PBA Returns, Kris Prather Takes Home The PBA Strike Derby

By Jordan Long

The MLB, NHL, and NBA are on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  NASCAR was the first major sport back.  They have held a few races without fans and it has worked well.   Another sport that returned is the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA).          

The PBA had its’ first tournament in 3 months.   It was the PBA “Strike Derby” which aired this past Saturday.  The format was to see how many strikes a bowler could throw in 2 minutes.  The first set was qualifying and the bowlers were seeded 1 through 8 depending on the number of strikes thrown.  Once that round was over, the bracket was created.  Whoever finished 1st would go against bowler #8 and so on.   The bowlers participating in the event were Tommy Jones, Sean Rash, Kyle Troup, Kris Prather, Bill O’Neill, Anthony Simonsen, Shawn Maldonado, and E.J. Tackett.   

                These bowlers hadn’t even thrown a ball in 3 months.    The winner was Kris Prather. He threw 7 strikes in the final round to knock off Anthony Simonsen who had 6.  He took home $25,000 for the victory.   In total 213 strikes were thrown.

                According to PBA.com, CEO Colie Edison said, “We are so excited to be one of the first properties bringing live sports back to broadcast television. This dynamic series of events will showcase the immense talent of our elite bowlers to a wide audience and we look forward to welcoming new fans to the Professional Bowlers Association.”

The PBA made it safe for all who participated.  Bowlers were socially distanced.  One bowler sat in a chair while the other used lanes available to see how many total strikes they could knock down.  When it came to the interviews, all the athletes had earpieces to hear the sideline reporter ask questions.   When a question was asked, they answered while being socially distanced.   The camera crew even had masks on while working. It was a great way to see some of the best bowlers in the PBA compete.

                They are going to do this again this Saturday.  The same bowlers will be competing but they are adding two women to the mix, Shannon O’Keefe, and Danielle McEwan.  Be sure to watch some bowling action this Saturday at 4 PM Mountain Time to see who will win the PBA Summer Clash on FOX.