CANADIAN STAR QUALIFIES FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE AMF BOWLING WORLD CUP

2002 AMF Bowling World Cup
October 19-26, 2002 – Riga, Latvia
National Champions Announced as of October 1, 2002

* denotes previous World Cup competitor
# denotes previous World Cup champion
Note: Andres Fallas replaces Marco Odio, who was previously announced for Costa Rica

LONDON, ENGLAND, October 1, 2002 – Amanda Bradley, who won the 1999 women’s AMF Bowling World Cup, will be aiming for Title No. 2 when the 38^th edition of the tournament takes place October 19-26 in Riga, Latvia.

Bradley, a 27-year-old office worker from Lambton, New South Wales, Australia, won the 2002 South Pacific Classic last month in Melbourne. The South Pacific Classic is Australia’s national World Cup qualifier. “I was in third place at the end of qualifying and about 150 [pins] behind [the leader], but I finished 134 in front and averaged 238 on the final day,” Bradley told the Newcastle Herald’s Renee Valentine. The righthander overcame early leaders Kate Wilton and Kelly Warren and held off last year’s Australian World Cup bowler, Ann Maree Putney, to earn the trip to Riga. Bradley, who at 16 became the youngest Australian woman ever to roll a perfect game, stepped away from competitive bowling the past two years to have a baby. She resurrected her career this year by winning the Vic 150 and the Hunter Valley Margaret Cole Cup, two of Australia’s most prestigious women’s tournaments. After winning the Bowling World Cup in October of 1999, Bradley captured gold medals in women’s doubles (with Joy Hayman) and all-events the following month at the 1999 WTBA World Championships in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She joins three other previous World Cup champions in this year’s World Cup field: Tore Torgersen of Norway (1994), Mel Isaac of Wales (2000) and Ahmed Shaheen of Qatar, the men’s 1999 champion.

Amanda Bradley
© Graham Williams/AMF Australia

Accompanying Bradley will be Paul Trotter of Box Hill, Victoria, who won the men’s division of the South Pacific Classic. Trotter, a 30-year-old customer service representative, is making his Bowling World Cup debut in Riga.

LONDON, ENGLAND, September 20, 2002 – Former men’s champions Tore Torgersen of Norway and Ahmed Shaheen of Qatar have qualified for the 2002 AMF Bowling World Cup in Riga, Latvia. The former men’s champions join previously announced Mel Isaac of Wales, the 2000 women’s champion, in the field that will compete October 19-26 at host center Toss Boulinga Halle in Riga.

Torgersen won the men’s crown in 1994 in Hermosillo, Mexico, by defeating 1988 Bowling World Cup champion Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi of the UAE in a single-game stepladder finale, 217-215. The Norwegian star will be out to avenge his 2-0 loss to archrival Tomas Leandersson of Sweden in the best-of-three-games “knockout” championship match of the 2000 Bowling World Cup in Lisbon, Portugal. The 34-year-old Torgersen, a self-employed businessman from Oslo, dethroned 2001 Bowling World Cup men’s champion and countryman Kim Haugen in this year’s Norwegian national finals to earn his third trip to the Bowling World Cup.

Like Torgersen, Shaheen seeks his second Bowling World Cup title. The 34-year-old Qatari company employee was runnerup to Haugen last year in Pattaya, Thailand, losing 2-0 in the best-of-three games championship match. Shaheen won the men’s title in 1999 in Las Vegas, USA, when he defeated top-seeded Frank Boerner of Germany in the single-game stepladder championship match, 224-184. A resident of Doha, Shaheen is making his sixth Bowling World Cup appearance. He is one of two Qatari bowlers to win the AMF Bowling World Cup; the first was Salem Al-Monsouri, in 1989.

Torgersen and Shaheen have each rolled a perfect 300 score in World Cup competition. Torgersen’s came in 2000 in Lisbon, while Shaheen rolled his in Cairo, Egypt, in 1997.

LONDON, ENGLAND, September 20, 2002 – Host nation Latvia’s representatives in the 2002 AMF Bowling World Cup, to be held October 19-26 at the Toss Boulinga Halle in Riga, are Jurys Ryazansky and Renata Blauma. Ryazansky, 23, lives in the nearby beach resort of Jurmala and is making his second Bowling World Cup appearance. The 2001 Latvian national champion hopes to better his 63^rd-place finish from two years ago in Lisbon, Portugal. Fluent in Latvian, English and Russian, Ryazansky boasts a personal-best high game score of 300 and high three-game series of 779 thus far in his four-year bowling career. He currently averages 211 in league play. Blauma, 33, is a self-employed businesswoman from Riga who also has been bowling for four years. She has posted a high game of 256 and high three-game series of 630 while averaging 175 in competition. Her goal is to represent Latvia in the 2003 World Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships.

Ryazansky and Blauma were introduced to local print and broadcast media at a September 17 press conference held at Riga’s City Hall, “Rigas Domas.” Also attending and speaking on the upcoming tournament were AMF Bowling World Cup tournament manager Anne-Marie Board and media coordinator Lydia Rypcinski; AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc. vice president of communications Merrell Wreden; and Alberts Zuks, principal partner and owner of Toss Boulinga Halle, which is the venue for the 2002 Bowling World Cup.

