Much to her surprise, Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga was selected for a unique bowling honor to

start 2010.

Johnson was named women's Bowler of the Decade in a poll by US Bowler, the magazine of the

United States Bowling Congress. Walter Ray Williams, Jr., the all-time winner on the PBA Tour,

was voted the male recipient of the honor.

While Williams was an overwhelming favorite, the voting for the women was much closer. In

fact, in a similar poll conducted by Bowlers Journal International, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard took

the women's honor while Williams was chosen for the men.

"I really thought Carolyn would win," Johnson said when informed of her selection in the US

Bowler poll. "I'm shocked. Carolyn has bowled so phenomenally. Maybe my last five or six years

have been good, but, wow!, I'm so surprised."

There were three categories of voters in the US Bowler poll — PBA media, PBA Women's

Series competitors and bowl.com visitors. Johnson led in all three with Dorin-Ballard second

and Kelly Kulick third.

Among Bowling Writers Association of America members, Johnson received 250 points,

Dorin-Ballard 202 and Kulick 172. Among the competitors it was 90-84-40 in the same order and

among Web site visitors it was 431-288-263.

Johnson won five titles on the Professional Women's Bowlers Association tour, which closed

in 2003. She was the 2009 USBC Queens and 2007 Women's U.S. Open champion, won a pair of PBA

Women's Series events and was the first woman to advance to a PBA Tour title match when she

reached the final of the 2005 Banquet Open.

Between 2000 and 2009, Williams won 17 PBA Tour titles, including five majors, earned more

than $1.5 million and made 63 television appearances. Norm Duke was runner-up and Chris Barnes

third in the voting. Duke won 16 titles and four majors in the decade.

After Sunday's Chris Paul Celebrity Invitational Tournament from New Orleans, the pro tour

heats up again with two majors this month.

The USBC Masters will begin with the first of three qualifying rounds on Tuesday at the

National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

In two weeks, another grueling event, the U.S. Open, will take place in Indianapolis.

The Chris Paul celebrity tourney is a made-for-TV event that was taped in January. These

are the celebrity-pro teams that competed:

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward and Wes Malott; entertainer Ludacris and Pete

Weber; either Steelers linebacker Lamarr Woodley or Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio

and Norm Duke, and Paul, the New Orleans Hornets star guard, and the two-hand Australian star

Jason Belmonte.

Proceeds of the benefit will go to Paul's CP3 Foundation.

Pin chasers

The Tonawandas USBC Bowling Association will hold its sixth annual "Bowl for the

Cure/Strike out Breast Cancer" fundraising event at Classic Lanes, 1840 Military Road, Town of

Tonawanda, on the weekend of March 6-7. Proceeds will benefit the Roswell Park Cancer

Institute Team Cure and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Bowlers and the public are invited to donate and participate in bowling tournaments for men

and women (4 p.m. on Saturday) and an auction/bake sale on Sunday (noon to 3 p.m.) plus free

bowling on both days. Tournament applications are available at area bowling centers and the

Tonawandas Association office (692-8668). For information call Fran Bax (799-3640) or Bruce

Harrison (807-1225). Donations to the Sunday activity can be dropped off at the lanes

(873-3383) or they will be picked up. Contact Patty Bax (799-3640) for assistance.

Next Friday, Feb. 12, is the closing date for entries into the Greater Buffalo USBC

Association Youth Singles Championship at AMF Airport Lanes, Feb. 20-21 and Feb. 28. Entries

closed Friday for the GBUSBC Me and Mine Tournament, Feb. 13-14 and 20-21. Walk-in entries

will be available for some, but not all, of the tournament dates.