Smash! Bash!! Crash!!! It’s the Clash!!!! by Bill Zuben Sitting high above the crowd at the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium in the USBC Press Section, I am anxiously awaiting the first ball of bowling’s new premier event – the Clash of Champions. Thousands of curious USBC Convention delegates and friend s are streaming into the bleachers surrounding the specially installed four-lane arena constructed by Brunswick. Some of the sixteen USBC champions are nervously pacing the floor waiting for their opportunity to share in the $100,000 prize fund. Looking around the arena floor I spot the legendary guru of bowling technology, Mo Pinel. Tom Clark, the USBC media expert and soon-to-be PBA COO is coordinating the press efforts. This event is bigger than just the bowling community. This is the first time bowling has appeared on network television since Chris Schenkel and Bo Burton signed off from ABC-TV almost ten year ago. CBS has brought back Burton to anchor the telecast team of Bill Macatee and Lynn Swann. Macatee, the longtime CBS Sports announcer, specializes in golf coverage, but has works the NFL, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, Olympics and the NCAA basketball Tournament. Swann, the 2001 NFL Hall of Fame member will serve as the roaming floor reporter. CBS Sports will tape the live action here for replay on Saturday, May 10 at 5:00 pm ET and Sunday, May 11 at 4:00 pm ET. Saturday’s show will be the One-Ball Sudden Death Match. The eight men and eight women bowled a non-televised eight-game block at a local Kansas City bowling center. These standings will set their seeding into the four four-person groups. Each bowler selects one of the four lanes. Each group will throw one ball at a time. The lowest score will be eliminated. Any ties will be broken by another single shot by those tied till one is eliminated. This continues until there is one bowler left in the group. The two women and two men will advance to a more traditional bowling telecast for the $50,000 first prize. Sunday’s show starts with these four athletes. The two women bowl one game with the winner advancing to face the male winner. One game will determine the Clash champion. Second place will be worth $25,000. Third and fourth place will earn $5,000 each. Everyone else will receive $1,250. So let’s set the field. Making up the Women Group 1 are Wendy MacPherson, Brittni Hamilton, Lynda Barnes and Lucy Sandelin. MacPherson, Henderson, NV, won the 2007 Women’s Championship Classic All-Events champion. Hamilton, Webster, NY, earned her berth as the 2007 USBC Youth Open All-Events champion. Barnes, Double Oak, TX, captured the 2007 U.S. Amateur Championship to earn her record eleventh Team USA spot. Sandelin, Tampa, FL, won the 2007 USBC Senior Queens Championship. Men Group 1 is made up of Jason Price, Tom Baker, Tim Pfeifer and David O’Sullivan. Price, Inver Grove Heights, MN, is the 2007 USBC Youth Open Championships All-Events champion. Baker, King, NC, the oldest player in the field, won the 2007 Senior Masters to repeat his 2006 performance. Pfeifer, Cranberry Township, PA, captured the 2007 USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championship. O’Sullivan, Orlando, FL, was the 2007 U.S. Amateur Champion. Finishing out the final four women in Group 2 are Elysia Current, Kelly Kulick, Jenny Brown and Liz Johnson. Current, Ephrata, PA, is the 2007 USBC Intercollegiate Singles champion. Kulick, Union, NJ, was the 2007 USBC Queens champion and made the Denny’s PBA Tour as an exempt player in the 2006-07 season. Brown, Deland, FL, the 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur, was an early third place favorite in a bowl.com online poll behind Pete Weber and Sean Rash. At 17 years of age, she is the youngest competitor. Johnson, Cheektowaga, NY, the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open champion was the first woman to win a PBA regional and finished second in a PBA national tour stop. The final four men in Group 2 are Adam Martinez, Pete Weber, Mike Rose and Sean Rash. Martinez, San Antonio, TX, is the 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur champion. The legendary Weber, St. Ann, MO, kind of the hometown favorite, the 2007 U.S. Open champion paid a touching memorial to his dad, Dick. Rose, West Henrietta, NY, bested almost 70,000 bowlers to win the 2007 USBC Open Championships Regular All-Events championship. The brash Rash, Wichita, KS, won the 2007 USBC Masters. Billed as ‘Man vs. Woman’ and ‘Junior vs. Senior’, there is also a David vs. Goliath match-up. Only this time, David is the goliath as the hulking David O’Sullivan competes against the diminutive David played by Adam Martinez. The lady bowlers are now gathered around the ball return making last minute adjustments to their bowling equipment and psyches. As the ladies roll their first practice shots, the crowd cheers on each ball. When the ladies finish their practice session, the lanes morph into the more physical power game of their male counterparts. The VIP section along lane four is now filling with bowling’s Who’s Who. USBC Hall of Famers outfitted in their traditional navy jackets form a solid background for the elite group. A generous sprinkling of USBC officials mix with dignitaries from across the bowling spectrum. The large overhead screens at the ends of the lanes replay television spots highlighting bowling references as the sound system blares out