Liberty’s Bryant arranges regional PBA tournament

LIBERTY

Most fund-raisers usually organize an evening of wine-tasting, a Chinese auction or a fishpond booth.

But Jim Bryant, Liberty High School bowling coach, decided to use his connections with the Professional Bowlers Association to arrange a PBA regional tournament as a fund-raiser.

The response to his request was positive.

So, in co-operation with Bell-Wick Bowl, Bryant’s invitation was accepted.

The result? A combined regional tournament that will attract up to 200 professional and amateur bowlers from the PBA Central and East regions March 18-20.

“People still follow pro bowling even though it’s not as popular as back in the 1970s and ‘80s,” Bryant said. “But league bowlers keep up even though it’s not the ‘Wide World of Sports’ anymore,” he said of the ABC show that once was the main source of televised bowling.

“Local fans are still interested in witnessing good bowlers,” Bryant said of his hunch.

His quest to make the event relevant, however, carries a $5,000 fee.

“I’m doing this for the love of the sport and, at the same time, I’m putting a little business savvy to work,” Bryant said of his entrepreneural spirit.

Bryant, who owns a landscapring company, has been a PBA member for 10 years.

“I did it as a hobby, not for a living,” said Bryant, who joined in 2000.

Now beginning his seventh year as Liberty’s boys coach, Bryant has designated the proceeds to benefit the bowling teams of both Liberty and Hubbard High.

“All funds generated will go to the Hubbard and Liberty programs,” he said.

A qualifier will be held on March 11 — the Friday before the regional.

From the qualifier, bowlers can earn an entry into the PBA tournament.

“For the entry fee of the qualifier, which is fraction of what the PBA tournament would cost,” Bryant said, “a spot in the PBA tournament will be given to every so many qualifier entries.”

The pros will practice at Bell-Wick on March 18, at which time people may get autographs, he said

A high school pro-am and a sweeper tournament will be on March 17.

“We’re going to run pro-ams, but the high school pro-am will specifically be for high school kids to bowl with pros, along with an hour clinic.”

Tournament qualifying and the adult pro-am will be March 18, with the final on March 19, followed by awards to pro-am winners and the sweeper winner.

The prize fund for the pros bowl will be determined by entries.

“If we have 120 entries — that’s just a guess,” Bryant said, “first place will probably be $2,500 or $3,500. ”

Names of pros expected isn’t known yet because of their commitment to the national schedule.

“A lot of national bowlers bowl a lot of regionals, so you can’t compare them [regionals] to the [baseball] minor leagues,” Bryant said. “At every regional I’ve been to, there’s always been a handful of stars or has-been stars.”

Bryant said he’d been thinking about organizing a PBA event since last spring.

“I wanted to do a fund-raiser that would benefit schools and communities and maybe arouse an interest in bowlers and some casual bowlers.”

Pro participation depends on schedules.

“If they stop in Columbus and find out there’s another stop in Youngstown, they’ll come to make a buck or two. Or, if they don’t make the cut or advance, they may shoot down and try to get in this.”

The last PBA regional was several years ago at McKinley Lanes in Niles. The Generations Tour also had a legends event at Camelot in recent years.

Hopefully, Bryant won’t have to resort to the fishpond idea.

Visit www.zarbaugh.com/PBA