The Sparetimes and the Greater Miami Bowling Associations would like to welcome you all to the start of the 2002-2003 bowling year. We are happy to announce that fellow bowler, James Janoff, of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, will continue to sponsor this newsletter. Thank you!! Do you have a mortgage need? Call James at (305) 671-1155, or (305) 291-9797 (pager).

Please feel free to call on your bowling association officers and directors for help. These board members work for you.

Legislation was passed at the ABC and WIBC national conventions this past spring that affects the rules of bowling. The only league playing rule that was changed of any consequence deals with the bowling against an absentee or vacancy score in a match point (head-to-head) league. The change in the rule is listed below. Contact the Greater Miami USBC Association, Inc office (305 665-2225) or Greater Miami Women’s Bowling Association office (305 665-0788) for guidance or questions on any playing rules. Every team captain in every league is entitled to receive an ABC/WIBC rule book. Be sure to get yours from your league secretary.

Rule 100i - When bowling against an absentee or vacancy, to earn the individual point, the bowler must bowl at least their average less 10 pins, unless the league rules state another number.

For the past year, bowlers have been receiving their ABC and WIBC membership cards in the mail directly from national headquarters. Our assessment is that the program is successful. However, the largest problem is that quite a bit of mail is being returned for bad addresses.

Bowlers, please help by ensuring that when you fill out your sanction card, your address is correct, complete (including apartment/unit numbers) and totally legible.

League secretaries, please help by checking the cards for readability before submitting them to the bowling office.

Bowlers, if you don’t receive your membership card in the mail within four weeks of paying for it, check first with your league secretary to ensure he/she submitted it to the bowling office. If so, then contact the bowling office.

Single Membership Organization
There is very little to report at this time. No action has been taken on SMO or the merge of ABC, WIBC, YABA, and all the other bowling groups. There has been some modifications made which are better than what was first reported, but the vote to either proceed or not will be taken, by ABC, at the Winter Meeting, on November 1,2,3 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ABC Director Paul D. Boller (Miami, Florida) will be in attendance and hopefully bring us news that is good for all bowlers alike. The merge cannot go into effect without the approval of two organizations, one of which must either be ABC or WIBC. One of the other minor organizations must also approve the merge in conjunction with the parent organization. By the middle of November, all bowlers should know in which direction we are headed. Let us hope it is the right one!

This initiative is a partnership effort between the American Bowling Congress, The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the Earl Anthony Memorial Scholarship Fund. Jointly, we have formed a year round effort to collectively bring bowlers together to make a charitable difference in the lives of youths across the United States and Canada.

November has been chosen as Bowlers Care for Kids league fund-raising month. Show you Care for Kids! Hold "pennies-a-pin" league sessions and you could be the lucky top fund-raising award recipient to win a trip to Hawaii and the 2003 Pro Bowl Beach Party! The Bowlers Care for Kids fund-raising program and the Pro Bowl Beach Rewards Program is being provided in affiliation with the Sports Dream Foundation.

Everything your league secretaries need is in the Bowlers Care for Kids folders as part of their league supplies, including a Fund-raiser Calendar, Fund-raising Ideas, Guidelines, Benefactor information, donation receipt (template), and a bowler pledge form. Additional forms and information are available at www.bowlerscareforkids.com or by contacting Michele St. Marie at 414-423-3316.

The American Bowling Congress is more than an organization bringing together individuals, teams, and families who love the sport of bowling. It also helps to form unified efforts through unique resources and powerful volunteer and membership numbers to truly make a difference in the lives of young people.

Sanction Fee Increase
Two years ago, the American Bowling Congress passed legislation for a sanction fee increase of $2.00 for ABC and $2.00 for local associations, bringing the maximum dues to $16.00. At that time, the GMBA decided to take only $1.00 of the $2.00 allowed for local. Because of declining membership, increases in fixed costs and financial losses over the past several years, it became necessary for the GMBA to ask for that additional $1.00 from the Council of Delegates (comprised of league representatives) this past May. The increase was approved, so, your sanction fees will now be $16.00. If you are sanctioned in another association (such as Broward), your sanction fees will now be $8.00. (Note for senior leagues: sanction fees will now be $12.00, and GMBA local only sanction fees will now be $4.00).

