Last week's snowstorm knocked out several bowling leagues which greatly reduced our 700 bowling honors.

There were no 700 honor scores in the one league we received from Kiamesha Lanes.

Up at the Hancock Fox Bowling Center Scott Ellis in the Friday Couples league smashed a 729 off single game of 245, 237, 247, in the Wednesday Independent league Mitch Persbacker scored a 732 off single game of 236, 276, 220 and in the same league Dan Keesler scored a 727 off single games of 246, 259, 222.

PBA Returns To

Fox April 24th

The Professional Bowlers Association has released more of the 2021 Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour season, with the highly anticipated return of the PBA Playoffs on FOX Sports starting April 24.

The PBA Tour's high-stakes event is back for a third-year in a row with Bill O'Neill and Kris Prather as champions in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Playoffs will once again feature a $100,000 first place prize and a title on the line as the Tour's top 16 players compete head-to-head in a bracket style, race-to-two-games elimination tournament. Ties will be determined by a 9th/10th frame roll-off.

The top 16 players will earn their spots in the Playoffs based on 2021 points accumulated at the PBA Players Championship, Tournament of Champions, World Series of Bowling (inclusive of all five events), U.S. Open, and the USBC Masters.

The PBA Playoffs will take place from April 24 - May 16, location to be announced at a later date.

The TV schedule is as follows: PBA Playoffs: Round of 16 - Saturday, April 24, 11 a.m. ET on FS1, PBA Playoffs: Round of 16 - Sunday, April 25, 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PBA Playoffs Round of 16 - Saturday, May 1, 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1,PBA Playoffs: Round of 16 - Sunday, May 2, 7 p.m. ET on FS1,PBA Playoffs: Quarterfinals - Sunday, May 9, 12 p.m. ET on FS1,BA Playoffs: Quarterfinals - Monday, May 10, 8 p.m. ET on FS1,PBA Playoffs: Semifinals - Saturday, May 15, 11 a.m. ET on FS1,PBA Playoffs: Finals - Sunday, May 16, 2 p.m. ET on FS1

Fans can catch all the action of the 2021 PBA Tour on FOX and Fox Sports' FS1, and live stream the PBA on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. Select highlights will be available on @FOXSports social handles across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Additional details on PBA Tour events, tournament formats, host bowling centers, and more post-May will be announced at a later date.

During this uncertain time, the PBA's main priority continues to be the health and safety of its players and staff. The PBA is taking all necessary precautions and following local and federal COVID-19 guidelines to reduce risks and modify procedures as needed. For a complete list of the PBA's COVID-19 related standards and procedures, please visit PBA.com.

Ed's Outlook

Kyle Troup Wants

To Do Better

Coming off the best year of his career, Kyle Troup is more mature and more focused than ever. And he's made some physical adjustments to his game, which he believes will lead him to an even better 2021.

So far, 2021 is off to a solid start as he earned the top seed for the East Region stepladder finals of the 2021 PBA Players Championship.

Troup knows, however, there's a lot of work to be done this season.

“Last year, I won three titles, but my goals were not met,” Troup said. “I didn't win a major, and I didn't win Player of the Year. So, I had to tell myself, ‘where can I be better?'”

At the beginning of December, as Troup started thinking about the kickoff to the season with the PBA Players Championship, he decided it was time to step up his game.

“I knew that this event was coming up,” he said. “It was $250,000 for first place and a major title. Who really knows what our season is going to look like? So, I want to cash it in on an event that I know is going to be huge.”

To continue his positive momentum, Troup decided to take Storm Staff Development Manager Shawn Ryan up on a previous offer to practice together one-on-one.

“I take mental notes on the guys, how they handle pressure situations,” Ryan said. “I analyze when it comes down to crunch time his legs started to go away from his upper body. Instead, we wanted to make sure his legs are engaged.”

When Troup arrived at Ryan's home in Florida about a week before Christmas, Ryan had a game plan, and they were both ready to get to work. After starting three straight days with a workout at the gym, they headed to Boardwalk Bowl in Orlando. The focus for day one was foot work.

“The first step in my approach, my left foot, would always want to kind of go in front of my right foot,” the two-handed Troup said. “What we started working on was getting my first step to go a little bit to the left. Whenever my left foot would go in front of my right foot in my first step that kind of closes my shoulders down, closes my hips down and just made it a lot more difficult for me to get into the optimal position at the foul line.”

