News

Following a record-setting 2010-2011 season, Team Dexter Pro Mika Koivuniemi won his second career PBA Player of the Year Award on May 5. The Finland native’s banner season included top honors in the PBA Tournament of Champions, second place in the US Open, third place in the USBC Masters, and a sixth place finish in the PBA World Championship. He finished out the season as the league average leader, with 222.50 after bowling 292 games.

Koivuniemi, who currently resides in Michigan, set a PBA record when he became the first player in the organization’s history to compete in all four major television championships in a single season (2010-2011). The right-handed bowler last won the Player of the Year title in 2003-2004.

He is the latest in the stellar roster of Team Dexter pros with Player of the Year honors, including Walter Ray Williams Jr. (2009-2010), Wes Malott (2008-2009), Chris Barnes (2007-2008), Doug Kent, former Team Dexter pro (2006-2007) and Tommy Jones (2005-2006).

Couch celebrated his first title since 2007 on Sunday, following rehabilitation on his knee which cost him the entire ’07-’08 season. Photo Courtesy of PBA.

In a competition where pure, innate skill is the focus, and adaptability is key, Jason Couch proved he is a master of his craft on Sunday. Couch was the winner of the fourth annual PBA Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship, held at the AMF Thruway Lanes in Cheektowaga, New York.

This was the Team Dexter Pro’s 16^th PBA Title, his first in four years following what has been a slow and difficult recovery from the knee surgery which required him to miss the entire 2007-2008 season.

Couch defeated PBA Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III in Sunday’s championship by a score of 219 to 175. Couch, who resides in Clermont, Florida, was the #1 seed going into the main event.

Established in 2008, the Mark Roth Plastic Ball Tournament brings bowlers back to basics, before the advent of high-tech bowling balls, with each player competing with identical 70’s style polyester balls. The competition offers a level playing field without the use of specialized ball technology, presenting the players with unique challenges for delivery and adaptability to lane conditions. The event is named after the celebrated PBA Hall of Famer, whose special appearance kicked off this year’s festivities.

Lightning almost struck twice for international phenomenon and Team Dexter pro Mika Koivuniemi at the US Open on Sunday, until a missed 10 pin spare cost him the title match to Norm Duke in a heart-wrenching 225-216 finish.

The 68^th US Open, held at Brunswick Zone-Carolier in Brunswick, New Jersey would have been Koivuniemi’s second major title this year, following his PBA Tournament of Champions victory in January.

The Michigan resident, a native of Finland, was the number-three qualifier heading into the stepladder finals. After defeating Ryan Shafer 236-222, Koivuniemi squared off against fellow Team Dexter pro Tommy Jones of South Carolina in the semi-finals, edging out Jones by a score of 241-158. The winner of the 2006 Open, Jones competed on Sunday plagued with a difficult bone spur that will require surgery, but still managed to finish an impressive third.

Congratulations to Mika and Tommy for their  impressive play and fortitude – it’s going to be a great 2011!

Mika Koivuniemi set a PBA record when he became the only player to reach the TV finals of all four major championships in one year. Photo Courtesy of PBA

Just weeks into the new year, two Team Dexter pros took two of the top honors in the sport of bowling. Less than a week after Chris Barnes became PBA World Champion, Mika Koivuniemi won the PBA Tournament of Champions.

Barnes, a native of Topeka, KS, won the $50,000 prize at the PBA World Championships, defeating Bill O’Neill 267-237 at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas on January 16.  Before facing off against top qualifier O’Neill, Barnes, ranked 4^th going into the tournament, defeated Michael Haugen Jr. 243-172 in the January 15 elimination round, then Osku Palermaa of Finland (246-176) and Sean Rash by a score of 237 to 161.

This newest title makes Barnes, winner of the 2005 US Open and the 2006 Tournament of Champions, one of only six bowlers in PBA history to win the triple crown of bowling – joining the ranks of Hall of Famers Mike Aulby, Norm Duke, Billy Hardwick, Johnny Petraglia, and Pete Weber.

Mika Koivuniemi of Team Dexter bowled an incredible 299 during his match against Tom Daugherty before his final victory over Smallwood.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment when Mika Koivuniemi, an impressive force in the US and international bowling circuit, won top honors at the 2011 Tournament of Champions at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas on January 22.

