THOMAS’ BRICK HITS LIKE A HAMMER
04/09/2012
Veteran Megabuck tournament bowler Pete Thomas used the Hammer Brick to claim the $20,000 top prize in the 2012 won the 2012 February High Roller in Las Vegas.
Thomas, a 51-year-old youth minister from of Oklahoma City, Okla., qualified for the finals by winning the 46 to 59 Qualifying Division. He used eight strikes in rolling a 236 game in the shootout finals, enough to outlast 60 & Over qualifier Bill Nichols (211) and 45 & Under qualifier Matthew Jones (208).
It was the first High Roller victory for Thomas, who has been bowling High Roller events off and on since the mid-1980s. The win pushes Thomas over $370,000 in lifetime High Roller earnings.
“I’m glad to finally get the monkey off my back,” said Thomas, who bowled in 80 High Roller events prior to the February High Roller. “I got close a few times in the 1990s, and I’ve gotten to the semifinals in my division a few times. But to finally win is a great thing.”
The Orleans Bowling Center played host to the top amateur bowlers in the country. The February High Roller places bowlers in divisions based on age, with the goal being to survive various formats and single-game eliminations to qualify for the shootout finals.
“The format is like bowling a big pot game,” said Thomas, who previously finished 3rd in the 1998 Super Bowl High Roller. “The key is to find a ball that matches up to the lane conditions.”
The Hammer Brick was Thomas’ ball of choice for the finals. He drilled the ball before leaving for Las Vegas, and said it was his go-to ball for the tournament.
“It was the first time I’d thrown it in competition,” he said. “I missed being able to throw a ball with surface that didn’t burn up early. This ball did that.”
There was a bit of peer pressure during the February High Roller, but Thomas didn’t let that get to him.
“The tournament sponsors gave balls to competitors during the tournament, and I tried a few,” said Thomas. “But they didn’t read the midlane very well, and it caused the ball to come into the pocket too late. I told my friends that I was going to throw the ball that got me to the finals: the Brick.”
Thomas said he didn’t have that problem with the Brick. He said the Brick’s GTR Hybrid coverstock and Brick Mirror Plane Asymmetric core gave him a great reaction on the demanding lane conditions.
The ball responded exactly like I wanted it to,” said Thomas. “It gave me everything I needed in the midlane. The brick gave me a board or two of mistake room, and it gave me something the other guys in the finals didn’t have.”
Thomas rode that level of comfort to a six-bagger from frames two to seven, cruising to victory over Nichols and Jones, who battled for second place. Nichols, Roseville, Calif., collected $12,500 for his second-place finish, while Jones, of Phoenix, took home $10,000 for third.
You can bet that when Thomas shoes up for his next tournament, he’ll have a Hammer ball in his hands.
“When you’re bowling on the tough shots, those patterns force you to have a ball that can read the lane correctly,” he said. “The longer and flatter the conditions, the more you need a Hammer ball in your hand. If you need a ball to get through the front clean and read the midlane, the Brick is your ball.”
— Ebonite Bowling Balls & Bowling Equipment - Ebonite is a brand of Ebonite International, Inc. Based in Hopkinsville, Ky., Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets domestically and internationally. In addition to Ebonite, the company’s consumer product brands include Hammer,Columbia 300,Track, Robby’s and Powerhouse™; its commercial product brand is Ebonite Bowling Center Direct.
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