Midwest Blind Bowling Association
President: Fred Nickl –
111 South Dwyer
Arlington Heights, IL 60656
nick1frederick@sbcglobal.net
Thomas Lester – Secretary
19146 Ardmore
Detroit MI 48235,
(313) 864-0448
TLESTER@TALKAMERICA.net,
Membership fee = $5.00
Tournament Director: Louise Lawitzke
1805 Davis
Wyandotte MI 48192-3517
(734) 285-6118
law54@wwnet.net

Eastern Blind Bowling Association
Mike Patterson – Secretary
6603 Leeds Street
Philadelphia PA 19151
(215) 879-5608
Membership fee = $3.00

Southeastern Blind Bowling Association
Secretary: Judy Jeter
1031 Howell Drive
Vinton VA 24179,
(540) 556-3489
jjo831@cox.net
Membership fee = $6.00
Tournament Director: Sandy McDaniel
1317 Fairway Ave.
Ormond Beach, Fl. 32174
smcdano1@7-11.com

Upstate New York Association
John Shaffer – Secretary,
46 Macamley St.
Buffalo NY 14220,
(716) 822-7195
wildhenry@msn.com
Membership fee = $2.00
Tournament Director: Jim Hancharik
249 S. Pearl St.
Canandaigua NY 14424
585-394-3412

Erie Independent
Secretary: Richard Come
1184 Horstman Ct.
Erie, PA 16504
rcome@verizon.net
Tournament Director:
Penny Ohmer,
4142 Davison Ave
Erie PA 16510
814-825-1216
pennyo@VBR-Erie.org
Lake Erie Upper NY Blind Bowling Association
Secretary – Nancy Lockett
1926 Linwood Ave
Erie PA 16510

from the Editor

Can you believe that it is already April and the end of another bowling season? As I write this, I’ve just returned from the Midwest Blind Bowlers tournament in St Louis. It was great to see the many friends and familiar faces, and it made me eager to get to Greensboro and see everyone who did not attend the Midwest tournament. For me, the Midwest tournament is always the start of spring. I even came home and found all of the snow missing from my yard, what a pleasant surprise. In this issue we have all of the information you need for the National Tournament in Greensboro.

We were saddened by the passing of JoAnn Baqui and Paul Cottrell since the last issue of The Blind Bowler. Remembrances of both of them are included in this issue.

In the last issue, I believe that I spelled a few of your names wrong. I apologize for these errors. My policy is to leave the name spelled as I receive it, unless I know the individual and know that it is spelled wrong. If I have misspelled your name, please let me know, and I will make every effort to avoid that mistake in the future. As far as the listing of awards, you may notice some information missing from certain bowlers. This is because when the information is received, some of the vital information is missing. It is important that league secretaries make sure that all of the information is filled in properly. When someone bowls a game or series worthy of a medal, they deserve to have all of the information about that game properly published.

There are also many articles of interest, including a reprint of an article from Wally Burmeister that was first published in the April 2001 Blind Bowler, but is still of interest today. So, Happy Spring and good bowling.

FROM THE DESK OF THE SECRETARY TREASURER

Hello Members, we are almost at the end of another season, attending our area tournaments and getting prepared for the National in Greensboro, NC. Wednesday, May 26th – Monday, May 31st, 2010. Please make note of the following:

Proposed By-Law Changes/Amendments By-Law, Policy changes and other items to be voted on:

1. Policy page 23 – L-1, League Average Reports (changes) the final league average reports and gold medal applications must be post marked or emailed no later than June 15 or they will not be accepted as being submitted on time. (All other wording remains as printed) --submitted RIEC, chairman, Walter C. Burmeister

2. By-Law, page 30 – Section 3: Associate Membership – To be eliminated (Sighted associated members shall be eligible to be elected Secretary-Treasurer or Tournament Director. --submitted by 2nd Vice President Fred Nickl

