The International Art of Bowling just published this video which offers some nice insight into their Elite Youth Tour. There’s some footage of Jason Belmonte and Diandra Asbaty teaching and some interviews with kids and parents from the tour.

Tamer Bowling put together this interesting interview with Jason Belmonte and Diandra Asbaty, wherein they discuss the origin and details of their youth tour with International Art of Bowling. Jason and Diandra are production machines when it comes to promoting bowling, and they’re making the sport better because of it.

Top Ten Reasons Why Bowling Should Be in the Olympics

We here at LeagueFriend are big fans of the Olympics. It’s inspiring to see such dedicated athletes; and for a couple weeks every two years, there’s always something good on TV. But on the eve of the Olympics’ opening ceremonies, we can’t help but get reflective about what we won’t be seeing: bowling. And for the life of us, we just can’t figure out why it’s not an Olympic sport. After all, there are so many reasons why it should be.

We’ve got those reasons right here…

1. Truly, it’s an international sport. In Eastern Europe, the bowling alleys are almost as packed as the discoteques; Australia is home to Jason Belmonte; Finland’s produced Osku Palermaa, as well as Joonas “JJ” Jähi, and the two-handed bowling technique is also known as “Bolivian Two-Handed Bowling” (sorry, Jason). Sure, the Canadians love their five-pin, but we think our northern brothers and sisters would have no problem at all adjusting to the—some would say correct—ten-pin variant.
2. Shot put. We’re certainly not going to play the whole “how silly is that event?!” game, because all the sports are interesting, and all the athletes are dedicated. But, can we talk about shot put for a second? Shot put is awesome. But what is it, exactly? It’s an event where the competitors throw a heavy ball. Well, we can dig that! Bowling not only features the throwing of heavy balls, but it also features the rolling and spinning of heavy balls. And, unlike shot put where you’re not really throwing at something, bowling even has targets: pins! Our view is if you’re going to permit shot put, you’ve got to permit bowling. And if shot put is awesome (as we already established), well then that just makes bowling awesomer.
3. An essential part of the Olympics are the uniforms. So who at the IOC do we need to send bowling shirts to? Bowling shirts are not just comfortable and functional, but they also make a fashion statement. Whether you’re a car club cat with a beefed up Buick, or just some Williamsburg hipster, a bowling shirt is absolute must for almost any wardrobe.
4. It would be fun to see Vin Gerard try out for the team, and then get cut.
5. Is it us, or does this image (taken from the Ancient Olympic Games page of the official Olympics website) look exactly like someone…bowling?!
6. For what it’s worth, bowling is a part of the Special Olympics. So here’s our question for the IOC: Does this mean you’re not inspired by the Special Olympics? If you are, then follow suit. If you’re not, then please let us know what model deep freezer you store your hearts in.
7. There has not been a major doping scandal in bowling. Ever. How many of the Olympic events can you say that for? So with bowling comes integrity, and more power to the fight against banned substances at the Olympics.
8. “Bowling is not an event because it’s a game, not a sport,” says some hypothetical, snarky, anti-bowler out there. First of all, it is a sport. Merriam-Webster defines “sport” as A) a source of diversion: recreation; or “physical activity engaged in for pleasure” or “a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in.” Any disagreements, please speak with Merriam or Webster. They’ll throw the book at ya. And it’s a mighty big book. Secondly, even if it was a game, we still have to point out that they’re referred to as the Olympic Games (not the Olympic Sports).
9. Just a theory, but it might actually get some younger folks more interested in bowling!
10. From Texas to Chicago, West Coast to East Coast, the USA could put up some serious competition. So, of course, we wouldn’t mind having another event where we’ve got a chance at bringing home a medal. And while it may not be that sporting of us to say, we must admit that it would be pretty amazing to see Pete Weber up on the tallest podium yelling, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THAT’S RIGHT! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? I AM!”

Jason Belmonte vs Vin Gerard: Do Us Proud, Belmonte!

What was Vin Gerard thinking when he got in front of a camera and started talking smack about the PBA and pro bowlers in general?

Perhaps he figured bowlers would be too intimidated to answer because he’s a pro wrestler. If that’s the case, then we might have to reattribute the term “vinsanity” to Vin Gerard (sorry Vince Carter). After all, that’s just crazy talk!

Jason Belmonte agrees, and he not only stepped up to his challenge, but he even offered up a wager of his own. In other words…it’s on!

Jason Belmonte, get out there and oil the lanes with his hair (before you shave it off in victory)!

A Conversation with Johnny Petraglia

Let’s start this interview off with something we like to ask every pro bowler: What do you think about this whole bowling under blacklights thing?

Cosmic bowling is a wonderful thing for the proprietor. It helps them increase revenue, especially in the area of birthday parties, and Saturday night fun nights. It should never be taken too far. It shouldn’t be used to replace competitive bowling. The two are separate. Competitive bowling is a sport, cosmic is a game.

And speaking of external stimulus while bowling, do you like to listen to music while you bowl? If so, what kind?

I don’t mind music when I’m in light practice (mostly 60’s rock), but I hate it during the practice session at a PBA event. I’m trying to figure out the lanes and talking to my ball rep as far as what I should drill for the condition, and you’re competing with music blasting in your ear.

