The White Falcon - 12.07.1985, Blaðsíða 11

SPORTS
ACC Krueger: bowl's them over in the PBA
Story by JOSN Tim Abbott
Photos by JOI Howard Watters
Being in the military does not have to stop us
from doing the things we enjoy. Not even if it
means flying thousands of miles to do it. That is
exactly what ACC Kirk von Krueger, Air Ops Duty
Officer, did.
Recently, Krueger, a member of the Professional
Bowlers Association, flew to Texas to defend his
Texarkana Open title. Some may think that is too
far to fly to defend a title that only has a win-
ning purse of $2,000. "Flying all that way is a
little unprecedented because of the small amount
of money involved," Krueger explains, "but since
I was the defending champion I felt like I owed it
to the people to attend."
Krueger, 6 foot 2 inches, finished fifth in the
Texarkana Open this year and said, "That is more
than I actually had the right to do because I've
been out of consistent bowling for about three
months."
Kureger didn't start bowling professionally
until he joined the Navy in 1971. He walked in
a bowling alley and said, "I used to do this; it
might be fun. So I bought a bowling ball and some
shoes and started averaging 170 from the begin-
ning." His wife, Mary, jokingly interrupted and
stated, "He still has the same pair of shoes." He
denied it.
In 1981, Krueger was the Texas state champion
bowler. That earned him the right to bowl in the
prestigious ABC Master Tournament.
Krueger, 31, won't be able to compete in as
many tournaments as he would like because of
transportation to and from the states. But next
year he plans to compete in two national tourna-
ments and three regionals. A national tournament
is longer than a regional and the purse is about
80 percent larger. “Money isn't my motivation for
bowling right now," Krueger explains, "but it
could be later."
Krueger went on to tell how the PBA is a little
like the miltary. That have a dress code during
tournament week. They have haircut regulations.
There are certain things you can't talk about
during the tournament, such as lane conditions.
And, there are other standards that a person must
comply with.
Away from the PBA tournaments Krueger bowls on
an intramural league here. "Bowling is as much
fun now as it ever was. I can learn just as much
from any amateur bowler as I can from other pro
bowlers," concluded Krueger.
The White Falcon July 12, 1985
11