OPINION |
For anyone who’s ever gone bowling, either as a serious league player or one who occasionally likes to sling the ball with one hand and chug a cold brew with the other, there’s an event coming to Springfield next week that is (ahem) right down your alley.
For the second year in a row, the best bowlers in the world will converge on Enterprise Park Lanes for the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic. A $180,000 prize fund will be up for grabs with $25,000 going to the winner of the nationally televised championship round on Sunday, Feb. 18.
The biggest names in the sport will be on hand, including 2023 PBA Tour Player of the Year E.J. Tackett; Australia’s Jason Belmonte who’s won 14 majors; recent U.S. Open winner Kyle Troup; and Bill O’Neill, winner of the season-opening PBA Players Championship last month.
Nixa bowler looks to earn his way into the field
Sam Cooley of Australia won the inaugural Springfield Classic a year ago, beating hometown hero and Glendale High School graduate Keven Williams in the championship match. Another local pro, who’s on the verge of becoming one of the sport’s rising stars, will look to earn his way into the field in the Pre-Tournament Qualifier on Tuesday, Feb. 13. That’s David “Boog” Krol from Nixa, who already has two outstanding tournaments in 2024 as a non-national-tour member.
Krol was sixth at the U.S. Open and 15th at the Players’ Championship and already has banked $17,000. He was rated No. 7 in Player of the Year points in the latest statistics.
But Krol must navigate “PTQ” when 90 bowlers will roll seven games. Only the top nine earn entry into the 64-player tournament, which begins the next day. Other locals confirmed in the preliminary qualifier include Blake Demore, Xander Dudley and Glenn Kendrick.
Weber, whose celebration went viral, will make an appearance
One big addition to the tournament this year is the new namesake. St. Louis native Pete Weber, one of the legends of the game, will make a rare PBA National Tour appearance in the tourney named in his honor.
Weber, 61, has 37 PBA Tour titles including 10 majors and a record five U.S. Opens. He brought mainstream attention to the sport with his classic reaction after throwing the winning shot in the 2012 U.S. Open.
“Who do you think you are? I AM,” Weber, son of the late bowling legend Dick Weber, screamed in a clip that made ESPN’s SportsCenter and still circulates on social media every time the Open rolls around.
Weber and the Wiemer family, which owns Enterprise Park Lanes, are longtime friends. Steve Wiemer said recently that it’s an honor to have the Springfield tournament associated with Weber.
“Our history with the Weber family goes back more than 50 years,” Wiemer said. “I was tickled to death about the opportunity to have Pete’s name on the tournament.”
Pro-am kicks off busy week at Enterprise Park Lanes
Weber and many other pros will help kick off the week’s action on Monday, Feb. 12, with a 6 p.m. pro-am as 180 local bowlers get to team up with some of the pros. A few openings for amateurs remain and anyone interested should contact Enterprise Park or Sunshine Lanes.
Week-long spectator passes are $10 and available at Enterprise Park Lanes or Sunshine Lanes. Those passes also are good for standing-room admission to the final round. Bleacher seating for the nationally televised finals is $25 and tickets may be purchased at PBA.com.
PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic
Tuesday, Feb. 13 - Pre-Tournament Qualifier (seven games) at 8:30 a.m. Practice for the pros, 3 p.m. PBA Elite League, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 14 - Qualifying Round 1, 10 a.m. (six games) and 6 p.m. (six games)
Thursday, Feb. 15 - Qualifying Round 6, 10 a.m. (six games, field cut to top 32); Elimination Round 1, 6 p.m. (six games)
Friday, Feb. 16 - Elimination Round 2, 10 a.m. (six games, field cut to top 12). Elimination Round 3, 6 p.m. (six games, field cut to top five for stepladder finals)
Sunday, Feb. 18 - Top five in championship finals, noon (Live on Fox Sports 1)
Big basketball weekend at GSB
Looking at a more traditional Ozarks sport this time of the year, it’s perhaps the biggest weekend of the season for Missouri State’s basketball teams with games for three straight days at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The Lady Bears, who are in a battle for the top of the Missouri Valley Conference, get things going when Belmont visits at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 9. Belmont is tied with Drake atop the league, with Missouri State just one game behind.
Missouri State dropped a 66-55 decision at Belmont on Jan. 26 and Belmont is the last team to beat the Lady Bears at GSB Arena. That came last Feb. 19 and Missouri State has won 12 in a row at home since, including all 10 home games this season.
The spotlight turns to the Bears on Saturday as Valley-leading Indiana State visits for a 1 p.m. tip. Indiana State has a two-game cushion over second-place Drake in the Valley and the Bears, at 6-7 in the league, are in a four-way tie for sixth in a bunched-up group, a game out of fourth place.
The challenge is a big one for Missouri State, which likely will be without Chance Moore after he suffered an ankle injury in a mid-week loss at Northern Iowa. Guard Damien Mayo Jr., also could join Nick Kramer and Tyler Bey on the sidelines as Bears that are battling injuries or illness.
With a victory, Indiana State could become a rare top-25 Valley team when the new Associated Press rankings come out on Monday. The Sycamores were 28th last week.
The Lady Bears return on Sunday to wrap up the big home-court weekend with a 2 p.m. game against Murray State.
Also MSU Hall of Fame Weekend
Adding to the festivities on Friday night and Saturday will be halftime recognition of Missouri State’s 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame class:
Tahnee Balerio (women's basketball, 2004-08): Balerio was a two-year starter and four-year letter-winner for the Lady Bears, who rolled up 1,239 points over 117 career games for a career scoring average of 10.6 points per game. She currently ranks 22nd on MSU's career scoring list.
Dante Brinkley (baseball, 2000-03): The team captain for the 2003 NCAA College World Series team, Brinkley had 279 career hits while leading the Bears to back-to-back 40-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003. His 96 hits in 2003 is still the MSU season record.
Chelsea Dirks-Ham (women's swimming, 2007-11): A four-time All-MVC swimmer and 13-time MVC champion, Chelsea Dirks-Ham helped MSU reel off four straight Valley team titles (2008-2011) during her career in the pool.
Lily Johnson (volleyball, 2014-17): One of just 10 players in NCAA Division I volleyball history to collect 2,200 kills and 1,500 digs in her career, Johnson was a four-time All-American and four-time All-MVC attacker. She became the first four-time All-American in MVC history and the first player to lead the league in kills four times.
Paul Le (men's swimming, 2011-15): A three-time NCAA qualifier and four-time All-Mid-America Conference first-team selection, Le became the program's first Division I All-American and the first Bears' swimmer to score at the NCAA meet when he finished 15th in the 200 backstroke in 2013.
Caleb Schaffitzel (football, 2010-14): The three-time All-American safety and three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American led the football Bears in total tackles in 2012 (109), 2013 (111) and 2014 (96). He was a first-team All-MVFC choice in his last three seasons.
Ned Reynolds: The local broadcaster is the recipient of this year's Don Payton Award, which was established in 2017 in conjunction with the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame to honor non-athletes or coaches. The late Don Payton was MSU Director of Information from 1956 to 1985.