Secretary of the Year
The 2001-2002 Greater Miami Bowling Association’s Secretary of the Year award has been won by Michael Schrader of the REA Southwest Handicap League at Bird Bowl. Mike has won this award several times. He consistently does an outstanding job with his submission of his league’s paperwork requirements. He has received a $100.00 gift certificate for a local pro shop. He will also receive a nice plaque at the combined August 18 GMBA/GMWBA League Officer Workshop. This is the eighth year this award has been presented. The award recognizes the ABC or mixed league secretary who demonstrates the best performance in the timely and proper submission of secretarial paperwork to the GMBA office and gets their league involved with various GMBA activities (meetings). A subjective points system, based on various categories of duty requirements, is used to rank all of the secretaries.

Team - Division A (780-up)

1.  J. D.’s All Stars 2949
   (Tony Acosta, Julian Herradon, Jr., William Durr, Danny Saunders)
2. Butch Hall Team 2907
   (Richard Smith, David Sisk, Bobby Sisk, Butch Hall)

Team - Division B (779-under)

Team - High Scratch

1.  J. D.’s All Stars 2748
   (Tony Acosta, Julian Herradon, Jr., William Durr, Danny Saunders)

Singles - Division A (195-up)

1. Tony Colon 839
2. Rolando Vargas 800

Singles - Division B (194-under)

1.  Julie Hall 840
2.  Bernie Caburian 824

Singles - High Scratch

1. Tony Colon 767

Doubles - Division A (390-up)

1. Peter Hernandez - Mike Kaczka 1478
2. Harold Harper - Rick Bowman 1474

Doubles - Division B (389-under)

1. Luis Pelaez - Charles Murray 1558
2. Julie Hall - Tony Colon 1554

Doubles - High Scratch

1. Peter Hernandez - Mike Kaczka 1478

All Events Handicap

1. Conrad Casem, Sr. 2347
2. Julie Hall 2340

All Events - High Scratch

1. Tony Acosta 2136

The GMBA would like to extend special recognition to Julie Hall for bowling two 300 games, one during doubles, and another during singles. Also to be recognized is Tony Acosta and Bill Durr for each bowling a 300 game, and to Peter Hernandez for bowling a 298 game. Peter also had the high scratch series in the tournament, with a 780.

Special Scratch Tournament
The GMBA held a special format scratch tournament on April 21, 2002 at Don Carter Kendall Lanes. There were two divisions, based on yearbook average: 201 & up and 200 & under. 28 bowlers entered the upper division, and 31 bowlers entered the lower division. The format was for everyone to bowl six qualifying games, and the field was then cut to the top 5 in each division. The two divisions were then paired with each other to form doubles teams to compete in the finals. The pairings were made based on the highest qualifier in the upper division teaming with the lowest qualifier in the lower division, the second highest qualifier in the upper division teaming with the second lowest qualifier in the lower division, and so on. One doubles game was then bowled to determine the seedings for the stepladder final. The results are as follows, with the bowler in the lower division listed first. Six-game qualifying scores are shown.

1^st Carl Johnson 1433 $590.00
Seymour Ginsberg 1385 $550.00

2^nd David Tolson 1358 $295.00
Michael Greene 1447 $275.00

3^rd Brian Douglass 1386 $205.00
Butch Hall 1393 $175.00

4^th Peter Martucci 1349 $150.00
Chuck Atwood 1450 $125.00

5^th James T. Johnson 1367 $110.00
Orlando DeArmas 1397 $95.00

As a highlight of the tournament, James T. Johnson bowled a 299 game.

ABC Award of Merit for 2001-2002
Brian Gramley and Cliff Watson are to be congratulated for winning ABC’s annual Awards of Merit. Brian wins the award for having the highest scratch series of the year (837). Cliff wins the award for having the highest league average of at least 66 games (228 for 96 games).

Outgoing President Mr. Jim DeLeonardis and former President Mrs. Mickey Rauch were presented with service plaques for their years of volunteer work.

We are also happy to report that Mr. Bruce Garey has also been elected to the Florida State YABA Board of Directors.

