The Men’s European Championships (MEC) in Aalborg, Denmark, are in the books now and can be considered a great success for European Staff players of Brunswick. Six Brunswick-Staff members have won medals in Aalborg and four more medals were added by players on the Brunswick Team England. This means that the worldwide leader in bowling was represented among medalists in all five classifications of the MEC 2009 marking a truly impressive outing.

The medal feast was opened by Brunswick-Regional-Staff player Petteri Salonen, who, together with teammate Osku Palermaa, fought his way through strong competition to capture the gold for Finland in the Doubles classification. The early success seemed to be great motivation for the cool Finn as he was able to add two more medals in the course of the Championships. He went for gold again in the Team competition, together with Brunswick-International-Staff legend Kimmo Lehtonen, and later took home bronze in the prestigious Masters ranking.

Shooting star and Brunswick-European-Pro-Team bowler, David Canady, played impressively in Aalborg and carried Germany to the bronze medal in the Team competition. Team Germany, which also featured Kai Günther and Tobias Gäbler - both Brunswick-Regional-Staff players - stayed cold blooded up to the semifinals where they fell short in a duel with eventual winner Finland. David has put in an outstanding performance and led the German team with an average of over 220.

David’s fellow Brunswick-European-Pro-Team colleague, John Wells, made a great contribution to Brunswick Team England’s quest for a bronze medal in the Team classification. The up-and-coming youngster chipped in some impressive scores to help lift the English to the semi-final where they had to surrender to a strong Swedish team. With this experience under his belt and his first medal for Brunswick Team England captured, John has laid down the groundwork for great success in future international competitions with the national team.

Additional to medals won by Brunswick-Staff players, the Brunswick Team England members secured four more spots on the podium. The English took home bronze medals in Doubles and Trios categories as well as a silver medal in the All Events-, and gold in the Masters-competitions. Other notable placements of Brunswick-Staff players include Jimmy Mortensen’s (Denmark) 10th place in Doubles and 5th place in Team, Canady’s and Gäbler’s 9th spot and Lehtonen’s 10th spot in Trios, and Petteri Salonen’s impressive 6th ranking in the All Events competition.

Brunswick congratulates all Staff players and their teams on a very successful Men’s European Championships 2009.

Quotes from Aalborg:

“This was an unbelievable week for me. I played very well and was extremely pleased with the performance of my new Brunswick ball, the Siege™ (note: soon to be released). I needed a ball with a strong reaction to match my playing style and the Siege gave me exactly what I wanted. I want to thank
Brunswick, the Tali Pro Shop and Sami Heinilä from OY Bowling for helping me to achieve such great success at the MEC 2009.” triple medalist Petteri Salonen, Finland 

“It was a real showdown as if it was made in a Hollywood studio! All teams have already played their games and everybody was watching our match against Denmark. It came down to the last frame and I had to roll a strike to keep Germany in the game. Even though I have not thrown a strike on this lane
before I kept my cool and delivered! After Frederik Öhrgaard left one pin standing I threw another strike, which secured the win and advanced our team into the semi-finals and qualified myself for the Masters competition. Crazy!”

David Canady, Germany, talks about beating Denmark and advancing to semi-finals of the Team competition, “I played mostly with my newest balls from Brunswick during the tournament. The Python™ is “the bomb” and is just perfect for me! I also loved the new Siege™ ball, which allowed me to play the lanes perfectly. These two new releases from Brunswick are simply amazing.”

David Canady, Germany, talks about the equipment he used during the MEC

“This year’s EMC was unforgettable in many ways. The greatest thing was being on the winning team with rookie players, who were not even born in 1985 when I won my first EMC gold in Austria. There was a lot of emotion in the air after we won the team gold. The eyes of veteran players like myself get “moist” pretty quick in such moments (smiles) but I saw the young guys fighting back tears as well. It was team play at its best!”

European bowling legend Kimmo Lehtonen, Finland, after winning gold in Team competition

“Playing in the MEC was a great experience, even more so playing in a team with the talent of our guys. Competing against such a variety of bowlers with different styles, which made each day a new task, was a great time and a valuable learning experience. Something I really hope I get to do again. I want to thank Jez Darvill for the time he spent with me over the years, Geoff and Chris Buck for making these trips possible and my ball driller Matt Miller at the London ProShop. Finally, big thanks to Brunswick for all the help they provide me with.”

John Wells, England, about his experience at the MEC 2009

About Brunswick Bowling & Billiards

Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation has been a leader in the recreation business for more than 160 years. Founded in 1845 to make billiards tables, Brunswick Corporation is a Fortune 500 company and the leader in bringing Genuine Ingenuity™ to everything it makes. Brunswick
Bowling & Billiards, one of the largest operators of full-service bowling and family recreation centers in North America, is a full-line supplier of bowling equipment, supplies and consumer products, and designs billiards tables and accessories. For more information, visit our Web site at www.brunswickbowling.com.

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