Talent to spare

Football season is close to getting underway, but for this week, bowling rules in the Grand Lake area as Minster and Coldwater host events for the Professional Bowlers Association.

Minster gets the first shot at action on the lanes with the PBA Central Region Kremer Roofing Classic that begins today and wraps up Thursday at Community Lanes.

A number of the bowlers at Minster will then trek westward to Coldwater as the PBA returns for a 14th year to compete in the Bowlerstore.com Classic that gets going Friday with pro-ams and concludes Sunday with the stepladder finals.

Community Lanes owner Doug Davidson, who owns bowlerstore.com, has worked hard to get a PBA Central Region stop - one that had been at Coldwater before the national tour took over - last season and brought in top talent to compete. Patrick "Packy" Hanrahan picked up the inaugural win and a $4,000 first-place check.

"We're definitely excited for our second year," Davidson said. "We have a full field of 72. We ended up capping there to have four bowlers on a pair (of lanes) to make each session go quicker. Bowlers like it and the fans like it as well. Last year we had 81 so we had some pairs at five. Going in the middle of the week and still getting the full field is awesome."

Davidson expect local pros to be part of the tournament. Davidson's son Michael, a standout at Versailles, is in the field.

"Our assistant manager, Matt Kuba, will be bowling, as well as Ryan Lakota (who also works at the lanes and at bowlerstore.com) and Josh Hawes, so we have three locals bowling," said Doug Davidson.

Others signed up to bowl include Versailles grad Max Voisard, Celina grad Britton Hole and Wapakoneta's Brandon Kennard.

Over the years since the first tournament in 2008, the top stars have traveled to Pla-Mor Lanes in Coldwater to take part in what has gone from a regional event to a a national event that paid $10,000 to Darren Tang for his victory last August.

This year, the tournament will be a little different. Rather than a national event, this year will be more of a Super-Regional event. The winner will still get $10,000, but not all the top-level bowlers will make the trip.

"We're not going to have all the top pros, but we still have some big-name guys coming in," said Pla-Mor owner Rick Hartings.

Still, Hartings knows that the bowlers love to come to Coldwater, appreciating the top-level facility and fans that roll in to watch throughout the weekend, and the fans have done likewise.

"We are filled with 96 bowlers. (The bowler in) 32nd place gets $1,000," said Hartings. "The prize is as good, if not better, as the past. It's just not a national tournament."

Davidson, who had bowled in the Pla-Mor event in the past, appreciates having the two events in the area to draw from a talented field.

"We got on the coattails of Rick and Patty (Hartings) and their crew," said Davidson. "It's our third year for sponsoring that event. We've been involved since the get-go. I even bowled in the day. It's nice to have both places host."

Hartings is appreciative of the schedule working out for a long week of action in the Grand Lake area.

"If they don't have a full-time job or have some vacation time, they come early, bowl (at Minster) on Wednesday-Thursday for (a chance at $4,000) and then be in the area and come to Coldwater and enjoy the weekend. We look forward to everyone coming to town again."

At Minster, pro-ams, one for youth bowlers and another for adult bowlers, will take place today. Qualifying will take place Wednesday at 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to trim the field for round-robin match play starting Thursday at noon. The top bowlers return for stepladder finals around 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

At Pla-Mor, practices and pro-ams will take place Friday with three rounds of qualifying starting Saturday at 8 a.m. The top 32 head to the cashiers round (meaning they will collect winnings) Sunday at 11 a.m., with the field trimmed down to four for the stepladder finals starting Sunday at 5 p.m.