Bowling column for Tuesday, June 9, 2020
By: Bette Addington
–Alonso & Svoren Capture Back-to-Back Wins at Second CBT Tournament in Utah
CBT/Competitive Bowling Tournaments returned for its second tournament at Sunset West Bowl in Saint George, Utah. This event was also a two-day event (June 6-7) but it was a No Tap Beat the Board tournament this time. A group of five from Bakersfield traveled to UT this time. This time through their travels, they got to see an opened-up Las Vegas which was so great to see! The Bakersfield gang that went were Patricia Alonso, Andrew Svoren, Joe Smith, Stephanie Sanders and Alex Garcia. The event featured four squads on Saturday and three on Sunday for a total, again of seven squads. Guess who bowled them all again and with great success? Patricia Alonso!!! By the end of Saturday’s squads, Patricia secured her spot at first place in the Singles standings with (800) pins and averaging 266.66!! Andrew Svoren was in fourth (765) averaging 255, and Joe Smith laned in tenth with (725) averaging 241.66. Pretty cool to have all three repeat local entrants in the standings!! Then, on to the Doubles as of the end of Saturday’s squads. Patricia & Andrew were sitting at first, again, with (1565). But Patricia also teamed up with Zachary Vasquez and they were in second with (1526) and Andrew Svoren and Joe Smith were in third with (1490). But there’s more….Patricia teamed up with Laura Sargent and they were in fourth with (1465) and Andrew also teamed up with Laura Sargent and they were in fifth with (1430). And that’s just for the first day. CBT’s Ramsey Basurto commented about Patricia, “She said she was gonna do it!”. Patricia said she bowled with her 900 Global Redemption and Boost.
But the event, again, totally belonged to Patricia Alonso! She ended up winning the Singles and winning the Doubles with Andrew Svoren, and Scratch series, then placing second with Zachary Vasquez, fourth with Laura Sargent and fifth with Brandon Simcox! “Utah is officially my house!!” said an ecstatic Alonso!!
Andrew and Joe Smith ended up placing third in Doubles and Andrew placed sixth in Singles and Joe placed fourteenth in Singles. Great bowling all of you!
–C is the Word—BREAKING NEWS – The BLVD! opened June 8th; AMF Southwest Lanes will be opening this Fri., June 12th; and Mt. Mesa this Sat., June 13th (reservation only)!!!!
Cautiously optimistic is the “C” word for bowlers to try and hang in there as we are now about to enter Phase 3, which spells the opening of bowling centers here. Porterville Lanes is open and Bowlium Lanes down south in Montclair is open but just for league bowling!
Here’s the info I have to share for each of the centers on reopening:
The BVLD! – Open 11am-9pm Sunday thru Thursdays; 11am-11pm Fridays and Saturdays. Make a reservation beforehand either online www.BLVDBakersfield.com or by calling them 661/873-4477. Temperature check as you enter facility. Masks are recommended when entering. Up to (6) can bowl together on a lane. Some days they use only even lanes; other days they use the odd lanes. You will bowl using the right lane only unless lanes are not filled, then you can ask to crossover. Cost to bowl is $25 per hour weekdays before 5pm; $30 after 5pm. Weekends price is $36 per hour before 5pm; $42 after 5pm.
AMF Southwest Lanes – Officially opening this Fri., June 12th at 4pm. Hours of operation: Fridays* – 4pm-12 midnight; Saturdays – 12 noon-12 midnight; Sundays – 12 noon to 10pm; Mondays – CLOSED; Tuesdays – 4pm-10pm; Wednesdays* – 4pm-10pm; and Thursdays – CLOSED.
*may open earlier these two days.
Social distance requirements of State & County will have to be met and will be posted in the Center. Masks are recommended but not required. No more than (5) per lane which includes seating area on your lane you are bowling on so be aware of this if you are bowling league that you cannot bring spouses/family to watch if it takes you above the (5) person limit per lane. Practice rate will probably be the same as it was before the lockdown special rate ends Fridays and Saturdays at 6pm. Summer Game Pass is available for youth 15 years of age and younger. Summer league information, please keep checking back on website for updated information – www.amf.com/location/amf-southwest-lanes-ca. Phone number is 661/834-2695.
Mt. Mesa Lanes, Lake Isabella – Opening (for reservation only) starting Sat., June 13th from 12 noon-8pm. Groups of no more than (6) can start calling the bowling center 760/379-3131 to make reservations. To comply with CDC guidelines, this will be the only way we can do it so there is enough time for proper sanitation in between groups. We will also be using a temperature check before doing any of the following activities—bowling, bar or restaurant. Our arcade will remain closed until further notice.
