Bowling briefs: USBC awards scholarships, elects officers
CANTON — The Stark County United States Bowling Congress held its annual meeting recently at Tugboats Party Room at Meadowlake Golf Course.
Featured during the event was the awarding of $500 scholarships from the USBC to several high school senior bowlers. Earning awards were:
- Lena Bennett Memorial Scholarships: Joey Boyer, Sandy Valley;
- Dick Moecia Scholarship: Jake Trent, Lake
- Stark County USBC Scholarships: Lydia Sanor, Minerva
- Stark County USBC Presidents Award: Ashlee Cunningham, Lake; and
- Stark County USBC-SCHSBC Award: Mylie Galigher, Conotton Valley.
In addition, members elected their officers for the 2023-24 season.
Officiers include: Kevin Johnson, president; directors Taylor Devaul, Matt McCourry, Deanna Gouge; state delegates, Cayce Burkholder, Jean Tondola Smith, Sue Vukmanovich; and national delegates, Smith, Vukmanovich.
Winners from the Stark County USBC Open and Women’s tournaments received their awards and tournament checks were given to those present. The remainder of the winners will have their checks mailed.
Open championships winners included: team champions, Ten Back Pro Shop (Mandi Testa, Kamryn Smith, Andrew Smith, Cooper Smith, Frank Testa); doubles, Talon Harper, Andrew Larkins; singles, Alex Lincoln; all events handicap, Matthew Farmer; all events actual, Joe Hostetler.
Women’s championship winners included: team champions, Joker and Aces (Jackie Shahan, Carol Pittson, Sheeri Pruchnicki, Theresa Terrigan, Chrissy Brady) and Split Personalities (Rachel Meighen, Allison Maurer, Kim Zerbey, Jennifer Driver, Sharon Keim); doubles, Chelsea Dorosky, Katelyn Eldred; singles and all-events handicap, Tiffany Kellecker; and all-events actual, Mandi Testa.
The four all-events tournament winners will represent Stark County in the Buckeye All-Events tournament, set for June 3 at HP Lanes in Columbus.
HIGH SCHOOL: Baxter receives OHSAA honor
COLUMBUS — Conotton Valley High School bowling coach Brian Baxter recently received the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Sportsmanship, Ethis and Integrity Award for girls bowling.
Honorees were selected by the coaching associations in each sport.
Baxter, who led the Rockets to their first OHSAA Division II state title this season, was selected for “reflecting the values of sportsmanship, ethics and integrity through his professional responsibilities and as a role model for student-athletes and others.”
The boys bowling honoree was Beavercreek’s Bob Bobbitt.
In addition, referendum votes recently were taken by the OHSAA among member schools. High school principals were permitted to cast the vote for each member.
Issue 1B, which would have permitted a student enrolled at a public school that does not sponsor a team sport to potentially play that sport at a public school located in a bordering public school district, failed for a second consecutive year by a margin of 427 to 374 (13 abstained). The margin was significantly greater than the 2022 vote which failed by 13 votes (406 to 393), the closest vote in documented OHSAA history.
“Last year, the conversation was dominated by the NIL proposal, which didn’t pass and had no momentum or requests to return to the referendum ballot this year,” OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute said. “With that topic on hold, Issue 1B was the primary focus this year and our office worked diligently to listen to our schools after last year’s close vote and tweak the proposed language to add additional safeguards and ease some concerns. We are pleased with the dialogue and discussions which took place during this voting period.”
It was the only one of 13 referendum items that failed on the ballot.