3. By-Law, page 35 – Section 2: Election and Term of Office – The officers of the Association shall be elected by majority vote at the annual convention of the Association. The term of office for the President and Vice Presidents shall be two years beginning August 1. No individual may hold the office of President or Vice President for more than one consecutive term. The term of office of the Secretary-Treasurer and Tournament Director shall be three years beginning August 1. League representatives shall serve for a term of one year beginning August 1. Area Association representatives shall serve for a term of one year beginning the date determined by each area Association. The officers of the Association shall be ex-officio officers of the Board of Directors. Any legally blind member of ABBA is eligible to hold office in the Association, and any sighted member is eligible to hold the office of Secretary-Treasurer or Tournament Director. --submitted by Fred Nickl

4. By- Law, page 36 – Section 8 – Duties of the Secretary-Treasurer – (N) (change to read) Annually compile, publish and distribute, to all leagues, Area Associations, Life Members that are active in blind bowling and Associate Members and ABBA Officers a complete and current copy of the By-Laws and Adopted Policy Statements. To be sent within ninety days (90) following the Annual Convention. Supplemental copies on request. Additionally, Braille copies will be sent on written request. --Submitted by Fred Nickl

5. By-Law amendment – page 40, Delete the final three sentences of Article VI and substitute the following wording. (The ABBA Secretary-Treasurer shall send a credential form to all member league secretaries at least 30 days prior to the Annual Convention. The league secretary shall complete the form by listing the name of the league representative and the names of the delegates who plan to attend the Annual convention. This credential form must be presented at the registration desk in order to receive the proper badges. Only those representatives who are properly registered shall be permitted to vote at the Annual convention. --submitted by Walter C. Burmeister on behalf of RIEC

6. By-Law Proposals – page 46 – Article VIII. Section 2, Change the article to read: The Secretary-Treasurer and the Assistant Secretary-Treasurer shall each be paid an annual stipend to be determined at the Midyear Board of Directors’ meeting. In addition, the Rail Manager may be paid a stipend from the rail fund in the same manner. The stipends shall be effective August 1 of the following year. (Rational – the stipends can be changed according to financial conditions without having to revise the by-laws) Sanction fees are already treated in this manner. See Article III, Section 5.

7. Proposal 2: Correction – Article IV page 31, Section 1, 2nd paragraph: Except as set forth elsewhere in these by-laws, the Association shall be guided by the rules, regulations and procedures of the American Bowling Congress and the Women’s International Bowling Congress. Change to read: Except as set forth elsewhere in these by-laws, the Association shall be guided by the rules, regulations and procedures of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) -- Both proposals submitted by Kathy Brockman.

8. By-Law – page 47, Section 2: High Scratch Score Medals, changes – Based on gold medal award applications, gold medals will be awarded for the highest game and the highest series bowled in ABBA certified competition from June 1 to May 31 of the following year in six categories: (all other wording remains as written)

9. Proposal 1 I would like to see the designation of “Auxiliary member” removed from our by-laws, thus giving sighted members the exact status in ABBA of every other member. --submitted by Harry Cordellos

10. Proposal 2 – Regarding our National Masters tournament, I would like to see us drop the current format which is a total waste of time and money for anyone unless they can stack up a team with high average bowlers. Those of us who want to compete but do not have either the average or the resources to build a high scoring team are totally out of the competition. I propose that we have three separate competitions, one for each sighted category, totals, partials, and sighted; and everyone would bowl against only those in their category. Another option would be to adopt a format similar to that used by the Southeastern Blind Bowling Tournament. Again there are three separate divisions, one for each sight category and scratch scores from the team event are added to two extra games before a single game elimination tournament is set up with a ladder arrangement. (refer to SBBA) --submitted by Harry Cordellos

11. By-law amendment – Article IV p. 32, Section 3 ……. Reads as follows: After the words USBC, Rules 104 - 114 shall apply to league competition,( add)” All ABBA certified leagues that award cash prizes shall approve a prize list for the current season no later than the fifth week of the current season.” Members of five leagues have complained to me that their league, even today has not approved a prize list. USBC Rule 117 does require approval of a prize list no later than the fifth week of the season. --submitted by RIEC

12. Pay Increase Request: I am writing to request an increase in my yearly payment from the current $145, to $250. The increase will allow me to cover such expenses as, paying someone to assist in the visual aspects of the appearance of the site. It will help in offsetting monies spent in software purchases that help me improve the make-up of the site. Plus, labor (man hours) spent in the upkeep of the site. --submitted by Robert Wright, webmaster

Listed below are the current Subordinates of ABBA. If your league name does not appear, you are not under the umbrella of the ABBA group exemption and your league needs to obtain an EIN number and send it to the Secretary Treasurer with a letter stating: Your Name, Chapter name, address and a statement that you are complying with all the ABBA rules.

