NFL All Time Great Lynn Swann to be Inducted Into Bowling Hall of Fame
Four Time Super Bowl Champion’s Passionate Support for the Sport of Bowling Earns Him Nod into His Second Hall of Fame
Former National Football League (NFL) All-Pro, Super Bowl MVP and Hall of Fame wide receiver, Lynn Swann has earned many accolades throughout his career, however it’s his enthusiasm for bowling that has made him a recognizable and supportive force and an ambassador for the sport. In honor of years of support and involvement in the bowling industry, The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame announced today that Swann will be the third inductee into the Bowling Hall of Fame Celebrities Exhibit and the first to be inducted into the brand new museum to be completed in early 2010. The induction celebration will kick off at International Bowl Expo on June 24th at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay during the annual general session festivities.
“Bowling is a great activity for people of all ages and I’m so proud and honored to have helped to play a small part in helping to drive the resurgence of this great American past time,” said Swann. “The more than 67 million people who bowl every year are a testament to the sport’s tremendous popularity. Bowling is a true part of Americana and I’m humbled to have a place in the Bowling Hall of Fame.”
A prominent advocate for the sport of bowling, Swann has hosted the NFL Super Bowl Celebrity Bowling Classic for the past three years, and also served as the lane side reporter for CBS’ “Clash of the Champions” in 2008. The broadcast marked bowling’s return to network television for the first time since 1999.
“Lynn has a true passion for the sport of bowling and has been an incredible friend to the industry for many years. We’re proud and honored to welcome him as the newest addition to the Celebrity Bowling Hall of Fame and the first inductee to the Bowling Hall of Fame’s new location within the International Bowling Campus in Arlington,” said Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America President and United States Bowling Congress Director, Jim Sturm.
In late 2007, it was announced the Bowling Hall of Fame would relocate from St. Louis, Missouri to become part of the newly formed International Bowling Campus in Arlington. The campus also includes the headquarters for the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America, Strike Ten Entertainment, the United States Bowling Congress and the International Training and Research Center.
Swann will be recognized in the Celebrities exhibit at the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, joining former NFL great and fellow Steeler, Jerome Bettis, as well as famed major league baseball pitcher and radio analyst, Tom Candiotti.
“We are thrilled to recognize this champion for our sport. Lynn is an extraordinary exemplar of how involvement in sports can parlay into even greater achievements,” said Patrick Ciniello, President/Chairman of the Board of the Hall. “As a celebrity bowler inductee, Lynn continues to generate positive awareness for the sport and continues to inspire bowlers everywhere.”
The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame has served the international bowling community for more than two decades by collecting and preserving its history and making information available worldwide to help promote the sport. The new facility is being constructed at the International Bowling Campus, 621 Six Flags Drive in Arlington, Texas.
Source: Strike Ten Entertainment
Birmingham Set to Host National Veterans Golden Age Games
23rd Year of VA-Sponsored Sporting Competition
From California to New York, an estimated 700 “golden age” Veterans will travel to Birmingham, Ala., to compete June 1-5 in the world’s largest sports and recreational competition for senior Veterans.
The Golden Age Games are open to all U.S. military Veterans age 55 or older who receive care at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility. The games give participants the opportunity to compete in ambulatory, visually-impaired and wheelchair divisions, according to their ages. Events include swimming, bicycling, bowling, croquet, air rifle, golf, shuffleboard, horseshoes, discus and shot put.
The 23rd National Veterans Golden Age Games are co-sponsored by VA, Help Hospitalized Veterans (HHV) and the Veterans Canteen Service (VCS). This year’s event is hosted by the VA medical center in Birmingham.
The games are designed to improve the quality of life for all older Veterans, including those with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. Through a partnership with the National Senior Games Association, a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, the games serve as a qualifier for the National Senior Games held every other year.
“HHV is extremely pleased to continue its support of this wonderful therapeutic program,” said Mike Lynch, executive director of HHV. “The games continue to demonstrate VA’s commitment to offer programs that help Veteran patients in their health recovery and to send the message that Americans support their service to our country.”
“The Golden Age Games continue to grow every year, and the athletes who participate are testimony that the spirit of competition, camaraderie and commitment to an actively invigorating lifestyle. This spirit not only helps to prevent illness, it strengthens the heart and rejuvenates the soul,” said Marilyn Iverson, director of the Veterans Canteen Service.
