Summers heats up Boos' surge to title

5/1/2005

It took a new addition for the A.A. Boos & Sons women's bowling team to win its first classic title in five years.

Newcomer Brooke Summers spearheaded A.A. Boos' charge through the finals of the Queens Traveling Classic and led her team to its first title since 1999. Summers captured all five points in her head-to-head match against Cheri Nopper-

Hahn.

"It's an honor bowling with these women," Summers said. "They've helped my bowling a lot."

Summers said the Queens league is perhaps the best

female league in the country and that made winning it even more special.

"Brooke has been a great

addition to the team," said A.A. Boos captain Kathy Askins. "On the important nights, she has come through. Brooke was on a good roll toward the end of the season."

Summers and Jodie Walter were at the top of their games in the championship roll-offs. Lead-

off bowler Tricia Rettig and anchor Sheri Verespej also chipped in with big points in the finals.

A.A. Boos came out on fire on the first night of the championship roll-offs at Eastern Freeway Lanes. The team captured 13 of the first 14 points. Lizcano's battled back and won six of the next seven points in the final game. But A.A. Boos still took a 14-7 lead into the roll-off final the next night at Rossford Lanes.

"All we had to do is keep our composure and keep bowling well," Askins said. "I kept reminding them that the next night [Lizcano's] had to beat us, we didn't have to beat them."

Again, it took little time for A.A. Boos to gain the upper hand as it took six of the first seven points to build a 20-8 lead. The team then finished Lizcano's off as Summers and Walter won their matches to give A.A. Boos the final points it needed to clinch the title (21.5).

"It really feels good to bowl a good team and win," Askins said.

A.A. Boos & Sons won the first and third sessions of the 33-

week regular season. The team last won titles in 1998 and 1999.

Askins said she believed her team would have swept all three thirds if Rettig had not broken her ankle midway through the season. Sub Mona Kurtz also was a key contributor.

Rettig, Walter and Askins have been the core of A.A. Boos for years, but Summers sparked the team's resurgence. Askins said Summers was nervous about bowling for an A.A. Boos team that has been among the top three in the area for many years.

"She even asked if she was coming back next year," Askins said. "She'll be back. There's no doubt about it. We're planning on sweeping next year."

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MEN'S CLASSIC: The winning team in the men's Toledo Traveling Classic also parlayed a quick start into a championship.

The Loma Linda-Ventura's team posted a three-peat in the Classic by knocking off Dunn Chevy Buick in the championship roll-offs.

"It was really important to come out very focused and maintain high intensity throughout all the finals and on every shot," said leadoff bowler David Dobrzykowski.

The team of Dobrzykowski, Brady Woessner, Jeff Kwiatkow-

ski, Emilio Mora Jr., Kevin Taber, Jeff Kruzel and Stan Kruzel won two of the three 11-week sessions to earn a spot in the championship roll-offs.

Loma Linda-Ventura's jumped out to a 20-10 lead after the first night at Southwyck Lanes and needed just 15.5 points the following night at Interstate Lanes.

Loma Linda sealed the title with victories in games 4 and 5.

Dobrzykowski, the team's leadoff bowler, opened with games of 267, 258, 260 and 268. His average was 249.6 over five games in the finals.

His teammates were equally impressive as Woessner (237.2 average in the finals), Mora

(237.2), Kwiatkowski (235.6) and Taber (234.3) all bowled con-

sistently well in the finals.