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CHEETAH CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: 3 Underdogs Try to Take Down a Legend

mrbowling300 — Thur, 05 Nov 2009 11:18:29 GMT

CHEETAH CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: 3 Underdogs Try to Take Down a Legend
Seattle, Wash. - 11/4/2009

Aside from the fact that this Sundays Cheetah Championship promises to be the most unique bowling telecast ever because of its documentary-style format (and the talents of ESPN personality Kenny Mayne as the shows narrator), it will also be interesting because it pits three young, relatively unknown players (Derek Sapp, Stevie Weber and Ryan Ciminelli) against one of the sports all-time greats (Norm Duke).

Just who are these guys? Well, this Sundays show will answer a lot of those questions, but until then, lets have a look at our three underdogs now.

RYAN CIMINELLI

Perhaps the most promising of the group, Ciminelli has TQRd on the Tour the past couple of seasons and narrowly missed his exemption last year. After a disappointing performance in this summers Tour Trials (held at Thunderbowl Lanes), Ciminelli used that experience to forge a different strategy for the World Series of Bowling, and worked it to near perfection.

After dominating the first three TQR rounds to earn spots in the main events, Ciminelli parlayed his run into two telecasts (the Cheetah and the upcoming Viper Championship which airs November 15). A win in either would secure his exemption for next season, but even if he is unable to do that, his performance at the World Series has given him a huge head start toward earning an exemption through the point list.

Ciminelli is a very thoughtful, polite gentleman off the lanes, but he will let his emotions show on the lanesespecially when he is bowling well. He is young and fit and reminds a lot of us of another lefty who burst onto the scene out of the TQRs just a couple years back in Rhino Page. On this weeks show, Ciminelli will face Derek Sapp in the semifinals, and the winner of that match (which will be best-of-seven) will face the winner of the other semifinal between Duke and Weber.

DEREK SAPP

Derek Sapp is a bit of a reluctant Tour player. After a stellar collegiate career at Western Illinois (he was selected as the collegiate Bowler of the Year in 2002), Sapp was married and had two children (daughters Allison and Josie) while bowling and working at his fathers bowling center in Iowa.

In 2009, Sapp finished 8^th in the Regional Players Invitational and earned an exemption for the 2009-2010 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season. Possessing a strong physical game and a mean strike ball, Sapp is capable of stringing together huge scores, like he did when he won the 2003 USBC Open Championship Doubles (with partner Sean Rash) while rolling a 300 and 857 series.

To make the final four, Sapp rolled an 804 final three games to take down Jack Jurek in seven games in the Round of 16, then blitzed Mike Wolfe 4-0 in the Round of 8 with games of 279, 289, 227 and 264.

STEVIE WEBER

The last of our three underdogs will be the first to go up against the legendary Duke in the semifinals. Weber is in his second Tour of duty as an exempt player, and is coming back after sitting out the 2008-2009 season with a stress fracture of the hip.

Weber earned his exemption through Tour Trials (making him another player who was familiar with Thunderbowl Lanes prior to the season) and bowled very well throughout the World Series of Bowling. Weber also has one of the most inspirational and touching stories of any player on Tour, having lost his brother Jimmy (a top South Region player in the 1990s) to cancer and dedicating his performance and success to his memory.

Weber likes to throw hard let the ball fly, so his match against Duke should be an interesting contrast of styles. Webers road to the final four included a notable sweep against reigning PBA Player of the Year Wes Malott.

Dont miss this Sundays telecast of the Cheetah Championship at 1pm ET!

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