‘The Best Bowlers Are the Best Spare Shooters’ – Mika Koivuniemi Shines at BBO 2025"

Jan 07, 2025 | By Erikas Jansonas

Interviews

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Mika Koivuniemi, Brunswick Ballmaster Open organizer's picture

‘The Best Bowlers Are the Best Spare Shooters’ – Mika Koivuniemi Shines at BBO 2025"

Jan 07, 2025 | By Erikas Jansonas

Mika Koivuniemi, Brunswick Ballmaster Open organizer's picture

Interviews

The first day of the iconic 55th Brunswick Ballmaster Open is in the books. Today, Tali Bowling Hall in Helsinki, Finland, welcomed 96 players across two squads competing on a challenging 46-foot oil pattern.

While some found this year’s oil pattern tricky, players demonstrated a strong adaptability from the outset. Brunswick Ballmaster Open 2019 champion Joonas Jehkinen surpassed the symbolic 1400-mark in the first squad, scoring 1422 to secure the top spot.

However, Jehkinen’s score was soon eclipsed—not just by others but by himself. During the second squad, Jehkinen improved his performance by five pins, achieving 1427. Yet, the spotlight ultimately belonged to Finland’s bowling legend Mika Koivuniemi.

The 57-year-old PBA Hall of Famer delivered a masterful performance, scoring a 1449 total to finish Day 1 at the top of the leaderboard.

“I'm feeling quite tired after flying and not sleeping so well the last couple of nights. Today I woke up like 4 AM. So I'm really happy for my score,” Koivuniemi told BowlingLife after the game. “My performance was good also. So it's a good start for this great event.”

While many players use the early squads to test strategies and fine-tune their games, Koivuniemi appeared fully prepared. His consistency throughout the six-game block was remarkable, as he avoided spare errors and skillfully managed lane transitions.

"It doesn’t matter how much you strike; if you keep missing spares, there’s always someone who strikes as much as you and don't miss those spares," Koivuniemi explained. "That's what some of the young people don't understand. Best bowlers in the world are also the best spare shooters."

Throughout the entire game block, Koivuniemi relied on a reactive bowling ball—a choice shared by most players on day 1, as only a few opted for urethane balls. When asked about this trend and whether it might change as more competitors joined the event, Koivuniemi expressed confidence that urethane balls were unnecessary and without it, both squads had smoother lane transitions. However, the 14-time PBA Tour titleholder predicted that urethane balls would become increasingly common as the competition progressed.

“I'm expecting guys using more and more urethane, because there's one generation in Europe, who don't know how to ball without purple ball,” Koivuniemi noted. "It's easy now, but it's not easy if you don't know how to use reactive balls and use your speed. So that's the only way for them. But I kind of like it because I expect the scoring pace go lower, especially in the end if they keep using urethanes. Time will tell.”

The shift away from urethane balls has been a point of discussion among bowling community in Europe in the past few months. It was also a key factor behind the Brunswick Ballmaster Open’s decision to leave the European Bowling Tour this year. Koivuniemi supported the move, highlighting the tournament’s increased prize fund as a benefit for players.

"I noticed that they [tournament organizers] put more money for that, which is great for the players, in my mind. European tour, it's not what it used to be. I totally understand the decision what they [tournament organizers] made. Of course, there's probably part of that is the fight between a couple of ball companies, but I think it was smart move and I support the decision, especially when they add money for the prize fund, so I think that should make everybody happy."

Even without its EBT status, the Brunswick Ballmaster Open retains its prestige.

“It’s a tradition,” Koivuniemi affirmed. “When you look at the list of winners, they represent the best players from every era of bowling. This is the most prestigious tournament in the world. There’s no doubt about that.”

The competition continues tomorrow with two more squads at Tali Bowling Hall, starting at 2 PM. Fans can catch all the action via live streams and stay updated through regular posts on BowlingLife, the tournament's official media partner, across their website and social media platforms.