LONDON, ENGLAND, September 10, 2002 – Sara and Or Aviram, a mother-and-son bowling duo from Rehovot, will represent Israel in the 2002 AMF Bowling World Cup next month in Riga, Latvia.

Keeping it all in the family for the October 19-26 tournament at Toss Boulinga Halle, Sara’s husband and Or’s father Gadi—Israel’s national bowling coach—will coach them in Riga. “We’ve always said that everyone who participates in the Bowling World Cup becomes part of an extended family, but the Avirams are taking us literally,” laughed tournament manager Anne-Marie Board. “Actually, we’ve had several tournaments where two members of the same family represented a nation. Last year in Pattaya, Thailand, a married couple—Sian and Trevor Wood—represented St. Helena. The year before that in Portugal, Daniel and Claudia Falconi, who are brother and sister, bowled for Mexico. “We’ve also had father-daughter duos in past years, but I believe this is the first time we’ll have a mother-son combination.” Sara Aviram ruined Tana Vilner’s hopes of competing in Riga by defeating her in the women’s best-of-three-games championship match, 151-193, 224-154 and 183-164. Or, Israel’s top-ranked National League bowler and a two-time Bowler of the Year, also needed all three games in the men’s finale to topple archrival Joseph Shtrum, 247-211, 212-232 and 246-232. Sara, 45, made her first Bowling World Cup appearance in 1972 in Le Mans, France. Or, 23, is a World Cup rookie, while Gadi is a regular as the Israeli coach. Gadi helped steer Yahav Rabin to a fifth-place tie last year in Thailand, the best finish ever for an Israeli player.

LONDON, ENGLAND, September 10, 2002 – Romania will be represented in the AMF Bowling World Cup for the first time this October in Riga, Latvia, tournament manager Anne-Marie Board announced today. Romania, which burst into the world’s sports consciousness in 1976 with its women’s gymnastics team and Nadia Comaneci, is the latest Eastern European nation to join the Bowling World Cup family. Its neighbor to the northeast, Moldova, announced earlier this year its intention to send athletes. The other countries with which Romania shares a border— Bulgaria (to the south), Yugoslavia (southwest), Hungary (northwest) and Ukraine (north)—have all been represented in previous Bowling World Cups and expect to be present in Riga. Romania’s entry brings to 90 the number of countries expected for the October 19-26 tournament at Toss Boulinga Halle. The names of the man and woman who will bowl for Romania will be announced later.

Three other nations released the names of their Bowling World Cup representatives following national qualifying trials. C.J. Suarez, a 23-year-old lefthander, and 33-year-old Jojo Canare won the Philippines’ AMF World Cup finals in Manila in early September. Suarez, who competed in the 2000 Bowling World Cup in Lisbon, Portugal, upset top-seeded Gene Tonolete to claim the men’s honors. Canare clinched her first Bowling World Cup berth by tossing a perfect 300 game at Ellen Ramos in the women’s championship match. Suarez and Canare are both members of the Philippines’ national bowling team.

Another bowler making his World Cup debut this year is 19-year-old Yousif Falah of Manama, Bahrain. Falah won the gold medal in men’s singles at the recent Gulf Countries Championships.

Switzerland is sending two veterans, Ruth Doppler of Basel and Philippe Privat of Geneva.

LONDON, ENGLAND, August 30, 2002 – Mel Isaac of Wales, who captured the AMF Bowling World Cup women’s crown two years ago, will make her third consecutive appearance in the international fall bowling classic when the 2002 edition takes place this October in Riga, Latvia. Isaac and Mark Shea won the recent 2002 Welsh AMF World Cup national qualifier and will compete at the Toss Boulinga Halle bowling center October 19-26 along with champions from an expected 90-plus countries. Isaac, who turns 26 this September, won the Bowling World Cup in her first try in Lisbon, Portugal in 2000. Though she requalified out of Wales again last year and thus earned the right to defend her title in Pattaya, Thailand, a slow rehabilitation from a summer auto accident prevented the 2000 British Bowler of the Year from competing in top form, and she placed a distant 33^rd in the standings.

In addition to Wales, Russia, Germany, Armenia and Argentina recently announced their representatives. Tatiana Smirnova, who competed in the 1997, 1998 and 1999 Bowling World Cups, and rookie Mikhail Pozniakov, who won the 2002 Russian Cup, will represent Russia. Germany is sending veteran national team member Michaela Goebel, 28, who placed third at the 2001 European Individual Cup in Moscow, and former national youth champion Kai Guenther, 25. Armenia’s delegates last year in Thailand, Ashot Grigorian and Marina Guseva, will repeat those roles in Riga. Making his fifth World Cup appearance for Argentina is Christian Saint-Bonnet, along with two-time World Cupper Ana Benko. Saint-Bonnet dedicated his national World Cup qualifying victory to his mother, who passed away in December. “I wore a t-shirt with her photo on it under my bowling shirt, and I think she was taking care of me during the tournament,” Saint-Bonnet said. “I even bowled a [near-perfect] 299 game during the tournament. Now I hope to bring back a trophy for her from Riga.”

