Sponsored by Pin 1, AMF's distributor in the northern half of South America, the 1995 AMF Bowling World Cup was held at 50-lane, bi-level Planet Bowl. The high-tech edifice was one of the favorite after-hours spots of Sao Paulo's newly rich, and it provided some remarkable scoring. Canada's Jack Guay and America's Patrick Healey Jr. shot 300 games to set the scoring pace for the 57-nation field.


Healey, the U.S. national amateur champion, went on to win the pole position in the stepladder, from whence he defeated second-seeded Nobuyuki Takahama of Japan for the title. England's 17-year-old Gemma Burden, author of a record eight game series of 1,804 in the early going, became the youngest Bowling World Cup champion ever when she outlasted America's Kendra Cameron, 197-175, for the women's title.

Despite a few minor misadventures in Sao Paulo's teeming streets, everyone was warmed by the hospitality of the Brazilians, especially during the victory banquet at the Carioca Club in downtown Sao Paulo. It made the countless traffic jams and endless queues all worth it. Where else could anyone see bowlers take over a stage and form their own samba line?

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