Congratulations go out to all the local youth bowlers who participated in this summer’s Junior Olympic Gold National Tournament in Winter Haven, Florida. Stefanie Nation finished 28^th out of 200+, and Andrew Headley finished 89^th out of 700+. Other local participants were Brigette Harrelson, Keith Nation, Chad Brewer, Neno Vargas, Richard Naue, Brett Bigenho and Steven Wilson.

The 2002-2003 Winter Bowling Season is just about to begin! If you haven’t signed your child up to bowl, do it now. Our motto is "There’s always room for one more child!" Check with one of these fine youth programs:

Junior Orange Bowl Event
This year’s Junior Orange Bowl, Inc. Bowling Event will honor all youth volunteers. The tournament will once again be held at Homestead Bowling Center over the Thanksgiving weekend. Friday has once again been set aside for the Adult/Youth Doubles Tournament, which will again feature scholarship money. Squads will begin at 9 a.m. and continue all day. Five squads are planned. Saturday is devoted to youth bowlers. Opening ceremonies will start promptly at 9 a.m. with competition beginning at 9:30 a.m. Minor changes have been made in the division setup. Sunday will start with the TV style finals to determine our winners. Then, the day will end, once again, with our fun tournaments. Check with your local bowling center for entry forms and more information. We’ve picked up additional sponsors and will be awarding more scholarships. And, oh yes, don’t forget the "Pin Decorating" contest. Winning pins are on display at the offices of the Junior Orange Bowl, Inc.

Following is information on some of our winter leagues:

Junior Bowling League: Saturday, September 7 thru May 3, 2003.This league is for ages 2 to 20, and experience is not required. The meeting and sign up will be Saturday, September 7 at 8:45 and league will start at 9:30 a.m. The weekly cost is $7.00.

Junior Scholarship League: Wednesday, September 4 thru May 7, 2003. The meeting and sign up will be Wednesday, September 4 at 6:30 p.m. and league will start at 7:00 p.m. This is a scratch league, 4 games across 8 lanes and 2 divisions based on average. The weekly cost is $10.00.

Cellular Universe Bird Bowl: Tuesday, August 27, 7:30 p.m. meeting. League starts on Tuesday, September 3, 8:15 p.m. New officers and new prize fund.

Our winter league schedule will be posted on the www.miamibowling.org site. Come join a league and have a great time! For information call Bird Bowl at (305) 221-1221 extension 14 or 15.

Summer league high games and sets:

High games for men: Tony Acosta 300, Julian Herradon 300 and 289, Dave Covington 299 and Richard Cheney 289.

High games for women: Sue Covington 259 and Lisa Fuentes 255.

High series for men: Julian Herradon 802, Luis Fuentes 763, Matthew Mann 662, Roy Orihuela 651 and Jose Estevez 631.

High series for women: Janet Diaz 691, Lisa Fuentes 641 and Margaret Estevez 625.

High games for boys: Andrew Koff 279, Rafael Delgado 279, Chris Best 266, Kevin Hulse 262 and Steven Graham 261.

High games for girls: Jennifer Myers 234, Caitlin Graham 224, Mindy Coile 222 and Samantha Lippel 222.

High sets for boys: Rafael Delgado 702, Chris Best 690, Richie Naue 689, Kevin Hulse 689 and Chris Tait 656.

High sets for girls: Caitlin Graham 587, Brooke Kern 582, Jennifer Myers 569 and Mindy Coile 559.

This past winter (2001-2002), the parents at Piper Lanes voted to turn all but the Mighty Meteor Bumpers and the Shooting Stars (Bantams/Prep) into scholarship leagues from now on.

The Galactic All Stars (Junior/Major/Senior) worked hard and came away with approximately $2,500.00 in scholarship money for 60 youth bowlers. The Hit Me With Your Best Shot Adult/Youth League posted record scholarship amounts awarding approximately $4,000.00 to it’s 30+ members. The Youth Classic Scholarship Leagues, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum almost posted a record season again, awarding over $9,000.00 to it’s 64 participating members. With this additional amount, the YCS leagues have awarded close to $60,000.00 in scholarships in its 5 ½ years. With this summer’s awards, this amount will be surpassed.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to our wonderful sponsors: First National Bank of South Florida, Miami Elks Lodge #948, Lou Kallinosis Architect, REA Air Conditioning, Webster’s Team Sports, and all the others!