2002 AMF Bowling World Cup
October 19-26, 2002 – Riga, Latvia
National Champions Announced as of August 30, 2002

ARGENTINA                 Christian Saint-Bonnet*            Ana Benko*
ARMENIA                     Ashot Grigorian*                      Marina Guseva*
BELGIUM                     Gery Verbruggen*                    Wendy Bergen
BULGARIA                   Ivan Vassilev                            (none)
CANADA                      Merlin Bunnage                        Diane Buchanan*
COLOMBIA                   (not available)                          Sara Vargas
COSTA RICA                Marco Odio*                            Sylvia Carrion*
CZECH REPUBLIC        Jiri Hindrak                              Vera Vachova
ENGLAND                    Wayne Greenall*                      Nikki Harvey*
GERMANY                   Kai Guenther                           Michaela Goebel
IRAN                            Amiredin Tabatabaei*                (none)
IRAQ                            Shant Panos Tomassian*          (none)
ISLE OF MAN               Philip Hatton*                           Pam Hooper*
JERSEY                       Stephen King                           Tracey Aubert*
MACAU                        Jose Manuel Machon*               (none)
MALAYSIA                   Zulmazran Zulkifli                      Wendy Chai
MOROCCO                   Patrick Leroy*                          Daniele Honigstein
NEW ZEALAND            Robbie Mac                              Belinda Tan*
NICARAGUA                 Eduardo Padilla*                       Carmen Bolanos*
RUSSIA                        Mikhail Pozniakov                     Tatiana Smirnova*
SCOTLAND                   Tayo Boyle                              Laura Rhoney*
UNITED STATES           Andrew Cain                            Shannon Pluhowsky
WALES                        Mark Shea*                              Mel Isaac#

CAPE VERDE TO SEND BOWLER TO 2002 AMF BOWLING WORLD CUP

LONDON, ENGLAND, August 30, 2002 – Cape Verde, an archipelago nation in the Atlantic Ocean that lies off the northwestern coast of Africa, will send its first-ever bowler to the AMF Bowling World Cup this October in Riga, Latvia. Cape Verde, whose nearest neighbor on the African continent is Senegal, is one of the smaller countries entered in the 2002 AMF Bowling World Cup, which takes place October 19-26 in Riga. Its total land mass of 1,557 square miles (4,020 sq. km), spread out over 10 islands, is comparable to the U.S. state of Rhode Island. (By comparison, Wales, which is sending the 2000 Bowling World Cup women’s champion Mel Isaac for her third consecutive appearance, has 8,019 square miles, or 20,768 sq. km. Macau is the tiniest country entered to date, with a mere 6 square miles, or 15.5 sq. km., of land.).

Still, Cape Verde boasts its own national bowling federation and a four-lane center in the capital city of Praia, where approximately 62,000 people live. Higher-skilled bowlers from Cape Verde and Cote d’Ivoire take one-hour boat rides back and forth between Praia and Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire’s capital city, to compete in friendly three-way tournaments that include Lebanon. Dr. Mohammed Nasser, a practicing physician in Cote d’Ivoire who is an avid bowling enthusiast, coordinates the tournaments and will serve as team manager for the World Cup athletes from these countries. “We’re pleased to welcome Cape Verde to the Bowling World Cup family this year,” said tournament manager Anne-Marie Board. “I’m always amazed each year by some of the countries that request permission to compete in the tournament, countries that are sometimes lost on the world stage but are the equal of every other country when it comes to their dedication to the sport of bowling.” Cape Verde joins previously announced Czech Republic, Moldova and Uzbekistan as a Bowling World Cup newcomer nation. Its pledge raises to 89 the number of countries promising to send their male and female individual amateur champions to Toss Boulinga Halle to compete in the 38^th edition of AMF’s annual fall classic.

LONDON, ENGLAND, August 21, 2002 – Iceland and the Channel Island of Jersey are the 84^th and 85^th countries to register for the 2002 AMF Bowling World Cup, to be held October 19-26 at Toss Boulinga Halle in Riga, Latvia.

Iceland confirmed to tournament manager Anne-Marie Board that it will send its male and female national champions to the World Cup, with the players to be named later. Tracey Aubert, who placed 49^th in the 2000 Bowling World Cup in Lisbon, Portugal, and Stephen King will represent Jersey. They join two other recently announced United Kingdom qualifiers, England’s Wayne Greenall and Nikki Harvey, both veterans of AMF’s international fall classic.Greenall’s last appearance came in 1995 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he placed 10^th. Harvey is hoping to improve upon her seventh-place finish in Cairo, Egypt, in 1997; she also finished ninth three years ago in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The duo earned their berths in this year’s tournament by winning the English national qualifying tournament earlier this month. Harvey succeeds Kirsten Penny, the young English woman who led the qualifying last year in Pattaya, Thailand, and who compiled back-to-back Top 5 finishes in 2000 and 2001.

Coincidentally, one of Penny’s biggest rivals on the world bowling stage, Malaysia’s Shalin Zulkifli, was thwarted in her bid for a sixth Bowling World Cup appearance. Teammate Wendy Chai, the top-ranked woman on the 2001 Asian Bowling Tour, upended Zulkifli in the Malaysian national qualifier in early August. Chai, whose biggest individual victory to date came at the Singapore Open Masters in January, will be accompanied to Riga by Zulmazran Zulkifli (no relation to Shalin). Zulkifli, 18, is the youngest man ever to win the Malaysian national championship. He and Chai will make their World Cup debuts in Riga.

