Las Vegas bowler included in Tournament of Champions field

By Case Keefer (contact)

Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

All it took for Dave Wodka to sum up his chances in the 2010 Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of Champions was a quick glance around Red Rock Lanes on Tuesday afternoon.

The tournament practice session featured a who's who in the world of professional bowling. While Wodka wasn't intimidated, he was realistic.

"If I make good shots, I can compete," Wodka said. "If I don't make good shots, these guys will run me over."

Wodka is one of 63 former PBA champions who are in town to compete in the Tournament of Champions, which runs Wednesday through Sunday at Red Rock.

He's also the only bowler in the field who hails from Las Vegas. Wodka, who now lives in the Los Angeles area, grew up in Las Vegas and went to Chaparral High School.

But he's trying not to make too much out of his homecoming.

"I'm sure a lot of people I used to bowl with will be here during the week watching," Wodka said. "My mom and dad will be here all week, which will be pretty cool, because they haven't watched me bowl a tournament in years."

Wodka credits his parents for his foray into bowling. His mother was on the PBA Women's Series and worked at the pro shop at Sam Town's for nearly a decade.

"I grew up bowling there," Wodka said.

Something immediately clicked. Wodka started playing all around Las Vegas before he was even in high school.

He played in leagues around town and dreamed of someday bowling in the PBA.

"I got really good at it at a really young age," Wodka said.

When Wodka graduated from Chaparral in 1990, he immediately turned professional.

For the next 10 years, he grinded out a living on the PBA tournament circuit. Wodka eventually won his first tournament in 1999 at the Greater Detroit Open.

"That was the pinnacle of my bowling career," he said.

The next year Wodka decided to give up bowling for a living. He accepted a job in California and participated in only a limited number of events throughout the year.

That's how he's spent the last 10 years. He hasn't appeared in a Tournament of Champions since 2002. When Wodka earned an invitation this year, he wasn't going to turn it down.

"It's special to be in this tournament, regardless of where it is," Wodka said. "To be around all these great bowlers at one time is pretty unbelievable."

To prepare for the Tournament of Champions, Wodka traveled to Dublin, Calif., for last week's PBA event.

He flew through the qualifying round but had trouble on the first day of regulation.

"I got my brains beat in at the tournament," Wodka said. "But at least it was a good tune up."

Anthony LaCaze, a surging rookie, won the tournament in Dublin to snag the final spot in the Tournament of Champions.

He took the spot from Eric Forkel, who was supposed to be the second Las Vegas native in this week's field.

"It's an honor to be here," LaCaze said. "I'm glad to have an opportunity to bowl with all the greatest."

Wodka emphasized the same point. He's not focused on being back home. Wodka just wants to make the event memorable.

"To actually win this, it would be something I've only dreamed of," Wodka said.