Then some Winter leagues are trying to ride this out and centers like AMF Southwest Lanes, are allowing these leagues to come back when they can finally reopen and finish their leagues. Summer leagues would have been started by now, but AMF Southwest Lanes is willing to hold off Summer leagues for Winter leagues to do this. And, in addition to that, AMF Southwest Lanes is allowing Winter leagues returning to finish 50% off lineage to do so! Can’t ask for more than that IF the centers reopen SOON. The latest information on AMF Southwest Lanes is that are awaiting to hear what our Governor and our local Health & Safety say so at this point, it is to be determined.
This week’s question posed to bowlers: Bowlers that have bowled at Porterville Lanes or recent CBT tournaments can you give us some feedback on what it is like to bowl after being off for 3 months?
“I had a great time in Porterville last Saturday night. I enjoyed seeing friends again, meeting some new people and competing. I was a little sore after five games but overall it was great to be back at it.”—Brian Maurseth
“It felt great to bowl again, I’m still sore today. The lanes were ok, I will definitely be doing this again or at least until Southwest opens up.”—Greg Hernandez
“It was very fun. Got to see a few of the bowling family from Bakersfield and got to enjoy the game again. I didn’t feel sore the next day for today because I bowled two weeks ago in Utah.”—Robert Fox
“It was great to see some of my favorite bowling guys. Everyone saw the video of my first day back bowling, lol! I had fun.”—Lorene Elijah
“Porterville Lanes is a great place to bowl! The drive is nice. The Owner was really great!! He opened early for us. The lanes were good and after being off for a couple of months, I was excited to get back to bowling although I didn’t cash. There were (30) bowlers Saturday, a far cry from (14) the previous week. Porterville Lanes is a great place to bowl.”—Lorri Howell
Feedback from Jack & Michelle Dunn on their first day of Summer league at Nu Generation Lanes in Yuba City: “Just finished bowling the first week of our shortened senior summer league. We took up the whole house as there were two teams on a pair, but every other pair was skipped to allow for social distancing. The center had hand sanitizer on the back counters. No high fives. People wore masks to enter and while on the concourse, but we don’t have to while bowling. It was actually kind of nice not to have anyone right next to us. All in all a pleasant experience and I bowled over average for all three games!”—Michelle Dunn
–Winter Leagues Ending – League Secretaries Get Your League Averages In
Final averages are official as of the date that your league ends and are due within (15) days to our local GEUSBC Association Manager Nancy Weber. If you need to contact her about getting your leagues averages in, her number is 661/204-1484.
–Frequently Asked Questions to USBC Rules
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic stopping leagues and tournaments with the closure of centers, here are a few frequently asked questions of interest. Please contact your center’s management to discuss league and tournament options.
1. Can a league compete at different times or days to accommodate the schedule changes? Yes. Bowling at different times or days is acceptable and will be considered one scheduled league session.
2. If the league bowls separate days or times, will high score awards be recognized? USBC High Scores bowled during either shift will be recognized because these are considered the same match.
3. Can a team bowl on one lane only, instead of alternating on a pair? Yes. USBC has waived the rules that state two lanes must be used for competition and bowlers must alternate lanes, so a team can bowl on one lane.
4. Are league officers bonded if the schedule is extended? Yes. Please notify the local association of the new end date.
–USBC Survey Shows Majority Plan to Bowl in Fall Leagues
USBC sent out a survey with just one question to its membership to find out if they planned to return to bowling this Fall. They received more than 47,000 responses with 75% saying “Yes,” just 5% responding “No,” and 20% were “Unsure.” 80% of the No’s or Unsure responses said it was because of health or safety concerns.
–USBC Postpones Implementing Tiered Center Certification
It was announced that USBC is postponing implementation of a new tiered center certification model now until January, 2023.
Inspection of centers under the new program will not begin until Jan. 1, 2023.
USBC also announced it would not require local associations to perform the annual lane inspections this season as the USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification team continues its work to fully develop the program. Details will be announced no later than the 2022 USBC Convention.
–USBC Issues Final Adjusted Bowling Ball Hardness Specification
Back in April, USBC proposed to raise the minimum hardness to 73D for all models and eliminate the use of field tests to check bowling ball hardness because of challenges related to workability, temperature control and variances in testing devices.