Two other top world performers, Colombia’s Sara Vargas and Costa Rica’s Marco Odio, are also expected to compete. Vargas is a product of Colombia’s youth bowling program and a mainstay of the women’s national team, which won the silver medal at the 1999 WTBA World Championships in the UAE. She also won the 1996 WTBA World Youth Championships singles title and was selected one of Colombia’s “Athletes of the Century.” Vargas graduated from Wichita (Kan.) State University, where she majored in graphic design and competed with the women’s varsity bowling squad. Odio is making his 12^th appearance in the Bowling World Cup, tying the record set by Philip Dunne of Ireland. A law student and bowling center manager, Odio fought back from a stroke suffered in the mid-1990s to regain his competitive form and his position on the Costa Rican national team. The 10-time national all-events champion hopes to improve on his all-time best finish—seventh place—which came in 1994 in Hermosillo, Mexico.

The AMF Bowling World Cup, founded by AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc., is the largest annual international sports competition in the world in terms of number of participating countries. Eighty-seven countries—one shy of the record set in 2000—competed in the 2001 AMF Bowling World Cup in Pattaya, Thailand, which was won by Norway’s Kim Haugen and Japan’s Nachimi Itakura. AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc. and AKA International Group, Ltd. are principal sponsors of this year’s championship.

SHANNON PLUHOWSKY NAMED U.S. WOMEN’S REPRESENTATIVE FOR 2002 AMF BOWLING WORLD CUP

LONDON, ENGLAND, July 26, 2002 – Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix, the reigning U.S. women’s national amateur champion and new American Zone Youth Masters queen, will face her biggest individual test to date October 19-26, when she represents all U.S. women bowlers in the 38^th AMF Bowling World Cup in Riga, Latvia.

Pluhowsky, who turns 20 on August 8, makes it an all-Arizona affair for the United States, joining previously announced men’s representative and fellow lefthander Andrew Cain of Tempe on the World Cup roster. Pluhowsky is majoring in early childhood development at the University of Nebraska, where she will be a junior this fall. She is a member of the Cornhuskers’ women’s varsity bowling team, which won the 2000-01 national collegiate championship. Individually, Pluhowsky won Collegiate Rookie of the Year and Bowler of the Year honors in the same season. Besides collegiate bowling, Pluhowsky has dominated the U.S. Junior Gold program.

Shannon Pluhowsky, USA
© USA Bowling/Team USA

A three-time Junior Gold national champion and four-time member of Junior Team USA, Pluhowsky headlines the U.S. squad that competes in the World Youth Championships this summer in Pattaya, Thailand. This is also her second year as a member of Team USA’s adult squad. Prior to this month’s WTBA American Zone Youth Championships in Costa Rica, where she won gold medals in team and doubles as well as the coveted Masters title, Pluhowsky turned in winning performances in the 2000 edition of the Zone Youth Championships, where she swept every gold medal offered in the girls’ division (6).

Pluhowsky and Cain have known each other since their junior league days in the Phoenix area, and she is pleased that they will carry America’s hopes to Riga together in October. “I think it will help knowing Andrew is there with me,” she said. “We can usually help each other get lined up with the condition and encourage each other.” Pluhowsky can become the first U.S. woman to win the AMF Bowling World Cup since Linda Graham took the 1990 title in Pattaya, Thailand (U.S. women have won the Bowling World Cup four times), but she says she’s not concentrating on that. “I’m not going to put any extra pressure on myself by thinking about what it would be like to win the Bowling World Cup. I’m going to take things one day at a time, one game at a time. This can be fun, and that’s how I’ll look at it.”

LONDON, ENGLAND, July 29, 2002 – Gery Verbruggen, the No. 1 ranked men’s amateur bowler in the world by virtue of his victory in the 2002 World Ranking Masters tournament, will represent Belgium in the 38^th AMF Bowling World Cup in Riga, Latvia. The 36-year-old Belgian national team member, who hails from Antwerp and averages 219, is no stranger to the Bowling World Cup; his best finish to date came in Cairo, Egypt, in 1997, where he placed third. The lefthander has claimed countless international championships during his career, including this year’s Athens Open. He has won Belgium’s “Superprestige Trophy”, given to a Belgian bowler who achieves exemplary international success, for the past two years. Prior to winning the World Ranking Masters crown this spring, Verbruggen’s biggest global coup came in 1999 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, when he captured the men’s singles title in the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships. He finished second to 1999 Bowling World Cup champion Ahmed Shaheen of Qatar in the men’s Masters competition later that week.

Gery Verbruggen, Belgium
© Lydia Rypcinsky

Verbruggen’s teammate at the October 19-26 Bowling World Cup is Wendy Bergen, a relative newcomer to the international scene. Bergen is a member of the Belgian women’s national team and placed second in the 2001-02 Bowler of the Year balloting. Like Verbruggen, Bergen will be trying to become the first Belgian bowler ever to win the AMF Bowling World Cup.

In addition to Belgium, several other countries have released the names of their 2002 Bowling World Cup representatives. Morocco will be represented by World Cup veteran Patrick Leroy and rookie (Ms.) Dan Honigstein, while Nicaragua’s flag will be carried by multi-time World Cuppers Eduardo Padilla and Carmen Bolanos. Pam Hooper and Philip Hatton will reprise their 2001 roles as the Isle of Man representatives. Canada’s World Cup champions are Diane Buchanan and Merlin Bunnage. Buchanan qualified earlier this year for her third consecutive Bowling World Cup, and she will be trying to better her third-place finish of two years ago in Lisbon, Portugal. Bunnage, who began his bowling career by playing the uniquely Canadian version of the game known as five-pins, is competing internationally for the first time. Canada will be vying for its first Bowling World Cup championship since Jean Gordon won the women’s competition in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1980.