Useful links:

Brunswick Ballmaster Open Livestream

Brunswick Ballmaster Open Results

Brunswick Ballmaster Open Livescoring

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Brunswick to USBC Urethane Ban: "We Do Not Agree"

Following a public statement from the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) confirming that it is in advanced talks to ban urethane bowling balls in certified competition, reactions have started to come out from within the bowling community. public statement public statement in advanced talks to ban urethane bowling balls in advanced talks to ban urethane bowling balls Brunswick, one of the leading bowling equipment manufacturers, confirmed it has been in contact with USBC since April regarding potential changes to ball specifications. These discussions are part of USBC’s wider review process, which includes input from technical experts, manufacturers, and stakeholders. In an interview with Erikas Jansonas from BowlingLife, Jordan Vanover, VP International at Brunswick Bowling Products, LLC, said the company has been in ongoing discussions with USBC in recent months, actively sharing feedback and addressing the concerns raised by the organization. “USBC contacted us in late April requesting feedback on potential changes to bowling ball specifications, and we have maintained open communications with the USBC over the past few months,” Mr. Vanover said “We have listened to the USBC concerns and had the opportunity to share our thoughts and ideas.” In those imput exchanges, Brunswick made it clear that it does not support a ban on urethane. The company believes urethane balls play an important role for many bowlers, especially in more demanding lane conditions. “We do not agree with the idea of banning urethane balls,” Vanover stated. “These balls are an important tool for many bowlers who use them to achieve more controllable ball motion on challenging lane patterns.” Brunswick’s product lineup includes several urethane balls under its umbrella, including the most popular one - Hammer’s Purple Pearl Urethane. A full ban would have financial consequences for the company. “The elimination of urethane balls would have a measurable impact on our sales,” Vanover noted. In recent months, there has been speculation that manufacturers have slowed or stopped urethane development due to the pottential USBC urethane ban. Brunswick, however, denied this connection. “The urethane ball released in March 2024 was not connected to the ongoing USBC discussions,” said Vanover. While USBC has not yet announced a final decision, the topic remains one of the most widely discussed in the bowling community today. BowlingLife has been in contact with USBC officials, but at this time, the organization has no further comment beyond what was published in its social media post on July 23. USBC has also launched a public survey asking for input on how urethane bowling balls should be handled in certified competitions. USBC has also launched a public survey USBC has also launched a public survey All feedback gathered so far, along with any new responses, will be reviewed by the Equipment Specifications Committee at its next meeting, set for late August or early September 2025.

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Darren Tang Makes PBA History Winning With Both Styles: “The Optimal Way to Throw Strikes Is With Two Hands”