Based upon comments from manufacturers, USBC will extend the implementation deadline. Manufacturers will be granted ball approval at the current 72D limit through December 31, 2020 and will be required to discontinue additional production of models previously approved below 73D by July 31, 2022.
–USBC Amends Playing Rules to Help Get Leagues Rolling Again
The USBC Board of Directors has approved waivers and modifications to their Playing Rules to provide certified leagues and tournaments with greater flexibility to return to bowling while adhering to local health guidelines related to COVID-19.
The modifications will allow competition to take place on one lane for the entirety of the game. Also, bowlers will be allowed to use isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), to clean their bowling balls during competition. The EPA lists rubbing alcohol as an approved disinfectant for use against COVID-19.
Effective immediately, USBC has temporarily waived USBC Playing Rules 106a, 106b, 320a and 320b, which state that two lanes must be used for competition and bowlers must alternate lanes. It also waived the requirement that both lanes must be used for a bowler to be eligible for awards and average recognition. USBC will continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and may rescind the waiver of these rules at any time.
–Digital Collegiate Experience Connects Student-Athletes with College Bowling Programs
The Digital Collegiate Experience will allow IBC (International Bowling Campus) Youth to continue its annual event next month. This event is usually held each summer in conjunction with the Junior Gold Championships and is designed to give student-athletes the opportunity to learn more about college bowling by allowing students to engage with coaches or officials of bowling programs from across the country.
The Digital Collegiate Experience kicks off on Tuesday, June 9, on BowlTV. This is a FREE event on BowlTV, but users need to take a few minutes to create a USBC Community login to access the show. BowlTV plans to showcase 30 colleges a day. Shows will be held on June 9th and 10th. IBC Youth will add another third show if more than 60 colleges express interest. Visit BOWL.com/Collegiate for more information on college bowling and check out BOWL.com/BowlTV to learn more about USBC’s video platform.
–What’s Taking Place? What’s Cancelled??
To help bring you up to speed on what has been nationally cancelled or postponed indefinitely, here’s what we know:
–ISC/ITC Sectionals—postponed indefinitely
–USBC Senior Queens—postponed indefinitely
–USBC Masters—postponed indefinitely
–USBC Convention—cancelled
–PWBA Tour—cancelled
–USBC Queens—postponed indefinitely
–PBA Tour – scheduled to start April 6, status—on hiatus indefinitely
–Super Senior Classic—postponed until later this year
–USBC Senior Masters—postponed until later this year
–USBC Senior Championships—postponed to 2021
–PBA World Series of Bowling Finals (Storm PBA XI Animal Pattern Champ.) – postponed indefinitely (Fox Sports is planning multiple re-broadcasts of PBA World Champ, PBA Tourn. of Champions & Roth-Holman PBA Doubles Champ. finals on FS1 and FS2 (check your local listings for dates and times).
–PBA Playoffs—postponed
–PBA League Draft—postponed
–Intercollegiate Team & Singles Championships—cancelled
–2020 USBC Open & Women’s Championships—extended tentative start date to Sept. 12 for Open; Sept. 19 for Women’s. If you wish to withdraw from any of these events, contact 888/910-2695.
–Bowl Expo scheduled for July 2-6 in Aurora, Colorado—cancelled
–TNBA 2020 National Championship Tournament scheduled from Aug. 6-17, Las Vegas—cancelled
–TNBA 2020 National Convention scheduled for Aug. 10-11, Las Vegas—cancelled
–USA Bowling National Championships – cancelled
–Youth Open Championships – cancelled
–USBC Junior Gold Championships – cancelled
For local tournaments, check my calendar at the end of this column on what has been cancelled to date.
–Local Bowling Centers
– The BLVD! – OPEN for Bowling, Food & Alcohol!!–3200 Buck Owens Blvd., BLVDBakersfield.com, 661/873-4477
Military Service (Active, Reserve, Retired, Law Enforcement, Fire & First Responders) get 15% off Food, Soft Beverages, Bowling, Laser Tag, Ropes Course & Arcade Play Every Day!
Live Music on the Patio – Every Friday from 6pm-8pm – FREE!
Sign Up for The BLVD!’s E Club, connect with them to get exclusive offers & updates. Join via their free WiFi or fill out a card today! (Like & follow @BLVDBAKERSFIELD.)
