Ebonite

Jan 26, 2010

That sound of breaking glass you heard on the afternoon of January 24th was the sound of history being made. Professional woman bowler Kelly Kulick shattered the glass ceiling at the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tournament of Champions, when she took advantage of becoming the first woman to compete in the T.O.C. by winning the championship title.

“Mission accomplished,” stated Kulick as she took the trophy, and the $40,000 grand prize. Kulick used the new Ebonite Mission ball the entire week, and the combination of great execution and great equipment propelled her to the win.

Ebonite’s Mission will be available worldwide beginning February 2, 2010.

“Kelly has always done a tremendous job of focusing on the lanes,” said Ed Gallagher, Ebonite Brand Manager. “This week’s tournament was no exception. She executed her shots well, and she made great choices in her equipment.”

“I feel like I’ve been flying above the clouds all week long,” said Kulick. “It’s unusual for me to stick with one ball for an entire event, but the Mission was something I could trust in my bag. I could always get a read on it.”

Being the first woman to win a PBA title is impressive, but for that title to be a Major event makes it astounding. The Tournament of Champions is a grueling event for any player.

Open only to PBA Champions, this year’s T.O.C. fielded 63 of the best in bowling, and it’s not meant to be easy. The lane conditions are tough, covered with a fairly flat 39’ pattern of lane conditioner. In addition, the format is like running a marathon.

The tournament began with three eight-game blocks of qualifying over two days. Kulick averaged 229, and was sitting in fourth place when they cut to the top 24 bowlers to advance to Round Robin Match Play. In Round Robin, each bowler bowls against each of the other bowlers, and the highest score in each match earns an extra 30 pins, or in the case of a tie, each bowler earns 15 pins. This means there were another 24 games to be bowled the next two days.

Kulick continued her march to the championship, slipping only as low as 6th at the end of the second 8-game block of match play. At the end of game 47, Kulick was back up to second place. Her 48th game in four days had her facing Rhino Page. Kulick mowed him down 267 to 216.

“It was a lot of bowling,” said Kulick. “I usually excel at the longer formats. You have a chance to get to know the lanes better over a longer period of time. The cream is always gonna rise to the top.”

Kulick went to the television semi-finals in second place, to face Mika Koivuniemi. Koivuniemi is also known as “Major Mika” because he’s traditionally had such a strong showing in PBA Major events.

Not that Kulick was the least bit fazed. She fought just as hard as Mika, and when Mika changed balls to the Ebonite Mission in the seventh frame to start striking, Kulick never let up, winning by a slim margin of 227-223.

Her final opponent, Chris Barnes, looked to be a tough match, but Kulick never noticed. Her philosophy on bowling reduces her competition to herself and the pins.

“I wasn’t bowling against Chris,” she stated. “I bowl against the pins. It’s just me and the pins out there.”

Apparently that philosophy worked, because the pins just kept falling down for her. Even a 7-10 split in the fifth frame couldn’t stop her.

“When I threw a double after the 7-10 split, my confidence grew,” Kulick explained. “My hand just was able to clear the ball through the front part of the lane really well, and the Mission just pounded the pocket.”

Kulick began bowling at the age of nine, when a friend from the neighborhood invited her to join a league. It wasn’t long before she knew what she wanted to do for the rest of her life – she wanted to be a professional bowler.

“I want girls to know that anything you put your mind to you can accomplish,” said Kulick.

The impact Kulick’s success will have on the sport of bowling is yet to be seen, but her win gives confidence to young women everywhere. The sport of bowling has become one of the fastest growing women’s sports in high school and college, largely for financial reasons, so that schools can offset the large amount of dollars spent on male sports. Kulick herself was a member of Morehead State University’s 1998 National Championship women’s bowling team, and was a three-time Collegiate Bowler of the Year.

But the number of competitive bowling events for women only has decreased over the years.

In 2003, the Professional Women’s Bowling Association folded due to a lack of sponsorship dollars. Kulick was one of many professional women bowlers who had to decide whether to continue competing on her own, or to change careers. While her degree in Nutrition was appealing to her, Kulick simply couldn’t shake the desire to be a professional bowler. Having won multiple titles as a PWBA member, she wasn’t ready to pack up her shoes just yet.

In 2006, she earned an exemption on the PBA tour through pre-season competition known as the Tour Qualifying Round. While some would say her performance that year was less than stellar, placing only as high as 22nd in any event, Kulick looks at it a different way.

“My only failure on the men’s tour (during the 2006-07 season) was that I hit the pocket as often as they did, but I didn’t knock down as many pins because I don’t have as high of a rev rate,” said Kulick. “That said, if you want to be the best, you have to bowl against the best players, so the only way I’m going to get better is to bowl against them.”

Over the last year, Kulick prepared herself to get back in the game. Her education in nutrition came in handy, as she fought hard to get in the physical and mental shape it would take to be successful.

“I went back to my routines – worked out, exercised, practiced a lot – and ever since the Queens, things have gotten better and better,” said Kulick. “Getting a chance to bowl in the Tournament of Champions is the icing on the cake. You blow out the candle and your wish comes true.”

To view more on Kelly Kulick click here

Based in Hopkinsville, Kent., Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that currently services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets both domestically and internationally. The company’s consumer product brands include Ebonite, Hammer, Robby’s, Columbia 300, Track and Powerhouse™. Its commercial product brand is Ebonite Bowling Center Direct.

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