National amateur champions Andrew Cain and Shannon Pluhowsky carry the United States’ hopes to Riga. The Team USA teammates hope to bring the Cup back to the States for the first time in seven years (Patrick Healey Jr., 1995, Sao Paulo, Brazil).

ANDREW CAIN TO CARRY U.S. COLORS INTO 2002 AMF BOWLING WORLD CUP

LONDON, ENGLAND, July 4, 2002 – The reigning U.S. men’s national amateur champion, 20-year-old Andrew Cain of Tempe, Ariz., will represent his country in the 38^th AMF Bowling World Cup in Riga, Latvia, October 19-26.

Cain, a powerful lefthander who turns 21 on the opening day of the tournament, is a graduate of Junior Team USA and, by virtue of winning the national amateur championship, the nominal leader of the 2002 Team USA adult squad. He will be a senior this fall at Arizona State University, where he bowls for the Sun Devils and majors in aerospace engineering. He already owns 24 perfect games, and 11 three-game series of 800 or better, the highest being 837. Like Scott Norton, who represented the U.S. at last year’s Bowling World Cup in Thailand, Cain is an American Bowling Congress Chuck Hall Star of Tomorrow awardee. His achievements to date include All-American and Scholastic All-American status at Arizona State and a five-gold-medal performance as a junior bowler at the 2001 Lee Evans Tournament of the Americas.

Andrew Cain, USA
© USA Bowling/Team USA

More recently, Cain became the first lefthander to roll a sanctioned 300 game on the demanding Sport Bowling lane condition in the United States. The achievement came June 11 at AMF Thunderbird Lanes in Phoenix. The Sport Bowling 300 game was one of five perfect scores Cain recorded in five different centers during the month of June. Cain will be trying to bring the U.S. its first Bowling World Cup title since Patrick Healey Jr. won in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1995. “It would be a great thrill to win the Bowling World Cup for the U.S. for the first time in seven years,” Cain said. “It’s going to be hard to fill Pat’s shoes, but I’ll give it my best shot.

“I’ve dreamed of competing in this tournament since I was 6, when I learned how to bowl. In fact, when the World Cup came to Las Vegas in 1999, I seriously considered cutting classes to drive to Las Vegas, just to see what the World Cup was all about!

“Now I’ll get a chance to wear the Red, White and Blue myself, and I can hardly believe it. I feel very patriotic about this. Although I don’t have a great deal of international experience, the bowler who won the tournament in 1981—Bob Worrell—lives in the Phoenix area, too, and I know he’s going to give me some great advice on what I can expect.”

CZECH BOWLERS ARE COUNTRY’S FIRST-EVER WORLD CUP REPRESENTATIVES

LONDON, ENGLAND, June 14, 2002 – Vera Vachova and Jiri Hindrak have won the right to be the Czech Republic’s first-ever representatives in the annual AMF Bowling World Cup. Vachova and Hindrak earned their berths by capturing the Czech AMF Cup 2002 national finals, which were held May 24-25 at Sportcentrum Hotel Duo in Prague. Vachova, a 33-year-old housewife from Revnice (birthplace of tennis great Martina Navratilova), advanced to the Round of 8 by averaging 174 in qualifying and placing seventh in the 20-woman field. She defeated Jana Lebrova in the quarterfinal match, 2 games to 0 (202-143, 195-192), and top-seeded Dana Hurkova in the semifinal round by an identical margin (204-164, 196-170) before turning away Ilona Pospisilova in the championship bout, 2 games to 1 (196-170, 172-203, 201-163).

Hindrak, a 39-year-old construction entrepreneur from the Eastern Bohemia city of Trutnov, leveraged a 204.5 qualifying average into a second-place seeding for the Round of 8. He wasted little time dispatching Martin Lips and Pavel Cermak by identical 2-0 victory margins (219-172/182-157 and 203-179/182-122, respectively) before knocking off Petr Bilik, 180-165 and 180-171. Sixty-three men competed in the inaugural Czech AMF Cup.

Vachova and Hindrak join previously announced World Cup qualifiers Diane Buchanan and Merlin Bunnage of Canada on the roster for the 38^th edition of AMF’s international fall sports classic. Athletes from more than 90 countries are expected to compete at the 24-lane Toss Boulinga Halle in Riga October 19-26.

LONDON, ENGLAND, June 13, 2002 – A new qualifying format and schedule of activities await this year’s AMF Bowling World Cup athletes when they arrive in Riga, Latvia. Tournament Week dates have changed from October 20-26 to October 19-26, as the Opening Ceremonies and Welcome Reception move to the day prior to the start of competition. Qualifying squads have begun immediately following the formal opening of the tournament in recent years.

In addition, “To make the best use of our host center’s facilities, and accommodate the ever-increasing number of nations participating in the AMF Bowling World Cup, we decided to alter the number of qualifying games that each player bowls,” said tournament manager Anne-Marie Board. All athletes will bowl 20 qualifying games at Riga’s Toss Boulinga Halle beginning Sunday, October 20, and continuing through Wednesday, October 23, before the fields are cut to the top 24 men and top 24 women. Those survivors will bowl 12 more games to determine who makes the cut to the top eight in each division.

