Leading The Tournament
We had such a great 2021 after Covid stopped the tournament in 2020… The Open or “Nationals” is the single biggest Amateurs and Pros combined tournament in the world, consisting of over 35,000 bowlers between March and July. There are 3 divisions – Classified, Standard and Regular, we bowl over 2 days back to back with the 5 bowler team event on the 1st day and then singles and doubles on the 2nd day. We are leading the middle division which is “standard” in the team event. Such a nail biting wait for the next several weeks to see if we can hold on to that 1st place and win ourselves “ An Eagle”. We also broke several tournament records to get into our position to hopefully take 1st.
Article About Us From Bowl.com
By Hope Parsons
USBC Communications
LAS VEGAS – While much of Florida is preparing for the incoming Hurricane Elsa, the bowlers of Proformance Team 2 of Clermont, Florida, stormed into the South Point Bowling Plaza on Tuesday and surged into the lead in Standard Team at the 2021 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
Proformance Team 2 opened with games of 950 and 1,026, before the highest game in the short history of a Standard Division (1,110) helped the team to the highest total in four years of Standard competition (3,086).
Steve Calyore Team 2 of Naples, Florida, set the bar June 2 with a 2,994 total.
The Standard Division was introduced at the 2017 USBC Open Championships, also in Las Vegas, and includes teams with combined entering averages of 776-875.
Proformance Team 2 was led by Billy Standridge, who finished with a 713 series on the strength of a 278 final game. He was joined in the effort by Charles Piker (687), Duane Podgorski (618), Sal Trevino (569) and Deanne Walsh (499).
Both Trevino and Standridge are Orange Belt USBC Hall of Famers and were excited to put their skills to the test this year on the biggest stage in bowling.
“Without a doubt, this is our best team effort,” Standridge said. “We bowled a little at the Bowlers Journal (Championships presented by USBC), and I think that was what got us focused and prepared.”
Their group has been together for 15 years and is no stranger to Open Championships, with Podgorski celebrating his 28th year on the championship lanes.
“We’re just so excited that this is happening,” Standridge said. “And, this 278 is the highest I have shot out here.”
In three previous years of competition in the Standard Division, the highest team game was 1,081, rolled in 2019, while the 2,994 posted by Steve Calyore Team 2 was the highest team total.
Memories were made at the South Point Bowling Plaza on Tuesday, and the members of Proformance Team 2 huddled together and celebrated as they took the lead.
They’ll now have to wait nearly two weeks to see if their score is enough to claim their first Eagle trophies. The final day of team competition at the 2021 Open Championships is July 17, and doubles and singles will wrap up July 18.
In the meantime, they are going to try and keep their heads cool and keep the momentum going as they compete at doubles and singles at the South Point Bowling Center on Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. Eastern.