• Buffalo League Sightless – Kenmore, NY


• Carter Family Blind Bowlers – Sanford, FL


• Chicago Braille Center Bowling League – Chicago, IL


• D.C. Blind Bowlers – Landover, MD


• Erie Independent Blind Bowlers – Erie, PA


• Flint Blind Bowlers – Flint, MI


• Forsyth Blind Bowlers – Winston Salem, NC


• Garden City Blind – Farmington, MI


• Gate City Blind Bowlers – Greensboro, NC


• Greater Cleveland Blind Bowlers – Cleveland, OH


• Harrisburg Capital Blind Bowling – Harrisburg, PA


• Journey for the Blind –Norwalk, CA – Fontana, CA


• Lighthouse Metropolitan Blind Bowlers – Bronx, NY


• Maryland Blind Bowlers – Garthersburg, MD


• Mile High Blind Bowlers – Aurora, CO


• Milwaukee Beer Barrels – Milwaukee, WI


• Minneapolis Blind Bowlers – Bloomington, MN


• Modesto Blind Bowlers – Modesto, CA


• Onslow Beares Blind Bowling – Jacksonville, NC


• Pin Splitters of St. Louis – St. Louis, MO


• Rochester Pinmissers – Rochester, NY


• Rock County Railers – Janesville, WI


• Salt City Blind Bowlers – Syracuse, NY

PUBLIC RELATIONS

To my fellow bowlers, we have but two plus months to go to sell all 300 tickets in the Lucky Stimulus Raffle. First, on behalf of our entire committee, thank you, thank you, and thank you. Although we have not sold all of our tickets, we have received the proceeds for at least 123 tickets and we have promises for additional tickets. To make this project a success, we must receive proceeds for another 27 tickets to break even. Any tickets we sell after that are straight profit. We are appealing to each of you please buy a ticket for yourself, buy a ticket with someone, or sell a ticket. Let's get rid of all of our tickets. Last May, 67 people voted to sell these tickets. I hope that all 67 of you have bought either all or part of a ticket. If you haven’t, I hope you will before the national tournament. A few members have sold or purchased ten or more tickets, and we need the rest of you to sell just one more. Your work and efforts with this project is greatly appreciated. Without you, it would not happen!

It was suggested that the drawing take place at the Saturday night dance when most of our bowlers will be present in the hotel. I plan to poll the fundraising committee, and I am over 50 percent sure they will agree. This is your organization. If you have not purchased a ticket by tournament time but wish to do, please do it before Saturday night's dance. Thanks in advance for your help and your contributions. We will see you in Greensboro.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN GREENSBORO

The 63rd annual National Blind Bowling Tournament is fast approaching and we still have lots to get done before we welcome you to our beautiful city! The excitement is building and new things are popping up everyday! In fact, we would like to tell you about some of the fun activities that you can enjoy in-between and after your bowling sessions.

First, we would like to offer several tour opportunities. One is going to be sometime on Friday, May 28, 2010. This will be a tour of the Industries of the Blind plant. The Industries of the Blind has been a key factor in helping us prepare for the tournament. The Industries of the Blind, Inc. Greensboro traces its beginnings to 1933 when the first work program in North Carolina was organized as the Guilford County Association for the Blind for people who were blind. Their six employees made mops for commercial sales in a leased storefront. Today IOB, Inc. employs over 100 employees in various manufacturing and service direct labor, supervisory and management positions.