Board noted that the “knockout” format, in which a bowler must win two of three games in a head-to-head match with an opponent to advance to the next round, remains intact for the “Round of 8.” “We feel that this is one of the best ways to determine a champion in our sport. We need only look at the number of tournaments throughout the world that have adopted or are adopting similar multi-game match formats to determine champions, to see it is an excellent way to showcase the physical and mental skills required to win.” The seeding format established in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2000—whereby the leading qualifier gains the No. 1 seed and faces the No. 8 qualifier in the quarterfinals—also remains intact. The top eight men and women begin quarterfinal play Friday morning, October 25, and the 2002 tournament champions will be crowned Saturday afternoon, October 26. This year’s quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be staged on one side of the center, which is configured as a “split house” (12 lanes on each side, separated by a concourse and public area), rather than an arena. Matchroom Sports of the U.K. will produce the tournament broadcast, beginning with the quarterfinals, and distribute the series to networks around the world on a tape-delayed basis. More than 90 nations are expected to send their male and female national champions to the 38^th edition of AMF’s annual international sports classic.

38^th AMF Bowling World Cup - Riga, Latvia
18-27^th October, 2002
Tournament Schedule

Friday, 18^th October
Arrival of Competitors
Acclimatisation and Unofficial Practice
Ball Control
Rehearsal for Opening Ceremonies Sign Bearers

PLEASE NOTE: This schedule is subject to change. The above arrival date (18 October) and departure date (27 October) are valid and must be adhered to when making travel arrangements for National Representatives.

THREE NEW COUNTRIES ADDED TO BOWLING WORLD CUP FAMILY

LONDON, ENGLAND, June 14, 2002 – Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic and Moldova will send athletes to compete in the 38^th annual AMF Bowling World Cup, to be held October 19-26 at Toss Boulinga Halle in Riga, Latvia. In announcing the latest additions, AMF Bowling World Cup tournament manager Anne-Marie Board said that 60 countries to date have requested entry into AMF's international fall sports classic, the world's largest annual international sports championship in terms of number of participating nations. "We're very excited to have so many countries responding so early, and we're particularly gratified to see nations such as Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic and Moldova embrace tenpin bowling so fully," Board said. "We are on target to break the attendance record of 88 nations we set in 2000."

The Republic of Uzbekistan is a former Soviet republic. One-twelfth of its 25 million citizens live in the capital city of Tashkent (2.1 million); the country land mass is just slightly larger than the state of California. Its neighbor to the north and west, Kazakhstan, debuted in the 2001 AMF Bowling World Cup in Pattaya, Thailand; it is also bordered by Turkmenistan to the southwest and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to the east and southeast. Uzbekistan boasts a fabled and fascinating history. Once part of the Persian Empire, it was conquered by Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C. Arabs, the Mongols and Genghis Khan, and Tamerlane the Great also ruled the land before the Uzbeks assumed power in the 16^th century. They eventually submitted to Russian rule in the mid-1800s, which morphed into membership in the Soviet Union. Uzbekistan became the first central Asian Soviet republic to declare its independence from Soviet authority in 1990, and it became fully independent in 1991 as a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Its primary industries revolve around agriculture, particularly cotton, and natural mineral and metal deposits.

The Czech Republic is the westernmost half of what used to be Czechoslovakia. Settled in the 5^th century A.D. by Slavic tribes, the land was once part of the Bohemian kingdom and Holy Roman Empire. From 1620 to the 20^th century, the country and its people were part of the Austrian empire, which collapsed after World War I. The Czech nation was united with Slovakia as Czechoslovakia in 1918, but that affiliation that dissolved in 1993 when the Czech Republic became an independent and freestanding country. The capital city of Prague, renowned as a center of culture and the arts, is home to 1.2 million of its 10.2 million citizens. In addition to Slovakia on its eastern borders, the Czech Republic’s boundaries include Poland to the north, Germany to the west, and Austria to the south.

While Moldova (formerly Moldavia) may not be as well known as its neighbors, Ukraine and Romania, its location on a hilly and fertile plain a short distance from the Black Sea has made it a much-desired prize in world history. It was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, Russia and Romania in its pre-Republic days; it declared itself an independent state in 1991. Its land mass (13,000 sq. mi./33,700 sq. km.) is slightly larger than that of Belgium, and nearly 700,000 of its 4.4 million people live in the capital city of Chisinau. An agricultural society, Moldova produces primarily foods and textiles, and Russia is its major trade partner.

Bowlers from more than 90 nations are expected to compete in the 2002 AMF Bowling World Cup. Each country determines its own qualification process to send one male and one female to the tournament, and the 2001 World Cup champions, Kim Haugen of Norway and Nachimi Itakura of Japan, must win their national tournaments again this year to defend their titles in Riga.

RIGA’S OLD WORLD CHARM, MODERN OUTLOOK AWAIT WORLD CUP BOWLERS

LONDON, ENGLAND, June 14, 2002 – Eclectic architecture, pastoral scenery, historic landmarks and unsurpassed hospitality await the national bowling champions who travel to Riga, Latvia, for the 38^th annual AMF Bowling World Cup. Athletes from more than 90 countries are expected to compete in the October 19-26 international sports championship at Toss Boulinga Halle, and tournament organizers are planning the week’s schedule to allow them to take in as many of the Latvian capital’s sights and sounds as possible.

