April 29, 2021 jlaufer

 

PBA King of the Lanes, and the brand-new PBA King of the Lanes: Empress Edition series to air live on Fox Sports’ FS1

 

Portland, Maine – After a year and a half away from beloved Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine, the Professional Bowlers Association is officially heading back to the famed center for not one, but two special PBA King of the Lanes events, the first 2021 Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour events with fans in attendance.

“The PBA is thrilled to be returning to Bayside Bowl and to welcome back our loyal fans for the first time since March 2020,” said Colie Edison, CEO of the PBA. “We are grateful for Bayside Bowl’s long-time support and anyone who has been there or watched a telecast filmed there knows the BoPo crowd embodies the spirit and energy of the PBA fan base. We can’t wait to bring the exciting format of the PBA King of the Lanes series to such a deserving audience.”

The event series kicks off with the all-new PBA King of the Lanes: Empress Edition, featuring the world’s top professional female bowlers. This new installment of the fan-favorite event will be a five-part series airing in primetime on Tuesday, June 15, and Wednesday, June 16 on FS1.

The series will see a powerhouse field of women competing in head-to-head matches to determine an “Empress” of each show. Each Empress will defend her crown throughout the series but will have competition from two new contenders looking to take the throne.

Kelly Kulick, the first woman to win a PBA Tour title and the only woman to win a PBA Tour Major Title, will start as the first Empress and face competition from ten PWBA pros who are ready to capture the crown. Amongst the competitors are Hall of Famers, Major champions, and international superstars.

The five-part PBA King of the Lanes: Empress Edition series will air live on FS1 is as follows:

  • Tuesday, June 15 – 8-9 p.m. ET
    • Contenders Match: Clara Guerrero vs. Daria Pajak
    • Empress Match 1: Kelly Kulick vs. Contenders Winner
  • Tuesday, June 15 – 9-10 p.m. ET
    • Contenders Match: Danielle McEwan vs. Maria Jose Rodriguez
    • Empress Match 2: Winner from Empress 1 vs. Contenders Winner
  • Tuesday, June 15 – 10-11 p.m. ET
    • Contenders Match: Missy Parkin vs. Diana Zavjalova
    • Empress Match 3: Winner from Empress 2 vs. Contenders Winner
  • Wednesday, June 16 – 8-9 p.m. ET
    • Contenders Match: Liz Johnson vs. Ashly Galante
    • Empress Match 4: Winner from Empress 3 vs. Contenders Winner
  • Wednesday, June 16 – 9-10 p.m. ET
    • Contenders Match: Stefanie Johnson vs. Verity Crawley
    • Empress Match 5: Winner from Empress 4 vs. Contenders Winner

Just three days after the final Empress is crowned, the men will have their turn to try and dethrone Kris Prather, reigning king from last summer’s PBA King of the Lanes series.

The five-part 2021 PBA King of the Lanes will feature PBA pros from Hall of Famers to the Tour’s current stars, plus Portland Lumberjacks very own team manager, Tim Mack competing live on Saturday, June 19, and Sunday, June 20 on FS1.

The five-part PBA King of the Lanes series will air live on FS1 is as follows:

  • Saturday, June 19 – 2-3 p.m. ET
    • Contenders Match: Chris Barnes vs. AJ Johnson
    • King Match 1: Kris Prather vs. Contenders Winner
  • Saturday, June 19 – 3-4 p.m. ET
    • Contenders Match: Jesper Svensson vs. Parker Bohn III
    • King Match 2: Winner from King 1 vs. Contenders Winner
  • Saturday, June 19 – 4-5 p.m. ET
    • Contenders Match: Chris Via vs. Anthony Neuer
    • King Match 3: Winner from King 2 vs. Contenders Winner
  • Sunday, June 20 – 2-3 p.m. ET
    • Contenders Match: Tim Mack vs. Jason Sterner
    • King Match 4: Winner from King 3 vs. Contenders Winner
  • Sunday, June 20 – 3-4 p.m. ET
    • Contenders Match: Tom Daugherty vs. Francois Lavoie
    • King Match 5: Winner from King 4 vs. Contenders Winner

Viewers can live stream the PBA on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. Select highlights will be available on @FOXSports social handles across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. International fans can watch live on FloBowling.com.

The PBA’s main priority continues to be the health and safety of its players and staff. The PBA is taking all necessary precautions and following local and federal COVID-19 guidelines to reduce risks and modify procedures as needed. For a complete list of the PBA’s COVID-19 related standards and procedures, please visit PBA.com.

About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the world’s preeminent organization dedicated to the sport of bowling and its professional competition, with thousands of members and millions of fans throughout the world. The PBA plays host to bowling’s biggest tournaments from the PBA Tour, PBA Regional Tour, and PBA50 Tour. In 2020, the PBA launched PBA Jr., a club for elite youth bowlers under the age of 17 and the PBA Pinsiders, a membership for fans of the sport. For more information, please visit PBA.com.

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