By Jim Goodwin -- A few 'pretty good' bowlers gathered in Florida in early May. They were all pals from pro tour days, and they were all smiles about a new senior tour – Steve Sanders' Generations Bowling Tour (GBT).

The purpose of the day was to shoot promotional video footage for the new GBT for Bowl Expo, TV commercials and website content. The mood was joyous and upbeat. Players and officials are already getting very excited as the September 29 launch of the new senior bowling tour nears.

After the filming was completed at The Villages Resort's Spanish Springs Lanes, the nine players present divided into teams of three and put on a little one-game exhibition for about 200 fans that just 'happened to drop in'. It's hard to keep Hall of Famers under wraps for long. Afterwards, all nine players signed autographs and personally greeted the fans.

Joining Sanders for the shoot were pro champions and Hall of Famers Roger Bowker, Pete Couture, Bob Chamberlain, Dave Soutar, Mark Roth, Johnny Petraglia, David Ozio, Dave Davis and Marshal Holman.

During the shoot, Larry Lichstein dropped in to say hello and offer his support. Walter Ray Williams Jr., who lives nearby, also came over and enjoyed taking a few photos with his camera phone. In three years, the 47-year-old Williams will be eligible to compete against the GBT pros he so admires. Their respect and affection for him is mutual.

Rarely has there been a day with this many of the game's legends under one roof without a tournament underway. Together, these great bowlers own 156 national professional titles. All have committed to bowl in Generations Tour events.

In the next few months, Steve Sanders hopes that true bowling fans everywhere will become as excited as he and these great players and others are about the new GBT. The players are excited because the GBT, with its $4 million in prize money for the 2006-2007 season, will give them an opportunity to continue their careers as pro bowlers.

Fans should be excited because there will be more chances in more cities to see these legends of the sport; the men who built the game. They've been out of the bright spotlight for a while, but that hiatus is about to end.

The new Generations Bowling Tour for top men and women bowlers is about competition, about showcasing tremendous talent, about the tradition and history that makes bowling a great sport. It's about, as the name describes, bringing the generations closer together to learn about the sport, and celebrate its glory. GBT also means 'Getting Bowlers Together'.

Some of the incredible bowlers that will be bowling in the GBT have been on the sidelines for a few years, and they have been missed by fans and bowling enthusiasts. These are the players who built the game, and they are eager to get back into the game in a meaningful way. GBT will give them that opportunity both with an extensive schedule of more than 25 annual events, and with significant prize money.

Hall of Famer Johnny Petraglia is especially excited and proud to support the GBT. "When we're sitting in autograph booths or bowling in the pro-ams, the kids will get to know us, and they will be learning the history of the game," he said. "It's important to do that. History is the most important thing there is. Kids want to be a New York Yankee or Babe Ruth or Derek Jeter because of the history of the Yankees.

"We are proud to be Americans because of the history of our country. It's the same thing in bowling, or it should be. When people start discussing the greatest players, they can talk about Mark Roth and his 34 titles, and the fact that he bowled for a title 33 times in only three years in 1977-1979. Those stats should never get lost in the shuffle. That's why baseball does such a great job, and bowling has to do the same thing."

Mark Roth is one of the GBT pros who is planning to come out of his self-imposed retirement to bowl the full GBT schedule. In Florida, he talked about the changes in the game and his desire to be a part of the new tour and it's mission.

"This tour gives us a chance to bowl again, and I know how Steve runs tournaments, so I think he'll get support and be very successful. The kids now-a-days don't know what we went through as bowlers. I came out at the end of the rubber ball era, and then we had plastic. It went to urethane, and then resin, and now we have these funky cores that do different things.

They don't know about the big changes we had to make to compete. It's been a constantly changing process, and this tour will show the world that we have endured, and we can still play this game."

Another legendary bowlers in Florida to kick off the GBT was one of Roth's chief rivals, Marshal Holman. Holman doesn't plan to bowl a full schedule, but will compete in several GBT events as his schedule permits.

