E-dition No. 1,081 • Friday, October 18, 2019
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
Bill Supper to Receive 2020 BBIA Industry Service Award
Bill Supper has been selected to receive the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America’s Industry Service Award for 2020.
The presentation will take place during BBIA’s annual convention at the Omni in Cancun, Mexico, next April 26-28.
Supper was hired by Ebonite in 1980, and stayed with the company for 16 years before joining Bill Chrisman and the team at Storm. After four years with that Utah-based company, Supper and his wife JoAnn decided it was time to move to Texas to be near their grandchildren.
After a short stint with Columbia Industries in San Antonio, Supper moved to the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, and became Deputy Executive Director of the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America, serving under John Berglund.
It was while at BPAA that Supper’s outreach impacted all levels of bowling, extending beyond corporate interests. With that in mind, he changed offices in the building, and became the Executive Director of the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.
Supper played a major role in the construction of the new facility, managing the project under extreme pressure to ensure it would be open in time for the official IBC grand opening in January 2010. He met the deadline — with six hours to spare. Having successfully opened the museum, he left the IBM/HF to accept the positions that he now holds, E.D. of the BBIA and IBPSIA.
“I was shocked to be selected for the award, especially since I am currently BBIA’s E.D.,” Supper said. “It was a very emotional moment for JoAnn and me when [BBIA President] Jimmy [Land] gave us the news.”
Noted Land: “The ISA is chosen by the board of directors and is awarded to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the growth of either the bowling or billiard industry. Bill has been providing service to the bowling industry throughout his entire career.”
In addition to the industry greats who have been honored, BBIA’s Industry Service Award has been presented to actor Paul Newman, comedian Jackie Gleason and former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.
Sarrocco Joins ZOT in New Marketing Specialist Position
Damon Sarrocco has joined ZOT Pinsetter Parts, Inc. as Marketing Specialist, it was announced by the company’s President and CEO, P.J. Rosendahl.
In this newly created position, Sarrocco will manage all aspects of marketing and marketing services for the ZOT Bowling Parts and ZOT ColorSplash product lines.
“Damon joins ZOT at a time when the company is experiencing rapid growth,” said Rosendahl. “His management and communications experience and skills in marketing are a perfect fit as the company moves forward.”
Sarrocco’s extensive background in the bowling industry began with the PBA, including a stint as Assistant Tournament Director on the National Tour. This was followed by a 14-year tenure at Ebonite International as a district sales manager. It was at Ebonite where Sarrocco first met and worked with Rosendahl, selling the Vantage aftermarket parts product line.
After Ebonite, Sarrocco, who resides in Akron Ohio, with his wife Cathy, moved to the United States Bowling Congress where, among other activities, he helped to re-launch the PWBA Tour and conduct major tournaments.
‘Kilroy’ Receives First BVL Helen Duval Award
David “Kilroy” Kellerman of Georgetown, Texas, has been named the first recipient of the BVL Helen Duval Award by the Bowlers to Veterans Link.
The award, named after the bowling pioneer and longtime BVL advocate, was created this year by the BVL Board of Directors to recognize individuals who provide outstanding and dedicated service to BVL.
Kellerman, who co-owns Mel’s Lone Star Lanes in Georgetown, Texas, with his sister, Dot Ammons, last month completed a 2,192-mile, five-month hike through the Appalachian Trail to raise funds and awareness for BVL and veterans.
BVL Board Chair John LaSpina and BVL Executive Director Mary Harrar made the presentation to Kellerman during the Southwest Bowling Proprietors Trade Show in Irving, Texas, last week. Kellerman also shared details of his 161-day hike through the Appalachian Trail with conference attendees during a “Kocktails with Kilroy” event. Additional donations have pushed his donation total to more than $80,000, easily eclipsing his original goal of $50,000.
A special feature on Kellerman will appear in the November issue of Bowlers Journal International, and several pictures from the Appalachian Trail will be featured in the November issue of Bowling Center Management.
“David is as selfless as they come, always putting the spotlight on our veterans and the important work that BVL does every day to brighten the lives of veterans and active-duty service members,” LaSpina said. “He exemplifies the indefatigable spirit and dedication that Helen Duval brought to everything she did for BVL and the bowling industry.
