I had the honor to draw up the rules and to bring the Miami bowling proprietors and Dade County School System leaders together to approve a new revolutionary bowling program in 1965. It flourished in Miami and produced such early sensations as Roger Dalkin and Paula Sperber-Carter and slowly spread across the state as a fun club sport. However, it took until 2003 before bowling was recognized by the Florida High School Athletic Association and that recognition has done wonders for the image of bowling as a genuine and fiercely competitive sport.
One of the great mysteries of the bowling industry is the oversight of our industry leaders to take advantage of the dedicated and grassroots members of our own community. A perfect example of this is the promotional genius and expertise of Joan Romeo. Joan has been involved with amateur and professional bowling for thirty years or so; beginning around the time her daughters Robin and Tori began their professional bowling careers. Anyone that knows her will agree that she is one of most tireless, diligent, and creative individuals in the sport.
For years, the 2007 Flowers for the Living honoree has had one of the most unenviable jobs in sports. On June 26, during the 2007 International Bowl Expo, the tables were turned in Las Vegas when all the kudos he earned for doing that job so well and under the most trying conditions netted Len Nicholson (on the right) the ‘Flowers’ award. It is an honor presented to someone in bowling who is admired, respected and, indeed, loved.
Is industry missing the boat by promoting stars from other sports?
I belong to a tennis club and always can depend on the players to remark about my Sunday tennis columns in the Daytona Beach News Journal. They normally will add an apology that goes something like this: “I used to bowl when I lived up north but have no more interest so I don’t read your bowling columns in The News-Journal." But strange things happened after my column about Don Carter and the bowling icons who have died – Dick Weber, Joe Norris and Earl Anthony.
The old imagination takes over my brain when I think about the 2007 International Bowl Expo at the Mandalay Bay Hotel/Casino/Convention Center in Las Vegas June 24-29. Since the days of my youth, I have liked to emulate the old radio program "Let's Pretend" and basically think in outer space. Many times people think I am not only a dreamer but a candidate for the nut house. Nevertheless, here are things that have run through my mind as I think about attending the BPAA Convention in Las Vegas.
Many times in life I see both good and bad in things and sometimes vacillate and wonder about a possible gray area rather than just a black or white perception. My gut reaction when I read last weekend that Sim Dysart, an amateur bowler from Maine, had won $150,000 in the $250,000 Bowling Shootout at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas was one of delight for the 63-year-old retired Naval officer. But then I got to thinking and decided I wasn't happy what his victory was going to do for bowling's image.
In my opinion, the recent ESPN presentation of the 2007 USBC Queens television show was one of the best bowling shows ever. The production crew is deserving of an ESPY award. They more than made up for the so-so production of the Ladies Challenge in Las Vegas. From a personal standpoint, it wasn't the most exciting or breathtaking bowling event I've ever witnessed. However, the timing and format were innovative and stimulating.
Sometimes I am surprised about what I do not know about bowling friends
who I thought I knew. Take for example Reg Pearson and
Peggy Elias. Reg is a gregarious man who was a big
winner in Reno without walking into a casino.
Peggy was the statuesque wife of the late Eddie Elias,
founder of the Professional Bowlers Association. I thought I
knew them, but not really.
The sport of bowling, after experience a steady decline for more than two decades, is on the rebound. There is now a feeling of optimism where there was once doom and gloom. And cooperation among the integers of bowling abounds. As an example, Jeff
Boje, a proprietor, has been elected president of the United States
Bowling Congress. Cross my heart and hope to die!
Can Will Ferrell's upcoming movie do for bowling what 'Rocky' did for boxing, 'Hoosiers' for basketball, 'Bull Durham' for baseball and 'Seabiscuit' for horse racing. Bowling certainly could use a good movie about the tenpin sport because history proves that interest goes way up in a sport when a sports movie goes way up at the box office.
In a poll conducted by International Bowlers Journal, John Berglund (pictured), Executive Director of the Bowling Proprietors Association of America, was chosen as the most influential individual in bowling. Berglund's choice was not surprising to me. I was among the select group to cast a vote. In my judgment, the choice of the personable BPAA honcho was a no-brainer. Who is John Berglund? How did they find him? And what has he brought to the BPAA? John Jowdy gives the answers.
Bowling certainly is doing its part in helping reduce the United States' whopping world trade deficit every year. The United States has a monopoly when it comes to shipping and installing bowling equipment, lane machines – balls, lanes, automatic pinsetters, computer scorers -- used by 100-plus nations that field national teams.
Without this ball motion knowledge and awareness in today’s bowling environment, a technical bowling coach is only half a coach.
Federations, coaches and players throughout the world continually practice for WTBA championship events but are they preparing correctly? In August of 2007, the WTBA Women’s World Championship will be held in Mexico and in this article we will try to shed some light on some of the challenges slower ball speed players face and suggest an “outside of the box” approach to prepare for the short oil conditions.
