Ebonite

Sep 18, 2006

Jones, Couch, Kulick and Castillo Ready to BOWL TO WIN!

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky.—On the heels of dominating the 05-06 Tour season, Ebonite has again drafted a team of all-star bowlers for the company’s pro staff. Reigning Player of the Year, Tommy Jones, Tour champion and record-holder, Jason Couch, and the first female to qualify for a full-season exemption, Kelly Kulick, are expected to take no prisoners in the 06-07 season. And, with the support of Ebonite team member and ball representative on Tour, Dino Castillo, the stage is set for success.

“This season, we’ve assembled Ebonite’s unprecedented ‘Dream Team,’” says Ebonite brand manager Ed Gallagher. “We’ve got Jason Couch, a long-time member of the Tour with over a dozen titles to his name. We’ve got Tommy Jones, the reigning Player of the Year and two-time Japan Cup champion. And, we’ve got the Tour’s first full-season female competitor, Kelly Kulick, who’s already won her first PBA regional title.”

“Dino’s also a valued member of the Ebonite pro staff who will compete at the Open and in all PTQ’s while providing support and equipment advice to Jason, Tommy and Kelly. The Ebonite team is on-top right now and we don’t anticipate a change in altitude any time soon.”

A former Rookie of the Year (01-02), Ebonite’s Tommy Jones was deservedly chosen as the 05-06 Player of the Year after taking home four titles: The Japan Cup, Tulsa Championship, Bayer Atlanta Classic and the 63rd U.S. Open, which was also Jones’ first Major victory. Jones now has a total of eight professional titles to his credit, including back-to-back wins at The Japan Cup. He ended the 05-06 season with an average of 221.68, having advanced to match play in 19 of 21 events. Jones, who has been a member of the Ebonite staff his entire five-year PBA Tour career, lives in Simpsonville, S.C.

In his 15th year as an Ebonite staff member, Jason Couch has secured his name in bowling history as the only bowler in history to win three consecutive Tournament of Champions titles, 1999-2002, and was the Tour’s 23rd athlete to reach the million-dollar mark in earnings. Couch, a Clermont, Fla. resident, joined the Tour in 1991 and was promptly named the 1992 Rookie of the Year. Since then, he has captured 13 career Tour titles, including the 2005-06 Chicago Classic. After the 05-06 season, Couch was ranked 13th in World Standings with an average of 221.09.

A Union, N.J. resident, Kelly Kulick is the first woman to earn a full-season exemption for the Tour. Kulick had been a highly successful member of Professional Women’s Bowlers Association (PWBA) before the league folded in 2003. She was the 2001 PWBA Rookie of the Year and won the 2003 Women’s U.S. Open. She was a member of Ebonite’s PWBA Tour staff throughout her career and has since served on the company’s regional staff. In August, she became the second woman to win a PBA Singles title in Tour history when she won her first career PBA Regional.

Dino Castillo, a former member of Team USA, Ebonite amateur staff member (04-05) and Tour staff member (05-06), provided invaluable advice to Jones last season in his quest for Player of the Year and says that he can often see things that the bowlers cannot about his or her game. In addition to having years of experience in the pro shop and equipment setting, Castillo won the Gold medal at the World Championship trios event in 2003 and is an international champion in five countries.

For more information on the Ebonite team and to keep up with your favorite player from week-to-week, log on to www.ebonite.com or www.pba.com.

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