575.
19 (tie), Patrick King and Dick Gran, 1,574.
21, Bill McCorkle, 1,548.
22, Jerry Lau, 1,530.
23, Kerry Painter, 1,516.
24, William Keenan, 1,510.
25, Lee Brosius, 1,508.
26, Ron Profitt, 1,498.
27, Galen Keas, 1,497.
28, Henry Gonzalez, 1,496.
29, Steve Stein, 1,494.
30, Dan Duskin Sr., 1,487.
31, Dennis Lane, 1,486.
32, Bill Idzior, 1,484.
33, Frankie May, 1,483.
34, Dale Eagle, 1,482.
35, Brendan Bierch, 1,476.
36, Larry Graybeal, 1,466.
37, Gene Vincent, 1,462.
38, Gary Hiday, 1,459.
39, Daniel Miner, 1,439.
40, Bob Kelly, 1,435.
41 (tie), Donald Breihan, and George Hall, 1,422.
43, George Lord, 1,412.
44, Ken Waters, 1,402.
45, Robert Holzbauer, 1,391.
46, Barry Witmer, 1,387.
47, Melvin Lingafelter, 1,382.
48, Robert Teeters, 1,373.
49, Allen Meskan, 1,367.
50, Kim Kirkpatrick, 1,365.
51, Walter Sova Sr., 1,326.
52, Peter Brainard, 1,283.
53, Dan Clausse, 1,250.
54, Hank Knisley, 1,154.