Who will follow Jerome Bettis, Tom Candiotti, Chris Schenkel and Lynn Swann as the next choice for the Celebrity Bowling Hall of Fame? It will be up to the fans to decide.
Voting for the 2011 inductee is now available at gobowling.com. The nine choices include movie stars, athletes and celebrities alike.
This year's nominees are movie stars Bill Murray (Kingpin), Jeff Bridges (Big Lebowski) and Paris Hilton, pop music artists and bowling aficionados Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, National Basketball Association players and recreational bowlers Chris Paul and Dwight Howard and television personalities Jimmy Fallon and Kim Kardashian.
"Recognizing that the popularity of bowling lay in the hands of the nearly 70 million people who bowl annually, we've decided to give the power to the people," said Steve Johnson, Executive Director of the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America which is conducting the voting on behalf of the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. "We've assembled a line-up of celebrity nominees who have helped to make bowling the nation's number one participatory sport, from promoting our great sport in entertainment pop culture to simply showing their love for the sport."
Voting will continue throughout July with the top vote-getter to be announced Aug. 7, the final day of National Bowling Week and World Record Day when more than 3,000 nationwide bowling centers combine to try to set a world record for the most bowling games played in a 24-hour period.
Anyone casting a vote at for their favorite celebrity at gobowling.com can download a coupon for a free bowling game on World Record Day.
"By offering a free game of bowling to everyone who casts a vote, thousands of bowling centers across the United States are coming together to show their gratitude to bowling lovers everywhere and the celebrities who embrace and promote our sport," Johnson said. "This year's Celebrity Hall of Fame campaign will demonstrate both the tremendous popularity of bowling and the incredible solidarity that exists within our industry."
"No matter how the vote goes, we know that we're going to have a tremendous addition to our Celebrity Hall of Fame," said IBM/HF President/Chairman Pat Cinello. "From Hollywood stars and starlets to professional athletes and celebrity notables, each of the candidates has had a significant impact in helping to keep bowling as one of the nation's most treasured past times."
More information and complete biographies on the nine celebrities are available at gobowling.com.
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