Tell us a little more about yourself. You’re not just a bowling enthusiast, right? I get the impression you’re a big fan of a lot of different sports. What else do you follow?

I love baseball, football, golf, and the Olympics. I love sports that give you time to think: “What will he throw this next pitch? …Third and eight, what play will be called for the first down? …How nervous is the guy in the starting blocks just before the start of the 100-meter dash for the gold medal?” That’s why I don’t like soccer¹. It’s nonstop. If there’s a play going on, I don’t recognize it, and even the players don’t know when the game ends.

So, Johnny, the big news this year, of course, has been your sixth national PBA title in six consecutive decades. Let’s talk about that for a bit. First of all, when you were competing for this most recent title, how confident were you that you were going to get it? It may sound like an overly obvious question, but were you nervous? 

When I hit 65 I knew my chances were few and far between, and every year it would get tougher. I would keep getting older and more great bowlers would turn 50. This year alone you have Pete Weber, Bob Learn, Amleto Monacelli, and Mike Edwards just to name a few. So getting the chance to win was really pressure packed because I don’t know if I’ll ever get another chance. I felt a great sense of accomplishment and a greater sense of relief. What makes this special is it’s the kind of record that someday might be tied, but probably never be broken. I don’t think anyone will win in seven decades. So for me this is very special.

Looking at the other bowling greats out there, who else do you think has a shot at going six-in-six?

In 2020 Wayne Webb can win in six decades. He’s the only one until 2030. In 2030 you have Walter Ray, Pete Weber, Norm Duke…assuming they decide to keep bowling and win in the 2020’s. The talent is obviously there; it’s just a question of if they are still bowling in competition, 19-20 years from now.

Switching gears, we’ve spoken with a lot of relatively new bowlers. But you’re the first pro we’ve had the honor of interviewing who goes pretty far back. You joined the PBA in 1965, and had a strong start in the 60s before going off to Vietnam. How is bowling—the sport itself, as well as the culture and cachet of the sport—different now from how it was back then? And who were some of the greats you bowled with?

I’ve been lucky to have bowled in my prime during pro bowling’s golden age. It was so wonderful then. The tour got bigger every year. We had the great Chris Schenkel as our announcer, and the sport was growing. I had the honor of bowling with [Don] Carter, [Pete] Weber, [Ray] Bluth, [Carmen] Salvino, Bill Lillard, and all the greats of the day. For me it was heaven, bowling with all my idols, and also watching the new young lions take over.

A lot of kids today would still recognize names like Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris. But when it comes to bowling, not many people can recall the names of some of the greats from “back in the day.” Tell us about some of the bowlers who you used to bowl with—the ones who people might not remember, but should?

[Dave] Soutar, [Dave] Davis, [Mark] Roth, [Marshall] Holman, [Earl] Anthony, Don Johnson and many more. I feel sorry for the great ones of today, because they don’t know what kind of tour they’re going to have next year, or even if there will be a tour. There’s nothing more tragic than wasted talent, and there’s so much talent now, it would kill me to see it go to waste. Hopefully things will improve and there will be a solid tour for both men and women in the future.

Before we close, we need to talk about the lesson you gave me back in Brooklyn, New York. I thought you did a great job with me, and I walked out of there confident I was a much better bowler than I was when I walked in. But then Diandra Asbaty and LeagueFriend founder, Mark Wyner, saw some of the pictures from our lesson, and they said I need to keep my trail leg down, and then they followed it up with something about how frightened mules probably have better balance than me. So my question is: How can I come up with a good comeback against Diandra? I’d love to have a good one for Mark, but he’s my boss, so I’d better not.

Mark and Diandra are right about keeping the trail leg down, that’s where the balance comes from. I don’t know about the mules line. It’s important to have self-confidence. Telling you that you have less balance than a mule, I think my comeback would be: “If I was going down the trail into the Grand Canyon, I’d rather be on a mule’s back instead of your back!”

Back when I was a kid in New Jersey, my father (who was an avid bowler and won a few amateur trophies, which my brother and I broke when we were young) taught me how to bowl. He used to have a saying: “Leave the five, got no drive.” Tell us another timeless bowling expression.

As far as expressions, I’ll leave you with one that’s been around forever. “Trust is a must or your game is a bust.”

OK, one more question before we close. We opened up this interview with a standard question that we ask everyone, so we’ll close with one, too: Have you seen The Big Lebowski, and if so, what do you think?

I haven’t seen The Big Lebowski. So far Hollywood doesn’t understand bowling, so they’ve done a pretty bad job depicting bowling in the movies. I coached Michael J. Fox and was in the movie Greedy. Michael did a pretty good job, and bowling didn’t look too bad in that one. But it was only six minutes of the movie.

Thanks so much for all your time and wonderful insights, Johnny! And, hey, if you want to try for seven-for-seven, we’re behind you all the way!

¹We, of course, will not push back on bowling royalty such as Johnny Petraglia. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that LeagueFriend founder, Mark Wyner, is in avid fan (and player) of soccer. In other words, like all those commentary tracks: the views and opinions expressed in this interview are not necessarily those of LeagueFriend. That said, we do invite Mr. Petraglia to Portland, OR, where Mr. Wyner will take him to a Portland Timbers game and explain the finer points of the sport. This offer open to Hall of Fame bowlers only.