Whatever Happened to Bowling?

I miss the professional bowlers tour on ABC. I used to look forward to relaxing on Saturday afternoon and  watching bowling!

We don't hear much about bowling as a professional sport these days.  The stars then included Pete Weber, Marshall Holman, Wayne Webb, and Walter Ray Williams, Jr.   Talk about pressure and intensity among athletics. These guys were way overlooked as far as handling the pressure and their quest for perfection.

The Bowling World Championships are in Wichita Kansas this year on Oct. 19 -26th. Lumber Liquidators have agreed to a three-year multi-million dollar title sponsorship.

Pete Weber, Walter Ray Williams, Jr., Danny Wiseman, and Chris Warren are all still competing. Up and coming stars like Patrick Allen, Rhino Page, Michael Fagan, and Brian Kretzer are all sponsored by Lumber Liquidators. Parker Bohn III  has been a pro for quite a while and is also sponsored.

You still have to be an athlete to be a professional as these tournaments require the winner to bowl some 45 to 50 games in a few days. This wreaks havoc on your arm, legs, back, shoulder, and hands.

Bowling is a mind game sport between participant and pins. You can bury the ball between the one and three pin, a pocket hit for a right hander, and still get what you call a tap.

His 10 pin remains standing for a difficult single pin spare pick up. You can hit the pins head on and normally you will get a split, but sometimes if your lucky a strike anyway.

Or you can over hook the ball  to the other side called a Brooklyn for a right hander  and hit the other pocket between the one and two pin and still get a strike. Consistency is key plus a little luck!

Joining a bowling league is still great fun for family, husbands and wives, and also a great place to meet new friends. It is friendly yet competitive.

If you are a beginner I suggest a couple lessons to get your fundamentals correct. Proper release of the ball, where to stand and how to pick up spares using the whole alley is key. It is also important to get properly fitted for your ball, specifically for your own fingers and grip. 

You can check out bowling news and tournament sites at PBA.com.  Good luck and good bowling.

-Thomas Moreland, aka  NFL Mikee

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