Scott Norton Was the Face of the Gay Community on PBA Tour
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
JUNE 10, 2021 CALIFORNIA 7502B Florence Ave, Downey,OWLING CA 90240 • Website: CaliforniaBowlingNews.com • Email: [email protected] N • Office:EWS (626) 252-2985 Fax: (562) 807-2288 Addington, Graves & Ellena Kelly Kulick Wins 2021 PWBA Albany Open SOUTH GLENS Entering CAUSBC Hall of Fame FALLS, N.Y. - Kelly Ku- by Mike Lucas - Awards Co-Chair lick of Union, New Jersey, Bette Addington has was in complete control been named to join the of her game this week at CAUSBC Hall OF Fame the Professional Women’s for Meritorious Service. Bowling Association Al- She resides in Bakersfield bany Open, and her master- and has been a Bakers- ful performance concluded field /WBA Golden Empire with a return to the win- USBC Association board ner’s circle for the first time member since 1988 (32 since 2017. years). She has been both The United States Bowl- President and Vice-Presi- ing Congress Hall of Famer dent of her Association and a delegate to both the State and defeated two-time reign- National Associations. Bette writes a bowling column bi- ing PWBA Player of the weekly for her local association and publishes it on their Year Shannon O’Keefe of website and Facebook page. Shiloh, Illinois, in a thrill- 2021 PWBA Albany Open Champion Kelly Kulick She has been a delegate for over 20 years with both ing title match at Kingpin’s launch of the PWBA Tour The 14-time tour cham- through the pins, resulting CWBA and CAUSBC and has been an active participant Alley Family Fun Center, in 2015. pion continued to pressure in four consecutive strikes, on credentials and teller committee’s numerous times. She 228-217, to record her sev- The 44-year-old right- Kulick as the title match starting in the sixth frame. has written Convention recaps after each convention and enth PWBA Tour victory. hander entered Saturday’s got underway, rolling three “I talked with my tour quickly posts them on the CAUSBC website and Bowling The championship round competition as the tourna- consecutive strikes after a reps and wondered if I News. She has even stepped up to do the recording sec- was broadcast live on ment leader and retained spare in the first frame to needed to make a ball retary on occasions with a smile! Bette keeps track of the BowlTV.com, with Kulick that spot through 12 more take the early advantage. change,” said Kulick, a California bowling events and sends a calendar updated earning $10,000 for the games to earn the top seed Kulick maintained her 17-time Team USA mem- weekly to California Bowling News and Bowling World. win. O’Keefe collected for the stepladder finals, av- hold on the pocket on this ber. “After talking about She has won numerous awards for her articles and she $5,000 for the runner-up eraging more than 240 for week’s 36-foot oil pattern, it, I told them I knew what is a founding member of the California Bowling Writers finish. her 24 qualifying games. but she didn’t record a dou- I needed to do. I got my and the current President of the organization. She is one Kulick’s last win on tour O’Keefe never let her ble through the first five hand underneath the bowl- busy lady and very deserving of this Award! came at the 2017 PWBA out of her sights, however, frames. ing ball and started to go Lynn Graves has been Fountain Valley Open, and averaging more than 238 to A small adjustment in around it a bit more, to named to join the CAUSBC her victory Saturday was finish qualifying in second her physical game helped create more angularity off Hall Of Fame for Meritori- her second since the re- place. her create a better angle continued on page 6 ous Service. She lives in Chula Vista and has been a certified bowler for over 50 years. She has been a member of the San Diego Scott Norton Was The Face Of WBA and the San Diego USBC for over 50 years. She has served as the SD- WBA President from 1983 The Gay Community On PBA Tour to 1988. She was the Association Manager for the SDW- Scott Norton would expend all his energy projecting an outgoing personality on the BA and the SDUSBC from 1988 to 2020. She has been a director of both organizations since 1970. outside while inside he felt he was the face of the gay community She has conducted the SDUSBC championship tourna- by Jill Winters ments, Open, Womens, and Youth. She was also the Di- In addition to worrying rector of the Men’s Masters, Womens Queens, the