Coaching Tip of the Week: Bowling shoes

November 3rd, 2009

You can get away with wearing one pair of shoes to jog, play basketball or wear with a nice pair of jeans, but you have to wear special shoes just to go bowling? The answer is yes, you do, and there are some very good reasons why. In this week’s tips, USBC Coaching Specialist Kim Terrell-Kearney will explain why bowling shoes are important and what types of shoes bowlers of different skill levels should be wearing.

Bowling shoes for entry-level bowlers

Sure, if you wanted to, you could probably get away with bowling in your street shoes or just your socks, but trust me when I tell you that’s a bad idea! Basically, it’s an issue of safety for you and the bowlers around you.

Bowling shoes are specially made for, well, bowling. As such, they are smooth enough to allow you to slide but sticky enough to keep you from flying completely off your feet. No other footwear will provide you with that perfect combination.

Street shoes will be too sticky, which will cause you to stop immediately as you get near the foul line. This puts you at risk of injuries to your foot, ankle, knee, hip, back, elbow and shoulder. You will also be putting other bowlers at risk because your street shoes are sure to leave behind scuff marks, dirt and other debris that can make the approaches dangerous.

So, there you have it. When it comes to bowling, bowling shoes are the only way to go!

Bowling shoes for Intermediate bowlers

Many a league bowler has faced the dilemma of whether to rent house shoes or buy his or her own bowling shoes. Arguments can be made for both, but I think that anybody who bowls on a regular basis should have his or her own bowling shoes.

In this economy, almost all issues have to be looked at from the financial side of the equation. Most standard league seasons are around 30 weeks long. If you’re spending $2 a week on rental shoes, which is likely to be as cheap as you’ll find these days, you’re going to be in for at least $60 by season’s end. For that price or cheaper, you can get a nice pair of shoes to call your own.

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Tour Stars to Participate in 9/11 Charity Event

November 3rd, 2009

Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour stars Michael Fagan, Bill O’Neill and Patrick Allen will provide their bowling expertise for a charitable cause when they take part in the 7th Annual Bowl With a Pro Celebrity Bowl-a-Thon which will take place at Bowlmor in New York City’s Greenwich Village Nov. 3 from 6-8:30 p.m.

PBA is an official partner of the event which benefits the NYPD 9/11 Foundation and Mount Sinai Children’s Hospital.

Fagan, O’Neill and Allen will compete in the pro-am-style event with tournament hosts Justin Tuck of the New York Giants, Leon Washington of the New York Jets, Chris Duhon of the New York Knicks and several other sports stars for “bragging rights in the city.”

“I always enjoy bowling to help a charitable cause,” O’Neill said. “Obviously, I’m especially honored to participate in this event because of what it means not only to those directly affected by 9/11 but to all of us in this country as well.”

O’Neill, the 2005-06 PBA Rookie of the Year who is looking for his first career title, will be one of the finalists in the PBA Motor City Open to be telecast Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

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USBC Coaching Tip of the Week

October 29th, 2009

Courtesy for Entry-Level Bowlers

When it’s your turn to bowl, you should just grab your ball and head for the foul line, right? Wrong. You should never be up on the approach at the same time as the bowlers immediately next to you, but how do you avoid it? Simple, just practice lane courtesy.

Lane courtesy is the simple practice of alternating turns with the bowlers next to you. This will help you avoid distracting one another by going through your deliveries at the same time. Here’s how it works:

Before you step up on the approach, look at the lanes immediately next to you on both sides. If no one is there, step up on the approach and take your turn. If someone is there, make eye contact with that person so that the two of you can determine who will go first.

If the other bowler goes first, let him or her throw the shot and come all the way back off the approach before you step up to take your turn.

When your turn comes, step up on the approach and go through your normal setup and delivery routine. There is no reason to rush. After you’ve delivered your shot and watched the ball hit the pins, quickly and quietly walk back off the approach.

This simple and effective practice will help you avoid inadvertently distracting the bowlers around you or becoming distracted by them, which will help everyone have more fun.

By Teresa Ross

USBC Coaching Specialist



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Women’s bowling

October 22nd, 2009

I truly miss the PWBA (Professional Women’s Bowling Association) Tour. I miss watching talented women bowl in their own competitions. With only a few choice women’s tournaments available the exposure is quite limited.
What would it take to start the Women’s Tour again? Of course the biggest thing is money! Where are all the sponsors?

There are so many products used exclusively by women, why won’t they sponsor women’s bowling?
These are questions that may never be answered. Women’s sports, except maybe for beach volleyball, draws a smaller audience. Sad. How do we keep the interest in the sport if there is so little for a talented player to look forward to?

I miss the PWBA!



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About Collegiate Bowling from bowl.com

October 19th, 2009

More than 2,700 student-athletes on 180 college and university intercollegiate bowling teams compete in over 80 certified tournaments each year, and nearly 100 colleges and universities across the country offer bowling scholarships.

Collegiate bowling has grown in popularity and prestige under College Bowling USA and more recently with the formation of the USBC Collegiate program, bowling’s national intercollegiate governing body.
Those programs include men’s and women’s teams at the club, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) levels and women’s varsity teams with the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).

“One appealing aspect of college bowling is that our sport brings together all levels of student-athletes to compete within one umbrella organization known as USBC Collegiate,” said USBC Collegiate Manager Gary Brown. “The NCAA, NJCAA, NAIA and club teams are all part of USBC Collegiate membership.”
USBC Collegiate oversees and conducts the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships and the USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships. The country’s top 64 men’s and top 48 women’s collegiate teams compete in regional events for the right to advance to the annual ITC, a nationally-televised tournament. Individual championships are crowned at the annual ISC. USBC Collegiate also works with the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association to determine All-American and Academic All-American recognition, Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors.
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Lynda Barnes to Retire From Team USA

October 17th, 2009

Lynda Barnes, the most tenured and one of the most successful bowlers in the history of the Team USA program, will retire from Team USA at the end of the year.

Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, has been a member of Team USA a record 12 times and will step aside to spend more time with her family.

“I think it is time to focus more on my life and on my children,” said Barnes, 42, who is married to professional bowling star Chris Barnes and has twin 7-year-old boys, Ryan and Troy. “When Troy was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes last year, it really changed the way I started to look at things.

“We are now very involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and that has given me something to focus my attention on. Plus, I don’t want to miss anymore of watching the kids play baseball, bowling or basketball.”


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Roto Grip Presents Malott’s All Stars Contest

October 16th, 2009

Can you imagine a big, nasty Wes Malott portrait hanging in an art gallery?

The idea is not as far-fetched as you might think. The next generation of bowlers and sports fans is getting the connection between bowling, creativity and Mr. Versatility.

Roto Grip, in a creative burst of its own, is presenting Malott’s All-Stars Contest. The contest is open to any USBC Youth member 20 years of age and under that wants to display their creativity by drawing a picture of Malott and writing a one-page letter to Wes.

Check out these examples.

The Grand Prize winner gets a 3-day experience with Wes from Roto Grip. First, dinner with Malott for the winner and family. Malott will visit the winner’s school and offer a lesson after school. Then, the reigning PBA Player of the Year will make an all-day appearance at the winner’s USBC Youth League.


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