Ebonite

Four ladies from Asia – Liza Del Rosario from the Philippines, and Hyun Sun Hwang, Kim Chun Hui and Kim Seul Gi from South Korea – are preparing for the high level of competition expected at this year’s US Women’s Open. As Ebonite International staff members, they will be representing the brands of Ebonite International at the event.

Hui was initially humbled by the invitation to compete, because she felt there were better players than herself who could attend. In the end, she says she’s glad for the opportunity to participate in the US Women’s Open so that she can share what she learns from the experience with her fellow bowlers in South Korea.

“Korea’s bowling history is very short compared to the US and Japan,” Hui notes. “However, I think it has made much progress. Not long ago Gu Yong Jin became the first Korean to win a PBA title, and many other pro bowlers have travelled to the USA to compete.”

Hui has been preparing for the competition for several months, by focusing on her equipment and the lane pattern.

“I have been inspecting various balls and trying to determine which lane pattern matches best,” Hui adds. “I think the time difference between the USA and Korea is also an undeniable problem. I am planning to adapt my biorhythm by controlling my activity time in preparation for the trip.”



(From left: Kim Seul Gi, Kim Chun Hui )

Gi is also proud for the opportunity to compete.

“On one hand I feel proud of myself, and on the other hand I feel some pressure to do well,” explained Gi. “This is an opportunity where I would like to show my ability.”

One thing all of the participants agree on is the importance of having the opportunity to compete in such a high profile women’s sporting event.

“Bowling always seems to receive more attention from men,” said Gi. “This time the participants will only be women. I think this will be a great competition the entire world will be focused on. I wish in the future big event competitions with good conditions will continue for women.”

Gi is also preparing hard for the event.

“I am practicing by working hard to develop my style,” she explained. “My weak point will be understanding the lane, but for that the only way to learn will be with constant practice.”
Competition will begin on Saturday, June 25th, and qualifying rounds are open to the public audience. Pro-Am sessions are scheduled for 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and there are still entries available.

Tickets for the televised finals at Cowboys Stadium and the Pro-Am squads at AMF Euless are available directly from the BPAA at bowlingsuswomensopen.com.

It’s called the US Open, because it’s hosted by the US, and open to bowlers from around the world. Four ladies from Europe - Nicki Ainge, Lisanne Breeschoten, Kamilla Kjeldsen, and Patricia Luoto – are ready to compete for the title. As Ebonite International staff members, they will be representing the brands of Ebonite International at the event.

Ainge, a native of England, names competing in America as one of her top goals.

“It means a great deal to me to both represent my country and Ebonite in the US Women’s Open,” said Ainge. “This is one of the best competitions to be a part of and a great thing for women in bowling. It will be a great experience for me to bowl against such high profile players, and I hope that I can represent my country well. I want to show that bowling is also a great sport outside of the US. We amateurs as well as the professionals put a lot of time and effort into becoming great players just like in any other sport.”

Breeschoten, a member of the Dutch National team, agrees.

“This tournament is a promotion for bowling as a real sport,” Breeschoten said. “Bowling in The Netherlands is especially popular for fun and parties, but too many people don't see it as a sport. The members of the Dutch Bowling Federation can see that with talent and hard work, nice things can happen.”




(From top left: Kamilla Kjeldsen, Lisanne Breeschoten, Ainge Nicki, Patricia Luoto)

Danish bowler Kjeldsen, has competed in the US Open before, and loves the experience.

“I have been to US Open two times before and every time it has been a good experience for me,” explained Kjeldsen. “It’s good for the sport of bowling in Denmark that I can tell people I’m going to compete in the US Open. It gives respect to my sport.”

Finnish player Luoto, a German native, returned to bowling after taking some time off in 2010 due to injury. She returned to competition in November to finish third in the Roma Open.

“This event is so special, because the best bowlers in the world are taking part in this event,” she explains. “It is the biggest event for women in bowling. On top of that Ebonite is making it possible for me to take part. I really appreciate that and hope I do a good job.”

All four bowlers are working hard to prepare for the competition against the best women in the world.

