We mourn the loss of two very involved association board members. In December, Marie Sparks, passed away. She worked in the GMWBA office, primarily as secretary, for over 38 years. On January 15, Steve Hunter, longtime board member and past president in the GMBA, also passed away. We will all miss these two remarkable people.

Ricardo (Ricky) Mesa of Miami is currently leading the national ABC tournament in the classified singles division. This is a special division the ABC tournament has for bowlers with 180-under averages. After Ricky struggled in the team and doubles events, Butch Hall helped him to line up to play the lanes for a better ball reaction. The advice certainly worked, as he posted scores of 236-213-241 for a 690 series.

Also an honorable mention should be given to local bowler Maria Smith, who posted scores of 246-231-158 for a 635 series. She currently is tied for 13th place in the ABC classified singles.

The tournament ends June 22. Let’s hope Ricky’s score will hold up to bring an ABC championship for Miami.

Handicap Team:
A Division:
1st Que Si Single? 2586
(Jairo Hernandez, Steve Delisi, Michael Greene, Orlando DeArmas)
2nd Que Si Single 2? 2531

B Division:
1st CTK Graphic Express 2968
(Stanley Geller, Richard Dysart, Ted Krawitz, Shelly Goldberg)
2nd Almost 2958
3rd Bowleros 2918

Handicap Singles
A Division:
1st Nikki Mundon 748
2nd Jairo Hernandez 721
3rd Henry Weatherspoon 720

B Division:
1st Colby Portee 814
2nd Lavert Combs 804
3rd Roberto Perez 801

Handicap Doubles
A Division:
1st Jairo Hernandez/Orlando DeArmas 1404
2nd Richie Rump/Richard Rump 1365
3rd Vicente Rudio/Timothy Miller 1357

B Division:
1st Shakea Pearson/Dwight L Jackson 1566
2nd Christopher John/Irvin Carter 1543
3rd Tyrone Scott/Adlia Streeter 1510

Handicap All Events
1st James Martin 2286
2nd Irvin Carter 2251
3rd Richard Dysart 2237

Scratch:
Team : Que Si Single? 2520
(Jairo Hernandez, Steve Delisi, Michael Greene, Orlando DeArmas)

Singles: Jairo Hernandez 694

Doubles: Jairo Hernandez/Orlando DeArmas 1368

All Events: Orlando DeArmas 2037

At the ABC Convention, March 14th, 2003, the Single Membership Organization or United States Bowling Congress, came up before the 1285 delegates. After 30 minutes of debate, the delegates were ready to cast their ballots. After the vote was called for and discussion halted, a delegate asked to seal the ballot boxes until after WIBC votes April 29th in Reno, Nevada. Unfortunately, he was called out of order because the motion to halt any and all discussion had passed. The vote required two-thirds approval by the delegates to pass. After waiting for almost 40 minutes, the vote was released, 628 in favor of the merger, with 630 against the merger.

For those of you who are not quite up to date on this subject, what does this mean? It means the United States Bowling Congress can still be born. How? By a two-thirds vote of the WIBC delegates at their convention on April 29th. If WIBC passes this amendment, they take over the responsibility of YABA and USA Bowling. Both YABA and USA Bowling have already voted to move forward with single membership. But before any of this can happen, the WIBC delegates MUST rescind a vote taken at last year’s convention. That motion tabled the single membership proposal until 2004. Unless the delegates of WIBC vote to take this off the table, this proposal, for this season, USBC is only a dream.

WIBC President, Sylvia Broyles said, "It is time for women to take a leadership role, just as they did in 1916 when WIBC was formed and vote to approve the plan of merger with YABA and USA Bowling. If our delegation approves the plan to create USBC, we will join the YABA and USA Bowling to form an organization serving men, women, and youth bowlers in this country." If this happens, the women plan to apply, as USBC, to the United States Olympic Committee, to become bowling's national governing body.

Since the ABC delegates rejected this proposal, it would be a separate organization serving adult bowlers only. This does not mean that ABC will be any less than it is today. It also does not mean that women can't join ABC still. Indeed they can. ABC has a few contingency plans that have not been revealed, and will not be until after the April 29th vote of WIBC. ABC is planning a November board meeting to discuss these contingency plans should WIBC approve the plan of merger.