Monday-Thursday (Open-Close) $4.25/Game, per person
Friday (Open-5pm) $4.25/Game, per person
Friday (5pm-Close) $42/Hour, per lane*
Weekends (Open-Close) $42/Hour, per lane*
Shoes – $4/person—Socks – $2.50/pair
*Up to (6) people per lane
– AMF Southwest Lanes – Officially OPENS Fri., Jun. 12th, 4pm –3610 Wible Road – 661/834-2695, amf.com.
Hours of Operation
Mondays – CLOSED
Tuesdays – 4pm – 10pm
Wednesdays* – 4pm – 10pm
Thursdays – CLOSED
Fridays* – 4pm – 12 midnight
Saturdays – 12 noon – 12 midnight
Sundays – 12 noon – 10pm
*may open earlier on these days
Become a MVB (Most Valuable Bowler) and get up to $20 in FREE bowling. Learn more at amf.com/mvb
ROBB’S PRO SHOP (inside AMF Southwest Lanes) –661/833-2695:
Hours of Operation (not sure, call first)
Tuesdays – 4pm – 8pm
Wednesdays – 4pm – 8pm
Fridays – 4pm – 8pm
Saturdays – 12 noon – 4pm
Sundays – Closed
– West Side Lanes – CLOSED!!–500 Cascade Place, Bldg. D, Taft, 93268 – 661/763-4246 or 765-6677
– Mt. Mesa Lanes – OPEN (reservation only), Sat., Jun. 13th from 12-8pm–4612 McCray Road, Mt. Mesa, CA 93240 – 760/379-3131, www.Kernvalley.com/mtmesalanes
Tournament Club – 1st Sunday of each month
Coffee Club – 3rd Sunday of each month
Motive will be releasing the new “Desert Tank” on June 17th. Hopefully we will be back in business by then so I can get all my Motive maniacs their new equipment.”—Gabriella Mayfield
– High Desert Lanes – CLOSED!!–205 Fitzgerald Blvd., Edwards AFB, CA 93523 – 661/275-2695
–Happenings Around Our Bowling Community
– Our condolences to family (wife Doris) and friends of Floyd Wahlstrom, 93, who passed away on May 31st. Floyd served on the board of the Bakersfield Bowling Association and lived in Wofford Heights.
–BOWLING COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Sat., Mar. 21: USBC Open Nationals, National Bowling Stadium, Reno, NV—POSTPONED TO Sept. 12 – Nov. 21. (2021 will be in Las Vegas, NV)
Sat., Apr. 18: USBC Women’s Nationals, SouthPoint, Las Vegas—POSTPONED TO Sept. 19 – Oct. 18. (2021 will be in Addison, IL)
Fri. & Sat., Jun. 12-13: David Marcus Thumbs Up Scholarship HUGE Yard Sale, Fri. from 6am-3pm; Sat. from 6am-3pm, 11506 Mockingbird Ct., Bakersfield, CA 93312, 661/205-1478 (Arlene)
Sat., Jun. 13: Silver Foxes Doubles Tournament, Rodeo Lanes, Clovis—CANCELLED
Sat., Jun. 13: BB&K’s Scratch 6 Game Triple Knockout, presented by Parkin’s Bowling Supply, 11am, Victor Bowl, Victorville, 909/450-9415
Sat., Jun. 13: CBT’s No Tap Singles/Doubles, Bowlium, Montclair, squads at 10/12/2/4/6, 661/418-8007, cbtbowling.com
Sat., Jun. 13: PBA Summer Clash, Bowlero, Jupiter, FL, 3pm-5pm, FOX
Sat.-Sun., Jun. 13-14: CUSBC 2020 State Convention, Hotel Piccadilly, Fresno—CANCELLED
Sat.-Sun., Jun. 13-14: Storm Youth Championships, Western Bowl & Expo Center, Indianapolis—CANCELLED
Sun., Jun. 14: 60 & Over Scratch Classic, 11am, Canyon Lanes, Cabazon, 562/243-0175
Sun., Jun. 14: CBT Scratch 6 Gamer, 10am (check-in at 9am), Bowlium, Montclair, $60 entry fee, $500 min. guaranteed for 1st, 661/418-8007, cbtbowling.com
Sun., Jun. 14: BB&K’s Scratch 8 Gamer #2, Arlington Lanes, Riverside—POSTPONED to July 12
Sat., Jun. 20: CA Women’s 500 Club’s 2020 Princess Tournament, Buena Lanes, Ventura–CANCELLED
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