“I will be practicing a lot and working more on my mental game,” said Luoto. “My mental game is even better because I started working with a Psychologist. I will just try my best, concentrate on a good spare game and enjoy every shot I am making there, and in the end we’ll see what will happen.”

Kjeldsen is taking a slightly different approach.

“When it comes to my physical training, I’m working on core training and a lot of cardio, so that I have the right energy and strength for the competition,” said Kjeldsen.

Breeschoten is preparing through additional practice and competition.

“We have practiced a lot with Team Holland on different and difficult lane patterns to prepare for international events and tournaments,” she explained. “I played several stops in the European Bowling Tour, and I will spend time together with my ball driller to choose the right balls for the lane patterns in Dallas.”

Ainge is also looking at equipment possibilities.

“I will also look at the pattern to get an idea of what I will be playing on when I get to Dallas,” said Ainge. “I will be making sure I have a full range of balls I may need, and that they all fit with one another to give me the best opportunity to find a good reaction when in competition.”

One thing is certain for all four women. Regardless of their level of previous competition, every one of them is going to give their best when they get to Dallas, both for themselves and their home countries.

About Ebonite International
Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets 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.

The fourth woman to exceed one million dollars in bowling earnings isn’t finished yet.

Leanne Barrette Hulsenberg debuted as a professional bowler in 1987, and proceeded to rack up 26 professional titles. In addition, she won the USBC Women’s Championships ‘Grand Slam’, earning a title in the team event (2007), doubles (2006), singles (2005) and all-events (1987 and 2005). If the women’s tour hadn’t ended in 2003, there’s a good chance that Barrette Hulsenberg would have surpassed Lisa Wagner’s 32 title record.

Despite her past success, Barrette Hulsenberg believes she’s going to have to work hard if she’s going to make a showing at the 2011 US Women’s Open.

“I would never say I have an advantage over anyone, although 20 years of tournament experience can’t hurt me,” explained Barrette Hulsenberg. “The talent pool is so strong with Kelly, Liz, Shannon, Wendy and Carolyn, who still bowl a good portion of the year, along with the large number of great younger bowlers, and then there’s the remaining PWBA veterans like myself that will be competing. What more can you ask for a US Open field?”

The USBC Hall of Famer recognizes the importance of the event.

“I think it means something different for everyone, but most importantly, I think this event gives the younger players hope that they may one day have a professional tour again.”

Her hard work to prepare has already begun, with increased practice. A few changes to her physical game have been her main concentration, but she’s also been more competitive.

“I have been bowling a few local tournaments each month to get some competitive focus going,” she adds. “Ebonite has an awesome line of balls right now so my husband Gary and I have been drilling more balls than I normally do and experimenting with some new layouts. A couple of new Gamebreakers, and I’m good to go!”

Adding to the incentive, Barrette Hulsenberg and her husband Gary recently opened a bowling pro shop, The Strike Shop, in Citrus Heights, Calif. Many customers who were fans of the PWBA tour often ask what’s going on in women’s bowling, and she knows they’ll be watching.

“Our center has a great junior program and they all know I used to be a pro bowler, but they’ve never seen me on TV,” said Barrette Hulsenberg. “They all know I am practicing for this big event, and since it has been a few years since I’ve been on TV, it would be a pretty neat thing if I did well and made the TV finals.”

In the end, her concern is for the future of the sport.

“I was so excited to hear about the BPAA bringing back the US Open and even more thrilled to hear that Ebonite was the title sponsor,” she added. “Ebonite has always supported bowling, especially women’s bowling. The fact that the finals are going to be held in Cowboys Stadium is amazing for the tournament and even more recognition for the sport of bowling.

“I think of myself like the Toby Keith country song: ‘I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.’ You never know!”

Elite bowler Stefanie Nation is in a unique position. Not only is she a top bowler in the country, and as such a contender in Bowling’s 2011 US Women’s Open, she’s also responsible for making sure the tournament goes off without a hitch.

“This is truly going to be one of the greatest events that bowling has ever seen,” said Nation. “I am looking forward to being a part of it both from an execution and competition standpoint.”

Perhaps from her vantage point at BPAA as Tournaments Coordinator, Nation has a special understanding of the importance of the event.

