The Don Johnson Buckeye State Eliminator reminds me of both the way PBA tournaments used to be, and professional sports events should be.

 

Not that I was on Tour back in the 1970s and 1980s…come to think of it, I wasn’t even born yet. But from what I can piece together through stories told by veterans, my own memories of watching old telecasts, and reading old news clippings, the week we just spent in Columbus was an accurate depiction of the past coming alive. In fact, one of the most striking features of Sequoia Pro Bowl is the lounge. Housed in the cozy bar are slices of PBA history scattered across the paneled walls…autographed shirts, old PBA logos, action-shot “cutouts” (unfortunately not of the Fathead variety, but I’m sure a life-sized Norm Duke graphic would stack up perfectly next to Shaq on your game room wall), and media guides chronicling decades of competition. 

 

Now, as a modern-era professional bowler and hopeful future leader of our sport (side note: I am on the USBC Board of Directors, so please feel free to give constructive criticism…or throw rocks, whichever seems more appropriate), I despise hearing the phrase, “Well that’s the way we used to do it!” I love bowling history, I sometimes wish I could have bowled “back in the day,” but the best things to ever come out of the past are simply the successes and failures that we can use to shape our future. 

 

So let’s run down a couple of ways that the DJBSE reminds me of how things used to be, and why I think this tournament is so significant. 

 

1)    Sequoia Pro Bowl is a 32 lane center. Not until recently were 40+ lane family entertainment centers with triple-wide concourses, lavish full-service restaurants serving cuisines of the world, Disneylandesque game rooms, convention/wedding reception/birthday for 400+ kids meeting rooms, and cathedral ceilings ‘so high you could never put a ball through roof tile’ as commonplace as automatic scoring. The environment at Sequoia was nostalgic, cozy (remember, 8 balls per player in the settee area was not always the norm), and brought fans closer to the action.

 

2)    The fan base largely consisted of hardcore bowlers. That’s not meant to downplay hardcore bowlers in other cities, but I’ve never seen a higher concentration of diehards than in Ohio. People I met knew statistics and bio details that even I didn’t remember, and they did so without consulting the PBA Yearbook. Plus, with the cozy atmosphere (see above: 32 lane center), the fans did more than simply “ooh,” “ahh,” and clap; they laughed at our banter, reacted to our antics, occasionally heckled, and were far less reserved than most of our weekly supporters, which typically energizes the players and brings out the emotion.

 

I’m sure I could detail more ways that the DJBSE transported me to the past, but I write a weekly blog, not a novel. As for the way things should be…

 

1)    Signs directing traffic and alerting the community to the PBA’s presence. Ok, this may have only happened because the center is located in a quiet neighborhood, not on a busy street, but signage is always indicative of a big event. We aren’t basketball, football, or golf, but the PBA Tour does matter. In some places, we’re kind of a big deal. Yeah, I said it…thank you, Ron Burgundy.

 

2)    Bowling for a good cause. A small side event titled “Carnibowl” was held on Monday prior to the tournament to help support juvenile diabetes. The turnout was amazing and the support was tremendous. I want to thank the Johnson family for all the time and effort they put into this fundraiser, and for asking the PBA family to be a part of it. I had a great time, despite Parker Bohn III and I getting steamrolled in the “Carnibrawl” ball company challenge event. We only averaged 241 for the 4 game set and finished 5^th out of 7 teams…my fault for leaving the 5-6 split (???) late in the second game. But on a more serious note, it’s nice to see this event succeed along with the Chris Paul Charity Invitational back in October.   In a few weeks we have the Long Island Classic sponsored by The Bowling Foundation…hopefully in the future the PBA can have an exclusive charity or foundation of its own. What do you think?

 

Putting it all together, my point is this: I think the formula for running the DJBSE is the right direction for PBA tournaments. I, for one, got to experience tradition while finally seeing true all-around fan engagement. Perhaps this is the right method for reconnecting with our supporters and getting bowling back in the limelight. 

 

As for my own personal Carnibowl experience during the tournament, aka Thursday qualifying, I experienced another roller coaster. I spent the early days in the week practicing and trying to downgrade to a 4-step approach. I did this hoping that it would help me compact my swing and improve my timing and leverage. When I started bowling, I always took four steps, so the change was fairly natural and just needed some refining. I knew I wouldn’t be super-sharp by Thursday, but I needed something to get out of my mental and physical rut. There are times when any change is good change, just to break out of a bad cycle. 

 

The morning block started well on Viper, but not nearly at the pace I had hoped. The left side was fairly soft and I had a good look to throw some strikes. However, I wasn’t repeating shots well enough to do any scoring damage, though somehow I managed not to hurt myself either. A small victory, but an important one for my confidence.

 

Heading to the break only 50 pins out of the cut at +5, I was feeling surprisingly good. The scoring pace for the field was extremely low, and switching patterns for the night block often doesn’t lead to an explosion of scores. Despite Scorpion being one of our highest scoring patterns on Tour, having seen Viper in the morning block could still leave some players guessing and keep the scores low. Like I’ve mentioned before, top bowlers improve based on recognizing various characteristics of a lane or a pattern. Scores did go up in the night block, but I suspect that if we had bowled on Scorpion in the morning, they would have been even higher. I made an early run in the first three games, but too many errors in game 4 proved to be my undoing. Sigh. Instead of giving up, however, I thought, “Well, the scores still aren’t going anywhere…let’s try to make a run.” For most of the year, at critical junctures, my swing has failed me and dragged my confidence down. This time felt different. I attribute a lot of that to experience and having a better feel for my reduced approach. 237 and 268 followed the disastrous game 4, and gave me a chance to be heroic. I didn’t come through in game 7, but I had a chance. The exhilaration of being in the hunt was all I could ask for given the circumstances. Being in the hunt is my favorite part of being a professional bowler because it’s the one time when your brain is on cruise control and your instincts are operating at full tilt.   I’ve over-analyzed all year, and to experience that feeling and that minute boost of confidence felt good. 

 

We are heading toward the homestretch of the 50^th Anniversary season…only 3 tournaments to go. I am heading home now for our weeklong break to relax and get focused on the finish line. I may need a miracle to avoid Tour Trials, but my head is still afloat and I know that anything’s possible in this crazy sport. Keep watching and thanks for reading!