Bowling, The Wright Way - October 2005 by Don Wright
I Am Not Easily Impressed

In 1997, the Killeen-Fort Hood Bowling Associations hosted the Texas State YABA Championship and I got to see a youth bowler that really impressed me. I camped out behind his lanes and watched the young man strike over and over. When he didn't strike he left single pins and rarely did he miss a spare.

While watching him, I also noticed that he was quite unassuming. He didn't show any arrogance, or do a lot of posturing on the lanes; he just bowled and bowled well.

I mentioned to several of the spectators there that I thought the young man had an excellent game and attitude and would make a quality collegiate bowler.

In 1998, he was selected as the Texas Youth Bowler of the Year and he went on to have an outstanding collegiate career at Wichita State where he was a member of Wichita State's Collegiate National Championship team in 2003.

His name is Nathan Bohr.

Bohr has many awards accumulated in a short period of time and I predict this young man is the next super star.

Bowling has seen its share of super stars, Don Carter, Dick Weber, Pete Weber, Mark Roth, Earl Anthony, and Walter Ray Williams, Jr. I predict that Bohr is next in line for that recognition.

The 25-year old from Austin, now living in Wichita has the complete package, game, attitude, experience and exemption. His 2004-05 Southwest Region statistics are outstanding and he recently captured the Killeen Open defeating the bowler Bohr considers the best, Chris Barnes.

Bohr is anxious for the PBA National Tour to begin with the Tulsa Championship and this writer is anxious to see how the seemingly unflappable youngster handles the pressure. I'm betting he'll do just fine.

One of the things I have always enjoyed is bowling with my family, especially my children and now the grandchildren.

One of my biggest thrills was in 1981 when my son, Mark and I went to Washington D.C. representing Texas in the National Family Tournament. My biggest disappointment was the next year when I competed with my daughter. I wanted so much to win for her. She bowled really well and I bowled really badly. It made me physically ill. We laugh about it today and nearly everyone in my family bowls.

I have a 13-year old grandson named Jackson. I call him Big Foot because at six foot-one inch in height the boy has a size 15 hoof!

Last Christmas I bought him a bowling ball and because he lives in Red Oak, Texas I told his Mom which pro shop to use to have the ball drilled for him. Well due to a lot of circumstances the ball didn't get drilled and Jackson was coming to Killeen for the Southwest Region PBA tournament. I told him to bring his ball and we would have it drilled while he watched the tournament.

It was Jackson's first opportunity to see professional bowlers and he was really impressed. He especially liked Bohr and Chris Barnes.

I took Jackson into the C & W Pro Shop inside Hallmark Lanes and Tom Christie, co-owner and a certified silver level coach measured him and drilled him his first finger-tip grip.

Immediately after Bohr was presented his trophy for winning the Killeen Open, Jackson wanted to try his ball. He bowled a couple of games and it was a learning experience for him. He was happy, packed up his equipment and headed home. Before reaching Red Oak he convinced his mother to stop at Hilltop Lanes in Waxahachie, the center where he bowls league and travel league. He called me that night to tell me his scores and he was a happy kid.

Well, about one month after we drilled the ball the phone rang about 9:30 p.m. and it was Jackson. He wanted to tell me his bowling scores. He had been open bowling at Hilltop Lanes and the conversation went like this…"Opa, I bowled a 180 my first game. I messed up my first shot in the second game by throwing a gutter ball. I spared it and then rolled eleven strikes in a row for a 290." You had to hear the excitement in his voice. He rolled his third game for 224 and had a three game series of 694. He rolled two more games of 182 and 152 finishing with a five game average of 205. He was one happy kid.

Since the highest game I or his Oma has ever bowled is 287 he was especially happy.

Darned if I wasn't impressed!

See you on the lanes.