Riga, which celebrated its 800^th anniversary in 2001, is rich in history and culture. Many of its museums, such as the History Museum of Latvia, the Museum of Riga’s History and Navigation, the Firefighting Museum and the Latvian Railway Museum, house an abundance of historical artifacts and exhibits. Latvia has been ruled at various times by Sweden, Poland, Germany and Russia, and several museums are dedicated solely to these experiences (the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, the Latvia People’s Front Museum, the Museum of War). Other museums, such as the Latvian Photography Museum; the Art Museum; the Museum of Writing, Theater and Music, and the Museum of Decorative and Applied Art, celebrate Latvia’s contribution to the humanities.

Riga is renowned for its architecture, which ranges from 16^th Century towers and wooden church steeples in the Orthodox tradition, to Art Deco public buildings, to modern glass-and-steel skyscrapers. Excellent examples of Art Nouveau detailing can be found on buildings on Alberta Street in downtown Riga, including the Riga Law School, and on Streinieku and Elizabetes Streets. At the other end of the architectural scale is the modernistic Freedom Monument, located in the heart of the city. The monument symbolizes the unity of Latvia’s three geographic regions and is protected by a military honor guard that changes every half-hour in a solemn ceremony. Must-see sights in Riga’s “Old City” include the House of Blackheads (destroyed in World War II and rebuilt for the 800^th anniversary celebration), the Dome Cathedral (houses one of the world’s biggest pipe organs—6,718 pipes), the Swedish Gate (over which the city’s executioner once resided); St. Peter’s Church (with an observation tower that overlooks Riga); and the Great and Small Guild Halls (now housing the Philharmonic Orchestra and a discotheque, respectively).

Bowling World Cup visitors can easily explore these and other sights on foot, as automobiles are not permitted inside the Old City. However, taxis can be taken from the host hotel, the Radisson SAS-Daugava, to the outskirts of the Old City as well as into the new sector. Hotel guests can also walk to the Old City using the nearby Akmens (“Stone”) Bridge, which crosses the Daugava River. Open green areas are also part of Riga’s charm. Many were once vital components of the city’s natural fortification system of hills and moats. They become larger and roomier outside the Old City; among the more popular are Bastion Hill, which separates Old from New Riga; the Esplanade, where the Fine Arts Museum and Fine Arts Academy are located; the Vermanes Gardens, which hosts outdoor musical concerts in the summer; and the Kronvalda Parks, the “back yard” for the National Theater.

Jurmala (“seaside”), a wind-swept, white-sanded stretch of beach on the Lielupe River referred to as “Riga’s playground,” is a 20- to 30-minute drive from the city. It’s a popular resort area for Rigans, and many enjoy hiking and cycling through the pine woods that separate the beach from the residential area. A favorite tourist activity is beachcombing for amber nuggets, which are so plentiful in the area they’re referred to as “sun drops.” Riga’s nightlife includes jazz clubs and discos, billiards parlors and several casinos, including the Regency Palace Casino at the Radisson SAS-Daugava. This year’s World Cup visitors will find a variety of foods and goods to suit their tastes. City restaurants serve everything from Middle Eastern cuisine to sushi, and Asian specialties to French-inspired nouvelle cuisine using native ingredients. Be sure to sample such native dishes as Latvian piragi (dumplings), cukgala (pork) or silkes (herring) smothered in cream, and kiselis (stewed fruit), as well as a home-brewed Latvian ale or the Riga liqueur known as melnais balzams (“black balsam”). Because it’s plentiful, amber is relatively inexpensive and used to make everything from paperweights to designer jewelry. Other popular souvenir items include Latvian-made chocolates, ceramics, textiles, woodcrafts, and tasty rye breads and cheeses, which can be purchased at the Central Marketplace in downtown Riga. (The currency exchange rate is approximately 1 Lat per 1 Br. pound sterling, or 1 Lat per 1.5 US dollars; the Lat also corresponds to the Euro on an approximate basis of 1:2. ATM machines are available in many places, including the lobby of the Radisson SAS-Daugava.) More information on Riga can be obtained from the following Internet sites: www.eunet.lv/Riga , www.inyourpocket.com/Latvia/Riga , www.rigaguide.lv , and www.rigathisweek.lv .

Bus transport from Riga International Airport to the Radisson SAS-Daugava Hotel will be provided for World Cup bowlers and all official guests on the tournament arrival dates of October 18. Taxis are also available for hire; the fare between the airport and the hotel is approximately 10 Lats (US$15). No departure tax is assessed upon leaving the country. Latvia operates on 220 volt AC power, so two-prong electrical adaptors (with round prongs) and/or step-down currency converters may be necessary to operate overseas appliances and computers.

