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Click Here 43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 30, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend January 20, 2004 There are lots of factors that indicate Medford Open champion Pete Weber and the Professional Bowlers Association Tour will return, but nothing has yet been finalized. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Will PBA roll back into town? Medford’s success, proximity to other stops are important, but the PBA has some grand designs By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune If only this were a game show, where the music stops, the clock stops and the host intones, "Your answer, please." It’s not that simple. The question is a stumper; the answer might not come for a couple of months: Now that the original three-year deal has expired, will the Professional Bowlers Association return to Medford? Tick-tock, tick-tock. Advertisement By all accounts, the PBA wants to continue the Medford Open at Lava Lanes. It’s been one of its best-run, most widely applauded, most bowler- friendly events. That comes from PBA commissioner Fred Schreyer, that comes from any player you ask. "I can’t point out enough how successful and well-received we’ve been in Medford," says Schreyer. "I hope it works out so we’re back there." The PBA and proprietor Ric Donnelly will meet soon and try to hammer out a deal to keep this as a tour stop for at least the near future. "I would love for it to continue," says Donnelly, "but I don’t know what’s up their sleeve or what their long-term goals or marketing ideas are. I know we are one of the best stops they have — that’s what they’ve told me — and as long as Medford keeps putting on a good show and has the community support that makes it a great event, they want to stay here." There are issues that complicate matters, which brings us to a bonus question: How long will the tour’s smallest market, which the Rogue Valley is by a significant margin, fit in with the PBA’s grandiose designs? "That’s my biggest concern," says Donnelly. Tick-tock, tick-tock. It’s only been a three-year marriage, but in that span, the association’s owners have shown they have radical, far-reaching ideas about how to upgrade their sport, and they aren’t afraid to use them. The restructuring of the tour schedule for consistency’s sake tells us so. The advent of match play tells us so. The all-exempt tour that’s caused more jitters in players than a coffeehouse tells us so. And there remains one big idea afloat that is getting closer and closer to docking: extensive arena bowling, which the PBA believes will vault its players to the next plateau. Whether that would vault Medford out of the picture is unclear. In the past, the Medford Armory or a high school gym have been bandied about as possible arena settings, but the PBA hasn’t delved into the matter as it relates here. Four of the 20 events this season will be in arenas. "We want to continue to expand and move into a few more arenas each year," says Schreyer, adding that Denver and points in the South and Southeast are being examined as markets. "In the right markets," he adds, "it (arena bowling) really allows us to take the sport to a different level." But, he says, "I think it’ll be a few years down the road before we get to all arena events, if ever." The PBA’s goal is to make its athletes elite, provide separation from the common league bowler and even the regional player. The exempt tour will be something to aspire to, not something you can just waltz in, sign up for and play. Arena bowling for most, if not all, events would heighten the allure. Put down lanes in a mammoth building, provide seating for thousands and make it a larger-than-life event. Give the kid in the stands reason to say, "I want to be here some day." Bowlers won’t reach the status of athletes in major sports, but they’d like to close the gap. One PBA player noted that when the tour leaves here, there likely will be a women’s auxiliary league bowling on the same lanes the next day or a child’s birthday party. Conversely, members of the general public aren’t allowed to play catch in the Yankee Stadium outfield or play a round of golf at Augusta the day after the Masters. Pro bowlers aren’t much removed from Regular Joe; it’s long been the nature of the sport. Many naysayers, in fact, would consider the idea of a bowling elite an oxymoron. The PBA wants to change that perception. Don’t misunderstand, bowlers are immensely accommodating and seem to genuinely enjoy mingling with fans, whether in pro-ams or while hanging out at the bowling center. That might never change. They don’t want to alienate their fan base, but they also are at a point where it’s worth taking risks to elevate their profession. Can the Rogue Valley tag along? There are factors that suggest it should. Most important is how the Medford Open is run and how the community supports it. Nowhere on tour are the players treated better by the host facility. There’s the modern, spacious, full-service center, full and enthusiastic pro-am fields, catered meals in the players’ paddock, extensive media coverage, a Rolex watch as part of the winner’s bounty. So intent is Donnelly to make it a special experience for the bowlers, he filled the one slow period of the week, Monday night, with a riotous comedy show that attracted 900 people. A year earlier, he instituted the first Calcutta pro-am, where players are auctioned off to amateur teams and compete for $5,000 in first-prize money. "That," says Ryan Shafer, who was in the TV finals, "was the most fun I’ve had bowling in a long time." He ticked off the names of the fellows he bowled with days earlier, including "Bill the mechanic." A couple were volunteers during the tourney and served as his good-luck charm, he says, noting he bowled his best on lanes they monitored. An overstatement? Probably. But you get the point. The players like it here. "Without a doubt," says Brad Angelo, another finalist, "it’s the nicest center we bowl in the whole year. Ric does a great job, and the town really rallies around the tournament. It’s great to get that feeling from the whole city the way golfers must feel on a weekly basis. "We don’t get this in other areas. It’s normal for you guys. You don’t know anything different. But for us, it’s nice to be treated the way we feel we should be treated." Also in Medford’s favor is its location between Seattle and Reno, Nev. The PBA is headquartered in Seattle, the first tournament of the second half is held there. Schreyer believes it’s important to have not only an event in the PBA’s back yard, but also a Northwest presence. The tour then hits Medford, and moves on to Reno, where the National Bowling Stadium is located and this week will host the first major of the West Coast swing, the ABC Masters. After that, it’s the Reno Open, then the U.S. Open in Fountain Valley, Calif., just outside Anaheim, before the tour turns east. Because most everyone on tour travels in cars or motor homes, Medford is situated perfectly. Were there no other nearby tour stops, it’s unlikely this would be a destination area. As such, the health of the tournaments that sandwich the Medford Open is important. "The Seattle event is pretty well-attended," says Schreyer. "It has done well, although it’s not on the same level as Medford." Reno is not in jeopardy of losing bowling any time soon, either. And the PBA isn’t looking for a large area, such as Eugene or Sacramento, to supplant Medford as the go-between. So it seems likely the tour will come back, whether for one year, another three years or indefinitely. We eagerly await the answer. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times