Yaba

The Young American Bowling Alliance welcomes all boys and girls 21 years of age and under to join a sanctioned bowling league.Trained coaches are available and YABA members compete on a team with children in their own age group: Bantams (8 and under), Junior (9-11), Major (15-18) and Senior (18-21).Both centers in Howard County -- Brunswick Columbia and Brunswick Normandy -- have YABA Saturday morning programs.At Brunswick Normandy in Division I, Justin Ross was Star of the Week for Week 4 and Tina Mortensen was Star for Week 5.Division II saw Theresa Rose capture Star of the Week for Week 4 and Nicola Liskovec became Star of the Week for Week 5.Mortensen, 11, lives in West Friendship.

The Young America Bowling Alliance Saturday morning leagues are in action.And nowhere will the action be hotter than on the lanes at Bowl America Odenton. The young bowlers are rolling at a record-setting pace."There are over 120 youth bowlers signed up," Charley Thompson said. "Opening day we had Joe Castricone entertain with his magic show, and that was just great. And we're fortunate to have the parents become deeply involved with the YABA here at Bowl America."Thompson, a coach in the YABA for 10 years and a board member for two years, knows how important it is to have parents take an interest in the youth program.

The Young American Bowlers Alliance Saturday morning sessions at Hampstead Lanes have produced two bowlers who have been recognized as "most improved" by Ginny Blackowicz, league coordinator and marketing director of the split house on Main Street.Troy Peery and Jaime Bower are the most improved boy and girl, respectively, in the youth league.Peery, 15, lives in Westminster and began his career with duckpins."I switched to tenpins because it seems like a lot of fun," he said. "I tried a lot of different styles this year but it seems that I do best if I throw the ball straight down the middle.

The Young American Bowling Alliance leagues are finishing their first month of competition on the tenpin lanes at centers across the nation.The Saturday morning youth bowlers at Brunswick Normandy have been quick to put up some imposing numbers.In Division I for the first three weeks, the Bowlers of the Week for most pins over average are Chris Handel, Mike Hay and Lauren Everhart.In Division II, Bowlers of the Week are Jake France, Jason Kessler and Paul Norko.Handel, 7, is one of the veterans.

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."

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 Baltimore Young American Bowling Alliance Championship Tournament at Greenway Bowl Odenton produced a number of winners from the Baltimore area.The Major Girls Team from Fair Lanes Rolling Road -- Erica Berndsen, Keirston Woods, Lavira Brown and Stephanie Small -- captured first place with a total pin fall of 2,430.The Major Mixed Team from Bowl America Reisterstown consisting of Beth Fastner, Keith Wright, Vlad Ioffe and David Mize dropped 2,708 pins to take first place in that division.

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 1993-94 bowling season is fast approaching.There's a good chance that all the centers have some room left in their leagues, but if you haven't signed up for league play yet there's very little time left. A few more days and every league will be filled.Of the five bowling centers in Carroll County, three are split houses: Hampstead Bowling Center and the two Thunderheads, Westminster and Taneytown. Mount Airy Lanes has 12 duckpin lanes, and County Lanes has 12 tenpin lanes.Thunderhead Taneytown has 12 duckpin and 16 tenpin lanes, cared for by Gil Barnes, Moe Pickett, Jim Reaver and Danny Wantz.