Top 8 Tournament
The GMBC Top 8 Invitational Match Tournament was contested on July 21, 2002 at Piper Lanes. The eligibility requirements are a bowler must have bowled in 2 or more leagues, in 2 or more bowling centers, and have at least 60 games in each league. The total pinfall is added together, as is the total games, then the total pinfall is divided by the number of total games to give a true composite average.

This year’s tournament was converted to a two-on-a-lane format to facilitate the use of Piper Lanes (24 lanes). The start was an early one, 9:30 a.m. check in and bowling at 10:15 a.m. However, all qualified participants were on time and eager to get the tournament underway. The tournament is one of the ways the GMBC raises money for the scholarship fund. Thanks to those who purchased raffle tickets. About $500.00 was raised, just enough to cover one scholarship. Door prize donations came from Dave Covington's Pro Shop, Piper Pro Shop (Scott Pennington), Piper Lanes Junior Bowling Program, Inc., and J.R. Knutson (owner of Piper Lanes). Due to the eligibility rules, less than 8 girls met qualifications. The GMBC has made adjustments to the rules to alleviate this situation for the coming year. The tournament finishing results are as follows:

As a highlight of the tournament, Michael Kaczka bowled a 298 game.

The GMBC would like to thank all the participants for giving up their Sunday to bowl in this event. A big thank you also goes out to all those who sold raffle tickets, and of course to those who purchased them. And last, but not least, those hardy individuals who also gave up their Sunday to make sure this tournament ran smoothly....THANK YOU!

Hall of Fame
On June 9, 2002, the GMBC Hall of Fame Selection Committee met at Bird Bowl and elected the following persons to be inducted into the GMBC Hall of Fame for the year 2002.

In the category of Outstanding Service to the Sport of Bowling, Mrs. Joan Dillon was elected. Joan has served on the GMWBA Board, the GMBA Board, the GMJBA Board, and the GMBC Board. She is currently Vice President on the GMBA Board and has just been elected as the GMJBA President. Joan is very deserving of her overdue election to the Hall of Fame.

Three men were elected to the Hall of Fame for their Outstanding Ability in the Sport of Bowling. All of these men meet and exceed the requirements.

Julio Azcarate has bowled in Miami for over 25 years. During that time he qualified for the Top 8 Tournament 15 times, winning one and placing 2nd three times. He was the Miami All-Star Bowling (a televised local show from the 1970's-1980's) Champion 10 times, 1972 GMBA City Tournament Team Champion, 1995 Port Charlotte PBA Regional Champion. He has bowled many 300 games, and a at least one in every decade since the 1960's!

Mr. Robert Chirino: He plans to attend college and is extremely excited about receiving this award.

Mr. Phillip Kern: He plans to attend college in preparation to become a dentist.

Other applications were received, but due to the limited amount of scholarship funds available, only three were selected. If you would like to make a donation to the GMBC Scholarship Fund, please contact Paul D. Boller, Secretary/Treasurer at (305) 245-7394. The scholarship fund is in critical need of help. All contributions are tax deductible and greatly appreciated.

2003 CITY TOURNAMENTS

Cloverleaf Lanes will be hosting both the Greater Miami Women’s Bowling Association and the Greater Miami Bowling Association city tournament this coming year. The GMWBA tournament will be in February, 2003. The GMBA tournament will be in late March, 2003. Don Carter Kendall Lanes will be hosting the Greater Miami Junior Bowling Association city tournament in early March, 2003. Be watchful for the entry forms in bowling centers.

UNTIL OUR NEXT ISSUE

The editors and staff of Sparetimes hope you have enjoyed reading about bowling news and information in the Greater Miami area. We hope you will continue to be interested in our publication. We do welcome your comments, suggestions, and newsworthy articles for publishing. Send us your feedback and news articles in the mail to the following address:

Sparetimes Newsletter
7165 SW 47 Street #316
Miami, Florida 33155

Our next issue is planned for December/January. Remember, feel free to send us your ideas.