Darren Tang, a PBA Tour title holder since his win at the 2021 Bowlerstore.com Classic, has officially written his name into the PBA record books with one exceptional achievement. After years of competing as a one-handed player, Tang made a bold move in late 2024 by switching to a two-handed delivery. Many fans assumed it was just for content - since Tang is the one of the biggest bowling content creators on YouTube - but it wasn’t. He bowled his first tournament using the two-handed style in November and fully committed to the change in February 2025. biggest bowling content creators on YouTube biggest bowling content creators on YouTube This weekend, his efforts fully paid off as he won the PBA Santa Maria Open in the West Region. With this victory, Tang becomes the first bowler ever to win PBA titles using both one-handed and two-handed techniques. Following the victory, Darren Tang spoke with Erikas Jansonas from BowlingLife about his newest achievement, the challenges he faced during the transition to two-handed, and how he sees his future on tour. As most things in life, best of them comes unexpectedly. That happened and this time. When asked what it meant for him to become the first player in PBA history to win titles using both styles, Darren said that he didn’t pursue the distinction on purpose, but acknowledged it was still a special moment. “Always cool to have the distinction to be the first to do something. It’s not something that I thought too much about,” Tang stated. “I just want to keep getting better to give myself the best chance possible to win again on the tour.” “Always cool to have the distinction to be the first to do something. It’s not something that I thought too much about,” Tang stated. “I just want to keep getting better to give myself the best chance possible to win again on the tour.” Even though many say that two-handed bowling is a kind of cheat code, it’s still difficult to learn - especially well enough to win a PBA title. When explaining the technical challenges that came with switching styles, Tang shared that one old habit in particular was especially tough to break. “The hardest habit to break for me is the internal rotation of my shoulder. I had this move as a one hander, and it would cause misses to the left and is more or less a power leak," Tang explained. "It’s exaggerated bowling two handed because of the position I have to rotate around now. If I don’t keep it in check, my elbow flies around the ball much worse than a good shot.” “The hardest habit to break for me is the internal rotation of my shoulder. I had this move as a one hander, and it would cause misses to the left and is more or less a power leak," Tang explained. "It’s exaggerated bowling two handed because of the position I have to rotate around now. If I don’t keep it in check, my elbow flies around the ball much worse than a good shot.” Starting over with a brand-new style is never easy—it takes time to develop, and there’s always some doubt. For pros like Tang, who need to perform just to make a living, the risk is even bigger. He admitted that the initial decision to switch wasn’t easy. But once he fully committed to going two-handed, he never looked back. “I haven’t doubted the switch. I did doubt switching initially. I think the hardest part in anything someone does is start. I understood that this would take some time. I told myself that I need to be okay with not cashing for the rest of the season to develop this skill. Once I committed, I never looked back. I was extremely fortunate to pick up on it much faster than I anticipated.” “I haven’t doubted the switch. I did doubt switching initially. I think the hardest part in anything someone does is start. I understood that this would take some time. I told myself that I need to be okay with not cashing for the rest of the season to develop this skill. Once I committed, I never looked back. I was extremely fortunate to pick up on it much faster than I anticipated.” Tang noticed that he strikes more often with the two-handed style, but some old habits of one-handed style still sneak into his current technique - reminding us that bowling is always changing and adapting. “I have committed to both styles. I believe the optimal way to throw strikes is with two hands. I also believe that the optimal way to shoot spares is with the thumb in. So that is what I will be committing to for the foreseeable future.” “I have committed to both styles. I believe the optimal way to throw strikes is with two hands. I also believe that the optimal way to shoot spares is with the thumb in. So that is what I will be committing to for the foreseeable future.”

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“You Never Know What Can Happen in Europe With Purples” – Inside Team Italy’s Domination at the EMC 2025