Another tour opportunity we are happy to offer is a tour of the Red Oak Brewery. Red Oak has also been instrumental in helping us with this tournament by providing the beer for the hospitality room free of charge. If you came to the mid year meetings, you had a taste of this unique beer that is a local favorite. The tour costs $5.00 and includes a Red Oak beer mug after the tour. Here is a little about the Red Oak Brewery. They have been around since February 1991 and are the only brewery in the United States who makes their product by using the law of purity. They are also the only ones in the area to make Bavarian Lagers which are the most popular style of beer throughout the world. Red Oak owns the nation's most modern computerized brewing facility which consistently produces the freshest and purest Bavarian Lagers in America.

The third tour opportunity is to the recently opened International Civil Rights Center and museum. This museum is located downtown in the old F.W. Woolworth building and chronicles the actions of the A&T four as they took a stand against segregation and sat at the white’s only lunch counter. Their actions ignited the events in the days and weeks that followed which led to the desegregation of the Woolworth lunch counter and ultimately to the smashing of the despicable segregation system in the southern United States. This tour costs $8.00 per person.

If you are interested in any or all of these tours please contact Lonnie Cunningham at (336) 275-1377 or via e-mail at lcham65@gmail.com as soon as possible to reserve a spot. These tours will only be offered as long as there are enough people who show interest. For those of you who have been wondering what’s going on Friday night after bowling, well you can stop wondering. We are planning on having a Game Show Night with chances to win great prizes. Have fun playing some old fashioned games, and enjoy a cash bar for your drinking pleasure! Some of the games we have lined up to play are versions of “Let’s Make A Deal”, “The Price Is Right”, “Deal or No Deal” and a form of “Jeopardy”. We are hoping that one of the local radio personalities will volunteer to be the MC for the evening to liven up the night! The time of the event will be from 8:00PM to midnight so everyone will be able to enjoy the games. We are still looking for items to use as prizes so if you have anything you would like to donate please contact Lonnie Cunningham.

For your eating pleasure before or after bowling, the bowling alley will be having different breakfast, lunch and dinner specials. At this time a menu has not been settled on, but we believe it will include pork and chicken barbecue and fried fish.

Finally, we would like to remind you that transportation to and from the train and bus stations will be available. Please remember to contact Michael Jackson via phone at (336) 323-1127 or e-mail at mjackson55@triad.rr.com on or before May 1st to reserve your ride. Again we look forward to seeing you all here in just a few months to enjoy the best National Tournament in the history of ABBA!

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT NEWS

SBBA Tournament
The Southeast Blind Bowling Association (SBBA) tournament was held in Myrtle Beach, SC on the second weekend in November. Some of us arrived on Thursday to find it cold and rainy. On Friday it was still cold and rainy, but the atmosphere was warm at the board meeting and hospitality session. We stayed at the Crown Reef hotel which is right on the beach. We had around 80 bowlers and guests.

Saturday was the day for team events and the master’s event. The team from Roanoke finished in first place. The team members are Betty Surbaugh, Mayard Richardson, Barry Goldberg and Carolyn Zimmerman. Here are the first place finishers of the Masters Event held on Saturday afternoon; Total division, John Harden from Daytona Beach, partial division, Mark Lear from Daytona Beach, sighted division Mark Stitely from Daytona Beach. On Saturday night, most of us found our own entertainment, including a country Christmas show.

On Sunday, the sun finally came out. We bowled our doubles and singles on Sunday morning. John Harden from Daytona Beach and Suzette Kirkely from Newport News finished in first place in doubles. In the singles event, Anton Dorsey from Baltimore finished first. If any one wants to see more scores and winners from the SBBA tournament, contact Sandy McDaniel.

I was lucky to spend some time with John and Faye Harden. I had to stay close to John since he won all that money. John, Faye and I stayed until Monday. On Sunday afternoon we even went down to the beach and stuck our feet in the water.

Thanks to the people who made this a successful tournament, everyone involved had a great time. We would like to invite you to next years SBBA tournament which will be held in Richmond, VA. --Submitted by Art Tyson

FROM THE MIDWEST PART OF THE COUNTRY
The Midwest Blind Bowling Association Annual Tournament and Convention was held this year in St. Louis MO, March 12-14. There were 200 bowlers participating. The tournament director indicated this was the smallest tournament in recent years; it may have been due to the economy.

