The new year will bring new challenges for the Professional Bowlers Association tour as they prepare to open their 64th season with the PBA playoffs beginning in January with the first of 13 official events.

Bowlers will battle for titles and positioning until April when the top 16 players on the points list earn a trip to the Playoffs.

Taylorsville, North Carolina's Kyle Troup is the defending champion of the PBA Playoffs. He won a record $496,900 in 2021, propelled by his victory at the PBA Players Championship.

Kyle is the son of eight-time PBA Tour winner Guppy Troup, the two constituting the fourth father-son pair to each win PBA tour titles.

Troup is said to be one of the PBA's premier two-handed bowlers. He sometimes uses an older technology by using a urethane bowling ball on shorter oil patterns.

Kyle has made 27 PBA championship round appearances through the 2021 season, and owns ten PBA Regional titles. He has rolled 16 career 300 games in PBA competition.
His colorful attire also is a part of his competition bowling.

In a landslide vote, Troup won the Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award for the 2021 season.

Kyle was a member of the Portland Lumberjacks team, winners of the 2019 PBA League competition. He made a career-high five championship round appearances in 2019, but did not win an individual title.

As a teenager, Troup was one of the youngest-ever members of the North Carolina All Stars team, bowling in events across South Carolina and Georgia in addition to his home state.

On January 15 the PBA Players Championship once again starts things off with five regional qualifying locations for PBA and the finals in Euless, Texas.

FS1 television will host the finals on Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., Jan. 23 at 4 and 6 p.m., Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. and the finals on Jan. 29 at 8:30 p.m.

Ed's Outlook

Queens Championship

The 50th Annual New York State Queens Championship will be held on Saturday, April 23 at Ripic's Carousel Lanes in Binghamton.

This tournament features Open and Classified Scratch divisions and there is a new division added this year, the Classified division 199 and under.

The two divisions, bowlers with an average of 200 and above and the classified division of 199 and under. Both divisions are scratch.

There will be one qualifying squad of five games and up to six bowlers per pair at 10 a.m.

Entry fee is $90 and entries close on April 13.

Champions receive a paid entry to the USBC Queens Championships.

Entries are available online at New York State 2022 Bowling Tournaments.

Phone 845-363-1374. Email bowlnysusbc@gmail.com Website www.bowlny.com

Bowling Tip

by Mike Luongo

Repeating a good bowling shot requires bowlers to release the ball the same way shot after shot.

This week we will talk about the release and offer information that will help bowlers of all levels.

A properly executed release is possibly one of the most understood parts of a bowling shot. Most bowlers want to muscle the ball through the release zone, and they do this by accelerating or decelerating on the downswing.

The proper release for all bowlers is executed by letting gravity bring the ball from the top of the swing through the release zone with no interference from your arm or shoulder muscles.

If the ball fits properly, the gravity will take it off your hand at the right time providing your body is in the proper position. Any rotation on the ball should come from your hand only, not your arm.

Using the proper technique will allow you to get as much rotation on the ball as desired. When your bowling ball does not fit properly, it will require excessive grip pressure to hold on to, which will make the release harder to execute.

Gravity can be your best friend or worst enemy depending on how you use it.