8
- APRIL 2015
Bad Foot Position Can Lead to Problems
Have you ever looked at the position of your feet before you start your delivery? If
you’ll look at yourself and other bowlers, you will see many peculiar stances. Some
apparently work well, but others cause trouble and the bowlers don’t know why.
Let’s analyze the problems of the position of your feet on the approach.
It’s very important to walk straight toward your target—the pins—so you can lean,
reach, stroke and follow-through in balance and always toward that target.
Your ball should be pushed out toward your target, not away from it. Pushing your
ball toward the pins—your target—helps produce a straight arm swing. Your arm in
your stance position should be in line or pointing toward your target.
If your feet are not pointed toward the target, if your hips and shoulders are not
square with the pins, then your first step and also the second can make you swerve,
therefore making your arm swing crooked.
Most bowling instructors get upset when they see bad stance positions because of
what they cause: bad approach, causing bad arm swing, causing bad timing and co-
ordination, causing bad delivery, causing bad balance, causing loss of control of the
ball.
About 80% of the game is in the approach area. So if you do one thing wrong there,
about six things happen at the foul line—all bad!
Proper foot position can be practiced at home.
Final note: Are you thinking while you are practicing?
Chuck Pezzano’s articles will continue to be printed here in Bowling World.
We will always remember him and his dedication to our sport.
There have been many bowling institutions in bowling. Some are as short lived as a
small candle in a large wind. Others are as long lasting as a mountain reaching into the
sky.
One of the rocks of bowling was John Jowdy, who left us all too soon, though he had a
long and successful earthly stay of 93 years.
In my earlier days in bowling I made it a point to attend every meeting, tournament or
gathering of the sport--- and there was one common plus---John Jowdy was there.
We hit it off from the start, whether we agreed or agreed not to agree, friends, bud-
dies, we were close to brothers. Some people called him a bowling ball salesman and
a few claimed he couldn’t make the judgment calls he never shied away from.
That irked me and because as a pioneer of the sport, able and willing to study and try
to understand every aspect of bowling, John was a valued public relations master and
executive for his beloved Columbia. He loved our sport, warts and all.
We went to places where we were not fully welcome and we listened to almost every-
one. The most important thing I learned about Jowdy is that first and foremost he was
a people person with an inquiring mind that never learning and loving in his own way.
John’s life experiences included operating a nightclub and his sports connection was
as a top softball pitcher and of course a fine bowler who made the finer points of our
game available to the world. He had a way with words, both spoken and written and
was never afraid to do research and gain knowledge from others.
Over the years I discovered he was an excellent dancer with feathery movements, a
classy dresser with a flair for color, ties, cowboy hats and boots.
Jowdy hats were the best and he owned boots made of almost every exotic leather
used for that purpose. I still have a huge collection of various era ties that he’d given
me from his bulging clothing closet.
Over the years I had the pleasure of rolling with such great doubles partners as Lou
Campi, Lindy Faragalli, Craz Castellano and even the one and only Andy Varipapa, all
multiple Hall of Famers.
When my four sons became good enough we decided to go to the American Bowling
Congress Tourney as a team but we needed a bowler for doubles and singles and John
became my honorary son and doubles partner. We couldn’t roll more than a few
frames without someone dropping by to chat with Jowdy.
He wasn’t a magnet but he did have a special attraction to all who knew and re-
spected him as wide and inspiring as you can imagine.
Our original writers group at breakfast were Jowdy, Dick Evans and Joe Lyou, all now
passed, and they let me in too. There was kidding, needling and both idle and serious
chatter amongst us. Soon bowlers in the top tournaments joined the group, the all time
greats such as Dick Weber and Johnny Petraglia at the Firestone Tournament of
Champions and often our group ballooned to 40 or more bowlers, writers and officials.
Jowdy always had a way with the ladies because he treated them like ladies, never
failing to send a hand written ―thank you‖ note to tournament workers, scorers and oth-
ers involved in the tourney in some way.
John’s birthday always came during the Firestone and whether we did it or not we
celebrated with a cake. However one time the competing bowlers came up with a sur-
prise for John to thank him for the uncountable hours he spent teaching almost every-
one who asked.
I had to keep him busy once while the hotel site was being prepared for the fete and
that event brought the usually talkative John close to tears when he was presented with
a gold watch.
―I considered that birthday party one of the highlights of my life because so many of
you went out of your way to say thank you in such a unique way in such a once in a
lifetime setting.‖ Fondly recalled.
Jowdy will be remembered as one of the greatest bowling teachers of all time, from
youngsters in his home town of San Antonio, Texas to more than a hundred top stars,
including the world’s outstanding pro champions.
The John Jowdy scholarship and many of his innovations are standard in bowling
circles and the bowling world is all the better for his being.
We could write his name in smoke in the sky, but the wind would wash it away. So
let’s just keep him in a loving corner of our hearts---where it will stay---for all the for-
ever's and a day.
