Kelly Kulick = First woman on PBA Tour

[Chris]

Had to post this,... since I spent about 6 or so years touring full time on the National Touring PBA tour,... it's kinda near and dear to my heart....

MSU grad first woman in PBA full season
For the first time in Professional Bowlers Association history, a woman will bowl full time on the tour.

Former Morehead State University bowler Kelly Kulick (2000 graduate) averaged 224.04 in 45 games  over five days to finish sixth in the 2006 Denny’s PBA Tour Trials Sunday at Stardust Bowl I in Hammond, Ind., to earn one of 10 exemptions for the 2006-07 Denny’s PBA Tour season.

The PBA opened its membership to women in April 2004 after the Professional Women’s Bowlers Association (PWBA) folded. Kulick was the 2001 PWBA Rookie of the Year and won the 2003 Women’s U.S. Open before the league folded.

In 2004-05, the Denny’s PBA Tour went to an all-exempt field with 58 bowlers earning full-time exemptions for each season. While two women – Liz Johnson and Cathy Dorin-Lizzi – have qualified for single tour events through weekly Tour Qualifying Rounds, no woman had ever earned a full-season exemption.

“To be the first woman is huge… words can’t even describe the feeling,” said Kulick. “I feel confident I can be a good enough competitor to stay out on Tour. My next goal is to make a television show and become the first woman to win a PBA Tour title.”

Kulick came into Sunday eighth overall with the final day taking place on the Tour’s highest-scoring oil pattern. Each of the five days featured one of the PBA’s five different oil patterns.

The 29-year-old from Union, N.J., averaged 232.89 over the final nine games – including a 300 in game four – to finish sixth with a 10,082 45-game pinfall.

Kulick was a three-time All-American and the 1997 and 1998 Collegiate Bowler of the Year while at MSU. In 1998, she helped guide coach Larry Wilson’s squad to the National Championship

For those of you who may NOT know anything about the PBA and how the tour works...
USED TO (when I toured) they had what they called "rabbit" squads on Monday.  There were anywhere from 50 to 140 players exempt for any given week.  They could be from 100-200 players NOT exempt show up to compete for the spots that were left available.  A full field was 160.  So you can see you could have 150+ bowlers having to compete for from 10 to 80+ spots.

SO you have to bowl really GOOD just to earn your way INTO the field.  THEN if you did that,.. then you got to bowl Wed and Thursday (in qualifying) just to see IF you got paid that week  If you finished in the top 53 spots you made some money.
If you made the top 24,.. you got to bowl in "matchplay" on Thursday night and all day Friday and see if you got to bowl on TV on Saturday in the top 5 finals for the big bucks.

They have TOTALLY changed the format now.
They have this off-season qualifier now (what Kelly competed in)  There are 58 exempt players already set, and this roll-off there was 10 exempt spots for a full season exemption (if you know anything about the PGA tour it works pretty much like that.

SO all the people that wanted to try and be 'exempt' for the upcoming PBA season went and competed for those 10 spots,.. top 10 total pin fall for 45 games (9 games over each of 5 days)
SO now the tournament is made up of these automatically seeded 68 players,... some regional players ALSO get to bowl,... some sponsor exemptions,...   
To be totally honest I hadn't followed it a whole lot the last several years... Turn it on from time to time to see if any of my traveling companions, or good friends have made the Tv show,.. but thats about it.

Anyway,.. just thought it was interesting they had a GAL on the tour  full time

[WV-Kahne Fan]

I know very little about Golf, but I do watch occasionally.  I enjoy the senery and watching the gentelmen.  I don't watch Ladies Golf.

[Chris]

not to be sexist,... by my friends around here call the ladies golf tour
Dikes in spikes  LOL

(I shouldn't say that... not ALL of them are gay)
That Anika Sorenstam looks pretty hot... and so does that Michelle Wei... But then again  16 will get ya 20   ROFLOL

[PlanoHarvickFan]

That's really pretty cool, Chris.  Used to follow the PBA quite closely.  Even took some vacation time way back in the early 80s (or maybe even late 70s) to keep score for the pros when they were in suburban Maryland.  (That was before automatic scoring machines were used.)  Spent the whole week at the tournament (including scoring for the rabbit squad).  It was stressful but lots of fun.  When did you bowl, Chris?  You must remember the likes of Mike Durbin, Dave Ozio, Dave Husted, Charlie Tapp, among others.  Only catch it occasionally now.