“This event will generate an enormous amount of exposure not only for the competitors, but it will place bowling in to a different light that hasn’t been shown before,” she explained. “The goal is to showcase female bowlers in a way that has not been portrayed before – we are athletes that play hard and train hard just as other professional sports do.”

Nation is no exception to the ‘play hard, train hard’ maxim, and is working hard to be ready for competition come June 24, when the tournament kicks off in Arlington, TX. New to the Ebonite International team, she’s also got some catching up to do where equipment is concerned.

“My preparation for this event will involve learning exactly what my equipment does and how they play off of each other,” said Nation. “I will be practicing on the lane pattern as often as I possibly can to become more familiar with its tendencies and transitions over time.”

A four-time member of Team USA and a previous member of Junior Team USA, Nation has earned numerous Gold medals, and she’s no stranger to competition. As a youth, she won three straight U.S. Junior Amateur titles, and in 2006 was named Collegiate All-American with Central Florida. She credits this experience with giving her a heightened focus on winning.

“I invested a lot of hours in this sport along with competing at some of its highest levels and I know that will keep me grounded that I am one of the best and have just as fair a shot of winning as anyone else,” Nation explained.

“Being a member of Team USA I have the ability to practice in the ITRC after work hours and on the weekends when lanes area available,” she adds. “The staff is super and will put out any lane pattern we want for practicing – which in this case has been the Bowling’s U.S. Women’s Open pattern. I am extremely grateful to have this facility at the palm of my hands – literally.”

As with any of the other competitors, winning the US Women’s Open has become a huge priority. The lack of opportunities for women to compete in recent years means that the competition has become fiercer and the bowlers have become hungrier for the win.

“I could definitely scratch it off my bucket list!” Nation said. “With the ladies not having too many opportunities to bowl, having a US Open Champion title tied to your name would be amazing. I think it’s something that all athletes aspire to accomplish so adding it to my list of accomplishments would truly be a dream.”

That said, her position as Tournaments Coordinator, and the success of the event as a whole comes first. Once that is taken care of, and only then, will she be able to truly focus on her game.

“There is a lot of leg work that needs to be done in order for this to be a success and that is the first priority,” said Nation. “When all of that is said and done and the lights come on for competition, it will be game time for me. My focus will be on my bowling and advancing as far as I can with the ultimate goal of making it to the TV Finals at Cowboys Stadium.”

One female bowler who is no stranger to the winner’s circle is Kim Terrell-Kearney. She’s not only won the US Women’s Open twice, in 2001 and 2008, and she won the WIBC Queens title in 2002.

Her accolades don’t end there. She was named Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Rookie of the Year in 1989, when she began her professional bowling career after achieving collegiate success at San Jose State, where she graduated in 1987.

Terrell-Kearney is glad to see women’s bowling back in the spotlight with Bowling’s US Women’s Open.

“I love the fact that the tournament is back in the limelight,” exclaimed Terrell-Kearney. “And better yet, an opportunity for the sporting world to see the best women bowlers our sport has to offer can only increase our chance for more events in the future. I still hold out hope for the return of professional women's bowling.”

That hope, and the excitement of competing at Cowboy Stadium, has driven Terrell-Kearney to push herself to get back in the winner’s circle.

“I have to say that the ‘powers that be’ at BPAA and Ebonite were pretty sharp in having the finals at Cowboy Stadium,” said Terrell-Kearney. “It definitely got me fired up. The sports tradition that comes with Dallas Cowboy Football is unmatched. Last year I found out that no woman had ever won the US Open Championships three times. I am pretty pumped up about the possibilities, besides the fact that I just miss playing. I am a planner, so I have enjoyed the task of putting together a practice and training regimen that will have me ready for the tournament.”

Terrell-Kearney’s recent experience as a Collegiate bowling coach at Delaware State University has given her a different outlook for US Women’s Open competition this year.

“I am convinced that my time as a coach has definitely helped me improve as a player, but I am not sure it has provided me with any specific advantage,” she explained. “What it has done is make me a smarter player - a more fearless player. I try to keep in mind that I can't ask my students to do anything I am not willing to do.”