BWAA booth at Bowl Expo 2008

"The Bowling Writers Association of America tried something new during the International Bowl Expo at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.," wrote Dick Evans, who was named president of the BWAA starting in August.

The American journalist and columnist for Bowlingdigital.com was president for two years in the 1980s when bowling was riding high and the news world was different.

The BWAA members wrote 27 short human-interest stories about proprietors, pro shop owners, exhibitors and coaches who stopped by the BWAA booth.

It all was made possibly by the Bowling Proprietors Association of America, which agreed to give the BWAA two booth spaces and then set up the electrical connections and provide two printers. Each person interviewed could return and pick up a printed copy of his/her story a few hours later.

BWAA booth, #525 (pictured left) at the 2008 International Bowl Expo, was a buzz of activity as interviewers and writers teamed up to create press releases for show attendees. "From the beginning, we could tell that it would be a busy two days, stated 'computer guru' Kathy Watson.

"At one point in time, there were three writers at the keyboards, two interviewers gathering information and two others telling passers by what we had to offer and encouraging them to be interviewed."

BWAA members like Watson, Hazel McLeary, Jackie Wychoff, Mary Lynly, Fran Deken and Barbara Metzinger and many others did the tough work -- doing the preliminary interviews and then turning the information over to an array of Hall of Fame writers to write the stories -- chairman Mike Hennessy, Steve James, Matt Fiorito, Lyle Zikes and Dick Evans.

On the right: Mary Lynly gathers information.

Bob Cosgrove led the list of photographers who took pictures.

Among the people who stopped by for interviews was a young coach from Germany, the daughter of Don and LaVerne Carter, the BPAA Educator of the Year and Howard Baum, just inducted into the BPAA Hall of Fame.

Barbara Metzinger (center) interviews while Chuck Pezzano (right) looks on.

You can read what they had to say about Bowl Expo and the bowling industry below (all PDF files):