“The response to David’s Appalachian Trail hike has been tremendous, as so many people have been inspired by the meaning behind his journey,” LaSpina added. “His focus has always been about putting veterans first, and the best way to honor those efforts is by helping us double the original goal and reach $100,000 by the end of the year.”
To donate online, visit the Kilroy’s Hike page at BVL.org or Kilroy’s Appalachian Trail Hike for Veterans Facebook page.
A member of both the WIBC/USBC and PWBA Halls of Fame and a bowling proprietor, Duval was a true pioneer in bowling and a tireless champion for BVL until she passed away at the age of 94 in July 2010.
On the lanes, she won two pro titles during her career and captured Women’s International Bowling Congress Championships Team event and All-Event titles. Off the lanes, Duval was one of bowling’s greatest ambassadors, traveling the country to teach clinics, youth programs, and special needs bowlers.
For more than two decades, she was dedicated to BVL and veterans, visiting veterans’ hospitals throughout the U.S. She was named honorary co-chair of BVL in 1985, and in 2000 received the Secretary’s Award, the highest award given by the Department of Veterans Affairs, for her unwavering commitment to America’s veterans.
BVL fundraising efforts and donations are generated year-round by the bowling community through a wide range of events, many specifically targeted around Veterans Day and BVL Month in America in November. Throughout November, BVL partners with hundreds of bowling centers to honor veterans and provide a way for communities to recognize their local veterans. BVL provides a BVL Month in America kit to participating centers.
New Life for Iconic Baltimore Center
Shake & Bake Family Fun Center, named for former Baltimore Colts wide receiver Glenn “Shake and Bake” Doughty, was developed in the early 1980s and quickly became a community institution. Owned by the City of Baltimore, Shake & Bake originally featured a skating rink on the main level and 40 lanes of bowling below.
Over the years, however, various financial challenges meant that daily and long-term maintenance programs were deferred, with very few bowling upgrades made. Outdated capital equipment needed to be replaced.
Fortunately for the center’s many fans, the City of Baltimore decided to make restoration of the entire facility a priority. Given its neglected condition and with funding in place, it was time to bring the facility up to modern-day standards.
“Modernization enables us to provide a valuable, safe environment for inner-city youth as well as the community as a whole,” said Wally Stephenson, facility maintenance coordinator for the City of Baltimore. “Bowling entertainment centers need to modernize and stay current in order to maintain market share.”
Today, the center boasts video/arcade games, pool tables, a new DJ booth, a snack bar, and 24 lanes of bowling. Upgrades include Brunswick GS-XTM pinsetters, Anvilane lanes, Envoy lane machines, and the Sync scoring and management system (including the Sync games collection and Angry Birds).
Stephenson has advice for center owners who are considering modernizing.
“Have a long-range plan in mind,” he said. “Understand what the overall priority is; what you expect to accomplish. Have a flexible budget to meet unforeseen challenges. Make sure you have an experienced manager in place to coordinate, market, and provide adequate staffing, along with experienced and trainable mechanics to maintain your equipment.”
Sparks’s Biography on Earl Anthony Is Released by Luby
Luby Publishing, Inc. has announced the release of bowling’s newest book, “EARL: The Greatest Bowler of All Time.”
“When I was first contacted about producing another book, I was going to take a pass on the project,” said Luby Publishing President Keith Hamilton. “But then I learned the subject was Earl Anthony, my favorite bowler of all time, and just couldn’t say no.”
Barry Sparks, a veteran and award-winning bowling writer, took three years to write “EARL.”
“I always thought it was an injustice that there has never been a biography on Earl; I wanted to do something about it,” said Sparks, who interviewed 110 people, including 23 bowling hall of famers, for the project.
Sparks also referenced all of the bowling magazines published during Anthony’s career, as well as YouTube videos and scores of newspapers (including the Akron Beacon Journal, Tacoma News Tribune, St. Louis Post Dispatch and the Baltimore Sun).
Sparks has covered bowling for the York County (Pa.) daily newspapers for more than 30 years. His articles also have appeared in Bowlers Journal International, Bowling Center Management, Pro Shop Operator and Bowling Entertainment Center. He is the author of two other biographies on Frank “Home Run” Baker and Rick Riordan.
The new book is printed in a 6-inch by 9-inch format and totals 293 pages. Anthony’s story is presented chronologically, offering a season-by-season review of his dominant career, and readers also will be treated to an array of stories and comments shared by his peers. The book also includes vintage photos that date back to Anthony’s baseball days.