One highlight of the tournament came on Friday morning, when Evell Jones bowled a 290 during the doubles event of the tournament.

Congratulations to the following newly elected officers of MBBA, President Jeff Hawkinson from Chicago IL., Vice President Jeff Spantikow from Milwaukee WI, and Tom Jeray Assistant Abba Rep from Madison WI. We are looking forward to their leadership and input during their terms of office.

There were no bids for the 2011 tournament during the convention. However after I returned home, Lansing MI. is asking for the tournament. After talking to Louise and Fred, it appears that our next tournament will be in Lansing MI. Further details will be published when they become available and approved by the tournament Committee.

A reminder to all MBBA Secretaries, don’t forget the High 3 Game Series Awards, due by June 15th. The applications will be mailed out in April. --submitted by Tom Lester, MBBA Secretary

REMINDER TO ALL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS

This summer I will be publishing a special edition of The Blind Bowler that will be nothing but tournament results. If your tournament was an ABBA sanctioned tournament, please send all of your results to me at blindbowler@gmail.com no later than June 15th, so that I can include your tournament in this edition. If you are not receiving this newsletter by e-mail, you will not receive this edition of The Blind Bowler. If you are interested in receiving this issue, please contact me by e-mail so that I may add you to my contact list. --editor

NEWS FROM MINNEAPOLIS

Hello to all from Minneapolis! The Minneapolis Blind Bowlers are having a raffle for a beautiful afghan handmade by Crystal Schroeder. The afghan is made with shades of green, off white and tan. It is approximately 6 feet 6 inches long by 5 feet 6 inches wide. The proceeds from this raffle will go to the 2011 Minneapolis ABBA Tournament Fund. The drawing will be held at our bowling banquet in May. To enter, make a check payable to Janice Erkilla for $5.00 per ticket with your name and phone number, send it to

We would also like to congratulate James Benton who won the raffle for the autographed picture of Adrian Peterson. Thanks to everyone who bought tickets for that event.

The Lucky "300" Stimulus Raffle will be held during the Greensboro tournament. In an effort to sell the remaining raffle tickets, I am offering the following idea. You can purchase one fourth or one fifth of a raffle ticket by sending $20.00 or $25.00. If you win, you will share the prize amount with the three or four others that have bought a portion of that ticket also. You don't have to find the other people to buy a ticket; we will find the people for you. The top prize is $5000.00, so for $20.00 you could win $1000.00! Remember, if you don't win the raffle the money goes for a great cause, ABBA, To enter, make a check payable to ABBA for $20.00 or $25.00 with your name and phone number, send the check to

I am looking forward to seeing you all in Greensboro! --submitted by Janice Erkilla

CANDIDATE BIOGRAPHIES

The following biographies have been submitted by the candidates running for ABBA offices

Keith Edgerton Keith Edgerton is the current President of the American Blind Bowling Association and is asking for your support for a second year. Keith has played an instrumental role in regaining fiscal stability of the American Blind Bowling Association during his tenure. There has been a resurgence of membership and camaraderie within the membership. The Officers have worked closely together to maintain and improve the organization, at no cost to the members through monthly conference calls. These calls have augmented the cohesiveness of the committees and allows for closer communications and sharing of ideas on a regular basis. Keith would like your support for President of the American Blind Bowling Association. He has outstanding qualifications and experience leading organizations, building them, and seeing them flourish under his command. The organization is only as good as it’s membership. Keith desires to continually bring in “new blood” into the organization and see others get involved to further promote ABBA and blind bowling.

Art Tyson I am planning on running for the position of First Vice President at the convention in May. I would like to say that this has been an interesting year for me being the ABBA first vice president and Chairman of the finance committee. Prior to this year, I have been involved with the ABBA for almost 30 years in many capacities. I have been an officer on three different blind bowling leagues. In addition to this, I have served on almost all of the ABBA committees, including the one I am on now. I believe that with my experience I will continue to be an effective leader with ABBA. I thank you for your support in the past and look forward to your support in the future.

