ASK BOB 5/01/2013

By Bob Korth

Q. I know the USBC moved into new headquarters in Arlington, Tx. I was wondering if you have been there and what’s the Hall Of Fame look like and how is the Training center?

A. I am on a trip around the country and visited the Hall. It is small but well done. To hold some of the exhibits that were in the Hall in Saint Louis they have also opened an annex at the Stadium in Reno. I have also been there and it also is small but has lots of pictures and old wooden bowling balls and pins in it. I also visited the Training center I was met there by Rod Ross he is in charge of Training center. I got a personal tour of the center; they also test new equipment before certification. They have 12 lanes with CATS (Computer Aided Tracking Device) so they can measure all aspects of the ball movement down the lane. They are also equipped with video equipment on all the lanes. They even have a delay set up on the video so you can bowl then when you get back off the approach you can watch the shot you just made. They have a fitness room in which they have exercises for different parts of the body specific to bowling. They train International teams as well as college teams there. Individuals can also get training there with world class coaching by appointment.

Q. Have you ever been to the Kegel complex?

A. I slipped this question in this article because on this same trip which I am still on until the middle of May. I did visit Kegel. Kegel is located in Lake Wales, Fl. about 50 miles Southwest of Orlando, Fl. Before getting there I contacted my friend Del Warren a world class coach to let him know I was coming. Del informed me he was not in town he was at the national collegiate championships but he would take care of me. He had Brent Sims the Training Center Coordinator meet me in the morning. Brent gave me a personal tour of the entire plant where they develop and make and package lane oils, where they assemble the lane machines, storing and shipping. Then he introduced me to Chris Chartrand, President of Kegel we had a great conversation about the topography of different lanes and how that affects the game. I also got to talk to an old friend of mine there Steve Cross he is in Tech Support at Kegel. He used to be Lenny Nicholson’s right hand man and the PBA lane man after Lenny. If you need Technical info from Kegel call Steve he knows more than most people have forgotten about lane maintenance and the Kegel machines. After all of this great treatment I took a lesson from Brent. This along with running the entire lesson on CATS and video will be a huge help to my game. CATS shows very quickly if you have any major flaws in your game that need fixing. Not in form but in your release, accuracy, launch angle, speed control, entry angle and some other points. As far as the training center goes it is much like the USBC center on steroids. Besides video and CATS they have the ability to change the topography of the lanes to match other centers. They have to have readings of the lanes at that center and then they can clone them. Plus with the lane machine they make they can put out any lane pattern you or they want. They also bring in players and teams from around the World. Anyone can go there and get world class lessons on world class lanes with the best equipment and coaches. You can go on line to get choose the price structure you want. They run half day and full day instruction one on one or groups of two or more. They also have a full Pro shop for you if needed. You also won’t go hungry here either they have an in house lunch counter open to both employees and students. I can attest it is very good.

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