October 2016 -
7
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
Guerrero Looks To Make
History At
2016 World Cup
By Matt
ARLINGTON, Texas -
Traveling the
globe as one of the world's top bowlers
has given Colombia's Clara Guerrero the
chance to experience countless locations
and cultures.
This week, she'll make her first trip to
China, and while she's excited about the
latest stamp in her passport, there's also
some anxiousness about the historic pos-
sibilities of her appearance at the
n
Shanghai.
Last year in Las
Vegas, Guerrero
became the sixth
woman to win the
event for a second
time and third to win
i n bac k - to -bac k
years. Now, she can
become the first
woman to win the
coveted World Cup
three times.
"I think I'll be a little bit anxious to com-
pete and experience this great tourna-
ment again, but I don't want to add any
unnecessary pressure," said Guerrero, a
34-year-old right-hander and 2009 induc-
tee into the World Bowling Writers Hall of
Fame. "As always, I plan to do my best. I
know the training and hours of prepara-
tion have been there, but I still need to
treat this like any other event and focus
on one day and one shot at a time. I can't
think about what've I've done in the past."
Guerrero will lead a field of more than
65 women onto the lanes at Hao's Bowl-
ing in downtown Shanghai's Luwan
Sports Complex, while the men's field is
expected to feature nearly 90 competi-
tors. Traditionally, the QubicaAMF World
Cup includes representatives from more
than 80 countries.
Qualifying at the 2016 World Cup will
take place over four days, beginning Oct.
17, and this year's winners will be deter-
mined Oct. 22.
Representatives for the United States
will be 2016 United States Bowling Con-
gress Team USA Trials winners Danielle
McEwan of Stony Point, New York, and
Marshall Kent of Yakima, Washington.
McEwan finished fourth at the World
Cup in 2012 and 2013, while Kent was
the runner-up in 2012.
In her first title defense, Guerrero got off
to a slow start with a 160 opening-game
but climbed her way to the top seed for
the stepladder finals, where she defeated
two-time World Cup champion Shannon
Pluhowsky of the United States, 2-0.
In the men's championship match, Wu
Siu Hong defeated South Africa's Fran-
cois Louw, 2-0, to become the first bowler
from Hong Kong to hoist the World Cup.
Hong will not be back in 2016 to defend
his title.
The World Cup first was contested in
1965, and the tournament now is consid-
ered one of the sport's most prestigious
singles titles. It also is recognized as the
largest event in the sport in terms of num-
ber of countries competing.
Competitors this year will bowl 20
games over four days, before the field is
cut to the top 24 men and top 24 women
for eight additional games. After 28
games, total pinfall will determine the
eight bowlers in each division for eight-
games of round-robin match play.
The top four men and top four women
after 36 games, including bonus pins, will
advance to the new knockout-style semifi-
nals, where the No. 1 seed will face the
No. 4 qualifier and No. 2 and No. 3 will do
battle. The winners of each match will
earn a spot in the championship game.
Entering the 2016 tournament, Guerrero
feels sharper than she did a year ago,
thanks to a successful 14-week season
on the
where she picked up
her first PWBA win at the 2016 Go Bowl-
ing PWBA Players Championship in
June.
She also found success at the 2016 Pan
American Bowling Confederation Adult
Championships, held in Cali, Colombia,
as she helped Team Colombia claim the
women's team gold medal for the first
time.
"I feel much better than I did going into
this event last year," Guerrero said. "I feel
that bowling on the Tour for 14 weeks
was the best training in the world, and I
learned so much in that time. I've had a
great year, and I'm hoping to carry that
momentum, success and confidence into
the World Cup."
Among the competitors on the women's
side in Shanghai will be two-time winner
Aumi Guerra of the Dominican Republic,
who finished second in her bid for a third
consecutive title in 2012.
Kent Wins Men’s Masters At
2016 Pabcon Adult Championships
By Matt Cannizzaro
CALI, Colombia -
Team USA's Marshall Kent started the week with a singles
score that could've been enough for a gold medal most years at the Pan American
Bowling Confederation Adult Championships, but he ended up just shy of the
medal stand at the 2016 edition.
Instead of returning to the lanes at Bolera Departamental disappointed, Kent knew
he bowled well and carried the momentum of a great start to two gold medals and
two silver medals, including a Masters win Saturday to wrap up the tournament for
the men.
Kent, a 23-year-old right-hander, rolled through the 16-player Masters bracket
without a loss in four best-of-three single-elimination matches and delivered three
strikes in his final frame to defeat hometown favorite, Santiago Mejia of Colombia,
2-0 in the final.
The first game of the championships match was a grind, with Kent winning 195-
158. In the second game, Mejia managed to strike 10 times, but splits in the third
and ninth frames proved to be his undoing as Kent stepped up and shut him out in
a 246-241 victory.
"Obviously, the main goal was to win team, but it was a phenomenal week over-
all, and I don't think it could have gone much better," said Kent, who helped Team
USA to a gold medal in team and added silver medals this week in doubles and
trios. "We came together as a team and had a great time. It was exciting and
memorable. This is what you live for as a competitor."
On the way to the final, Kent defeated Venezuela's Massimiliano Fridegotto, 2-0
(238-190, 197-163), while Mejia topped Puerto Rico's Israel Hernandez, 2-0 (218-
190, 217-188). Fridegotto and Hernandez both earned bronze medals.
The United States claimed eight of the 19 men's medals available at the 2016
PABCON Adult Championships, including four gold (singles, doubles, team, Mas-
ters) and four silver (singles, doubles, trios, all-events).
Canada earned five medals, including gold in trios and all-events, host Colombia
won three medals and Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela earned one apiece.
The week was a satisfying debut for Team USA coach Bryan O'Keefe, who led the
adult men's team for the first time in his coaching career.
"This is my first time coaching the adult men and my first time on the road with
them, so there was some anxiety about how it would go and how they would re-
spond to the new situation and me being there," O'Keefe said. "To come down
here and take all but two gold medals was incredible, and it was a great start to
the two-week process."
The men's portion of the 2016 PABCON Adult Championships included more
than a dozen countries, with more on the line than just gold medals.
The top eight teams this week qualified for the combined 2017 World Champion-
ships in Kuwait.
This was determined by a combined total pinfall from the following categories in
each division - top four singles scores, top two doubles scores, top trios set and
pinfall in team competition.
The qualifying teams were the United States, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela,
Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
The women will have the same opportunity when they take the lanes at Bolera
Departamental, beginning Monday.
Additionally, the top two countries across the two-week stretch in Colombia will
qualify for the World Games, which is held every fourth year and next will be con-
tested in Wroclaw, Poland, in July 2017. This will be a combined pinfall total for
the top two men and top two women for each country during the 24 games at the
PABCON event.
The United States, Venezuela and Colombia previously qualified for the 2017
World Games through the PABCON Champion of Champions event in Mexico last
April.
(Continued on page 10)