Fred Nickl This is to let you know that I am running for reelection as Second Vice-President in May. I believe I have done a good job as the Second Vice-President and deserve a second term. I have in the past served on several ABBA committees. I served two terms as Vice-President and two terms as President of the Midwest Blind Bowling Association (MBBA). I have in the past served as President of my league, The Chicago Braille Center. I have been active in the blind community as a volunteer at the Guild for the Blind in Chicago for ten years. I was a volunteer gardener at Lincoln Park Zoo for five years and only stopped when my back would not allow me to do all the bending and squatting necessary. If you have any questions please call me or email me. Thank you. --editor

Remembered treasures

Paul E. Cottrell, age 75, of Erie, Pa passed away Friday, January 29, 2010. Paul was employed with Inland Container for many years and then with Vision & Blindness Resources, Erie Center until his retirement. Paul, who was totally blind was a founding member of the Erie Independent Blind Bowlers and bowled for about 30 years. Besides bowling he enjoyed watching football, baseball, game shows and dining out with friends. He also enjoyed traveling with his family.

Paul is survived by his wife of 51 years, Marilyn Cottrell; two children, two grandsons, and a soon to be born great grandson. Paul's wife Marilyn is now in a nursing home. She ran the Erie Columbus Day Tournament for 25 years. He was my friend and will truly be missed. --submitted by Richard Come, Erie Independent Blind Bowlers

JO ANN BAQUI JoAnn Baqui entered into rest Tuesday, January 12, 2010 in the comfort of her home. She was enveloped by the love of friends and family during her illness. Although she was legally blind, she was a woman of great vision who implemented laws as a member of the Mayors Handicap Committee to make accessible ramp ways for the handicap. She was past president of the Women’s Lion Club and an avid bowler. She was a member of the Tidewater Blind League, American Blind Bowling Association, Carolina Bowling Alliance, and was not uncommon to roll games of two hundred or more. Mrs. Baqui will be dearly missed by her loving husband, Gilbert A. Baqui; son, Ray J. Kinney; daughter, Debra Sue Kinney; brother, Walter (Dorothy) Pillows; sister, Janice Pillows and a host of other friends and relatives.

LOOKING BACK

In the past ten years, membership in ABBA leagues as well as sighted leagues has continued to decline. The ABC and WIBC have combined to for the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). The cost of bowling and the cost of travel have continued to accerlate. People spend more time with their computers than they do with organized sports. Fundraising has become more challenging follow two recessions in the past decade. One thing that has gotten better is how averages for the National Tournament are determined. Tournament averages are no longer used. This method penalized people who may have scored higher than usual in past recent tournaments. ABBA has returned to the 100% handicap rather than the 90% handicap which was more fair for the higher average bowlers. Let’s take a look back at an article that I submitted in the April, 2001 issue of The Blind Bowler.

ABBA’S GOLDEN AGE The American Blind Bowling Association (ABBA) was organized 50 years ago on January 21, 1951. The majority of members came from New York and Pennsylvania with single leagues from Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit and Chicago. The Golden Age of ABBA was from August, 1971 through July, 1988. The total membership in each of these seventeen years exceeded 2500 bowlers. In the 1983-84 season, ABBA reached its high membership of 2959 with 1220 partially sighted bowlers, 830 totally blind bowlers and 909 sighted bowlers. That same season, Jim Murrell,ABBA Secretary-treasurer, reported that he had received 624 award applications and the balance in the General Fund on July 31, 1984 was $24,444 with a membership fee of only $3.00

There are many explanations why membership in ABBA has been declining sine the Golden Age. There are fewer bowling centers in our larger cities. The cost of bowling has steadily increased, but still less than the rise in the cost of living. The primary reason for the decline in membership in both blind bowling leagues and sighted bowling leagues is that fewer persons between the ages of 18 and 35 are interested in tenpin bowling. Many in this age group cannot commit to a thirty week schedule. The American Bowling Congress membership is now only one-third of what it was at it’s peak. Bowling lane management is attempting to appeal to young people by instituting “extreme bowling” with colored pins, flashing lights and blaring rock music.