Ryan said once Troup started taking his first couple steps to the left things “clicked” because Troup was able to open his hips in the right direction.

“I think the biggest change that I made was in my second step,” Troup said. “He was wanting me to push the ball earlier. Maybe get it into the swing earlier and have more spine tilt. So, he was pretty much wanting me to bend over earlier.”

The third thing Ryan wanted Troup to do was really drive with his legs more at the foul line.

“Once he got me bending earlier, then I was able to almost stand up a little bit more at the foul line and use my legs more, which allowed my hand to get through it a lot longer,” Troup said. “When you drive your legs, your spine tilt is less at the foul line because I am standing a little taller.”

If you happen to ever notice Troup slap his legs after a shot, there is a good reason for that.

“Nine times out of 10, my bad shots, I am just not using my legs enough,” he admits. “I just keep thinking back to our man Forrest Gump and Lieutenant Dan. I would tell myself, ‘use your legs, Lieutenant Dan. You have got magic legs, use your legs.' If you look at the greats in our sport, they have such great leverage at the line.”

Since working with Ryan, Troup has not stopped thinking about the changes and knows those tweaks to his game are working.

“I'm very confident in myself and very sharp in my shot making,” he said. “That was very eye opening for me. He has been a big help in my game in the last month or so.”

“We bonded,” Ryan said about the experience. “You get to know the way someone ticks and then it is easier to have communication and more trust, which makes it a much quicker process. Once you understand that, we can speak freely and go for it. It makes the progress quicker.”

Troup bowled about two hours a day over three days working on these physical adjustment and timing issues.

“We added up the frames when we finished practicing,” Troup said. “I had bowled almost 500 frames in three days. Some of the tips that he gave me to focus on, once it clicked, the shot was ace. It was 100 percent. I was like, ‘yeah, that is going to strike every time.' My hand got into the sweet spot. My timing felt perfect.

“It feels like my career over the last few years has been trending in the right direction,” he said. “I am ready to see myself winning Player of the Year and a major championship. I have all the confidence in the world and the sky is the limit.”

Ryan is aware of the goals Troup has set for himself and they talked about what is needed for Troup to get there.

“I told him to not let outside distractions affect him,” Ryan said. “I do not think he should be bowling $500 sweepers on the weekends because he risks catching COVID. He wants to be Player of the Year this year, and he is damn focused on it. And the ones who keep their emotions in check get to the top.”

Troup openly admits he is an emotional player and 2020 was a tough year for him off the lanes. He lost his mother and his grandfather has dementia. To help him, he has been focusing on strengthening his mental game.

“I have taken a lot of tragedy and the hardships and turned it into a positive,” Troup said. “I matured a lot last year, so that just carried over into bowling. At the end of the day, I have had worse things happen than bowling bad in a tournament.

“I knew that I had to get even better mentally if I want to be the best out here,” he said. “The mental game is by far the most important thing, more than the physical game, because one little slip up in your process can cost you so many frames. Be the best you can be! That was one of the last things my mother said to me before she passed and I have taken that to heart more than just on the lanes. I want to win more. I do not want to be just the third, fourth, fifth best bowler on tour.”

And on top of all these changes, Troup and Ryan also worked together during the pandemic when the USBC banned weight holes Aug. 1, 2020.

“That was pretty big,” Ryan said. “Figuring out tips and tricks on making the ball do the right thing in the right spot that he was used to; that was an obstacle. We went through a lot of bowling balls to figure out what shape he likes without the weight hole. We filled the gaps.”

If you were wondering how the PBA's most charismatic player got along with the typically quiet Ryan, well, they bonded.

“We couldn't be more opposite, but we connected,” Troup said. “Shawn can be a little bit of an introvert at times, so for him to open up and offer that personal time to me that also just kind of built our relationship further.”

“He has his character on the lane, but he is not anything like that,” Ryan said. “He has got a lot of pressure on him because he is seen as an entertainer guy, but he is a worker. He is 100 percent focused all of the time.”

“Our tour reps have our back, and these guys are with you ride or die,” Troup said. “They are a huge part of what we do, and they provide us with the best opportunity to be successful. I now know Shawn on a personal level, and he is my teammate.”

“Bowling for a major, I was happy with the format, that it was going to be almost like the ultimate test,” he said, with the eventual 2021 PBA Players champion having to win two stepladder finals to earn the major title. “Mentally, I feel stronger than ever and just locked in. I have all the tools in my bag, and I am ready to make 2021 my best year yet.”