At the 2025 European Men’s Bowling Championships in Aalborg, Denmark, Team Italy delivered one of its strongest performances in decades.Gli Azzurri claimed medals in Singles, Doubles, the Team event, and All-Events, and came close in Trios — missing the podium by just 9 pins. Singles Singles Doubles Doubles Trios Trios When many powerhouses struggled to find a game plan on a challenging oil pattern — one that some players called the toughest ever seen at the European Championships — Italy’s national team obviously thrived, scoring well above the EMC average. Much of that Italy's success was led by Antonino Fiorentino, who, in addition to bronze medals in Doubles and Team event, also claimed gold in All-Event and Singles, becoming the only Italian bowler to ever win European titles in Singles, Doubles, and Trios. Fiorentino previously won Doubles gold with Nicola Pangolini in 2023 and Trios gold in 2019 and 2022 alongside Pangolini and Alessandro Santu. won Doubles gold with Nicola Pangolini in 2023 won Doubles gold with Nicola Pangolini in 2023 BowlingLife caught up with Antonino Fiorentino after the event to hear how Italy navigated the challenging lane conditions, adapted their strategy mid-tournament, and came just one brave and timely decision away from earning medals in every event at the EMC 2025. Reading the Lanes, Not Just the Pattern Sheet Fiorentino said he noticed early on that playing traditional lines near the second or third arrow wouldn’t be an option this year at the European Men's Bowling Championships, and that some non-standard adjustments would be necessary. “I noticed from official practice that big asymmetrical balls didn’t hold up well on the fresh — maybe for one game. After that, the best look I had was moving in and playing really close to the pocket with a forward roll and a low-flaring ball. For me, that was the Envy Tour.” “I noticed from official practice that big asymmetrical balls didn’t hold up well on the fresh — maybe for one game. After that, the best look I had was moving in and playing really close to the pocket with a forward roll and a low-flaring ball. For me, that was the Envy Tour.” His usual go-to ball didn’t look as promising. For transition, he also avoided fast-response asymmetric shapes like the Brunswick Hypnotize, opting instead for his Track Theorem. “My benchmark ball — the Trouble Maker Solid — just looked worse overall. For the transition, I also decided to go with my Theorem instead of the Hypnotize, for the same reason. I noticed that big, quick-asym balls weren’t effective there either.” “My benchmark ball — the Trouble Maker Solid — just looked worse overall. For the transition, I also decided to go with my Theorem instead of the Hypnotize, for the same reason. I noticed that big, quick-asym balls weren’t effective there either.” While urethane bowling balls had repeatedly shown success at past European Championships, using them wasn’t part of Italy’s original strategy this time — but as Fiorentino noted, in Europe, you always have to be prepared to both use urethane and face opponents who do. “We all picked one urethane ball each, but we didn’t really test them during practice. It was more of a defensive move — you never know what can happen in Europe with the Purples.” “We all picked one urethane ball each, but we didn’t really test them during practice. It was more of a defensive move — you never know what can happen in Europe with the Purples.” Like a Finely Tuned Stradivarius Violin In the early stages of the tournament, everything was falling into place for Antonino Fiorentino. He opened his six-game block with a 211 and kept building momentum, finishing strong with a 269 in the final game — a performance that secured him third place in Singles qualification. It was clear that his equipment choices were spot on and performing exactly as expected. “In Singles and Doubles, my arsenal worked perfectly. I saw exactly what I had anticipated during practice. Shot-making was obviously crucial, but if you had the right types of balls and played the correct part of the lane in the right way, you could still score.” “In Singles and Doubles, my arsenal worked perfectly. I saw exactly what I had anticipated during practice. Shot-making was obviously crucial, but if you had the right types of balls and played the correct part of the lane in the right way, you could still score.” In the semifinal, Fiorentino rolled 246 and a dominant 277 in the final — beating two French bowlers with urethanes inside the lane. “In Singles I bowled against Valentin Saulnier and Gaëtan Mouveroux. They were both using the Purple Hammer playing inside. I used the Perfect Mindset against Valentin, and then switched to the Envy Tour against Gaëtan because that pair was slower. It was basically a shot-making contest — we didn’t really interfere with each other’s game. There were too few shots.”In Doubles, paired with Erik Davolio, Antonino Fiorentino finished third in qualification with a mutual 212.4 average. In the semifinal, they faced the same opponents — but this time, France’s urethane strategy proved more effective. Davolio scored 155, Fiorentino added 194, but it wasn’t enough to break through to the Doubles final. “In Singles I bowled against Valentin Saulnier and Gaëtan Mouveroux. They were both using the Purple Hammer playing inside. I used the Perfect Mindset against Valentin, and then switched to the Envy Tour against Gaëtan because that pair was slower. It was basically a shot-making contest — we didn’t really interfere with each other’s game. There were too few shots.” “They were able to migrate left faster than us and ended up breaking down our lines.” “They were able to migrate left faster than us and ended up breaking down our lines.” The Turning Point: France and Finland Change the Game After the Doubles block, things began to shift. France started playing urethane deep inside, around the fourth arrow — and it was clearly working. The French trio of Valentin Saulnier, Gaëtan Mouveroux, and Maxime Dubois averaged 218.7, leading the Trios qualification by more than 200 pins over their closest competitors. “We noticed that France was using Purples