Yaba

The Maryland State Young American Bowling Alliance (YABA) State Championship Tournament was held over three weekends May at Brunswick Perry Hall. Almost 900 youngsters from across Maryland competed, making it the largest YABA state event ever.Taryn Gaines, a 19-year-old from Sykesville, captured the Major Girls Division Singles title with a 688 total.The Carroll Community College student bowls in the Saturday Morning YABA league at Thunderhead Westminster.Bowling since she was 6 or 7 years old, she carries a 142 average with a high game of 214 and a high series of 530.Throwing a 12-pound Blue Knight bowling ball, Gaines will return to the YABA league next Fall.

The winners of the 37th Annual Cecil-Harford Counties Bowling Association tournament held at Bel Air Bowl scored a double.The Rockchalk Warhawks team -- Rich McFadden Jr., Vince Smith, Michael Pitts, James Spicer and Billy Barlow -- tied for first place in the handicap division and captured first place in the scratch division.The handicap division tie (3,527 pins)was with the Leftover II team of Jack Mauer, Jeff Hurley II, Roy L. Delauter, Pete Anderson and Chris Sampson.The scratch division total was 3,410 with Spicer throwing the highest series: 740.Spicer also teamed with Chris Sampson to take first place in the doubles handicap competition.

Annapolis yacht broker Nancy Cann has achieved a number of milestones in her marine trades career, and now has broken new ground, as the 75-year-old Yacht Architects and Brokers Association's first woman president.Cann, president of Crusader Yacht Sales in Annapolis, has been active in the association for some time, serving on its nine-member executive board for nine years and most recently as its vice president the past two years. She also was YABA's membership chairman during a period of intensive growth for the organization.

Last month Maryland State YABA conducted its third annual 600 Club tournament at Brunswick Crown Lanes in Baltimore. Forty youth bowlers from the Baltimore, Western Maryland, Eastern Shore, Mid-Maryland and Cecil-Harford YABA associations competed for a $200 scholarship and plaques.Bill Little of Brunswick Columbia produced a six-game qualifying total of 1,362, an average of 227; that made him second seed to Adam Brodie's 1,375 total pinfall.The three other tenpin bowlers to make the stepladder finals were: J.M. Sites of Western Maryland (1,361)

The Young American Bowling Alliance conducted the 11th annual Maryland Top Ten Invitational state finals at County Lanes Westminster on April 2."This is a very exciting tournament which showcases the best scratch youth bowlers in the state," said Mari Mallette, tournament director. "These young people had to have one of the top 10 averages in their region and then win a regional roll-off."When the 36 contestants (18 girls, 18 boys) were finished, Danielle Johnson of Baltimore and Bryan Spies of Aberdeen were crowned the winners.

Jason Huestif of Ellicott City competed in the recent 12th annual Baltimore Young American Bowling Alliance Championship Tournament at Bowl America Odenton.Huestif threw his best three-game series in the tournament. He rolled games of 248, 245 and 212 for a 705 series.It was the highest series posted by any boy in the tournament.Bowling tenpins for half of his 16 years, the junior at Centennial High School bowls in two YABA leagues, Saturday morning at Greenway Odenton and the Youth Travel league.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Matt Gilman of Davie, Fla., bowled a 300 game this past weekend in a youth bowling league at University Bowl. He is believed to be the youngest bowler ever to roll a perfect game.Gilman is 11 years and 2 months old. He was born May 18, 1982.The Young American Bowling Alliance, based in Greendale, Wis., keeps track of youth bowling records. A YABA spokesman said the youngest bowler on record to have bowled a 300 game was Richard Daff Jr., of Crownsville, Md., in 1991.

Young bowlers are taking things into their own hands at Forest Hill Lanes where a new Youth Leader Program of the Young American Bowling Alliance has been started."

A total of 293 athletes representing every U.S. state, six Canadian provinces, Puerto Rico and military commands in Europe, the Far East and the Caribbean participated last month in the 1994 Coca-Cola Youth Bowling Championships at the Superbowl in Littleton, Colo., and Keith Butt, 17, of Dundalk, won the Boys Scratch event.The No. 3-positioned Butt won three stepladder matches en route to earning top honors in the scratch event.He defeated No. 4 Joey Botter of Arkansas, 243-205, in his first match, and No. 2 Michael Lamont of Florida, 204-173, in the second match.