“EARL: The Greatest Bowler of All Time” can be purchased through Luby Publishing or online at www.earlanthonybook.com. It is priced at $21.95 (plus $6.95 for shipping and handling). Ten percent of the profits generated from the book will be donated to the Earl Anthony Scholarship fund.
Off-Duty Police Officers Use AED to Save Bowler at Rab’s
If you are a proprietor whose bowling center is not equipped with resuscitation devices in case a patron or employee suffers a heart attack, a recent incident at Rab’s Country Lanes in Staten Island, N.Y., may well compel you to rectify that situation.
During the center’s Sunday night Donna Zajac Memorial mixed league on Oct. 13, Roy Spiro, whom center owner and former USBC President Frank Wilkinson says is a longtime customer along with his wife and two children, threw a strike on lane 46. He punctuated the shot with a hand slap as he turned around, but then swayed and stumbled on his feet, walking unsteadily before collapsing to the ground near the ball return.
That is when three off-duty police officers who happened to have just joined the league and were entirely new to league bowling — “One of them is my cousin,” Wilkinson said — rushed to the man’s aid.
The officers: Joseph Glorioso, John Desiderio and Giovanni Cucuzza.
“These three officers stepped right in and took it from there,” Wilkinson explained. “They wound up doing compression CPR. They grabbed the AED (automated external defibrillator) that we have on site, got him back up, and within five-and-a-half minutes, EMS was here, got him to the hospital, and he had surgery yesterday and he’s in recovery and doing alright.
“When you talk to them, they’re quite humble,” Wilkinson added. “One of them said, ‘I don’t understand; I’m just doing what I do.’ That’s just them. That’s who they are.
“The bowling community we have here is amazing. They’re always raising money or doing something, and on bowling night, there always seems to be some professional on hand — a doctor, a nurse, an EMT, a fireman, whatever it might be, and in this case we had police officers who stepped up and helped.”
Wilkinson said he is not required by state law to have the AED resuscitation devices in his business, but the center nonetheless has had them for years.
“One of them is an investment that we made at least 10 years ago, and the other one was provided by the borough President’s office,” Wilkinson explained. “They have a program where they go out and provide free AEDs for facilities like ours, or businesses that have high traffic.
“Our staff goes through CPR training on a regular basis, and then we have these AEDs on site. Fortunately, I believe this is only the second time we ever have had to use it.”
Wilkinson said he is “very grateful” to have had those devices in the building when they were needed urgently, and that “the family is very grateful we had them. It’s an amazing thing.”
P.S.: After Spiro was taken away by the ambulance, the police officers, who call their team “Blues on Strike,” resumed bowling — and won the game. Read more about that here: https://nypost.com/2019/10/15/off-duty-nypd-cops-save-mans-life-at-bowling-alley-go-on-to-win-match/.
Nominations Now Open for PBA’s Tony Reyes Award
Nominations are now being accepted for one of the PBA’s most prestigious awards, the PBA Tony Reyes Community Service award, which is presented annually to a current PBA member who performs extraordinary community service, or makes charitable or educational contributions over the course of a PBA Tour season. To be eligible, the nominee must be a PBA member in good standing.
The community service award was first presented in 2013, a year after Reyes, a PBA Tour champion, died as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident near his home in northern California. Reyes, one of the PBA’s most popular players, was a collegiate All-American bowler, an eight-time PBA Regional title winner, and the 18th player in PBA history to bowl a nationally-televised 300 game.
Following Reyes’s death on Sept. 28, 2012, a group of his fellow competitors gathered in front of a tribute masking unit that was created in Reyes’s honor for the PBA World Series of Bowling at the South Point in Las Vegas.
To nominate an individual, click here to access the nomination form: (https://www.pba.com/Content/files/awards/TonyReyes_App_2019.pdf).
Type or print clearly, filling in all requested information completely. Supplemental materials such as newspaper clippings, event programs or pictures may be submitted. Nominations are due by Friday, Nov. 22.
The winner will be recognized during the PBA Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Saturday, Jan. 18, as part of the PBA Hall of Fame Classic tournament weekend at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas.
Previous recipients of the Tony Reyes Award are Chris Barnes (2018), Del Ballard Jr. (2017), Rhino Page (2016), Ed Godbout (2015), Missy Parkin (2014) and Parker Bohn III (2013).
