bwfeb2018

6 www.bowlingworld.com - February 2018 SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967 Watkins Glen International, Go Bowling Announce “Striking” Partnership WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (January 18, 2018) – Watkins Glen International and Go Bowling today announced Go Bowling as title sponsor of the Mon- ster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race at The Glen starting this season. The Go Bowling at The Glen race will headline a NASCAR triple- header weekend also featuring the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR K&N Pro East Series, August 2-5. ―We are thrilled to welcome Go Bowling to the Watkins Glen International family with the entitlement agreement,‖ WGI President Michael Printup said. ―Having grown up outside of Buffalo, I know just how popular bowling is around our state. While I’ve never quite bowled a 300, our team has done just that with this partnership.‖ Go Bowling is no stranger to NASCAR, as the brand was recently a partner of Kansas Speedway, another ISC facility, along with a number of teams at various levels of the sport. As part of its multi- year agreement with The Glen, Go Bowling will receive naming rights to the race that will be fea- tured on network television (NBC), a plethora of promotional opportunities, and an emphatic pres- ence on one of the largest midways in the sport, complete with two fully- operational bowling lanes. ―Through our experience in race sponsorships at Kansas, Pocono, and now at Watkins Glen International, we have found that the demographics of race fans and bowlers are strikingly similar,‖ said Strike Ten Entertainment President John Harbuck. ―Partnering with The Glen gives us a tremendous platform to promote bowling, the number one participatory sport in the United States, through on-site activations and a national TV and radio audi- ence,‖ To support its entitlement sponsorship, Go Bowling will run advertising on NBC during the race broadcast, create social media and bowling league promotions targeting race fans nationwide and implement significant on-site activities for those attending the race. ―Watkins Glen is known for its passionate fan base and for being one of the largest camping-oriented races in NASCAR. From setting up fully-working bowling lanes to hosting special celebrity guests, we will definitely have a commanding Go Bowling brand engagement presence in the midway,‖ added Harbuck. Go Bowling is the consumer-facing brand of the bowling industry. Its web- site, GoBowling.com, is the go-to site for consumers to learn more about the great sport of bowling, including information about 1,700 bowling centers throughout the country. Fans can find local bowling centers, take advantage of promotional offers, watch bowling video tips, and more, all by visit- ing www.gobowling.com . The Go Bowling at The Glen is the marquee event of the August 2-5 week- end at Watkins Glen International. Racing starts Friday with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event and continues with Saturday’s Zippo 200 at The Glen NASCAR XFINITY Series race, along with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying. On Sunday, the sport’s greatest drivers take center stage, vying for a win at one of the most storied racetracks in the world. Watkins Glen International is the premier road racing facility in North Amer- ica, twice voted ―Best NASCAR Track‖ by readers of USA Today. Keep up with The Glen on Facebook a nd Twitter . Download The Glen’s free mobile app from the App Store or Google Play. Tickets for Watkins Glen Interna- tional’s 2018 season are on sale now and available at www.theglen.com , or by calling 1-866-461-RACE. BPAA Nominating Committee Announces Officers, At-Large Directors Slate ARLINGTON, Texas – The Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America Nominating Com- mittee completed the process of selecting candidates for the BPAA Board of Directors. The committee, chaired by past president Jack Moran of Canandaigua, New York, recom- mends the following three persons as At-Large Directors:  Tom Hubbard (Sarasota Lanes, Sarasota, Florida)  Don MacBrayne (Performance Entertainment, Centennial, Colorado)  Roger Nyquist (Lakeshore Lanes, Albany, Oregon) The Committee is pleased to recommend the following individuals to serve as officers of the association:  Randy Thompson, President (Plaza Lanes, Des Moines, Iowa)  Jim Decker, Vice President (Double Decker Lanes, Rohnert Park, California)  Kevin Krauss, Secretary (Seminole Lanes, Seminole, Florida)  Mark Voight, Treasurer (Community Bowling Centers, Livonia, Michigan) The BPAA’s Annual Membership Meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 18, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. (PST) at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, at which time members will vote. All terms begin July 1, 2018, and officer terms are one year in length while at-large director terms are two years. This notice serves, per BPAA bylaws, as official notification to membership, the names of all qualified persons who have been nominated by the Nominating Committee to serve as At -Large Directors being published to the Regular Members at least ninety (90) days before the Annual Meeting. Per BPAA bylaws, At-large Director candidates must be an owner, partner, officer, director, or management employee of a Regular Member; however, they need not have a proprietary interest in the Regular Member’s business in order to be eligible to serve as an At-Large Director. Officer candidates (and Regional Directors) must have a minimum of a five per- cent (5%) equity ownership interest in a Regular Member’s business (a ―Proprietary Inter- est‖) in order to be eligible to serve as an Officer or Regional Director of the Association. A provision of BPAA bylaws allows individuals interested in an officer or at-large director position to submit an application outside the nominating process and allows for their name to be on the ballot. The bylaw states such applications must be received at least 60 days before the annual meeting, which is April 19, 2018. 2017 Tony Reyes Memorial PBA Community Service Award PBA Hall of Famer Del Ballard Jr.’s life changed immediately, and dramatically, in May 2010 when he was diagnosed with tonsil cancer. As Ballard had demonstrated over a PBA career that lasted nearly three decades and included 13 titles, he was a fighter. He wasn’t about to succumb to ―The Big C‖ without a battle. One evening after a treatment, Ballard, wife Carolyn and a handful of friends got together at Ballard’s house and laid the groundwork for what would become ―Ballard Vs. The Big C‖ – or BVBC for short. Within three years, their fund-raising bowling tournament raised more than $145,000. As of 2017, Cancer Care Services, Baylor Health Care and the North Texas Laryngectomy Society have received in excess of $300,000 to carry out research on cancer treatments focused on the head, neck and throat. ―I’m really kind of shocked; when Tom (Clark) called, I figured he was going to yell at me for something I did wrong,‖ said Ballard, who is known for his dry sense of humor. ―It takes a lot of people to do what we’ve done,‖ he added on a more serious note. ―A lot of people support us. It’s a pretty incredible thing. I was telling someone recently that you al- ways want to turn something negative into a positive. At the time (he learned of his cancer) it was a big negative, but we turned it into a big positive. ―We’ll keep at it; my group won’t let me quit. All you have to do is go with me to one doc- tor’s appointment and you’ll understand why I do what I do. As bad as my experience was, it’s minor compared to what I see others are going through.‖ Ballard remains an active member of the PBA Tour as a manufacturer’s representative for Storm Products as well as serving as manager of the PBA League Motown Muscle.