The Finland native took home the $250,000 grand prize following his 269-207 defeat of Tom Smallwood, which was preceded by a 299-100 matchup against Tom Daugherty and a close four-point win over Andres Gomez (224-220) in the opening match. Koivuniemi is now the first international bowler to claim the PBA Tournament of Champions title.

Congratulations to Chris and Mika on these incredible milestone victories!

Bud Clapsaddle and Robert Persico:

I wanted to wish both of you a Happy Holiday Season and the best of luck with everything in the New Year!

Also, I wanted to touch base with you and thank you so much for Dexter’s participation in the 2010 Sam Hornish Jr. Celebrity Bowling Tournament. Dexter’s generous involvement and participation with Sam’s Foundation event helped raise $91,000 for the Speedway Children’s Charities.  And I know Sam really liked the custom pair of shoes that Dexter provided as well – Brian from our office said Sam wouldn’t stop talking about them!

The attachment captures some of Dexter’s positive impact on this wonderful event.

Hope to talk to you soon,

Paul

Sales Coordinator of Sports Management Network

Specialty Dexter Bowling Shoes Made for the Event

Sam Hornish Jr., right, and Dexter sales rep Brett Cooper

Sam Hornish Jr’s Race Car, #77

Sam Hornish Jr. signing his SHJ Dexters

On November 5^th, American race car driver and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Sam Hornish Jr. hosted the 6^th annual AutoTrader.com Sam Hornish Jr. Celebrity Bowling Tournament at Main Event Entertainment in Grapevine, Texas. The tournament helped benefit the Speedway Children’s Charities, which helps to improve the lives of needy children in Texas. The event was held in conjunction with the AAA Texas 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race weekend.

Two custom made Dexter bowling shoes were created with Sam Hornish Jr.’s name, logo and colors on them. Hornish Jr. even stopped to autograph the shoes.

Team Dexter’s Shannon O’Keefe with Dexter’s Brett Cooper

Shannon O’Keefe and Derek Eoff come together for a great shot

Former NBA star Ira Terrell, bowling for a good cause

Mary Deese Hampton loving her SST 8’s

Other celebrities present at the event were professional bowlers Shannon O’ Keefe of Team Dexter, and Derek Eoff, actress Mary Deese Hampton, and NBA great Ira Terrell. All bowled in Dexter Bowling shoes.

The crowd enjoys watching the action on the lanes

Over the past 5 years the bowling tournament has raised over $525,000 for the Speedway Children’s Charities. This year, Sam Hornish Jr. presented a $91,000 check to the Texas Chapter of the charity.

There was a great turnout at the Main Event

As Hornish Jr. said to motorsport.com,  “This is the sixth year for our bowling tournament and we’ve been really fortunate to raise over half a million dollars for the Texas chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities. When we come to town to race, we have around 100,000 people come out to support us. I feel this is one way that we are able to give back and support the community. I really enjoy it. I like bowling. I’ve always felt like you need to be active in your community. As drivers, we’ve been given so much and this is a great way that we can give back.”

Following the event, Bud Clapsaddle, Dexter Bowling Vice President, said, “Dexter Shoe was proud to team up with Sam on his Celebrity Bowling Event. The Texas Chapter of the Speedway Children’s Charities is an outstanding organization and everyone involved in making this event successful is to be commended.”

Four Team Dexter pros advanced to the World Series of Bowling Stepladder finals, after a series of marathon competitions in five different “animal pattern” lane conditions at the South Point Bowling Center. The competition, which began on October 25, brought together over 250 male and female bowlers for a 5-day, 12 game-per-day marathon. At the end of these 60 games, four team Dexter bowlers placed in the top 5 in their respective pattern competitions:

In the Viper Pattern championship, Tommy Jones earned second place, 7 games to 2, with a combined 4,962 points.

In the Chameleon Pattern competition, Wes Malott placed second (6-3, 4,915) and Chris Barnes finished third (5-4,  4,903).

Jason Belmonte placed in two different pattern competitions, finishing second in the Scorpion Pattern competition with a 4,898 points, 4 games to 5,  and fourth in the Shark Pattern championship with a score of 4,909 with another 4 to 5 record.

Each of these players advanced to the stepladder finals on November 5 and 6, the results of which will be aired beginning on ESPN on November 28.

The top eight players with the highest overall scores from the 60 game competition will compete in the PBA World Championship on January 14-16  for a live three-day event.  Chris Barnes, Wes Malott, Jason Belmonte, and Mika Koivuniemi, the fifth place qualifier, will return to South Point for the three-day competition in early 2011.