Business Briefs…
* The ShowBiz Cinemas complex in Waxahachie, Texas, is adding 11,000 square feet of space to the front of the building. Within that area, plans call for 14 boutique bowling lanes, a large arcade with a redemption prize room, and a café. The $10.5 million project also includes upgrades for the facility’s auditoriums and concession area, and the addition of an upscale bar. Read more here: https://www.waxahachietx.com/news/20191016/showbiz-cinemas-expanding-to-bring-bowling-movies-and-more-experience-to-waxahachie.
* A former movie theater at a retail complex in Cape May County, N.J., will soon be home to a family entertainment center that includes a new theater, bowling lanes, an arcade and a restaurant. The former K-Mart shopping plaza in Rio Grande, N.J., went bankrupt and was purchased by the county, which has been in the process of filling empty retail space with new types of businesses — part of a retail trend seen across the country. Plans call for the new entertainment center to also include a beer garden.
* The Detroit based Fowling Warehouse is bringing its hybrid game that combines football and bowling — a.k.a. fowling — to Atlanta. The new location is expected to open in Atlanta’s Blandtown neighborhood next month. Read more about the game, planned amenities for the new venue, and pricing here: https://atlanta.eater.com/2019/10/4/20898644/fowling-warehouse-bowling-football-game-bar-opening-november-2019-atlanta.
* Roverr Inc., which first became known to the bowling industry under the name FetchRev, has changed its name to Hownd Inc. According to founder and CEO Brandon Wiley, the company’s original name was meant to suggest that it “fetches” revenue for local businesses, but it did not resonate the same way when working with consumers.
* The Bowling Centers Association of Wisconsin has welcomed Drink Wisconsinbly as a new BCAW supplier member partner. In addition to its “Bowl Wisconsinbly” line, the company is rolling out Drink Wisconsibly Brandy. Members had an opportunity to learn more at the BCAW Trade Show in Green Bay earlier this week.
Other News You Can Use…
* A limited number of general admission and VIP tickets are on sale for the 2019 PBA Clash, that will take place on Monday at the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, Fla. The Clash will include the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour’s top eight money winners in a special elimination-format telecast that will air on FOX on Sunday, Nov. 3. VIP ticket packages are available for $50. General admission tickets are $20. To order tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pba-clash-tickets-68818707607.
* Kelly Kulick’s induction into the USBC Hall of Fame earlier this year provided an occasion for reflection on a sterling competitive career. For Kulick, that reflection involved tremendous gratitude for all the experiences and benefits bowling has brought her, but also prompted her to ponder some tough questions about the transition point she finds herself in at this moment in her life. At age 42, Kulick says she feels there were some things she missed out on while she was caught up in the frenetic pace of a globe-trotting and demanding career as a professional athlete — time with family, and other things those living a lower-profile life take for granted, such as dating or traveling just to travel rather than traveling just to bowl. This is the kind of candid introspection that makes for engaging conversation, and that is exactly what Kulick provides on this episode of the podcast. Listen to the full conversation here: https://soundcloud.com/user-658733792/kulickfinal. And be sure to read our special feature on Kulick in the November issue of BJI.
* With the assistance of PBA Tour star Wes Malott, USBC’s bowling robot “Earl,” and USBC Senior Engineer Tom Frenzel, Wired Senior Writer Robbie Gonzalez addresses “Why It’s Almost Impossible to Make a 7-10 Split” in an “Almost Impossible” video segment posted on YouTube. To view the scientific analysis of what many call “bowling’s impossible split,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMoSsCDgZys&list=PLibNZv5Zd0dxkbCooIoTnbkAHz_Z6YvTK
* The special trivia contest continues this week on Phantom Radio with special guest Mike Anthony. To listen to the show — and test your own knowledge of tenpin trivia — click here: https://kegel.squarespace.com/phantomblog/2019/10/16/mike-anthony-phantom-radio.
* CONTACT: Please send business news, event information, etc. to Bob Johnson at bjibob@aol.com. For breaking business news, visit bcmmag.com or bowlersjournal.com, and “Like” Bowling Center Management and Bowlers Journal International on Facebook. BJI Cyber Reports are now archived at bcmmag.com. Please remember that the Cyber Report is a B-to-B publication and not intended for consumers.
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