The majority of the competitive events for the Golden Age Games, including opening and closing ceremonies, will be held at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center. The opening ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 1. The competition begins with golf on Tuesday, June 2, at 8 a.m., at Highland Golf Course. Closing ceremonies will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 5, at the convention center.
For more information on the Golden Age Games, log onto the games Web site at www.Veteransgoldenagegames.va.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
College Sports Fans Have a New Home on the Internet
Collegiate sports fans around the world are as passionate and dedicated as any athletics fans anywhere. Today, a social networking website and college sports news portal is transforming how athletes and their friends and family interact with each other and how they access current sports scores and news from more than 1,400 American universities of all sizes.
CollegeFanz.com (http://www.collegefanz.com/) is the brainchild of the legendary entrepreneur who brought us ESPN, Bill Rasmussen. Rasmussen’s expansive web site boasts more than 20,000 individual college team sports web pages and provides current information and news about college sports not just concerning NCAA Division I schools, but also from Division II and III schools. Additionally, many NAIA schools are given the opportunity to highlight their own athletics programs on the net.
Not Just College Football, Basketball, and Baseball
The website covers the traditionally best-known collegiate sports of football, basketball, and baseball, and it also highlights less visible college sports like: golf, gymnastics, water polo, wrestling, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, track, cross country, rowing, bowling, field hockey, skiing, skating, and swimming. The site also features a blog by the 76 year old Bill Rasmussen.
“Instead of covering perhaps 200 of the most well-known college athletics programs, we are committed to helping the millions of college athletes and fans at thousands of American schools interact with each other and to create online resources to keep them informed about their schools,” said Rasmussen during a recent interview.
He is quick to highlight one of the powerful constants in achieving success in college athletics and business: enthusiasm. “College sports still seems the same to me as it did back in 1979. Sure, performance and training has improved, but the spirit in these young, dedicated athletes is the same,” Rasmussen opined.
The Future for www.CollegeFanz.com
Despite the current financial and economic crises confronting the United States, Rasmussen is optimistic that the passion of college sports fans around the world will help his venture succeed. “People look to college sports to escape for a while,” he said. “We want to be one of the top 500 websites in the entire world, and the members of our online community are going to be the engine to help us achieve our goal.”
President Elect Barack Obama Bowling Lane Goes Up for Auction
Altoona based bowling center offers chance to own a piece of history to help the Special Olympics
“My economic plan is better than my bowling,” President Elect Barack Obama told fellow bowlers on a Saturday evening at the Pleasant Valley Recreation Center. This statement came after Obama bowled a gutter ball that would make him one of the most infamous bowlers in recent political history.
On March 29, 2008, Obama spent 2 hours at the bowling center talking with the public as part of a face-to-face “Road to Change” bus tour through Pennsylvania, and bowling — 7 frames.
Obama bowling on lane #21 of the Pleasant Valley Recreation Center quickly became the most televised portion of his campaign — his bowling “highlights” appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, The Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central and many others.
Now, co-owners Jean Montgomery and Bob DiVentura are putting Lane 21 up for sale through an online auction on Ebay, beginning November 13 and ending November 23 at 9:00 PM EST. “We are offering this piece of history to the lucky bidder,” said Montgomery. “It is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to own one of the most talked-about bowling lanes in political history.”
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Special Olympics. “We are proud to have donated the use of our bowling center to the Special Olympics for many years,” said Montgomery. “This will allow us to contribute additional funds to the organization.”
Not only are they offering lane #21, but also the neighboring lane (#22), the gutters, 2 pin setters, computer scoring system, and the bowling circle complete with the chairs sat on by Obama. “We’ll even throw in the shoes and bowling ball that Obama used,” said DiVentura.
The fully functional lane will be disassembled, shipped, and reassembled at the location of the buyer’s choice. “It is a true collector’s item that the buyer can be sure no one else can claim a duplicate,” said DiVentura.
For more information, please visit http://www.obamabowling.com/
* Pleasant Valley Recreation Center (Altoona, PA) was established in 1948. Family owned and operated, the business has hosted several national and state tournaments over its 60 year history.
Source: Pleasant Valley Recreation Center