2002 AMF BOWLING WORLD CUP CENTER CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING

All pictures © Lydia Rypcinski

LONDON, ENGLAND, May 10, 2002 – A lavish celebration replete with fireworks and top-flight entertainment marked the April 29 grand opening of Toss Boulinga Halle (“Toss Bowling Hall”), the 24-lane center that will host the 2002 AMF Bowling World Cup this October in Riga, Latvia. Social and political dignitaries from Riga, including Riga mayor Gundars Bojars, joined the center’s owners, AKA International Group Ltd., and AMF Bowling Products officials John Suddarth, chief operating officer, and Bernhard Barta, vice president for sales and service in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, for the event. Official activities began with Suddarth, AKA partner Alberts Zuks, and Riga city councilman Aivars Kreituss greeting local media at an afternoon press briefing, followed by a ceremony in which Protestant and Orthodox clergymen formally blessed the building. The celebration continued later that evening, with guests treated to an outdoor flag-raising ceremony and fireworks, multi-course dining, and entertainment from Latvian musical artists such as popular singer Marija Naumova and the group Los Amigos. A special live concert appearance by one of Russia’s top pop groups, Prime Minister, highlighted the festivities.

Toss Boulinga Halle boasts 24 of AMF’s state-of-the art “HPL” synthetic lanes, equipped with AMF’s XtremeÔ glow-in-the-dark lighting and furnishings. Its 600-square meter glass-walled mezzanine floor (6,458.4 sq. ft.) encompasses a video arcade and variety of billiards tables (pool, snooker and Russian billiards). Other center amenities include a snack kitchen, two full-service bars and ground-floor lounge seating for 250 people, coat-check services, and a bowling pro shop. A full-service restaurant and child-care nursery, along with office space, are currently under construction, and Zuks expects both areas to be operating by the time bowlers from an expected 90-plus countries arrive for the October 20-26 Bowling World Cup.

LONDON, ENGLAND, March 30, 2002 – Diane Buchanan, the Brossard, Quebec banker who has twice represented Canada in the AMF Bowling World Cup, is hoping her third time proves the charm. Buchanan, who placed third and 12^th in 2000 and 2001, respectively, overcame a 137-pin deficit during the two-day Canadian national qualifying finals this month in Quebec to win the women’s competition. She and men’s champion Merlin Bunnage will represent Canada in the 2002 AMF Bowling World Cup, October 20-26, at Toss Bowling Hall in Riga, Latvia. Buchanan began the second day of competition in fourth place, but games of 254, 268 and 255 moved her into the lead with one game to go. She converted the 5-7 split midway through her final match against British Columbia’s Joninne Wellings to win, 245-215. The margin of victory was enough to push her over the top for the tournament, with 3,615 total pins and a 225.94 average. “I didn’t even know which one of us [Joninne or me] was in front at the start of the last game,” Buchanan told Journal de Montreal’s Louis Senay afterward. “All I knew is that we were very close to each other.” The three-time Canadian champion, who rolled a perfect 300 game in the 2000 AMF Bowling World Cup, is averaging 201 in league play this year. Her personal bests include two 300 games and a three-game series of 780. Completing the top five in the women’s field were Sharon Tataryn of Manitoba, Julie Johnson-Loyer of Quebec, and Alberta’s Kellie Hildebrandt, who represented Canada at the 1998 AMF Bowling World Cup in Kobe, Japan.

Bunnage, of Winfield, B.C., makes his international debut in Riga. His three-game run of 257-258-256 late in the second day of qualifying helped him bypass Brady Hildebrandt of Alberta and win by a comfortable 123-pin margin. Bunnage, who told Senay he gave up playing the Canadian small-ball version of bowling called five-pins three and one-half years ago to concentrate on tenpins, averaged 234.4 in the Canadian national qualifier, with 3,751 pins. He currently averages 207 in league play and has a high three-game series of 787, as well as one perfect game. Manitoba’s Randy Kostenuk, Quebec’s Len Brown, and defending Canadian World Cup champion Bob Woolley of Ontario placed third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the men’s finals.

RADISSON-SAS DAUGAVA IS 2002 AMF BOWLING WORLD CUP HEADQUARTERS HOTEL

LONDON, ENGLAND, April 8, 2002 – The five-star Radisson-SAS Daugava Hotel in Riga, Latvia, will serve as the headquarters lodging for the 2002 AMF Bowling World Cup October 20-26. The Radisson, which opened in 1995, sits on the southern bank of the Daugava River in Riga, a 10- to 15-minute walk from Riga’s “Old City” and a short bus trip from host center Toss Bowling Hall. It boasts 361 rooms, many of which offer a panoramic view of downtown Riga. Guests can enjoy satellite TV; shuttle transportation to Riga’s airport and the Old City; a swimming pool; sauna and massage; a solarium; a fitness center with gym; gift shop; banking facilities; laundry services, and a casino, the largest in the city. The hotel also has two notable restaurants. One, the lobby-level “American Café,” specializes in American-style sandwiches, salads and desserts. The other, the “Grill Room,” is one of Riga’s finest dining establishments. Its specialty is top-quality steaks imported from Australia.

Alberts Zuks, chairman of the local organizing committee and president of AKA International Group, Ltd., which owns the Toss Bowling Hall, reports the Radisson is offering special nightly World Cup room rates of $96 USD for single rooms and $99 USD for double rooms during the tournament (check-in begins October 18). Room rates include a daily buffet breakfast and local taxes. Guests staying at the Radisson will receive a complimentary ticket to the traditional Victory Banquet that closes the tournament festivities. Free transportation to and from the airport and bowling center will also be available to all guests.

Strasse in Riga	Hauptplatz von Riga
Skyline	Jurmala Beach