DESERT BOWLER Vol. 36, No. 3
Tournament Schedule Local and national tournament schedule on page 14
Arizona State USBC Tournaments
Apr 6-7, 13-14: Women's Championships; Inca Lanes (Yuma) May 11-12, 18-19, Jun 1-2, 8-9: Open Championships; Bowlero Kyrene & Bowlero Mesa
MPUSBC Tournaments
Mar 16-17, 23-24: Open Championships; Let It Roll Bowl May 5: Masters & Queens, Let It Roll Bowl
MMA Tournaments
Apr 14: Junior Gold Qualifier Youth Tournament, Mesa East Bowl May 19: Youth Tournament, AMF McRay
Tucson Metro USBC
Mar 16-17: Tucson Masters/ Queens, Tucson Bowl Mar 24: Junior Kings & Queens, Bowlero Tucson
Sun City Open
Apr 27-28-May 4-5: Lakeview Lanes & Bell Lanes
Cotton Bowl Tournaments
Mar 30: 6 gamer Apr 13: No-Tap Apr 27: 6 gamer
Glenfair Lanes Tournaments
Mar 24: Ultimate Scrambler
True Amateur Tournaments
Mar 16-17: TAT Spring Shootout Bowlero Mesa May 31-Jun 2: TAT Morongo Classic, Canyon Lanes (Cabazon, CA)
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Please Support the Following Advertisers Arizona USBC................................17 Bowlero Gilbert...............................10 Bowlero Kyrene..............................16 Bowlero Mesa................................. 11 Bowlero Youth Classic ���������������������4 Cotton Bowl......................................6 JBT...................................................5 MMA.................................................3 MPUSBC..........................................3 SCBA..............................................12 Strike Force Tour ...........................15 Sun City Open................................13 The Bowlers Advantage ������������������7 USBC...............................................2 Vital Signs Pro Shop ������������������������5 Next Issue: April 13, 2024 Deadline: April 11, 2024
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DIGITAL ISSUE
March 2024
Arizona's Mike Friedrichs Competes in 50th Consecutive USBC Open Championships LAS VEGAS – For Michael Friedrichs, his annual trip to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships is more than just a tournament. From the thrill of competing in a championship venue to the acclaim for a memorable performance on the lanes, there’s always been something special about being part of the event for the 68-year-old right-hander. Friedrichs, from Glendale, Arizona, elected to add a little more excitement and something new to his trip in 2024 by signing up for the same squad as the tournament’s opening ceremony to celebrate his 50th consecutive tournament appearance Saturday at the South
Jason Overstreet and Mike Friedrichs
Point Bowling Plaza. Joined by his wife, Jean, while donning a custom Arizona Diamondbacks bowling jersey with the No. 50, Friedrichs was able to
take his honorary march across the lanes as part of the opening festivities and was presented by a chevron, plaque and diamond lapel pin to recognize his longevity at the event. “It was pretty cool,” said Friedrichs, a Metro Phoenix USBC and Arizona State USBC Hall of Famer. “Everybody marches out, then I come out, then ‘Joe Bowler’ – it just adds to it. When (USBC Deputy Executive Director) Jason (Overstreet) asked me about it during the presentation, I said this is an event. It’s no longer just a tournament. This has become an event, and you just have to be here for that. You can’t describe it to anybody – you
(continued on page 3)
GCU Bowling secures 2nd-ever ITC Nationals bid
2nd-place finish at ITC Sectionals punches ticket to Kentucky in April by: Noah Powers, GCU Club Sports Writing Staff In a rollercoaster weekend where the Grand Canyon University Bowling team was as low as 17th place in their pool of 21, the Lopes rallied to finish in 2nd place at United States Bowling Congress (USBC) ITC Sectionals in Dallas, Texas. The 2nd-place finish was the Lopes' best in their history at the event and qualified them for only their second trip ever to the USBC National Championships in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The slow start that the Lopes experienced is something that they have experience overcoming - often catching fire in Day 2 of events this season. "We put such a big emphasis on not paying attention to the scores
RESILIENT! Congratulations to the GCU Men's Bowling team. They were 17th after the first block of qualifying to a 2nd place finish and a ticket booked to ITC Nationals for the second time in program history! around us," said GCU Head Bowling Coach Ben Canfield. "I'm not even sure that the guys knew they were in 17th after the first block of game. Everyone was so locked in
on controlling what was in front of them." The Lopes picked up momentum quickly after their shaky first (continued on page 6)
Strike Force was at Bowlero Kyrene, March 3rd with 115 total entries (88 qualifying and 27 parlays) paying out over $6,500 in main and side event prize funds. The Finals would see Mike Rhoads shoot his highest game of the tournament, 256 300 with handicap), to take home his first AHT SFT title and $625 (no progressive pot). Congrats to Eddie Wilcox on second place for $1,000. Also, congrats to Michael LePage on third place for $200 (also no progressive pot).