Published: May 10, 2008 11:02 pm            

Kegler's Korner: Valley bowlers recognized for Hall inductment

TERRE HAUTE — Four new members were inducted to the Greater Terre Haute Bowler’s Hall of Fame at their annual dinner at LeFer Hall on the St. Mary-of-the-Woods campus Monday.

Scott Hill (achievement) and Gary Hiddle (service) were the men’s inductees. For the women, inductees were Clarene Fisher (achievement) and Cyndi Daugherty (service).

Noted after-dinner speaker was Dick Jonckowski, the public address voice of University of Minnesota athletics.

On to the HOF inductees.

Hill started bowling in 1987 with 27 300 games to his credit. He also has 11 299s and one 298 game. One of his 300 games was in the Elks State Tournament in 2003, where he has been a two-time doubles champion and one-time singles champion.

Hill’s high average is 235, high three-game series 826. He has been named Brazilian Lanes bowler of the year twice, is a 700 Club singles, team and Baker champion, along with being named their Bowler of the Year.

Hill has won three local Men’s Association tournaments and was a White River Park Games silver medalist in 1990. While at Indiana State University, he bowled on the men’s team that placed sixth in the National Collegiate Tournament.

Hiddle began his bowling career in 1962. He has been as assistant tournament director for the West Central Bowlers Association (six years) and the American Legion State Tournament (one year), and was tournament director of the 2008 USBC Seniors Tournament.

The veteran bowler has participated in 33 Men’s State Tournaments and 16 National Tournament. High games were 300 (twice) and 299 (also twice) with a high series of 792. His high average was 205 and has recorded 20 700 series. He was also twice a American Legion Team State Championship singles actual champion.

Hiddle has served on the Men’s Association Board for nine years and is currently serving as president.

On the women’s side, Fisher has bowled for 32 years. Her high average is 184, with a high game of 275 and three-game series of 673. She has bowled in five WIBC national tournaments and was the 1991 Indiana State Seniors Class C Champion.

Fisher has led her senior league in high average five times and was the 2005 Greater Terre Haute Women’s Bowling Association Senior of the Year in 2005.

Daugherty has been a bowler since 1968. She has been secretary/treasurer of Thursday Night League for the past 25 years and secretary/treasurer of a Tuesday Night League since 1987. She has been 600 Club president since 1990.

She currently bowls in three winter leagues and two summer leagues (one mixed, one ladies).

• • •

The Purdue women’s bowling team finished fifth — the best in school history — at the United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships in Wichita, Kan. on Apr. 16-19.

Sophomore Kara Bunting, a Terre Haute South graduate, was the top bowler for the Boilermakers this season.

After qualifying fifth, Purdue defeated McKendree and Morehead State (4-3 both times), before falling to Wichita State (4-3), then Morehead State (4-1) in the double-elimination round.

Also, the Vincennes University men’s team, with North graduate Allen Breshears, placed 12th.

Meanwhile, VU dropped its first match to UNLV 4-1. The Blazers battled back to topple Division I schools Michigan State (4-1) and Arizona State (4-1), before being eliminated by the Purdue men’s squad 4-2.

The ITC featured the top 16 men's and top 16 women's college bowling teams in the country vying for national titles.

• • •

Denny’s Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour telecasts on ESPN during the 2007-08 season saw a five percent increase in average household audience and a four percent increase in total viewers from the 2006-07 season.

The 21 telecasts on ESPN averaged 745,000 households, up from 710,000 in 2006-07 — a five percent increase — and was a seven percent increase over the 698,000 average household audience in 2005-06.

The Dick Weber Open was the most-watched event on the PBA Tour last season, averaging 1.3 million households, up eight percent from last year’s telecast.



Dennis Clark can be reached by e-mail at dennis.clark@tribstar.com; by mail at P.O. Box 149, Terre Haute, IN 47808; or by fax at (812) 231-4321.

        

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