Passing of this plan of merger by WIBC would be a knife to the heart. ABC and WIBC have worked long and hard TOGETHER to bring bowling to where it is today. We have combined our rules so that we have almost none that differ. Our legal decisions are the same as well as punishments administered to individuals who break our rules. Our combined services have saved us money. And, as it always comes down to, this is the major reason for the merger, or so we are told.

Our bowling leaders feel this merger would have saved them money on the national level, would have saved our state associations money on that level, and would have most assuredly saved money at the local level. But how? If dues are raised, like they will have to be, how is that going to save money? Our leaders tell us it is more convenient to write one check for male, female, and youth dues. How much will that save? Ten or fifteen cents? That really doesn't seem like a lot.

If our bowling leaders really wanted us to merge, they should have started at the top, at the national level first. Let it work for a while, then let the trickle down effect take place. Destroying three organizations to save pennies is beyond belief and needs more explanation. Bowling does need one organization, but not this way.

Many of you are bowling great this year. Special congratulations go to Sue Covington, who recently bowled her second 300 game this season.

Singles _ Handicap
1st Florence Joseph 731
2nd Kimberly Wadley 712
3rd Judy Eggleston 684

All Events Handicap:
1st Kimberly Wadley 2072
2nd Glenn King 2006
3rd Florence Joseph 1978

Congratulations to David Beck, Mindy Coile, Caitlin Graham and Melissa Coile for their first place finish in Division 2 in the recent GMJBA city tournament.

Following is some of our summer leagues:
Generation Gap League: Monday June 2 thru August 4. This is an adult/child league. The meeting will be June 2 at 6:30pm and the league will start after the meeting.

Junior Scholarship League: Wednesday June 4 thru August 6. The meeting will be June 4 at 6:30pm and the league will start after the meeting. This is a scratch league based on average and it will be 4 games across 8 lanes per week. The weekly cost is $10.00.

Junior Bowling League: Saturday June 7 thru August 9. This is for ages 2 to 20 and experience is not required. The meeting and sign up will be on Saturday June 7 at 8:45am and bowling will start at 9:30am. The weekly cost is $7.00.

Friday No-Tappers: League will start on June 6. For more information call Lisa Fuentes at (305) 221-1221.

The GMJBA is once again in an upward swing. Membership is slightly ahead of last year at this time. Thanks to the unselfish, dedicated coaches at all of our bowling centers.

Other awards:
Ashley Collins (7-10 split), Tyler Rose (All Spare Game), Steven Wilson (Dutch 200), Keith Nation (257 Triplicate), Patrick Murphy (179 Triplicate), Zachary Remsen (174 Triplicate), Brandon Moore (161 Triplicate), Megan Cherry (160 Triplicate), Daniel Sarkissian (152 Triplicate), Gregory Rosenberg (131 Triplicate)

GMJBA City Tournament
The 34th Annual Youth Bowling Championships were held on March 1-2, 2003 at Don Carter Kendall Lanes. Once again, the attendance was very good and so was the scoring. There are six handicap divisions, based on average. The winners in each division are listed below.

Division #4:
Team: Take It 2616
(Katherine Jones, Elizabeth Jones, Tyler Rose, Nicholas Walker)
Singles-Boys: Anthony Trusso 764
Singles-Girls: Tricia Orr 662
Doubles: Larry Brande/Nicholas Dorwin 1393
All Events-Boys: Larry Brande 2056
All Events-Girls: Melissa Covert 1924
All Events Scratch-Boys: Larry Brande 1523
All Events Scratch-Girls: Melissa Covert 1375

Division #5:
Team: Strike Zone 2597
(Anais Paredes, Jarvis McNeal, Jeffrey Harrell, D’Angelo Sippio)
SWAT Team 2597
(Christien Peets, Daniel Perez, Joseph Doby, NaCory Cochran)
Singles-Boys: Steven Rochard 780
Singles-Girls: Christina Gamble 692
Doubles: Daniel Perez/Joseph Doby 1330
All Events-Boys: Steven Rochard 2015
All Events-Girls: Michele Arnold 1937
All Events Scratch-Boys: Steven Rochard 1593
All Events Scratch-Girls: Michele Arnold 1160