On Nov. 3, Ryan Anderson celebrated his 11th birthday; less than two months later he threw the highest game of his short career.Ryan, a Corkran Middle School sixth-grader, lives in Glen Burnie and bowls in the YABA on Saturday mornings at Greenway Bowl Odenton.Throwing a 12 1/2 -pound Power Torq or Pro Rhino, Ryan has steadily increased his average."He's up several pins over last season," his father, Ron, said. "This year he's close to 170."Ryan is no stranger to high scores. On Oct. 31 he fired a 548 series to take first place in the first PCA Singles tournament at Annapolis Bowl.

The Young American Bowling Alliance conducted the 11th annual Maryland Top Ten Invitational state finals at County Lanes Westminster on April 2."This is a very exciting tournament which showcases the best scratch youth bowlers in the state," said Mari Mallette, tournament director. "These young people had to have one of the top 10 averages in their region and then win a regional roll-off."When the 36 contestants (18 girls, 18 boys) were finished, Danielle Johnson of Baltimore and Bryan Spies of Aberdeen were crowned the winners.

Last Sunday, the cream of the Young American Bowling Alliance gathered for the 11th annual Maryland Top Ten Invitational State Finals at County Lanes, Westminster.Sponsored by the Maryland State, Antietam, Baltimore, Cecil-Harford, Eastern Shore, Mid-Maryland and Western Maryland associations, the event drew 36 (18 girls, 18 boys) of the finest youth scratch tenpin bowlers in the area.Each had to win a regional event to be invited to the tournament.Of the girls invited, Ann Dietrich of Millersville and Joy Esterson of Annapolis were from Anne Arundel County.

The Young American Bowling Alliance conducted its 11th annual Maryland Top Ten Invitational State Finals with 36 bowlers at County Lanes in Westminster last Sunday."

Joe Sennett Jr. had a simple explanation for recent success."I was throwing a pretty good hook that day," he said.Sennett, who won two tournaments in in less than a month, lives in Sykesville with his parent, Kim and Joe Sr., and his brother, Brian.Joe Jr. bowls in the Saturday morning Young American Bowling Alliance (YABA) league in the prep division; preps are 9 to 12 years old.Joe Jr., 10, coached by both his father and his mother, throws a 10-pound Hammer Lite bowling ball. Mother and father are YABA coaches at Brunswick Normandy.

Annapolis yacht broker Nancy Cann has achieved a number of milestones in her marine trades career, and now has broken new ground, as the 75-year-old Yacht Architects and Brokers Association's first woman president.Cann, president of Crusader Yacht Sales in Annapolis, has been active in the association for some time, serving on its nine-member executive board for nine years and most recently as its vice president the past two years. She also was YABA's membership chairman during a period of intensive growth for the organization.

The 18th annual Cecil-Harford Young American Bowling Alliance Championship tournament at Aberdeen Proving Grounds tenpin lanes last month drew 21 youth teams, 86 single entries and 48 doubles contestants."

The winners of the 37th Annual Cecil-Harford Counties Bowling Association tournament held at Bel Air Bowl scored a double.The Rockchalk Warhawks team -- Rich McFadden Jr., Vince Smith, Michael Pitts, James Spicer and Billy Barlow -- tied for first place in the handicap division and captured first place in the scratch division.The handicap division tie (3,527 pins)was with the Leftover II team of Jack Mauer, Jeff Hurley II, Roy L. Delauter, Pete Anderson and Chris Sampson.The scratch division total was 3,410 with Spicer throwing the highest series: 740.Spicer also teamed with Chris Sampson to take first place in the doubles handicap competition.

Last month Maryland State YABA conducted its third annual 600 Club tournament at Brunswick Crown Lanes in Baltimore. Forty youth bowlers from the Baltimore, Western Maryland, Eastern Shore, Mid-Maryland and Cecil-Harford YABA associations competed for a $200 scholarship and plaques.Bill Little of Brunswick Columbia produced a six-game qualifying total of 1,362, an average of 227; that made him second seed to Adam Brodie's 1,375 total pinfall.The three other tenpin bowlers to make the stepladder finals were: J.M. Sites of Western Maryland (1,361)

Jason Huestif of Ellicott City competed in the recent 12th annual Baltimore Young American Bowling Alliance Championship Tournament at Bowl America Odenton.Huestif threw his best three-game series in the tournament. He rolled games of 248, 245 and 212 for a 705 series.It was the highest series posted by any boy in the tournament.Bowling tenpins for half of his 16 years, the junior at Centennial High School bowls in two YABA leagues, Saturday morning at Greenway Odenton and the Youth Travel league.

Seventy-one-year-old Moose Quattrocche of Essex has been throwing a duckpin ball for 59 years, and last month he won his second Duckpin Bowlers Tour event at Fair Lanes Joppa."