Hope she does good against the guys. 

[Chris]

Even took some vacation time way back in the early 80s (or maybe even late 70s) to keep score for the pros when they were in suburban Maryland... When did you bowl, Chris?  You must remember the likes of Mike Durbin, Dave Ozio, Dave Husted, Charlie Tapp, among others

I remember bowling outside Maryland,... Can't remember the suburbs name right now.  May have been at a couple different lanes (suburbs) over the years.  Seems one was Towson..??

Oh yeah,... I remember those guys.  I bowled with all of them.  I bowled (Nationally) from the mid-80's to 1990

The Ozio's had a travel trailer for a while,.. and I had a motor home.  The PBA had a spot alloted in the parking lot for those of us who had this kinda stuff, and we had a little place where we all hung out, cooked out, and sit and got to know each other (outside bowling)
I can't remember who all had one right now,.. seems like there was 20 or so of us on a weekly basis.  Steve Cook, Guppy Troup, Sam Zurich,... can't seem to remember who all right now.

FIRST week I ever bowled on the PBA National tour it was with Earl Anthony.  Man that guy as just a machine.  Exact same approach, arm swing, release, followthrough,.. EVERY time.
He was just amazing to watch.

[PlanoHarvickFan]

I remember bowling outside Maryland,... Can't remember the suburbs name right now.  May have been at a couple different lanes (suburbs) over the years.  Seems one was Towson..??

Oh yeah,... I remember those guys.  I bowled with all of them.  I bowled (Nationally) from the mid-80's to 1990

The Ozio's had a travel trailer for a while,.. and I had a motor home.  The PBA had a spot alloted in the parking lot for those of us who had this kinda stuff, and we had a little place where we all hung out, cooked out, and sit and got to know each other (outside bowling)
I can't remember who all had one right now,.. seems like there was 20 or so of us on a weekly basis.  Steve Cook, Guppy Troup, Sam Zurich,... can't seem to remember who all right now.

FIRST week I ever bowled on the PBA National tour it was with Earl Anthony.  Man that guy as just a machine.  Exact same approach, arm swing, release, followthrough,.. EVERY time.
He was just amazing to watch.

The alleys where we kept score was Fairlanes Capital Heights (I think it was Fairlanes...it's all changed now).  And I do remember some of the motor homes outside the alleys.  It was funny that year.  On Sunday when they had the pro-am, we got snow and by the finals on Thursday and Friday, it was pleasantly spring-like outside.  Do you remember Tommy Hudson?  Have you been on the PBA forum?  I haven't been on for a few months, but found out stuff about some of the guys that bowled when we faithfully watched it. 

Did you ever bowl at Crofton alleys?  It was a privately-owned house between Washington and Baltimore. 

And Earl Anthony...well he was the Earnhardt of Professional Bowlers.  You're right...he was so precise and exact each and every roll.  Somewhere in my boxes or photo albums at home, I have pictures of him and some of the other bowlers.  My intent is to find all pictures that reside in my house (that'll be a big job) and get them scanned in so I have copies when the other disintegrate.  If I find them in any reasonable amount, I'll send you some.

So much for my rambling about PBA...better get back to work....talk at ya later

[WV-Kahne Fan]

not to be sexist,... by my friends around here call the ladies golf tour
Dikes in spikes  LOL

(I shouldn't say that... not ALL of them are gay)
That Anika Sorenstam looks pretty hot... and so does that Michelle Wei... But then again  16 will get ya 20   ROFLOL

I guess I should have said I watch mens golf, because they have nice butts.    I female

[ROOKER]

I know very little about Golf, but I do watch occasionally.  I enjoy the senery and watching the gentelmen.  I don't watch Ladies Golf.

LOL... i see you read that carefully.... PBA is Professional Bowling.. this isnt the Golf Thingy girl.... I think if they can compete then it doesn't mattter if you are male or female.  Just like people who qualify in Nascar/Busch.  If you can qualify up there on the list, the race on..

[WV-Kahne Fan]

Oh Well!  Bowling or Golf I still prefer male butts. I mean after all how much can you expect out of a flustered Kasey Kahne Fans. And anyway whats the big news of a woman on a bowling tour now the PGA, now that would be something.   
I thought the boys had opened the door. 

[Chris]

And anyway whats the big news of a woman on a bowling tour now the PGA, now that would be something

I kinda see it as the same thing...
You ever bowl 100 games a week..  not to easy I don't think...