Division #6:
Team: Lucky Strikes 2499
(Alyssa Campos, Danielle Campos, Racey Milian, John Hereu)
Singles-Boys: Enon Butler 711
Singles-Girls: Michelle Sweeney 648
Doubles: Nicole O’Grandy/Tarah Kemp 1389
All Events-Boys: Daniel Perez 2105
All Events-Girls: Ariel Sakowitz 1961
All Events Scratch-Boys: Daniel Perez 1258
All Events Scratch-Girls: Kathleen Tucker 1056

As is the policy of the GMJBA, the 2002-2003 Coaches of the Year were announced. They are: Danielle Graham (Bird Bowl); Becky Murray (Cloverleaf Lanes); Jim DeLeonardis (Don Carter Kendall Lanes), Mark Watson (Homestead Bowling Center); Paul Boller (Piper Lanes).

An Olympic qualifying event was also held during this year’s tournament. To qualify to go to this year’s junior nations, you had to be a Junior Olympic Gold Member, pay a $15.00 fee prior to bowling in the first event, and have the highest scratch score for the first 9 games. This year’s winners are Brigette Harrelson and Christopher Miller. Brigette is a 15 year-old softball player from South Dade Senior High School. Christopher is a 14 year old from Homestead High School, who has been bowling only 20 months.

Next year’s tournament is scheduled to visit Homestead Bowling Center. Hope to see you there!

Junior Orange Bowl Tournament
The King Orange isn’t dead. He isn’t even sleeping. He’s out watching what’s going on in youth sports.

The King Orange Board of Directors met with the Junior Orange Board of Directors and worked out a comprehensive deal to help subsidize all of the Junior Orange Bowl sporting events.

Junior Orange Bowl Bowling Tournament Chairperson, Maria Smith, met with Executive Director Paul Olingy to work out the details. An amount has not been given, but expansion is on the horizon.

A Junior Orange Bowl booth will be set up at the next Tournament of the Americas at Cloverleaf Lanes this summer to help attract the South, Central and North American youth bowlers to this year’s tournament. A boost will be the all new entry form. It will be on-line once again, but through the Junior Orange Bowl, Inc. web site.

We are looking to start small, but hopefully we will grow to what the Junior Orange Bowl Bowling Tournament once was, an international friendship tournament for youth bowlers.

GMJBA Hopes for Youth Fair Entry
The Greater Miami Junior Bowling Association, in a very bold and adventurous move, is petitioning the Board of Directors for the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair to join the other sporting events and hold a Youth Fair Bowling Tournament for high school and middle school bowlers.

A well-planned proposal has been sent to the Board of Directors. The Greater Miami Junior Bowling Association is awaiting the reply. The initial proposal contains both traditional team play mixed with the Baker system finals. The proposal also includes divisions for boys only, girls only, and mixed. The high school and middle schools would compete in different divisions. Private schools are also being invited to participate.

The time frame looks to be just after New Year’s, the weekend of January 3-4, 2004. A place to hold the tournament is still pending, as is the overall cost. However, if anyone would like to underwrite the cost of this event, give us a call.

If the GMJBA is allowed to join the other sports at the Youth Fair, this could well be the biggest major promotional event in recent junior bowling history. The association will also be asking the Board of Directors to allow a booth at the Youth Fair to feature the winners of this tournament.

Anyone wishing to assist with this project, call Joan Dillon at (305) 554-7683, or Maria Smith at (305) 232-0044.

Coral Reef Senior High School - Bowling Champs
The Coral Reef boys bowling team won their second consecutive state championship. The team also won both the 2002 Greater Miami Athletic Championship (GMAC) held at Don Carter Kendall Lanes and the High School State Championship held at Don Carter University Lanes in Davie. Congratulations to Coach John Shackles, sophomore Jesse Thrash, junior Brett Bigenho, seniors Shane Nevers, Derek Sutta, and Tyler Whidden. The Barracudas dominated all competition with ease. In the state final boys division Coral Reef defeated down the street rivals Palmetto (2nd place) by an average of 213 to 185. In the girls division, South Dade won GMAC and finished 4th in state competition.

Just a note to all league secretaries: please get your final average sheets in as soon as possible so that bowling office can get the yearbook prepared well in advance of our Winter season meeting.

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