The World Series competition also determined the qualifiers for The USA vs. the World Team Championship, with Koivuniemi, a native of Finland, and Australian-born Belmonte as the top 2 and 3 qualifiers representing The World, and Chris Barnes and Wes Malott qualifying for the USA team.

Australian native and 2008-2009 PBA Rookie of the Year Jason Belmonte took top honors at last week’s competition at the Korea Professional Bowling Association’s Korea Cup. Over 200 bowlers from the US, Korea, and around the world competed at the 12^th annual Samho Korea Cup International Bowling Tournament that culminated in the finals on Thursday.

With a 250 average in round robin play, Belmo earned first seed in the five-player step ladder format. In the end, he ousted Sean Rash with a score of 210-192.

Fellow Dexter teammates Wes Malott and Mika Koivuniemi were among the 13 PBA players to compete in the tournament along with Tommy Jones, who rounded out the competition with an impressive fifth place finish.

Following the title event, Dexter Bowling Vice President Bud Clapsaddle attended a special dinner with Dexter’s Korean distributor, Daniel Park, where he presented SST 8’s to the Korean professional bowlers under contract with Daniel. “This event was such a wonderful opportunity to meet bowlers from all over the world – Korea, USA, Japan… It’s clear that bowling is a sport that transcends all cultures and languages, and it was impressive to see Dexter bowlers compete in the world arena.”

Bowling fans looking forward to more international play can watch the PBA World Series of Bowling, coming to Las Vegas on October 24 – 29.

Dexter Bowling recently signed an agreement with the United States Bowling Congress to continue as the exclusive sponsor of the USBC High School All-American Team for the next three seasons. Dexter has been the official team sponsor since 2005-2006, helping to provide 50 scholarships for students to date.

Each year, 10 high school students from across the country are selected to the Dexter/USBC All-American Team, based on academic performance and bowling achievement, as well as community and extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and submitted essays and resumes.  Five boys and five girls are selected to the team at the end of each academic year, each receiving a $1000 scholarship at the USBC Junior Gold Championships in July and a featured spot in Dexter’s annual product catalog.

“It is important to recognize the many young bowlers who are not only great ambassadors for the sport but also make important contributions to their communities,” said Dexter Shoe Company Vice President Bud Clapsaddle. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with USBC to promote high school and collegiate bowling.”

As part of the new agreement, Dexter will also sponsor the annual USBC Coach/Player Luncheon at the Intercollegiate Team Championships. Each year, the top 16 men’s and women’s teams each compete in the ITC for prestigious national titles.

For the full profile of the 2009-2010 Dexter/USBC All-American Team, please visit http://news.dexterbowling.com/index.php/2010/06/congratulations-to-the-2009-2010-dexterusbc-high-school-all-american-team/.

For information on qualifications for the 2010-2011 Dexter/USBC All-American Team, visit www.BOWL.com/highschool.

ANDOVER, MA, September 1, 2010 – Dexter Bowling, the leading manufacturer of bowling footwear in the world, announced that it will co-sponsor Bowling’s U.S. Women’s Open next summer together in partnership with Ebonite International.

Each year this prestigious event, produced by the BPAA, is open to all female youth and adult bowlers in the United States and their international counterparts. The event, which will be televised live on ESPN on June 30^th from Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is expected to draw one of the largest viewing audiences in women’s bowling history. “The BPAA and Ebonite have created an exciting, world-class event at a world-class facility,” said Bud Clapsaddle, V.P. of Dexter Bowling. “We are excited to present our premier product line alongside the finest female bowlers in the world.”

This new partnership comes at a perfect time, as lack of industry sponsorship had previously threatened the future of the Women’s Open – until Ebonite and Dexter stepped in.

“We are proud to have Dexter aligned with the 2011 Bowling’s U.S. Women’s Open and all marketing associated with this new, revitalized event,” said Steve Johnson, executive director of the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America. “As a true category leader, Dexter recognizes the surging popularity of bowling among women and the significant value behind the national and grassroots promotion plans.”

A long-time proponent of women’s bowling, Dexter awards scholarships to five female high-school students each year as part of the co-ed Dexter/USBC All-American Team Awards and is the professional sponsor of world-class female bowling champion, Shannon O’Keefe.