Sandelin has chance to rejoin Team USA

By PHIL GULICK

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 28, 2000

SEMINOLE -- When Lucy Sandelin looks back on her remarkable bowling career, what astounds her the most is its longevity.

"When I won the AMF World Cup in 1976 in Iran, I was just a kid and now look, I'm bowling against kids who weren't even born then!" Sandelin said with a laugh.

Sandelin, better known as Lucy Giovinco before her marriage to Steve Sandelin in Norcross, Ga., five years ago, was the first American woman to win the World Cup. The victory began her on a 23-year journey with Team USA down a road paved with gold, silver and bronze medallions and included travel to all corners of the world.

Sandelin won the Florida State Team USA finals Sunday at Seminole Lanes, beating nine other women to earn a trip to the national finals in December at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. If she wins there, it will be her eighth go as a Team USA member.

Another well-traveled player, Fort Lauderdale's Mike Nyitray, beat a 26-man field to win the men's title and advance to the nationals. While Sandelin is the only national tournament women's qualifier from Florida, Nyitray will be joined by Clearwater's Bob Belmont and Melbourne's Chris Loschetter. Qualifiers for nationals are based on the number of entries in the state fields.

Sandelin averaged 194 and toppled 3,108 pins over 16 scratch games while Nyitray toppled 3,299 pins for a 206 average. Orlando's Patricia Harp was second at 2,939 and Lakeland's Cale Allison was third at 2,871.

Belmont finished second with 3,286 pins and Loschetter was third with 3,199 pins. Each earned expenses-paid trips to the nationals.

Loschetter is a member of the University of Nebraska bowling team and finished second in the recent USA Junior Olympic Gold National Championship at Las Vegas. St. Petersburg's Brett Frisse finished fifth at 3,082; Largo's Brent Dewar was seventh at 3,035; Darryl Dempsey eighth at 3,031 and Brian Halstrom ninth at 3,022. Dempsey and Halstrom are from St. Petersburg.

"I have always immensely enjoyed Team USA competition because I get to meet truly fine people and travel to all those exotic places you only dream about," Sandelin said.

"At the nationals, I'll be meeting some of my old teammates again, plus new youngsters with immense talent who are taking over for the old guard."

Those exotic places included Hermosillo, Mexico, at the 1994 World Cup, where Sandelin finished second, and outdoors competition in the 1997 World Cup at the foot of the pyramids, where she finished fourth. "For most of that time, I paid $10 for my entry fee and traveled a million miles that would have cost a million dollars," she said.

Sandelin was the youngest member of the USA National team in 1977. Ten years later, the USA National team became Team USA with former St. Petersburg product Sue Holton as a member. Holton is a Dixie Hollins High graduate now living in Orlando and joined Cora Fiebig, Sandra Jo Shiery, Nellie Glandon, Kathy Wodka and Karen Bender in gathering multiple gold medals during international competition.

The company Sandelin works for in Georgia had an opening in Tampa and she jumped at the chance to move back to Tampa, where she was born, graduated from and coached at Hillsborough Community College.

Nyitray is no less traveled. He won state amateur titles in Florida and Georgia and was a member of the 1994 Team USA. He won two gold medals at the Olympic Festival in St. Louis, then underwent reconstructive surgery on his right wrist which put him on the bench for nearly two years.

"It was the worst time of my life," Nyitray recalled, "because I couldn't even pick up a ball. I could coach, though, and I worked out contracts with government agencies all over the world." Nyitray has traveled to Sweden, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Venezuela and other countries, coaching national teams and individuals for international competition and spreading good will in the international bowling community.

MATCH-PLAY NEXT: Entries are due for the Florida Ladies and Men's All-Star Match-Play Tournament starting Saturday at Sunshine Bowl in Pinellas Park. The entry fee is $45 and the events are open to ABC- and WIBC-sanctioned bowlers only.

The men's winner earns $1,200 and the women's champion $800, both based on 50 entries. The defending champions are Largo's Tom Wheeler and Tampa's Bonnie Joel. Qualifying is July 29-30 and Aug. 5-6 with the double-elimination matches Aug. 11-13. For more information, contact the center at (727) 521-3585.

AROUND THE LANES: Chris Lloyd rolled a 300-751 at Tarpon Lanes, Walt Coddington fired a 300 game, Tony Jackson nailed a 298-755 at Rainbow Lanes and Phil Peters rolled a 300-795 at Countryside Lanes. Liberty Lanes had another run of honor scores with Pat Trudeau 300-805, Bobby Redmond 300-803, John Smith 300-669, Ken Wiley 300-804, Bill Wilder 300 and Bob Belmont 300. ... Gary Halstrom rolled a 300-764 at Seminole Lanes. ... Carl Quick Jr. won the Poor Boy tournament and Duane Podgorski captured the Gary Hampshire Scratch title at Largo Lanes, where a ladies' scratch tournament is slated for the third Sunday of every month with a $35 entry fee.

- Phil Gulick can be reached at Xerxes6@ aol.com or Xerxes6@Juno.com.

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