music. Each bowler has a short video clip proclaiming their intentions on winning the Clash. Each appearance is met with applause and cheers from their fans. The crimson-clad Kansas City Chief cheerleaders only need to appear to get the male testosterone level elevated. This has all the makings of a full-scale sports event. Three cameras, shooting down the lane, are up in Section 101. Halfway around the walkway, there’s another one. There’s another tow elevated at the end of lanes one and four. Portable cameras roam around the arena. A low-angle camera along lane four will capture the bowlers from the front. A boom camera looms high above the end lane. This is impressive for a bowling telecast. The tension mounts as the Kegel Kustodian methodically strips the old, used oil from each lane and applies a fresh coat for the competition. The pattern is the same Sport Bowling compliant condition as the one applied at the USBC Open Championships in Albuquerque. Parker Bohn III and Brian Voss appear on the approaches surrounded by the women. Tagged as “Something Ugly Could Happen” does not apply. This is beautiful. This truly is “Bowling Like Never Before.” Leanne Barrette and Carolyn Dorn-Ballard join Voss and Bohn to throw out the honorary first balls. As the players are introduced, they throw t-shirts into the crowd. As expected, Rash sent one off to the upper depths of the arena. MacPherson led off on lane one with a washout for a six count. Hamilton responded with a safe shot leaving the 2-8 for her eight count. Barnes left a half-ten to advance. Sandelin threw the first strike. MacPherson is out. Hamilton starts the second round with another light hit leaving the 2-10 split for eight. Barnes trips the four pin for a strike to advance. Sandelin flushes another strike to eliminate Hamilton. Down to two. Barnes steps up on lane three and sends ten pins to the pit. Sandelin must strike to stay alive. She does to set up a tie breaker. Another solid strike for Barnes. Sandelin tucks the shot up to leave the 3-6-10. Barnes advances from Group 1. Price leads off on lane one after a brief machine malfunction. The wait did not affect him as he slaps out the ten pin for a strike. Baker responds with a solid strike. Pfeifer keeps the string going with a strike of his own. O’Sullivan crosses over and a late ninepin falls to advance all four players. Price carries a mixer to continue. Baker sends ten pins off the lane. Pfeifer comes in a little high and leaves a wiggling four pin. O’Sullivan does make a big enough adjustment and leaves the 3-6-10 to drop out. Round three continues with Price carrying a high flush strike. Baker misses wide right to leave the 1-2-4. Pfeifer crushes a strike to send Baker home. Price balks as the sweep comes down on lane two. Another test of his mental game. Now a piece of paper lands in the middle of the lane forty feet down. An eight count of the 2-8 stops him as Pfeifer leaves another four pin, but it is enough for him to win the group. As the pinsetter mechanics fine-tuned the machines, the lane technicians stripped and re-oiled the lanes. Norm Duke entertained a contingent of fans along lane one during the maintenance. John Tinney, the past Florida State Bowling Association president, stops by and wants to know where he can get a copy of this story. Of course, you know it is on the website. He knows now. All right! Back to the lanes with the ladies. Current lets the ball float up to the headpin and leaves the 4-6-10 split for six. Kulick moves on tripping the four and leaving the ten. Brown carries a high Brooklyn nose-job for a strike. Current out. Johnson sends ten to the pit. Round two opens with Kulick coming in high again leaving the four. Brown continues with a perfect strike. Johnson carries a mixer to eliminate Kulick. Brown shreds the rack to put the pressure on Johnson. She answers with a flush strike. Brown answers the challenge with another solid strike. Johnson returns the favor. Brown flushes out another strike. Not be outdone, Johnson carries a mixer. Brown continues her string with another smashing strike. Johnson comes right back with a strike. Unflinching, Brown crushes again. A slow tenpin falls for Johnson to keep the match alive. Brown delivers another high flush, but Johnson follows with another. Brown falters leaving a 3-10 baby split. Johnson rips the rack to advance. Nine strikes for Johnson. Eight for Brown just wasn’t enough in this match. The players got an appreciative standing ovation. What a great match. I’d have paid to see that. Three matches down and one to go to set the stage for the ‘Man vs. Woman’ Final. Martinez throws a back-up for a perfect strike. PDW may be out early leaving the 4-6-9-10 split. Rose tries to keep Weber in but manages eight, leaving the 3-6. Rash asks if Brown can bowl for him. He rockets one up the middle to trip the four for a strike. Weber out. Martinez imitates a lefty again, but leaves the 2-4. Rose lets one cross over and leaves the 5-9. Rash blasts a solid ten to move on. In the tie-breaker, Martinez leaves a weak seven for nine. Rose goes high again and leaves the 3-6-10. With just two left, Martinez stays around the pocket and leaves a six pin. Rash’s first test under fire produces a solid strike to win his group. The field is set. Barnes against Johnson. Pfeifer against Rash. Three out the four betting favorites make it to the next round. Pfeifer is definitely the dark horse, and now it’s a full game