THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 18, 1994 TAG: 9409160246
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 23 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bill Leffler
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
America's favorite sport may be baseball - or football - or basketball.
Armchair, maybe. But when it comes to participation, bowling wins hands down.
The No. 1 sports membership organization in this country is the American Bowling Congress. Add in the Women's International Bowling Congress, the National Duckpin Bowling Congress and the youth bowling groups, the official tally soars over the 5,000,000 mark.
ABC had 2,454,742 members last season. The Norfolk Bowling Association is one of 2,793 ABC affiliates.
Still there are some who contend bowling has passed its heyday.
Membership in the national organizations shows only a .05 percent drop from 1993 to 1994. That's an insignificant figure when dealing with 5 million folks. Chances are the economy, particularly the loss of jobs, accounts for virtually the entire decline.
The interest in bowling obviously comes from being a part of the action. A national survey shows bowling ranks far down the line as a favorite spectator sport.
In a survey by the Miller Brewing Company, football drew No. 1 support from thousands polled. Football received 28 percent of the vote as the favorite spectator sport.
Baseball was runner-up with 18 percent. And who knows where those 18 percent channel their interest with the major leaguers on strike?
Bowling rated 14th with minute interest, alongside the likes of professional wrestling and hockey.
MAYORS CUP: As has been the custom in recent years, the Mayors Cup officially opens the bowling season locally.
The competition this year was held at Pinboy's Military.
This was the 13th annual competition of a tournament supervised by Gene Luke each year. The Norfolk team, composed of Joe Leafe, Debbie Rabel and Joe O'Hop, won with a 498 pinfall. Norfolk was powered by O'Hop's 225 game.
Runner-up was Portsmouth with 433. The Portsmouth team was composed of Cameron Pitts, Rhiannon Allen and Ken Phillips. Virginia Beach was third with 404 and Chesapeake fourth with 385. Last year, Chesapeake won.
DOGGONE-GOOD: The big off-season news in bowling involved a dog owned by Kristy Prohaska of Bay City, Mich.
Kristy entered her sheltie, Pixcie, in a ``Stupid Pet Tricks'' contest at a shopping mall in Bay City.
Pixcie won.
It seems she bowls. She uses a 9-pound plastic ball.
It was said that Pixcie uses a lot of nose and some barking enticement to the ball. And she cheats a little, too. She follows the ball all the way to the pins.
In her last outing - and reportedly Pixcie is awaiting a call from David Letterman - she rolled a 53 for six frames.
Guess humans roll 10 frames in a game and dogs only bowl six.
SPARE NOTES: First 300 of the winter season goes to Jim Walsh, who accomplished the feat in the season-opening game of the Industrial League at Pinboy's of Norfolk. Walsh had a 721 series. . . . Ed Filopowski opened the Retired Classic Tenpin League at Little Creek with a 258 game and 730 series. Franklin Bowl with 575. They pocketed $68. Runners-up were Ed and Sue Martin with 561. . . . St. Andrews Methodist trailed Court Street Baptist until the very final pitch of the game in the Portsmouth Sunday School Duckpin League at Victory Lanes, winning on a strike fill by Eddie Williams. . . . Al Woods chalked up a 300 game in the Thursday Men's Summer League at Franklin Bowl. The Duck Quackers won the league championship. . . . Bowling for a new sponsor, Computune, Dennis Long whacked out his highest series ever in the Industrial Duckpin League at Victory with 461. . . . Jeanette Longmore posted a 247 single in the Sizzlers League at Plaza Bowl. . . . Tiger Baker made his first start in the VPA Wednesday Doubles Duckpin League at Victory with a 168 game and 468 series. . . . Bobby Wetherbee chalked up a record 186 game and high series of 495 in the Industrial League at the same center while Walt Laughon posted an all-spare 183. . . . Gina Forehand may be the first local bowler to win both ``men'' and women's high average award in a league. She purchased an ABC card as well as her WIBC card and was the leading bowler in the Monday Mixers Tenpin League this summer at Pinboy's Military. She carried a 192 average. . . . Mike McCully had a 728 series in the Virginia Beach Commercial League at Plaza Bowl. . . . In the Saturday Classic Mixed League at Pinboy's of Chesapeake Jeff Morse picked up the 4-6-10 split. . . . The Virginia Pro Tour has its September tournament finals today at Victory Lanes. at Pinboy's of Chesapeake. In the same league, Kenny Hobbs pulled in the 4-6-7-10 for the shot of the week. MEMO: (Weekly rankings of top games and high series in area leagues
commenced Saturday in The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star and will
continue throughout the season on Saturdays. Secretaries can report
scores and highlights for Around the Alleyways via the bowling info-line
- 640-5555 BOWL.)
by CNB