Area Bowler Strikes It Rich Broderhausen’S Third-Place Finish Worth $25,000 Prize

Rich Broderhausen went to Las Vegas on Jan. 7 and came home $25,000 richer. But he wasn’t playing the slot machines or at the gaming tables. He was bowling.

Broderhausen, who was born and raised in Spokane but lives in Spirit Lake, Idaho, has participated in the International Eliminator tournament the past four years.

His fourth try proved to be his finest.

In 1996, his first year at the tournament, Broderhausen didn’t place. In 1997, he earned $500 by advancing to the third round. Last year, he tied for 29th. This year, he had a memorable third-place finish.

There were 684 bowlers who competed this year in the fifth annual tournament, which is open to all bowlers under a scratch format. No handicaps. In other words, this tournament is not for the average bowler.

Broderhausen stood in second place after the qualifying rounds. But, in the five-man finals, he lost to the eventual second-place finisher.

“I didn’t have my best scores ever, but I actually bowled the best and most consistently that I ever have,” said Broderhausen, who averaged 220 for the tournament.

Broderhausen attributes the relatively low scores to the lane conditions at the Sam’s Town Bowling Center, the annual site of the tournament.

“Good lane conditions depend on where and how they put the oil down,” Broderhausen said. “The more oil, the straighter the ball will roll.”

Just as greens are mowed differently in golf to make the game more competitive, the oil is placed on the lanes in a similar fashion. “The oil is done intentionally to make bowlers take better and more challenging shots,” Broderhausen said.

Broderhausen has been bowling since he was 7 years old. His family bowled a great deal, so there was rarely a time he couldn’t be found at some bowling center.

At 18, Broderhausen entered some tournaments, and, when he became fairly successful, he decided to make a commitment to the game.

Though he does some construction work during the day, Broderhausen, 30, bowls between 30 and 50 games a week and hopes to make bowling a career. Because of high travel costs, he mainly competes in local tournaments, but he knows his high finish in the International Eliminator may be just the boost his career needs.

Silver Lanes owner David Montecucco said he feels fortunate to have a bowler of Broderhausen’s caliber in the Spokane area.

“In recent history, this is the single biggest win by a local bowler,” Montecucco said of the money Broderhausen pocketed.

For instance, Jim Fraiser won a national title a few years back that was worth $11,000.

“I bowl for a lot of the same reasons anyone does,” Broderhausen said. “I bowl because I love the game. I just bowl a lot of games and, for me, that has made the difference.

“As far as executing a shot, I’ve done that work in the past. I concentrate now on learning how to make the same good shot in different ways.”

With his $25,000 finish in the International Eliminator as encouragement, Broderhausen will be working, learning, and concentrating even more on the game he loves in the near future. Now, he can shoot for the next step - a first-place finish in 2000.

On the air The five-man finals of The International Eliminator bowling tournament will be televised by ESPN on March 28, from 9:30-11 a.m., and rebroadcast on March 29, from 10-11:30 a.m.