THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 8, 1995 TAG: 9501060165
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 19 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Around the Alleyways
SOURCE: Bill Leffler
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
Ballots have gone in for the annual All-America tenpin teams and the Bowlers of the Year.
Here's the way my ballot was cast:
Men - Norm Duke, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Bryan Goebel, Eric Forkel and Amleto Monacelli.
Women - Anne Marie Duggan, Aleta Sill, Tish Johnson, Kim Couture and Carol Gianotti.
Duke and Duggan were my choices as Bowlers of the Year. There seems no question that Duke, from Edmond, Okla., was the premier bowler in the country the past year. The top spot for women will be a close battle between Duggan and Sill. Sill was the leading money winner on the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour with record earnings of $126,325. Duggan was runner-up with $124,722.
My vote went to Duggan, who bowled out of Chesapeake as a rookie on the tour but now calls Edmond, Okla. home, because she carried the highest average on the LPBT (213) and cashed in all 21 tournaments in which she participated. Sill averaged 208, 11th on the tour, and placed in 17 of 21 tournaments.
Duggan won three tournaments, was runner-up four times and finished third on three occasions. Sill had four wins and four second-place finishes. She had no thirds.
Duke topped the scoring on the Pro Bowlers Tour with a 222 average. He also led in winnings with $273,753, far outdistancing runner-up Williams ($189,745).
Duke, who won five tournaments, cashed in 18 of 21. He also was a second-place finisher in two other tourneys.
To me, averages and consistency are the key measuring sticks. But certainly there are arguments for others on the All-America teams. Immediately coming to mind are Bohn Parker, John Mazza, Brian Voss and Randy Pedersen among the men. Women contenders definitely include Leanne Barrette, Marianne Dirupo and Sanda Jo Shiery.
On the women's side there are two outstanding amateurs to be considered - Lucy Giovinco and Liz Johnson. Giovinco won the Coca-Cola AMF World Cup Nationals and Johnson set a WIBC record with a league average of 234.
Bowler of the Week honors go to Chris Baron and Bumm Beach, who closed out the old year with 300 games. Both made threatening gestures at 800 series.
Baron registered his perfecto in the Scotch Doubles Tenpin League at Pinboy's of Chesapeake, going on to a 788 series.
Beach flipped his 12-striker en route to a 797 series in the Big Chiefs Tenpin League at Indian River.
Tenpin topics: Glen Sheehan joined the Century Club with his 278 game in the Virginia Beach Commercial League at Plaza Bowl. Sheehan averages 170. . . Lynnhaven. He tossed 754 in the Masters League. . . . Bishop Christensen, a 150-average bowler in the Cosmopolitan League at Pinboy's of Norfolk, had games of 240, 235 and 203 for a 678 series. . . . Scott Hall backed up 707 series in two leagues. . . . Senior bowler Sam Defebo posted a 267 game in his 625 series in the Sappy Seniors League at Pinboy's at the Beach. . . . Pete Kowalchick and Kim Smith gained Century membership at Pinboy's of Chesapeake in the Saturday Classic Mixed League. Kowalchick, a 174 average-bowler, shot 277 and Smith, with a 155 average, tossed 256. . . . Frank Medved had a 180 triplicate in the Sunday Nite Mixed League at Pinboy's of Norfolk. . . . In the St. Pius Mixed League at the same center the Guess Who team had three consecutive 588 games. . . . Junior bowler Nicole Thompson went over the 600 barrier for the first time with 611 in the Generation Gap League at Plaza Bowl. . . . Ken Shick's 741 series in the Friday Mixers League at Pinboy's of Chesapeake included a 299 single.
Duckpin data: George Smith and Martha Rush are the Victory Lanes qualifiers for the $15,000 Duckpin Classic at Johnstown, R.I., on April 29-30. Smith had a qualifying score of 855. Rush qualified with 804. Bowlarama is continuing its qualifying until the end of this month. . . . Miriam Pugh, who averages 101, pitched a 170 game in a 374 set in the Monday Morning Mixed League. In the same league Marita Tharrington, who averages 100, walloped a 383 series. . longtime lanes star Oneil Wynne in the Tuesday Major Trio League at Bowlarama. Wynne, once a nationally ranked bowler and still a top scorer after nearly 50 years on the lanes, chalked up a 204 game and 488 series. . . . Ketchum's Glass had a record 1,717 series in the Industrial League, believed to be an all-time high in this league since it went to four-bowler teams. Ketchum's had games of 538, 587 and 592 and bowled with one blind. Ronnie Ketchum posted 494, Walt Laughon hit 475 and Ronnie Sult shot 448 with the 300 blind. Ketchum also had a 191 game. . . . Shelia Eunice fired a 149 game in the Monday Morning Mixed League while Evelyn Saunders registered a 156 in the Thursday Morning Mixed and Pearl Goncalves had a 152 in the Thursday Night Ladies at Victory. . . . Pinecrest Baptist won the first round in the Sunday School League. In the same league Bill Schepp notched his first 400 series with 412. by CNB