Bowling Tip

By Mike Luongo

The tip this week will help you stay in balance which is important because you need to remain balanced in order to make quality shots and repeat them.

One of the enigmas about the way bowling has often been taught is that bowlers are instructed to push the ball away from the body when starting the approach.

The interesting thing about this is that most of the best bowlers of all time (this era and old timers) never pushed the ball away from their body.

Instead, they slide the elbow forward never pushing it past the front of the body.

It's a wonder why bowlers have been taught this incorrect way so frequently when the best in the sport do it another way.

What you want to do is execute the sliding hinge.

To create the sliding hinge you must never push the ball far enough away from the body that the elbow is extended in front of the body, rather, slide the ball down, walk past the ball and you will be in perfect time.

The problem with pushing the ball and elbow away from the body is that the weight of the ball too far from the body will cause the gravity to pull you forward causing you to have early timing and early timing causes you to lose revolutions and put you in a position where you cannot repeat shots.

Mike Luongo is a certified IBPSIA Pro Shop Operator, Master Instructor, USBC Silver Level Coach and an Advisor-Special Events assistant with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. Have a question, email at mikel@stormbowling.com.

Local Scores

Kiamesha Lanes

Friday Mixed

Pedro Agapito III a 261, 217, 213, 691, Shane Cunningham 223, David Graham 212, Greg Kuchar 215, 599, Philip Norris 217, Serafin Rodriguez III a 213, Jason Rogers 249, 609, Bill Schubert 221, 255, 632, Kevin Stackhouse 236, 222, 671, Bob Sze 221, 255, 678, Charlie Tuttle 226, 222, 662, Esther Barber 200, Lauren Blume 161, Lisa Carpenter 169, Susette Goldsmith 163, Michele Macedonio 171, 187, 494, Valerie Mott 188, Wendy Swan 159, Naomi Tolley 156.

Fox Bowling Center

Wednesday Independent

Doc Bolduc 224, 236, 226, 686, Andrew Bullis 245, 623, Shane Dirig 203, 233, 607, Brian Drumm 246, 661, Randy Evanitsky Jr. 268, 224, 659, Anthony Gately 213, 213, 607, Craig Gehrig 224, Bill Gleim 247, 625, Rob Johnson 215, 225, 641, Donnie Marino 212, 245, 649, Wayne McClenon 221, 628, Zuke Wormuth 225, 610.

Thursday Night 3

Dale Conklin 235, 224, 632, Ray Cornwall 235, 629, Bill Gleim 225, Dan Keesler 232, 634, Dennis Leonard 225, Dan Wormuth 227, 227, 637.

Friday Couples

Andy Bullis 246, 226, 688, Shane Dirig 227, Janet Ellis 182, 182, 520, Linda Ferris 192, 182, 546, Gino Jones 245, Julie Martin 213, Brianna Meres 183, 523, Tia Robinson 189, 511, Kathy Smith 181, 504, Scott Wahl 201, 252, 641, Dan Wormuth 259, 653, Jay Wormuth 234, 614.

Saturday Youth Mixed

Joshua Dunlap 101, Landon Fuller 132, 122, 159, 413, Ashbee Gately 138, Olivia Johnson 129, 107, 115, Alex Mosher 133, 155, Landyn Robinson 121, 112, 135, Cooper Wormuth 131, 103, 128.

Sunday Mixed

John Fish 543, Landon Fuller (youth) 137, 156, 134, 427, Anthony Gately 555, Donnie Marino 213, 205, 608, Gabe Rynearson (youth) 212, 247, 221, 680.

Port Jervis Bowl

Thursday Women's

Carol Flynn 204, 186, 174, 564, Sherri Laird 201, 185, 173, 559, Charlene VanHorn 194, 185, 132, 511, Kimberly DeGarmo 140, 144, 173, 457, Kimberly Witkowski 143, 147, 178, 468.

Ed Townsend is a Public Relations Consultant to the sport of bowling and brings over 60-years of sports journalism experience in writing and compiling the information for this column. If you have league or tournament information, bowl a 300 game or 800 series, let Ed know at 845-439-8177, email to bght75@gmail.com or fax at 845-205-4474. View this column and Ed's photos at http://bght.blogspot.com We are also on Facebook and Twitter.