North Pointe Insurance $100,000 High School Open Singles Championship Winners

Each Winner Awarded $15,000 Scholarships

Wyandotte, Mich. - Christine Bator, Warren, Mich. and Richard Novak III, Burnsville, Minn. survived a hectic two days to prevail over all other bowlers in their respective male and female divisions to become the champions of the second-annual North Pointe Insurance $100,000 High School Open Singles (Bowling) Championship (NPI $100,000 HSOSC) held at Indian Lanes in Wyandotte, Mich., according the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA). In 2006, the NPI $100,000 HSOSC was added as a new division of the long-standing QubicaAMF International Family Tournament (IFT). The NPI $100,000 HSOSC ran from July 24 - 26. With the addition of the QubicaAMF IFT's $70,000 scholarship fund, both tournaments present the opportunity for youth and graduated seniors (2006-07 Academic Year) to win $170,000 in scholarships, which is reportedly a record-breaking scholarship fund for youth bowlers.

Bator and Novak each won $15,000 in scholarship awards. The field of competitors included 153 graduating senior boys and 87 graduating senior girls encompassing all-staters, Junior Gold bowlers, Junior Team USA team members as well as members of the USBC/Dexter All-American Team.

In the Girls division, Christine Bator, who attended Fitzgerald High School in Warren, Mich., rose from being the 11th seed in the top 16 to prevail over Pennsylvania bowler Kayla Stamm 224-189.

Ms. Bator (turning 18 on August 18th) bowls at Sunnybrook Bowl in Sterling Heights, Mich.

A 300 game bowler with a high series of 795, she will be attending Nebraska University where she will bowl on their women's team and hopefully pursue a degree in the area of physical therapy/sports medicine. A bowler from the age of 7, Ms. Bator loves to sing and would like to give the pro tour a try some day. She noted that a big influence in her life and bowling career was the late Dan Ottman, best known for starting the Michigan Junior Masters Association, for which Bator holds 8 titles. Christine remarked, "I just kept thinking … one shot at a time…do it for Danny." Ms. Stamm was awarded the runner-up scholarship of $7,500.

In the Boys division, Richard Novak III (18), a graduate of Apple Valley High School in Apple Valley, Minn. and a frequent bowler at Apple Place Bowl in Apple Valley, moved from the #6 seed to overcome Ryan Evans from Massachusetts in the final match, 224 - 182. Evans had literally powered his way into the final match from the #16 spot bowling in the mid to upper 200s all the way to reach one of the top two spots. Novak, who says he too would like to bowl professionally, also played varsity baseball as the starting third baseman and even pitched. Novak's high game is 289 and high series is 763. He has bowled on the Minnesota Junior Bowlers Tour, placed 4th in State and was All-Conference 3 years. He will be attending Minnesota State University in Mankato and plans to bowl on what is currently their 'Club Sport' team. A bowler from the young age of 3, Novak noted that his dad, Richard Novak, Jr., was very instrumental in his bowling success through his support and working with his son over the years. Evans took home a $7,500 scholarship award for his second-place finish.

The NPI $100,000 HSOSC's first-ever 300 game was bowled by Amanda Halter of Georgetown, Texas. And while she did reach the top 16 in the Girls division and bowled a 205 in her first game, she failed to advance. However, she noted that she was extremely pleased with how she bowled and her accomplishment of establishing her place in the tournament's history book.

To be eligible, each bowler had to be registered with the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) as a high school team member or USBC-certified member (participation in organized High School Interscholastic competition [Varsity or Club] was no longer necessary); the bowler had to be a graduated senior in the academic 2006-2007 year; and bowlers must have maintained a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA (based on a 4.0 GPA scale) as determined by the high school from which they graduated.

NPIG Executive Vice President Matt Pettcoff's passion and North Pointe Insurance Group's (www.npic.com) sponsorship of this tournament for High School-graduated seniors demonstrates their support of the fastest growing high school varsity sport in the United States.

Final Standings and brackets will be available on www.bpaa.com.

Plans are already underway for the 2008 North Pointe Insurance $100,000 High School Open Singles Championships which will be held at Don Carter Lanes in Baton Rouge, La. More details to follow.

Headquartered in Arlington, Texas, the 75-year-old Bowling Proprietors' Association of America represents the business interests of bowling center owners worldwide.

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