roll-off. This event was supposed to end at 9:00 pm. It’s now 9:10 pm with another hour for the next show. But, I don’t think many have left. Oh yeah! They were bussed over and need the busses to get back to their hotels. It’s now 9:40 pm and the crowd is getting edgy. Is this the ‘Things could Get Ugly” that was promoted? Rash and Barnes look good in practice. The PA announcer gets a laugh as he explains that the shuttle bus service will be extended later to get everyone back to their hotels. That’s nice. 9:45 and we’re ready to go. Johnson leads off with a strike on lane one. Rash opens his match on lane three with a strike as well. Barnes answers with a strike on two. Pfeifer also strikes on four. Barnes nearly chops the 3-6, but spares. Johnson stones an eight pin and spares. After Pfeifer doubles, Rash crashes the beak and leaves a 6-10 split. He covers it. Third frame: Rash continues high, converting a six-pin. Pfeifer leaves a half-ten and covers. Johnson comes back with a strike, while Barnes converts the 2-8. Fourth frame: Barnes strikes. Johnson rings a ten pin which she makes for a two-pin lead. Pfeifer carries a high hit for a strike. Rash over-adjusts and leaves a two pin, covers and trails by eleven. Fifth frame: Johnson strikes on the left lane again. Barnes leaves the 1-2-4-10 washout and sends the headpin off the wall to carry the 10. Rash strikes as Pfeifer carries a light hit for another double. Sixth frame: Barnes strikes. Pfeifer leaves himself a 4-10 split and takes one. Rash can strike to take a three-pin lead and does so convincingly. Johnson strikes on two to take a twelve-pin lead. Seventh frame: Johnson hangs a ten and makes it. Barnes trips a four and an even later seven to pull within one pin. Rash comes in a little high, leaves a four and covers. Pfeifer carries lucky strike to stay within two pins. Eighth frame: Barnes turkeys to take a lead. Johnson gets her share of the luck and trips a four. Pfeifer leaves a disastrous 3-4-6-10 and makes two. Rash strikes and starts pulling away. Ninth frame: Johnson comes in high but converts the 6-10. Barnes opens up some more room with another strike. Rash continues to roll with another strike. Pfeifer strikes to keep his hopes alive. Tenth frame: Barnes leaves a stone seven and spares to lock up her match. A strike fill ball gives her 225. Johnson covers a 1-2-4-10 washout and fills ten for 204. Pfeifer leaves a ten pin to close out his chance for victory. He finishes with 191. Rash keeps striking, leaving a single pin in the eleventh for a solid 226. So it comes down to the current 2008 USBC Queens Champion and 2007 USBC Masters Champion for the lion’s (or lioness’s) share of the prize fund. One game for a difference of $25,000 and a unique tournament title. Barnes confers with Sandelin while the lanes are being stripped and oiled for a final time. The crowd gives the lane man a round of applause as he reaches the final lane and he plays it up, milking the crowd for more. Barnes had said, “I am excited about having an opportunity to compete in an arena setting, not to mention chance at $50,000. It will be a tough field but our family is known for doing well at special events – can you say Roll to Riches? – so I will try to hold up my end this year.” Rash said, “I know I am excited just to be part of this event and honored that USBC is taking time to host an event for us. I like the arena setting, and I’m going to have a good time and just see what happens.” Rash has extra pressure of extending his unbeaten television streak. He now is 9-0 in five career television appearances. The final match is set on lanes three and four. This is bowling’s answer to Bobby Riggs and Martina Navratilova. Rash seems to having a problem with getting a good slide, dabbing his shoe in the gutters for a little dust. Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You” puts a spark back into the crowd. The energy is back. Rash starts on three. A cell phone rings. Rash says it’s probably Chris Barnes. He then proceeds to strike. Barnes replies with a high flush strike. Match tied. Frame two: Ringing ten for Barnes and covers it easily. A half-ten and spare by Rash keeps the match tied. Frame three: Ten in the pit for Rash. Barnes answers to keep it tied. Frame four: A messenger wipes out the ten for Barnes – double. Rash fails to carry the five on a mixer, but covers. Barnes up by ten. Frame five: Rash rips a mixer for ten. Barnes extend her lead to twenty with a turkey. Frame six: The ten pin gets sucked into the pit for Barnes’ four-bagger. Time running out for Rash, but he doubles to stay within twenty. Frame seven: A blowout strike for Rash closes the gap to ten. Barnes trips the four for a five-bagger and re-opens the twenty-pin lead. Frame eight: Barnes avoids disaster and breaks up a split, leaving the 6-10 for the spare. Rash strikes for the fourth time to cut the lead to eight. Frame nine: Another solid strike for Rash now gives him a two-pin lead. Barnes slices out the five to stay alive. Frame ten: A late four-pin trip puts her back up by eight. Rash needs a strike. Barnes strikes again to force Rash to double. Barnes fills with ten for 258. Rash can punch out for 260. A balk gives Rash a chance to compose himself. A messenger refuses to carry the ten. BARNES WINS. Final score 258-237. Barnes has high-fives for everyone in the front row. USBC CEO Kevin Dornberger does the check presentation assisted by Lynn Swann. Good night everybody.