Guys about how to make the right and Gals tournaments, and the Senior Open tournament. adjustment on the bowling She has been with the CAUSBC and the California State lanes and executing clutch WBA since 1997 to present. She has served as the Sgt at shots against the best bowl- Arms and has been on the BVL, Hall Of Fame, Strategic ers in the world, imagine Planning, Legislation, Senior Tournament and Convention you also felt this added committee over the years. layer of pressure that ev- She served as one of the Assistant Sgt at Arms for the ery move you made either WIBC convention from 1983 to 2006. She was in the local added to or could change San Diego 600 Club, San Diego 200 Club and served as the perception of what the the PTA secretary for her children’s schools. gay community is. She was inducted into the SDWBA Hall Of Fame in For Scott Norton, that is 1993 and is also a member of the Bowling Writers Hall the weight he carried with of Fame. Thank you for your many years of service to the him from the time he was a Bowlers. rising junior bowler in Cal- Charles “Chuck” Rus- ifornia to being the young- sell Ellena has been named est member at the time on ries of Bowling Chameleon shot, and he was bowling “I threw four of the best to join the CAUSBC Hall Team USA and then fulfill- Championship. at South Point in Las Ve- shots I’ve ever thrown in of Fame for Meritorious ing his dream on the PBA “I had been married gas, which is the same cen- the most pressure-packed Service. He is receiving Tour. for a year and we had just ter where he won the 2010 situation I had been in in this award posthumously He would expend all his bought a house together,” World Series of Bowling my life at that point,” said for all the great work he did energy projecting an outgo- Norton said about his re- Chameleon Championship. the 2011 PBA Rookie of for our Youth bowlers. ing and friendly personality lationship with husband, It had been two years since the Year. “I did my job. Ev- When Chuck arrived at on the outside while inside Craig Woodward. “It was the lefty had won a tourna- erything else was out of my Fort MacArthur (San Pe- he felt he was the face of a lot of life stuff that hap- ment, and he did everything hands and then the rest is dro, California) in 1960, only adults were allowed to use the gay community. He pened, and I came in with a he could in his final two history.” the bowling lanes at Fort MacArthur bowl. He felt that the was finally able to release better mindset.” frames to defeat defending Belmonte needed a youth needed a place to bowl and after several months of some of the built-up anxi- His arm swing was free. champion Jason Belmonte strike and six pins to win continued on page 5 ety at the 2012 World Se- He was focused on each for the title. continued on page 7 PAGE 2 CALIFORNIABOWLINGNEWS.COM June 10, 2021 June 10, 2021 CALIFORNIABOWLINGNEWS.COM PAGE 3 Ted Hoffman Jr. - Gone, But Not Forgotten by Dave Williams Over the Memorial Day weekend, a friend of mine the collar line!), and wearing “denim slacks” at the sent an email and mentioned the passing of Ted Hoff- PBA events. After Ted’s polite suggestion to get my man Jr., the longtime Western Regional Director for hair cut before the next event, I decided to go for a the Professional Bowlers Association. It seems like permanent, like Larry Laub and many of the other only yesterday that Ted passed away, on May 30, top stars had done. I hated it! So in the process of 2016. Time is an unusual concept, because in other letting it grow out, I had very straight hair on top, and respects it seems like many, many years ago that we a curly bottom. When I showed up at the next tour- lost Ted due to a lengthy illness at the tender age of nament, Ted said “That’s an interesting design you 76. have going on there.” (I finished 5th, so I probably should have kept that hairdo). Condolences to the When I searched on the internet for information family and thanks for sharing Ted with all of us in the on Mr. Hoffman, I located his obituary at legacy.com, bowling world. and remembered not only his thorough dedication, but also his early introduction to the game of bowling. It’s interesting how circumstances lead us into Just like Dick Ritger and Mike Durbin, he was born life changing events, almost by design. In the case into bowling by parents that operated their own bowl- of Ritger, Durbin and Hoffman, bowling was in- ing establishment in suburban Philadelphia.