The United States Bowling Congress has voted to increase the national portion of the sanction card dues for the upcoming 2006-07 season. The announcement was made last week after the USBC board approved the hike.

The dues increase is expected to help offset an expected $5 million deficit for the organization this season. Before the merger of the ABC, WIBC, and YABA to form the USBC, the total deficit for all of the organizations combined was expected to be about $8 million.

The Butler County Bowling Association portion of the sanction dues may or may not increase, pending a vote.

For information on the national increase, visit bowl.com.

What state has hosted the ABC (USBC) national tournament the most times? Answer at the end of the column.

If you are new to the game, or if you've been around bowling for some time and feel it is time to make a change from throwing a straight ball to a hook, here are some things to keep in mind.Thumb position is important. For right-handers, the thumb should be pointing at 11 o'clock at the point of release. This should get your thumb out of the ball sooner than the fingers and allow for some side roll to be imparted onto your ball.This is sometimes called the "handshake release" because of the position your hand is in after releasing the ball.

Coming into this week on the PBA tour, Norm Duke has made six televised appearances and has four second-place finishes to show for his efforts.This past Sunday in Michigan, Duke made the seventh appearance a charm as he defeated Chris Loschetter 275-221 to win the PBA Ace Hardware Championship. Duke defeated Walter Ray Williams Jr. 205-198 in the semi-finals, while Loschetter bested Mike Scroggins 236-201.The win was the 23rd of Duke's 24-year career, putting $40,000 into his bank account. Loschetter earned $20,000, while Williams and Scroggins each earned $10,000.The PBA heads to Indianapolis for the World Championship this week. A four-year exemption and $100,000 goes to the winner. ESPN will televise the finals on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Jim Ollio topped Jeff Suchonic 195-179 in the Meridian Lanes division of the radio tournament this past Saturday. Ollio (212) defeated Troy Strezeski (177) and Nathan Smith (172) in the semi-finals. He advances on to the wild-card division semi-finals on April 8 at Sherwood Lanes.

Here are the top scores at the USBC tournament as of Sunday night. <B>Regular Division Singles:</B> 792; doubles:1,399; team: 3,436; All-events: 2,130<B>Classified Division Singles:</B> 679; Doubles: 1,214; team: 2,878; All-events: 1,800.

The state of Ohio has hosted 17 national tournaments.Ron Willison is a bowling columnist for the Butler Eagle.