March 15, 2024 Nolan Hughes

The opening event of the inaugural PBA All-Star Weekend belonged to Team Storm.

Three teams, each representing a leading ball manufacturer, competed in three special events. In each event, teams earned points based on their finishing position: 25 for first, 20 for second and 10 for third.

 Team Storm swept all three events to win the PBA All-Star Skills Showdown.

  • Storm’s Kyle Troup out-struck Motiv’s EJ Tackett and Brunswick’s Packy Hanrahan to win the Strike Contest.
  • Storm’s Darren Tang prevailed in the Make That Spare competition over Brunswick’s Bill O’Neill and Motiv’s Tom Smallwood.
  • Storm’s Sean Rash converted the Flying Eagles in a roll-off to win the Trick Shot Contest over Brunswick’s Tommy Jones and Motiv’s Sam Cooley.

In the Strike Contest, Hanrahan had a goal to strike more than once in his five attempts. He failed, awarding Team Brunswick just 10 points and sending Troup and Tackett to the finals.

For the third time this season alone, Troup got the best of Tackett. Troup threw a modified hambone in the five-shot finals to defeat Tackett four strikes to three and earn 25 points for Team Storm.

Players paid tribute to a 1960s Make That Spare contest in the second event. Players attempted five increasingly difficult spare attempts and earned points for each conversion.

Tang converted the bucket (25 points), 4-5 split (50 points) and washout (50 points) to best O’Neill and Smallwood.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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A panel of five PBA Hall of Famers, including the four winningest players alive, served as the judges for the Trick Shot Contest: Mike Aulby, Parker Bohn III, Norm Duke, Pete Weber and Walter Ray Williams Jr.

Sam Cooley converted just one trick shot during his allotted five minutes, but wowed the crowd with his thumb-less rev rate. The judges gave Cooley a total score of 33 for his efforts.

Tommy Jones immediately while pushing the ball down the lane with a pool cue, then picking up the 10-pin throwing the ball backwards and between his legs. The judges awarded him a score of 39.

Rash appeared to have won the event after converting a plethora of different trick shots, but the judges had a trick of their own in mind by giving Rash a 39 as well and sending the competition into overtime.

The iconic Flying Eagle, made famous by Chris Barnes, served as the roll-off trick shot between Rash and Jones. Rash converted the spare on his first attempt, while Jones barely missed.

The inaugural PBA All-Star Weekend continues Saturday with the PBA Legacy Cup: Legends and Rising Stars.

First, teams with one PBA Hall of Famer, one current star voted into the event by fans, and one rising star compete in a baker trios bracket, beginning at 1pm ET on FS1. Then the five judges will take to the lanes themselves to take on five modern day superstars.

The first-ever weekend concludes Sunday at 1pm ET. One bowler and one NASCAR driver, including defending champions Kyle Troup and Aric Almirola, compete in the Go Bowling PBA NASCAR Invitational at Phoenix Raceway, before eight NASCAR and FOX talents try to outlast Aulby in the Checkered Flag Clash (a one-ball roll-off competition).

PBA All-Star Skills Showdown Results

Strike Contest

  1. Kyle Troup, Storm (25 points)
  2. EJ Tackett, Motiv (20 points)
  3. Packy Hanrahan, Brunswick (10 points)

Make That Spare

  1. Darren Tang, Storm (25 points)
  2. Bill O’Neill, Brunswick (20 points)
  3. Tom Smallwood, Motiv (10 points)

Trick Shot Contest

  1. Sean Rash, Storm (25 points)
  2. Tommy Jones, Brunswick (20 points)
  3. Sam Cooley, Motiv (10 points)

Final Standings

  1. Team Storm, 75 points
  2. Team Brunswick, 50 points
  3. Team Motiv, 40 points