The Bowling News, one of the country's elite weekly publications, has survived 50 years behind the leadership of Joe Gennaro
There he was standing on the concourse at the Sam's Town Bowling Center during a women's pro tournament. He looked bigger than life...his laugh loud, his cowboy hat big and his boots freshly polished. He looked like a natural at Sam's Town, which caters to cowboys and cowgirls and where square dancing is almost as popular as gambling. Little did I realize that I was admiring a man who gambled on his future when he left Brooklyn ...
Health conscious parents want their children to be active, maybe it's time for bowling to consider nonstop junior bowling action
I asked my son why he was taking his three young children to an "All About Kids Sports Center" instead of entering them in a bowling league. His explanation caught me off guard: "Because Dad, they always are in motion instead of bowling for one or two minutes and then sitting for 10 minutes."
Up until two years ago, the only news regarding the bowling industry had been of the "Gloom and Doom" variety. Bowling ball sales began to dwindle; the Ladies Pro Tour collapsed; the PBA was struggling to keep afloat; bowling centers were closing at an alarming rate, etc.. BUT, for the past two years, the bowling industry has taken a miraculous turn for the better and the future looks much brighter. What happened to reverse this trend?
Brandi Chastain of soccer fame delivered a winning keynote speech to kick off a United States Bowling Congress national convention that was big on harmony and rejuvenating interest in bowling as a sport...especially among elite women bowlers. The two biggest announcements made during the news heavy convention illustrated how the entire bowling industry is pulling together to pull bowling back to its old lofty perch and to elevate professional women's bowling as a major sport.
At one time, Tim and Vickie Myers were avid—and excellent—bowlers. But that was more than 30 years ago. Tim was good enough to have rolled five 300 games and an 838 series, which was pretty hard to do in those days. Tim and Vickie became close friends with Joan Romeo and her late husband, Raymond. Joan has her own successful business, The Marketing Team, in Van Nuys. Joan tells a very interesting story about Tim.
The first week of April, bowling legend Mark Roth and his wife Denise (pictured) traveled to Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kansas. Roth is seeking his 38th career pro title in the 2007 KR Strikeforce Wichita Open, but the week will be memorable for another reason. A special fan was in the audience cheering for one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
Over the years, there have been some great bowling proprietors who either owned or managed bowling centers across South Florida. Still, I never envisioned any of them being elected president of the membership organizations -- the old American Bowling Congress and Women's International Bowling Congress.
I had the honor to draw up the rules and to bring the Miami bowling proprietors and Dade County School System leaders together to approve a new revolutionary bowling program in 1965. It flourished in Miami and produced such early sensations as Roger Dalkin and Paula Sperber-Carter and slowly spread across the state as a fun club sport. However, it took until 2003 before bowling was recognized by the Florida High School Athletic Association and that recognition has done wonders for the image of bowling as a genuine and fiercely competitive sport.
One of the great mysteries of the bowling industry is the oversight of our industry leaders to take advantage of the dedicated and grassroots members of our own community. A perfect example of this is the promotional genius and expertise of Joan Romeo. Joan has been involved with amateur and professional bowling for thirty years or so; beginning around the time her daughters Robin and Tori began their professional bowling careers. Anyone that knows her will agree that she is one of most tireless, diligent, and creative individuals in the sport. 
For years, the 2007 Flowers for the Living honoree has had one of the most unenviable jobs in sports. On June 26, during the 2007 International Bowl Expo, the tables were turned in Las Vegas when all the kudos he earned for doing that job so well and under the most trying conditions netted Len Nicholson (on the right) the ‘Flowers’ award. It is an honor presented to someone in bowling who is admired, respected and, indeed, loved.
I belong to a tennis club and always can depend on the players to remark about my Sunday tennis columns in the Daytona Beach News Journal. They normally will add an apology that goes something like this: “I used to bowl when I lived up north but have no more interest so I don’t read your bowling columns in The News-Journal." But strange things happened after my column about Don Carter and the bowling icons who have died – Dick Weber, Joe Norris and Earl Anthony.
The signs are everywhere. 
In a poll conducted by International Bowlers Journal, John Berglund (pictured), Executive Director of the Bowling Proprietors Association of America, was chosen as the most influential individual in bowling. Berglund's choice was not surprising to me. I was among the select group to cast a vote. In my judgment, the choice of the personable BPAA honcho was a no-brainer. Who is John Berglund? How did they find him? And what has he brought to the BPAA? John Jowdy gives the answers.
Federations, coaches and players throughout the world continually practice for WTBA championship events but are they preparing correctly? 
At one time, Tim and Vickie Myers were avid—and excellent—bowlers. But that was more than 30 years ago. Tim was good enough to have rolled five 300 games and an 838 series, which was pretty hard to do in those days. Tim and Vickie became close friends with Joan Romeo and her late husband, Raymond. Joan has her own successful business, The Marketing Team, in Van Nuys. Joan tells a very interesting story about Tim. 
The first week of April, bowling legend Mark Roth and his wife Denise (pictured) traveled to Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kansas. Roth is seeking his 38th career pro title in the 2007 KR Strikeforce Wichita Open, but the week will be memorable for another reason. A special fan was in the audience cheering for one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.