EBONITE INTERNATIONAL, INC. & KEGEL TRAINING CENTER DEVELOP LANE PLAY INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS
February 04, 2011
Ebonite International has always placed a heavy emphasis on bowling coaching. Independent data has proven that most bowlers quit the sport simply because they never improve, and coaching is their method to combat the loss of participants in competitive bowling.
Since their announcement of sponsorship of Bowling’s US Women’s Open 2011, Ebonite International has been working to enhance its coaching efforts, particularly for the women bowlers this tournament targets, and those bowlers who would like to be more competitive in general.
The kickoff for these educational efforts was a series of lane play instructional videos, posted on the ebonite.com/usopen website.
In December, famed Gold-level certified coach Del Warren traveled from his home at Kegel Training Center in Florida to Hopkinsville, Ky. Together with Ed Gallagher, Ebonite Brand Manager, they worked to create a quality instructional video that would help women bowlers prepare for the high level of competition that qualifying for the US Open will demand.
“There hasn’t been much high-level competition just for women since the women’s professional tour folded,” explained Gallagher. “We feel strongly that women need the opportunity to bowl competitively, and we want to give them the venue and the tools to do so.”
“Kegel’s support of the US Women’s Open will help the overall sport by providing the best education and fairest bowling environment possible to all bowlers who will be participating,” explained Warren. “For a sport to grow and be relevant, the athletes must feel that everyone has an equal chance of succeeding regardless of their individual bowling styles. Kegel will help ensure that happens in 2011.”
Both companies felt that the right place to begin with support of the event was education.
“Lane play is one of the most important skills that a bowler today must master if they are going to be successful,” Warren added. “By identifying the pattern length, volume and shape, the bowlers will have insight on what part of the lane to play both on fresh oil and as the lane transitions. Bowling ball arsenals and ball sequencing will be discussed as to what layouts, ball surfaces and ball types may be used. All of these topics will also be segmented based on the bowler’s individual bowling style.”
To illustrate the instruction, professional bowlers Liz Johnson and Kelly Kulick were featured. In addition, PBA members Tommy Jones and Jason Couch were on hand to lend advice from their years of experience.
“The advice I gave on the video is just that….advice,” Kulick added. “Take it for what it’s worth. Obviously the men have higher rev rates and can create more pin action. When traveling to these Regional events, try playing in your comfort zone. If it doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to venture outside the box. In other words, don’t force it. Learn from it so that you will be better off down the road. Set a goal for yourself and reach out to accomplish it. That’s how I became successful. If I didn’t know the answer, I searched for it. Do what you do best and let the equipment do the rest.”
Stefanie Nation, BPAA Tournaments Coordinator, is excited to see the level of support the US Women’s Open is receiving.
“The instructional videos are a great tool for both men and women to utilize and obtain information on how to play different lane patterns that ultimately could make a difference in winning an event,” said Nation. “These videos are an asset to Bowling’s U.S. Women’s Open, not only to provide a variety of coaching tips, but to promote the prestige of the event. It’s imperative that we do everything in our power to keep women’s bowling in the forefront and these videos are just another avenue that we can take to ensure that happens.”
“We’re so fortunate to be in an industry where many companies can come together like this for the good of the industry,” said Gallagher. “These videos will give competitive bowlers an opportunity to learn from some of the best. I’m proud to have been a part of it, and grateful for the chance to work with such amazing athletes.”
The lane play videos are available currently on ebonite.com/usopen.
About Ebonite International
Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets domestically and internationally. The company’s consumer product brands include Ebonite,Hammer,Robby’s,Columbia 300,Track and Powerhouse™; its commercial product brand is Ebonite Bowling Center Direct.
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