Kevin Reasoner from Grafenwöhr slides through his stride Friday on the final day of the U.S. Forces bowling tournament in Heidelberg. Reasoner was the all-events men’s champion with a score of 3,969, 51 points better than runner-up Holton Stallworth of Hohenfels. (Ben Bloker/S&S)
Kevin Reasoner from Grafenwöhr slides through his stride Friday on the final day of the U.S. Forces bowling tournament in Heidelberg. Reasoner was the all-events men’s champion with a score of 3,969, 51 points better than runner-up Holton Stallworth of Hohenfels. (Ben Bloker/S&S)
Air Force Staff Sgt. Kristin Odekirk from Geilenkirchen gets ready to roll Friday in the final day of play at the U.S. Forces Europe bowling tournament in Heidelberg. Odekirk won the women's solo title. (Ben Bloker/S&S)
Holton Stallworth from Hohenfels lines up a shot Friday in the final day of play at the U.S. Forces Europe bowling tournament in Heidelberg. (Ben Bloker/S&S)
Air Force Staff Sgt. John Hughes from Aviano Air Base, Italy focuses on his roll Friday in the final day of play at the U.S. Forces Europe bowling tournament in Heidelberg. (Ben Bloker/S&S)
HEIDELBERG, Germany — After finishing atop the all-events standings Friday at the close of the three-day U.S. Forces Europe bowling championships, Grafenwöhr’s Kevin Reasoner had one minor regret.
"I rolled 18 straight strikes at one point," said Reasoner, who posted an 18-game total of 3,969 to top all 122 entrants in this all-service tournament. "I wish it had all been in one game."
Instead, Reasoner, who said he averages "210-212" ordinarily but averaged 220.5 through three days of head-to-head bowling against the best in the game in the European military community, had to settle for strikes in the last nine frames of his second game and the first nine frames of his third en route to a 746 series in Thursday’s doubles competition.
Reasoner, who said he’s rolled one perfect game in his 30-year career, fired a 289 in Wednesday’s team event, one pin short of the tourney’s high game, a 290 posted by Eric Hill of Aviano on Friday.
Hill teamed with John Hughes to win Thursday’s doubles by 89 pins over Grafenwöhr’s Holton Stallworth and Kimo Ortiz. But Hill fell just short of Friday’s title in singles, losing to Eric Berardi of Wiesbaden 1,281-1,275.
Reasoner outscored Stallworth, who on Thursday posted the tourney’s high series — 751 — by 59 pins for the all-events title. Hans Schell of Ramstein was third in the all-events at 3,901. On Wednesday he joined with Ronald Williams, Richard Brillhart and Michael Louridas to win the team crown with 5,377 pins, a 224.04 average.
"This is a tough shop," said Reasoner, who finished fifth in the event last year. "Every day there’s something different."
Different doesn’t even begin to describe the women’s division, in which Heidelberg’s Lakeshia Cruz won Friday’s singles by a single pin over fellow Heidelberger Carol Richardson and by six over Geilenkirchen’s All-Air Force bowler, Kristin Odekirk.
"I really didn’t pay any attention to it," said Cruz, a first-timer in this event who shot a six-game total of 1,036 Friday, about facing the formidable Odekirk in the final event of the tournament. Odekirk, who teamed with Chris Wendall to capture Thursday’s doubles crown, won the all-events title by 262 pins over Ning Williams of Grafenwöhr, but chose an early return to Geilenkirchen over collecting her trophies here Friday evening. Terri Chapman of Grafenwöhr was third in the all-events at 3,099.
Ramstein’s quartet of Gina Fehlman, Heather Williams, Lora Brillhart and Patricia Fevold won Wednesday’s team title with a 4,036, 18 pins ahead of the Grafenwöhr quartet of Chapman, Williams, Joni Austin and Linda Reasoner. Cruz and her Heidelberg teammates, Demetria Roberts, Stephanie Box and Jessica Turner, were third at 3,968.
"We were hoping to win here in Heidelberg," said Turner, who placed fourth in Friday’s singles at 1,016, "but it didn’t happen."
U.S. Forces Europe championshipsHEIDELBERG, Germany—Final results Thursday and Friday in the three-day 2009 U.S. Forces Europe bowling championships as provided by tournament director Jim Einhorn. Team event, combined total of four bowlers, was Wednesday. Doubles were contested Thursday and singles Friday:
WomenAll-events medalists(After 18 games)1. Kristin Odekirk (Geilenkirchen) 1,209-1,206-1,028—3,4432. Ning Williams (Grafenwöhr) 1,098-1,082-1,001—3,1813. Terri Chapman (Grafenwöhr) 997-1,091-1,011—3,099
Friday’s singles leaders1. Lakeshia Cruz (Heidelberg) 495-541—1,0362. Carol Richardson (Heidelberg) 518-517—1,0353. Odekirk 533-517—1,0354. Jessica Turner (Heidelberg) 477-539—1,0165. Chapman 485-526—1,011
Thursday’s doubles leaders1. Odekirk-Chris Wendall (Schinnen) 1,066-1,097—2,1632. Joni Austin-Chapman (Grafenwöhr) 1,055-1,051—2,1063. Stephanie Box-Turner (Heidelberg) 1,019-993—1,9524. Jennifer Lowery-Carol Richardson (Heidelberg) 861-1,051—1,9125. Demetria Roberts-Cruz (Heidelberg) 1,007-894—1,901
High game—Odekirk 235High series—Odekirk 642High 6-game block—Odekirk 1,209Triplicate—Stacy Berardi (Wiesbaden) 136-136-136—406
MenAll-events medalists(After 18 games)1. Kevin Reasoner (Grafenwöhr) 1,346-1,369-1,254—3,9692. Holton Stallworth (Hohenfels) 1,270-1,464-1,184—3,9183. Hans Schell (Ramstein) 1,364-1,265-1,272—3,901
Friday’s singles leaders1. Danny Berardi (Wiesbaden) 598-683—1,2812. Eric Hill (Aviano) 565-710—1,2753. Hans Schell (Ramstein) 667-605—1,2724. Nick Green (Grafenwöhr) 618-653—1,2715. Reasoner 637-617—1,254
Thursday’s doubles1. John Hughes-Hill (Aviano) 1,227-1,361—2,5882. Stallworth-Kimo Ortiz (Hohenfels) 1,187-1,302—2,4993. Green-Frank McClellan (Grafenwöhr) 1,300-1,186—2,4864. Robert Caraynoff-Robert Williams (Ramstein) 1,312-1,167—2,4795. Steve Hetu-Percy Morgan (Heidelberg) 1,181-1,280—2,461
High game—Hill 290High series—Stallworth 751High 6-game block—Stallworth 1,464U.S. Bowling Congress Special Achievement Award—Hill, 11 straight strikes.
