Gaines & Padilla to Coach Team USA at Tournament of the Americas

[custom_frame_right shadow=”on”][/custom_frame_right] ARLINGTON, Texas – Brittni Hamilton of Webster, New York, heads the 20-member United States team that will compete in the 52nd Lee Evans Tournament of the Americas starting Monday in Sunrise, Fla.

The week-long tournament, which will take place at Strikers Lanes, features players from the American Zone competing for medals in singles, doubles, mixed doubles, mixed team and all-events.

The tournament has Adult, Senior (ages 50-plus for men, 45-plus for women), Super Senior (ages 60-plus for men, 55-plus for women), Junior A (ages 16-19) and Junior B (ages 12-15) divisions.

Hamilton won five medals, including three gold medals, as Team USA had a dominating performance at last year’s event. The United States won 25 of a possible 30 titles and had the top performer in each of the 10 divisions in all-events, including Hamilton winning the Adult Women’s title.

Joining Hamilton at the Tournament of the Americas this year will be Team USA players Holly Harris of Long Prairie, Minnesota, Rob Gotchall of Lincoln, Nebraska, and AJ Johnson of Oswego, Illinois.

Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina, who won four golds and a silver at last year’s tournament, heads the Junior Team USA contingent that will compete in the Junior A Division. She will be joined by Julia Bond of Aurora, Illinois, Ronnie Fujita of El Sobrante, California, and Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan.

Leah Glazer of Henderson, Nevada, Ashley Channell of Morris Chapel, Tennessee, Sean Wilcox of Altamonte Springs, Florida, and Cortez Schenck of Phoenix will compete in the Junior B Division. The four bowlers earned their spot on the team with their performances at the 2013 Junior Gold Championships.

USBC Hall of Famers Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Rick Steelsmith of Wichita, Kansas, along with Karen Bacall of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Larry Porter of Whitesboro, New York, will compete in the Senior Division.

Carol Teel of The Villages, Florida, Jesslyn Rhoades of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Sam Carter of Ben Lomond, California, and Jack Nelson of Bismarck, North Dakota, will compete in the Super Senior Division.

The Senior and Super Senior team members earned the opportunity to compete on the United States team in the Tournament of the Americas by their performance at the Open Championships and Women’s Championships.

[custom_frame_right shadow=”on”][/custom_frame_right]Team USA assistant coach Stephen Padilla and John Gaines, a USBC Hall of Fame and former Team USA member, will coach the team.

The Lee Evans Tournament of the Americas is the oldest annual international tournament in the American Zone. It is an invitational event for countries in the Pan American Bowling Confederation (PABCON), the American Zone of the World Tenpin Bowling Association.

In each division, one team comprised of two men and two women compete in singles, doubles, mixed doubles and mixed team. After 36 games, individual all-events and national all-events champions are recognized.

Go to BowlingAmericas.com for the schedule of events.

Terry Bigham
USBC Communications
Published: July 24, 2014 | Bowl.com