New Jersey's Matt O'Grady Wins Regional Thriller In Colorado
4/13/2017Matt O’Grady from Rahway, N.J., normally a QubicaAMF East Region competitor, defeated U.S. Open champion Francois Lavoie of Canada, 279-278, in a thrilling title match to conclude the fifth annual PBA Lakewood Southwest Super Regional, sponsored by Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson and Storm Products, at Holiday Lanes in Lakewood, Colo.
The win was O’Grady’s third in QubicaAMF PBA Regional competition and his first in the PBA Southwest Region.
Lavoie, the 2016 PBA Rookie of the Year, won his first PBA title in last year’s Lakewood event. In this year’s title match, the 23-year-old Canadian started the game with a 7-10 split, picked up one pin, and then threw eight strikes heading into his 10th frame. O’Grady started with four strikes, spared a 10 pin, then struck out to force Lavoie to throw three more strikes to force a sudden death roll-off. A 10 pin on Lavoie’s final shot allowed O’Grady to claim the $5,000 first place check.
O’Grady, who averaged 256.89 for the tournament, qualified second. He edged Dylan Macon of Lubbock, Texas, 2-1, in his Round match. Lavoie survived a semifinal round thriller over Andrew Klingler of Grand Rapids, Mich., 269-
268, to advance to the title match.
BRONCOS’ C.J. ANDERSON HELPS PROMOTE BOWLING’S “COOL FACTOR”Speaking of Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson, he admitted during the Lakewood tournament that when he was a kid, bowling wasn’t very cool. It was something old people – like his grandmother – did while he spent his time in the bowling center playing arcade games.
As an adult, however, Anderson has done a 180-degree turn, and is now in love with the sport, and all of the many aspects of the game most people overlook. In fact, he’s become so fascinated with the sport, and the advanced skills one has to develop in order to compete at the PBA level, he decided to sponsor a PBA Southwest “Super Regional” at Holiday Lanes in Lakewood, Colo., last weekend. A two-time participant in the CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational, Anderson used that platform to explain his passion for the sport to members of the Denver area news media who came out to cover the event.
“C.J. Anderson is cool,” said PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark, who also attended the event. “A great running back for the Denver Broncos who scores touchdowns in the Super Bowl is cool. All of us who are involved with bowling know it’s cool, but a lot of people have a perception that tells them it’s not. So when you have a guy like C.J. devote this much time and passion to the sport, it really elevates the cool factor in our game.”
Anderson, who has competed in PBA Regional events during the NFL’s offseason, said he is hopeful that bowling can rise to the level of popularity that would allow for more people to make a Broncos who scores touchdowns in the Super Bowl is cool. All of us who are involved with bowling know it’s cool, but a lot of people have a perception that tells them it’s not. So when you have a guy like C.J. devote this much time and passion to the sport, it really elevates the cool factor in our game.”
Anderson, who has competed in PBA Regional events during the NFL’s offseason, said he is hopeful that bowling can rise to the level of popularity that would allow for more people to make a living doing it. He is also hoping that more young people will pursue scholarships in bowling, which are often available without acquiring a high level of skill. “The bigger picture is to get other sponsors and to get a bunch of people into bowling and get the PBA back to what it was when I was younger and when I watched my grandma bowl,” Anderson said.
Anderson, who employs an unusual “wrong foot” delivery, bowled in the Lakewood event and averaged 197.88 for a respectable 68th- place finish in the field of 100.
Article was posted with permission from Stars & Strikes, America's Bowling Newsmagazine. www.starsandstrikesbowling.com