at the beginning of the block, and they were playing them inside — around the fourth arrow, keeping it tight to the pocket. That allowed them to score well as a team on the fresh. We decided to copy that strategy for the rest of the tournament, and it turned out to be a good choice. It was much easier than trying to use big asyms. I think we were the only team — maybe along with part of the Swedish team — who picked up on that.” “We noticed that France was using Purples at the beginning of the block, and they were playing them inside — around the fourth arrow, keeping it tight to the pocket. That allowed them to score well as a team on the fresh. We decided to copy that strategy for the rest of the tournament, and it turned out to be a good choice. It was much easier than trying to use big asyms. I think we were the only team — maybe along with part of the Swedish team — who picked up on that.” Another turning point in the competition came when Finland’s Niko Oksanen rolled a 1396 block using a Purple Hammer, playing on the outside part of the lane. His success sparked a wave of imitation — with more and more players, and in some cases entire teams, trying to replicate the strategy. While it paid off for some, like the Romanian national team, Fiorentino noted that for many others, it ended up doing more harm than good. like the Romanian national team like the Romanian national team “Sometimes there was more room than usual, but other times no room at all. The point is that many teams couldn’t get anything going inside, so they took the gamble and tried to copy that strategy. As a result, in Trios and Team, there was much more urethane going down the lanes. And if before I had just a small amount of miss-room to the right playing inside, urethane completely took that away — and scores dropped even further.” “Sometimes there was more room than usual, but other times no room at all. The point is that many teams couldn’t get anything going inside, so they took the gamble and tried to copy that strategy. As a result, in Trios and Team, there was much more urethane going down the lanes. And if before I had just a small amount of miss-room to the right playing inside, urethane completely took that away — and scores dropped even further.” A Crucial Adjustment By the time the Team event began, lane conditions had become much tighter due to the surge in urethane use. With miss-room shrinking, Fiorentino made a bold choice — instead of switching balls early, he decided to polish his Envy Tour. That little maneuver proved crucial and ultimately secured him the All-Events gold. “On the first day of the Team event, I noticed the lanes were tighter because of all this. So for the final block, I decided to polish my Envy Tour instead of switching too early to the Theorem. That ended up being the decisive move for my All-Events gold as I bowled 290 with it.” “On the first day of the Team event, I noticed the lanes were tighter because of all this. So for the final block, I decided to polish my Envy Tour instead of switching too early to the Theorem. That ended up being the decisive move for my All-Events gold as I bowled 290 with it.” The same strategy might have worked for the entire Italian team, but in the Team semifinals against Denmark, they opted to start with urethane — a decision that didn’t quite pay off. By the time they adjusted their approach, the momentum had already shifted, and it was too late to recover. “We wasted valuable practice time trying to make urethane work, and by the time we switched to reactive… they were already lined up and striking way more than we were.” “We wasted valuable practice time trying to make urethane work, and by the time we switched to reactive… they were already lined up and striking way more than we were.” A Little Too Late In the Masters, Fiorentino started as a No. 1 seed and skipped the first final step. In the final step 2, Fiorentino met No. 24 seed Iceland's Arnar David Jonsson, who previously defeated Sweden's Markus Jansson. As both players were throwing balls at the same part of the lane with similar ball’s Fiorentino was happy about this matchup. "It was a good matchup for me — we were playing the same part of the lane with similar balls (Envy Tour vs. Ion Pro), and I just outperformed him." "It was a good matchup for me — we were playing the same part of the lane with similar balls (Envy Tour vs. Ion Pro), and I just outperformed him." But then, Fiorentino's run came to an end against Denmark's Tim Stampe — a matchup that clashed stylistically. Italian knew righ from the beginning that this match will be a tough one. He lost the first nervous game 158-189. Pushed back against the wall and needing something fast, Fiorentino made a tactical shift to urethane in the next game but lacked reps in that part of the lane. “I got paired with Tim Stampe, which I wasn’t too happy about. He was using higher-flaring balls (900 Global Harsh Reality and Roto Grip Rockstar), which allowed him to play left of me and completely blow up my line. I think I made the right move at the start of Game 2, realizing that the only way to beat him was to use urethane outside. But I had literally never thrown a ball in that zone for the whole two weeks, so I didn’t have enough info or confidence to make it work.” “I got paired with Tim Stampe, which I wasn’t too happy about. He was using higher-flaring balls (900 Global Harsh Reality and Roto Grip Rockstar), which allowed him to play left of me and completely blow up my line. I think I made the right move at the start of Game 2, realizing that the only way to beat him was to use urethane outside. But I had literally never thrown a ball in that zone for the whole two weeks, so I didn’t have enough info or confidence to make it work.” Ironically, Stampe went on to lose the semifinal 2-0 (248–201, 234–169) to Maxime Dubois — who succeeded using urethane on the outside, the very strategy Fiorentino had turned to just a bit too late. Had he made the switch earlier, it might have led to yet another medal. Still, the Italian came remarkably close to achieving something rare at the European Championships: medaling in every single event.