During the Golden Age, every ABBA National Tournament had at least 750 entries, except for the 1982 event in Tallahassee, FL which attracted 636 bowlers. The largest ABBA tournament was held in 1976 in the Chicago area with 1070 entrants. We all have a limited amount of money to spend for travel. For many people, bowling tournaments are no longer a priority and can cost over $1,000.00 for two persons. This travel money may be used to visit friends and relatives, to go to resort areas such as Disney World, to attend other national conventions or even to spend a few days wagering in Las Vegas. Many have to choose between a local tournament and the National Tournament.

Changing National Tournament rules will have a minimal effect on the number of participants. In fact, in the early years of the national Tournament, the handicap was 100%. The ABBA statistician, Abe Cohen, after an extensive study of tournament scores, concluded that the higher average bowlers were not given a fair chance to win a prize, and the handicap was changed to 90%. ABBA took a step forward beginning in the 1983 tournament by allowing one sighted bowler on a five-person team. In 1987, the format was changed to four person teams. Another good change was to separate the totally blind bowlers from the partially sighted bowlers in singles and in all events. ABBA now has adopted ABC/WIBC general playing rules, and most of the league and tournament rules. Changes in rules should occur only after careful stufy of tournament performance. Remember, all change is not progress.

We can all work to encourage more people to join the ABBA leagues and once again bring membership over 2000. During the Golden Age, most leagues were actively engaged in fund raising prjects which paid for part of the travel to the National Tournament. We could benefit by having more local blind bowling tournaments. There were 22 local tournaments in the 1979-80 bowling season. Some leagues have gone to a shorter season from 30 to 15-20 weeks. In the past, many leagues were sponsored by fraternal oranizations, local businesses or agencies for blind people. Perhaps some of the contacts can be renewed. --submitted by Walter Burmeister

THE NEW BOWLING HALL OF FAME

Did you know there is historical evidence that the Egyptians were bowling five thousand years ago? This is just one little fact I learned at the grand opening of the beautiful new USBC campus in Arlington Texas. The one hundred thousand square foot campus has the headquarters for the USBC and several other bowling organizations. The highlight of the facility is the all new interactive hall of fame and the bowling museum. There are many exhibits of past bowling equipment and hands on exhibits of how bowling balls are made. The best part was the research and testing section. They have several lanes set up to test the way you throw your ball and exactly how it moves as it goes down the alley. It was difficult to see everything as there were over five hundred people attending the grand opening. We were glad to find the trophy and plaques from ABBA were on exhibit in the hall. The whereabouts of our bowling rail is a different story as no one seemed to know where it was. Art Tyson and I met with the head of the diversity department and are looking forward to working with them to promote blind bowling. The dates for the diversity conference are still not set but Art and I plan on attending them. When it happens we will fill all of you in on the facts. --submitted by Fred Nickl

