The Shadow
The Professional Bowlers Association is coming to the Alleghany Highlands.
Lisa Maynard and Tina Payne, co-proprietors of Fric-n-Frac’s Thunder Alley, have announced that the Thunderbowl PBA/Pro-Am Senior Open will be held October 8-10 at the center.
The tournament is part of the regional senior tour and will include bowlers from three PBA regions – the South, East and Central – covering 25 states, from Michigan to Maine to Florida.
“The PBA is very happy to be bringing a tournament to Covington for the first time,” said Harry O’Neale, South Region Manager. “There will be some big-name players at the event.”
Local bowlers will have a chance to bowl alongside the pros on Friday night in a pro-am event, before the professionals take over on Saturday and Sunday.
“We are very excited about this tournament coming to our local bowling center,” said Maynard, who with Payne purchased Thunder Alley in June of 2009.
“The whole goal of this tournament is that the community enjoys the event and recognizes that an effort has been put forth to bring professional athletes to the area.”
Admission is free to all of the weekend events.
“Because it’s the first professional bowling tournament ever in this area, we wanted people to be able to come watch without having to pay,” said Maynard.
The senior tour is made up of bowlers 50 years of age and older.
While the tourney is considered a regional by the PBA, several high profile players have already committed to the tournament.
Tom Baker, an 18-time national tour titleist, four-time National Senior Player of the Year and PBA Hall of Fame member, and George Pappas, a 12-time tour winner and fellow Hall of Famer, will both be in Covington.
In a recent poll ranking the top 50 players in PBA history, Pappas was ranked at number 35, while Baker, who has earned more than $1.4 million in his career, came in at 40.
PBA eight-time national tour champion Guppy Troup, sometimes described as the most colorful, charismatic bowler in the history of the tour, has also committed to the tournament.
Walter Ray Williams, Jr., the PBA’s all-time leading money winner at over $4 million, has also expressed some interest in the event.
Williams, who turned 50 in October, has won a record 47 national tour titles, 28 regionals, a senior title, owns over 80 perfect games in PBA tournaments and was recently named the No. 2 player all-time, behind only Earl Anthony.
“We are going to have some great bowlers coming in for this tournament,” said Payne. “If we could land Walter Ray, that would put this thing over the top.”
Payne and Maynard started looking at tournaments shortly after purchasing the center a year ago.
“We are limited to what we can do only having 20 lanes,” Maynard said.
“Once we realized we could host one of these tournaments, we put in for it with the expectations of maybe getting one in the next two years. Then we got a call and they said they had an opening in October.”
The two have formed a tournament committee with some of Thunder Alley’s league bowlers and the group will be busy over the next few months.
“We asked some people to help and we feel like we have a great committee,” said Payne. “We hope that the community will get behind this event. If a business is interested in being a sponsor or if someone just wants to volunteer their time, just give one of us a call at the bowling center.”
The tentative time schedule for the tournament would feature two Friday night pro-am squads, one at 6 p.m., and the other to follow at 8 p.m.
Each amateur bowler will bowl with three different professionals.
The pro-am tournament will be handicapped and will feature a no-tap (9 pins or better counts as a strike) format.
A $300 guaranteed first place prize will be presented to both the top male bowler and top female bowler, while the top youth finisher will receive a $100 gift certificate.
All three amateur winners will also be presented 4-foot trophies.
The tournament entry fee will be $40 prior to September 17 and $45 after the date. For an additional $25, bowlers can bowl in both squads.
Bowlers registering before the September 17 deadline will receive a free tournament T-shirt.
“We welcome all bowlers regardless of their average to come bowl in the pro-am,” said Payne. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to be able to bowl with professionals right here in our center.”
Friday will also be Media Day, and local bowlers will have the chance to get autographs and pictures taken with their favorite bowlers.
Professional competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., Saturday, with match-play starting Sunday morning at 9 a.m.
The professional winner is guaranteed a paycheck of at least $1,500, while taking home a crystal trophy worth almost $800.
A similar three-region event held in Parkersburg, W.Va., in January, drew 73 professionals and featured a prize fund of nearly $16,000.