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"With This Win, New Doors Opened Up For Me” – Rasmus Edvall Reflects on First PBA Tour Title

This week, Sweden’s Rasmus Edvall made history by claiming his first Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour title at the PBA Scorpion Championship. He defeated Ryan Barnes, then Tobias Börding, EJ Tackett, and No. 1 seed Malaysia's Rafiq Ismail in the title match. PBA Scorpion Championship PBA Scorpion Championship His victory as a No. 5 seed marked one of the most remarkable comeback stories in recent PBA Tour history. For Rasmus, winning the title was always a childhood dream, but when the time came to face the pressure of the stepladder final, he approached the match with a focused mindset. “Of course I wanted to win, it’s one of my childhood dreams. But my mindset in the stepladder final, I took it match by match, frame by frame. If I had my focus on the win, I knew something bad could happen,” Rasmus shared with Erikas Jansonas from BowlingLife in an interview after the win. His strategy in the finals was one of simplicity. Rather than chasing the perfect shot, he knew that precision was key. “My plan for the matches was to be as simple as I could. I knew if I hunted the perfect line to get as many strikes as I could, I could also get many splits. If I left more than 2 pins after a shot, that could be trouble,” he explained. This approach helped him navigate the pressure, ensuring consistency throughout the matches. The finals weren’t without their difficulties, however. With many bowlers seeking their first-ever PBA Tour title, nerves were high. Under pressure, many mistakes were made—so many that some spectators even labeled the Scorpion Championship as one of the ugliest finals in history. “There were many debutants in the final, so most of us were a little bit nervous. The lanes were tricky, but the nervous players made it look trickier than what it was. A lot of grip pressure makes you often push the ball too far down the lane and miss inside the ideal line,” Rasmus recalled. Despite the challenges, his adaptability and poise kept him on track—he started the stepladder finals with not taking the 6-10 spare but stayed clean for the remaining 39 frames he bowled that night. After securing the victory, the reality of the moment still hadn’t fully sunk in. Rasmus couldn't believe what he had just accomplished, so his teammates from IS Göta, who had cheered him on from the front row, were quick to remind him of the significance of the achievement.“They tried to tell me what I had done and what it meant. I couldn’t believe it myself. It was a huge accomplishment that I still haven’t realized,” Rasmus admitted. As for the celebration, Rasmus kept it low-key, opting for a quiet dinner with his teammates. “We had a dinner with most of the boys, but nothing really exciting. Might be a little celebration when I get home,” he said, hinting at a bigger celebration when he returns to Sweden. Knowing the parties Helsingborg (the city in Sweden where IS Göta is based) is capable of, the author of this article predicts a night to remember. Looking ahead, Rasmus is already setting his sights on new challenges. The first one: a road trip across America to Allen Park, Michigan, where the next PBA Tour stop will take place. “This week we are heading to Detroit by car for the USBC Masters. After that, we will finally fly home. I will also play in the PBA Players Championship and the PBA Tournament of Champions. With this win, new doors have opened up for me with the PBA Tournament of Champions. It feels really cool to be able to participate in that prestigious tournament!” Both PBA Scorpion and Viper Championship titles were won by international players, with Darren Ong winning just a day after. The WSOB XVI continues today with the PBA Chameleon Championship, with stepladder finals airing live on FS1. International viewers can follow the action on BowlTV. Darren Ong winning just a day after Darren Ong winning just a day after BowlTV BowlTV

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