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

• May 27-30, 2010 National Tournament and Convention Greensboro, NC


• October 22-24, 2010 Vision Midwest Blind Bowling Tournament Madison, WI


• November 19-20, 2010, Mid-year meetings Minneapolis, MN


• May 25-29, 2011 National Tournament and Convention Minneapolis, MN

ABBA AWARDS

Award Winners 2009 -2010 75 Pins Over

Lake Erie Robert FlinnRobert Wright tr>Jeanettea Schaefer

Home

Name	Visual	Average	Score	Date	League
Bob Manthey	SM	159	242	1/30/10	Daytona, FL
Carol Hawkins	SM	122	200	1/30/10	MotorCity, MI
Ed Hopkins	SM	136	221	2/3/10	Portland, OR
Eileen Kedrick	PF	87	168	2/20/10	Buffalo Sightless-NY
Mark Lear	PM	NA	223	NA	Daytona, FL
Mike Mulvey	TM	87	167	2/10/10	Portland, OR
Mshenda Diming	NA	NA	NA	NA	Chicago Tappers
Nancy Lockett	NA	NA	NA	NA
Penny Ohmer	SF	129	204	2/13/10	Erie Independent
PM	107	191	1/13/10	Kalamazoo, MI
Robert McDonald	PM	134	211	2/7/10	Chicago PeaceMakers
Sue Bailey	SF	120	206	2/12/10	Kalamazoo, MI
Tanya Zimmerman	SF	80	158	2/7/10	Janesville Drifters
May 2009 Tournament
Al Travers	NA	NA	NA	NA	Denver, Co
60 Plus for Averages 85 or Less
Rexanne Millard	PF	76	138	11/4/09	Portland, OR
Gregg Welch	TM	69	139	2/17/10	Portland, OR
Mary Shick	PF	81	146	NA	Erie Independent
May 2009 Tournament
AJ Inglesby					Greensboro, NC
Charlene Lloyd					Chicago Troublemakers
Maurice Williams					Chicago Troublemakers
Silver
Aaron Cantrell	PM	178	255	2/11/10	Capital City,OH
Carol Travers	PF	122	201	2/27/10	Mile High Blind Bowlers, CO
Darnell Williams	TM	114	190	2/15/09	Chicago ALBA
Gar Giddings	TM	124	179	2/6/10	Minneapolis, MN
Greg Gontaryk	TM	133	176	NA	Delaware, PA
Jack Shepper	SM	155	234	NA	Delaware, PA
Larry Smith	TM	115	201	5/09	Philadelphia, PA
Larry Wos	TM	133	176	9/8/09	Chicago AA
Lonnie Cunningham	PM	172	235	12-10-09	Gate City, NC
Robert Smith	SM	183	262	2/20/10	Chicago Braille
TM	103	199	9/12/09	Mile High Blind Bowlers, CO
Sue Byster	PF	114	216	2/20/10	Chicago Braille
May 2009 Tournament – Cleveland
Albert Roberson	231	Raleigh, NC
Aaron Cantrell	PM	256	Capital City, OH
Alverness Scroggins	180	Flint, MI
Dave Olson	254	Journey for the Blind
	234	Macomb, MI
Evell Jones	254	cago Alba
Greg Mulvaney	254	Carter Family Blind Bowlers
Leslie Hawkins	226	MotorCity, MI
Mike Gates	264	Rock County, WI
Tom McGowan	237	Columbus, OH
Bronze
Darnell Williams	TM	NA	170	1/12/10	Chicago AA
Dwayne Adams	PM	131	216	10/09	Phil. Area, PA
Jessica Come	SF	149	226	2/10/10	Erie Independent
Joe Kucinskas	SM	175	252	10/24/09	Philadelphia, PA
Kurt Pearson	SM	202	256	1/30/10	Chicago Braille
Mark Lear	PM	148	223	1/9/10	Daytona Beach
Mike Mulvey	SM	88	171	2/24/10	Portland, OR
Norma Smith	PF	117	190	2/24/10	Salt City, NY
Robert Till	SM	182	259	1/27/10	Salt City, NY
Sue Byster	PF	118	189	12/22/09	Chicago AA-IL
Tournament
		188		Indianapolis, IN
Carrie Woodard			223		Chicago ALBA,IL
Karen Arndt			223		Flint, MI
Kevin Fitzpatrick			256		TopCats, PA
Regina Smith			256		Philadelphia Area
Ron Stanchak			215		Delaware Valley,PA
Terrell Jones			224		Gate City,NC
Split Conversion Chevron
Henry Sears	SM	114	(4-6-7)	2/20/10	Mile High-CO
James Baxter	PM	128	(7-9)	1/9/10	Harrisburg, PA
Mike Provo	PM	210	(4-6-7)	2/2/10	Mile High, Co
Tournament
Albert Roberson		(7-9)		Raleigh, NC
Chuck Graham			(8-10)		Carter Family, FL
James Baxter			(7-10)		Harrisburg, PA
Ken Pleuss			(7-10)		Carter Family, FL
Robert Weiss			(7-10)		Carter Family, FL
Triplicate Chevron
Shane Hughes	SM	127	124	1/15/10	Friday Morn-NC