"I'll hit the West coast events and Vegas and maybe a major or two, so I'll bowl a few," he said. Will we see a renewal of the great rivalry he and Roth shared? "I'd love to see that happen again, but since I'm not bowling full time like Mark is, it will just be nice to see us go head-to-head in an event or two. I think Mark will do well on this tour, and I sincerely hope he does. I'll be rooting for him, except when we're bowling against each other."

Dave Soutar is another pro who will be a full time GBT player in the inaugural year, and he had some comments on what he hopes the tour can accomplish. "I bowled in a pro-am a couple of weeks ago, and some of the younger people asked me 'who are you?' They don't know the names beyond Carter, Anthony, and Weber, and that's a shame. I've got a lot of titles, but they don't know!

"They don't even know Roth and Holman. I'm hoping this tour will generate a lot of publicity, and from that, these players will get the respect they deserve, and that will help bowling everywhere." Soutar was especially proud to visit the Villages in Florida because it was the site of one of the greatest moments in his career, when he won the Senior Tournament of Champions, and the prize was a $120,000 house.

David Ozio, 52, is very excited about the Generations Tour because he believes there are more bowling fans that root for his generation than the younger players. "Unlike some people, I personally believe that our generation gets more respect," he said. "The biggest demographic for bowling on TV is still the 35-55 group, and a lot of people enjoy watching us more than they do the young guys. I get calls and emails all the time from people telling me they watch the ESPN Classic shows. These are loyal fans, and they still respect us. That's just the way it is, in my opinion."

Ozio also thinks the competition the GBT provides with other bowling events will be helpful to the sport. "This Generations Tour is the best thing that could ever happen, because when you get competition, it can only get better," he said. "When bass fishing got a competing tour, those guys are now fishing for stupid money! It can happen in bowling; you never know where this might lead, you just never know."

The players who will compete in GBT events are truly excited about the opportunity a new senior tour brings, and they are optimistic that sponsors and the industry will benefit significantly.

Steve Sanders and the GBT are also optimistic. "It's taken us three years to get this started," said Sanders, "and we are anxious to get going. If we can give these great players and many others a place to bowl and have a new career, then we'll give fans everywhere something very special, and all of the work we've done will have been worth it."

The Generations Bowling Tour is open to men and women age 50 or better, and it kicks off September 29-October 5 at Bay Lanes in Bay City, Michigan. The Bay City GBT Open will be the first of eight events on the GBT's inaugural fall swing. Seven of the first eight events will feature a $13,500 top prize, with $8,800 for second place and a 1:3 cash ratio with $1,000 for last cash.

October 6-11, the GBT will visit Imperial Lanes in Clinton Township, Michigan, and then move on to Airport Lanes in Jackson, Michigan October 14-18. Next GBT heads for two stops in Ohio. The first will be the GBT's first major event, with $25,000 guaranteed first place. It will be held at Southwick Lanes in Toledo October 20-26. The tour then goes to Camelot Lanes in Boardman near Youngstown October 27-November 1.

In November, the tour will conclude its first fall swing with three events – November 3-8 will be a stop at the famous Carolier Lanes in New Brunswick, New Jersey. November 10-16, Steve Sanders and his tour will be near his home on Long Island when the tour visits Sports Plus, and the final event of the swing will be held at Providence Lanes in Providence, Rhode Island.

September 29-October 5 Bay Lanes in Bay City, Michigan
October 6-11 Imperial Lanes in Clinton Township, Michigan
October 14-18 Airport Lanes in Jackson, Michigan
October 20-26 Southwick Lanes in Toledo, Ohio
October 27-November 1 Camelot Lanes in Boardman, Ohio
November 3-8 Carolier Lanes in New Brunswick, New Jersey
November 10-16 AMF Babylon Lanes in Long Island
November 17-21 E. Providence Lanes in Providence, Rhode Island