Republished courtesy of TenPin Alley Bowling Newspaper, Las Vegas, Nevada
The PBA was an annual event for 40 consecutive years in Las Vegas, all at the dearly departed Showboat. After a brief stint at The Orleans (both events won by Ryan Shafer), we locals gasped at the thought of the PBA not coming back. Thanks to former Fountain Bowl manager Dennis Matthews, who was hired by Station Casinos to run the Strike Zone in Henderson, we were once again treated to a week of professional bowling and a national telecast.
On occasion, amateurs take half-court basketball shots for prizes, or get to run the bases before a big game, but never will you see amateurs running up against pros in these sports. Unfortunately, the way bowling competition is structured and the ease at which amateurs can topple pins with little or no expertise, the opportunity for persons of limited talent to win against professionals is brushed off by the USBC as "...no big deal."
This discussion has gone on for decades. "Shouldn't bowling be an Olympic sport?" "What do we have to do to get into the Olympics?" "Badminton and ballroom dancing made it. Why not bowling?" Until recent years, I envisioned the Olympics as the ultimate test of gifted athletes who have trained hard and possess the heart and desire to win gold for their country.
The PBA was an annual event for 40 consecutive years in Las Vegas, all at the dearly departed Showboat. After a brief stint at The Orleans (both events won by Ryan Shafer), we locals gasped at the thought of the PBA not coming back. Thanks to former Fountain Bowl manager Dennis Matthews, who was hired by Station Casinos to run the Strike Zone in Henderson, we were once again treated to a week of professional bowling and a national telecast.
