During the past six months, Steve Sanders has become the major topic of conversation in the bowling world. His name has been bantered about in numerous articles and conversations. Additionally, he was recently featured on the Phantom Radio Show…two weeks in a row!  
Sanders, President of Pinacle Events, is perhaps the greatest independent bowling promoter in the sport. He is energetic, innovative, and unquestionably one of the game’s top salesmen. And, like every successful businessman, he has surrounded himself with a highly proficient staff of bowling oriented employees, namely Press Director Jim Goodwin, Tournament Director Frank Ellenberg, and cartoonist Walt Steinsiek. 
Goodwin is best recognized as Publisher-Editor of Stars and Strikes, one of the nation’s most successful bowling publications. Furthermore, he has asserted his leadership qualities by steering and improving the Professional Women’s Bowlers Association regional program, despite the unfortunate and distressing situation of the regular PWBA Tour. 
Ellenberg has parlayed a radiant personality with his vast knowledge of the game to become one of, if not the best tournament directors in the game.
Walt Steinsiek has distinguished himself as the greatest cartoonist in bowling, and in the process, has become one of Sanders’ greatest boosters.
Sanders has an enviable track record in bowling. His Eliminator and Mini-Eliminator Tournaments have matched and perhaps surpassed the High Roller as America’s premier amateur megabucks tournaments. He is without question, the most prominent individual promoter for conducting “events”; that is, megabucks and seniors tournaments. In senior tournaments he is the only individual I have ever known that includes all entry fee money into the prize fund, a feat unheard of in bowling tournament history. Sanders has succeeded in doing this by inducing sponsorship money from major corporations and leading bowling equipment manufacturers. 
One of Sanders’ most notable accomplishments was his ability to contract senior events with The Villages, one of America’s most successful retirement communities, located in Central Florida. The senior bowling tournament and the retirement project was a match made in Heaven. Senior citizens were far more familiar with the older stars and responded in droves. Senior bowlers flocked to this site, not only because of the great hospitality shown by the fans, but greatly due to the fact that the winners prize awarded by The Villages was the richest in bowling history, a modern home located on the edge of numerous golf courses.
Sanders has cemented relations with Coast Properties, a hotel-casino corporation that features three outstanding bowling centers, the Orleans, the Gold Coast, and the Suncoast.  The latter will be hosting the ABC Senior Masters for the first of a two-year contract.  Last month (November 15-20) Sanders conducted the highly successful Brunswick Senior World Open at the Orleans that featured a $5000 skins game between four of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game, Dick Weber, Johnny Petraglia, Dave Davis and Mark Roth.    
Sanders will also collaborate with the Kegel Company in sponsoring the” Kegel Million”, an unusual team tournament offering $1 million to any team that records 4000 or better on “the easiest conditions ever”.
Several months ago, Sanders entertained an interest in taking over the defunct PWBA. After several meetings with Professional Women’s Bowling Association owner, John Sommer, Sanders purchased the beleaguered PWBA His first objective was the formation of a Seniors-PWBA Tour. This was due to the fact that the women’s tour was rarely able to attract more than 40 to 60 players, hardly feasible for a successful bowling tour. On the other hand, senior tournament staged by Sanders in the past have drawn from 200 to 350 entries. Consequently, from a business standpoint, this was the only workable and practicable decision for a successful venture.  
Sanders has been assured of support from the WIBC if an ESPN contract can be negotiated. Sanders claims that ESPN is interested in continuing the TV show, particularly in view of the increased ratings over the past few seasons.
Some of the elite stars on the ladies tour expressed disapproval at sharing events with the older male stars but, given the option of bowling professionally or staying home for a less glamorous career, they had no choice but to accept the offer. On the other hand, the seniors were more than happy to go along with Sanders’ proposed 20-event tour.
Yet, despite all this, Sanders has been beset with problems that seemingly contradict the supposed unification of all bowling integers for the good of the game. The theory  “united we stand, divided we fall” was never less evident than the existing relations between Sanders, Strike Ten Entertainment and the PBA.
Sanders is disappointed in the lack of assistance from Strike Ten Entertainment, an offer of $275,000 from Miller and Pepsi-Cola, while the PBA receives over $1 million. Although Strike Ten was organized for the good of ALL bowling, it would be difficult to measure the tremendous impact the PBA has on the game against a yet unproven venture.    	 
Sanders also contends the PBA is silently undermining his efforts to organize a senior tour. On the other hand, the PBA counters the allegations by permitting any and all of its members to bowl in any senior events sponsored by Sanders, as long as they are not booked in conjunction with senior PBA tour events.   
As the saying goes “there’s always two sides to a story”.   I shall not attempt to be judge and jury.  Their motives and goals seem to be essentially for the good of our game.   
I, for one, would love to see all sides come together and place bowling as one of America’s greatest sports!