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EBONITE INTERNATIONAL TAKES 1st, 3rd AT QUBICAAMF WORLD CUP
Nov 04, 2010
Despite a rocky start to the QubicaAMF World Bowling Cup, Ebonite International staff members Michael Schmidt and Biboy Rivera, ended up with a first and a third finish at this year’s event held Oct. 15-24.
Hammer International staff member, Michael Schmidt, of Canada, bowled his way through an injured thumb to take top billing at the 46th annual tournament held at Bowling de Provence in Toulon, France, for his second World Cup title.
Schmidt used a wide array of Hammer equipment during qualifying, including the Jigsaw Trap, the Plague, the Midnight and Onyx Vibes, the Backlash and the Hammer Cube.
“The center was extremely warm and humid; the approaches were very slippery,” the Canadian said. “It was difficult to get used to, but after two days I became more comfortable.”
Schmidt ripped his thumb open on day #2 of the Championship.“I finished that day, the semis and the finals in more pain than I’ve ever experienced in competition,” Schmidt said. But, desire and Mike’s competitive nature allowed him to play through the injury to become the second Male in World Cup history to win multiple times. He used the Hammer Midnight Vibe in the last two games to claim the victory
Schmidt last won the World Cup in 2005 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Biboy Rivera of the Phillipines took third in the competition. This was his first appearance in the World Cup. He used the Hammer Plague, The Hammer Black Widow Nasty, and the Track 505A to claim his position near the top of the field.
The 2006 World Masters Champion lead the men’s qualifying by 22 pins after firing off games of 191, 279, 245, and 259 for an 1181 five-game total and an average of 236.2 on the first day of qualifying.
Like Schmidt, Rivera too had issues with the center, which had issues of its own. Just after the first squads had bowled on Day 2, a crack was discovered in a support beam, which led to the remainder of that day’s bowling to be canceled, cutting the 20-game preliminaries to 16 games.
Despite his third place finish, Rivera said it was a great week and that he has learned a lot from the experience. Schmidt agreed, saying that it was a fun and memorable week.
“Having my dad there, working with Sandy Lowe again and feeling the support of Canada and Hammer definitely helped and was very special,” he said.
Lowe was Schmidt’s coach in 2005 when he won his first World Cup.
The field for the QubicaAMF World Cup consisted of 169 players (93 men and 76 women) from 95 countries.
“We are thrilled for Michael and Biboy,” said Ebonite International, Inc. Vice President of International Mike Quitter. “Michael has been a stand out and for Biboy to do this well in his first World Cup showing, shows he has a bright future.”
About Ebonite International
Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets domestically and internationally. The company’s consumer product brands include Ebonite,Hammer,Robby’s,Columbia 300,Track and Powerhouse™; its commercial product brand is Ebonite Bowling Center Direct.