Idle Bowling Thoughts
By Chuck Pezzano
Helen Duval’s Bowling Tips
From Page 7 - Doubles
1, Tom Woodworth/Jeremy Sonnenfeld, Sioux Falls, S.D., 1,372. 2, James Hansen, An-
chorage, Alaska/Ron Mohr, North Las Vegas, 1,370. 3, Phil Karwoski Jr./Phil Karwoski Sr.,
Lake Worth, Fla., 1,357. 4, Rich Abboud, Omaha, Neb./Jeff Nimke, Oshkosh, Wis., 1,352.
5, Ray Huffman, III, Glenford, Ohio/Robert Murgatroyd, Zanesville, Ohio, 1,337. 6, David
Shinn, West Columbia, S.C./Darrel Ratliff, Monroe, N.C., 1,331. 7, Donald Robinson,
Houston/Terence McQueen, Fresno, Texas, 1,319. 8, Chad Kloss, West Allis, Wis./Chad
Maas, Waukesha, Wis., 1,318. 9, Graham Ready, Batesburg, S.C./Jeff Campbell, Newport
News, Va., 1,316. 10, Steve Kloempken, Pleasant View, Utah/David Haynes, Las Vegas,
1,311.
Singles
1, Scott Endersbe, Waite Park, Minn., 785. 2, Chad Oachs, Mankato, Minn., 772. 3, Mat-
thew Tuckfield, Orlando, Fla., 771. 4, Jason Tom, Mechanicsburg, Ohio, 770. 5, Dave
Beres, Greenfield, Wis., 754. 6, Mike Pelham, Clinton, Iowa, 748. 7, Chad Maas, Wauke-
sha, Wis., 746. 8, Ken Duffield, Platteville, Wis., 739. 9, Andy Bunkoske, Beaver Dam,
Wis., 736. 10, Art Alexander III, Baldwinsville. N.Y., 735.
All-Events
1, Rob Gotchall, Clarksville, Tenn., 2,181. 2, Chad Maas, Waukesha, Wis., 2,152. 3, Erik
Vermilyea, Las Vegas, 2,083. 4(tie), Matt Smallin, Glenburn, N.D., and Jason Tom, Me-
chanicsburg, Ohio, 2,062. 6, Matthew Tuckfield, Orlando, Fla., 2,048. 7, Brian Waliczek,
Frankenmuth, Mich., 2,019. 8, Camden Rokita, Springfield, Ill., 2,016. 9, Chris Pounders,
Madison, Wis., 2,008. 10, Scott Endersbe, Waite Park, Minn., 1,990.
Team All-Events
1, Junior Team USA Support 1 (Matthew Tuckfield, Anthony LaCaze, Steve Novak, Jeffrey
Mersch, Erik Vermilyea), Las Vegas, 10,064. 2, Team NABR, West Henrietta, N.Y., 9.886.
3, Motion Plus, Greenfield, Wis., 9,669. 4, ND Storm, Mandan, N.D., 9,393. 5, Bowling with
Leverage Pro Shop, Peoria, Ariz., 9,338. 6, SavageBowlingProShops 1, Whitestown, Ind.,
9,306. 7(tie), Coach K Scholarship, Pleasant View, Utah, and To Be Determined Too, Lex-
ington, Ky., 9,189. 9, Molalla Bowl, Cornelius, Ore., 9,168. 10, Southern Storm, Ocala,
Fla., 9,144.
CLASSIFIED DIVISION Team
1, Scotty's 3 (Brady Erdmann, Jed Lye, Marshall Lagred, Tyler Grabow, Alan Iverson),
Alexandria, Minn., 2,676. 2, Scotty's 4, Alexandria, Minn., 2,646. 3, Rails Bar and Grill,
Eagle Grove, Iowa, 2,597. 4, T-Rays, Jamestown, N.D., 2,533. 5, Lani Ohana, Kaneohe,
Hawaii, 2,532. 6, Lake Country Rollers 2, Clarissa, Minn., 2,530. 7, Scotty's 1, Alexandria,
Minn., 2,527. 8, Minnesota Select Sires 1, Fergus Falls, Minn., 2,526. 9, Kirkmeyer Elec-
tric, Hobbs, N.M., 2,509. 10, Stri King 1, Hannaford, N.D., 2,506.
Doubles
1, Mike Heck, Browns Valley, Minn./Darin Ziemer, Fargo, N.D., 1,161. 2, Donald Holtz,
Hutchinson, Minn./Gary Holtz, Litchfield, Minn., 1,153. 3, Ryan Burmester/David
Burmester, Hampton, Iowa, 1,126. 4, Courtney Johnston/Eric Tackett, Huntington, Ind.,
1,116. 5, Bruce Huikko, South Haven Minn./Leslie Huikko, Buffalo, Minn., 1,115. 6, Sterling
Minke Jr., Columbus, Ohio/Sterling Minke Sr., Englewood, Fla., 1,111. 7, Cecilia Lung/
Joseph Lung, Monterey Park, Calif., 1,106. 8, Michael Thielen/Darrell Pedersen, Eagle
Grove, Iowa, 1,105. 9, Sharon Nelson, Mesa, Ariz./Missy Price, Harrisburg, S.D., 1,100. 10
(tie), Bill King/Mark Bylander, Vergas, Minn., and Alan Miller, Eunice, N.M./Hugo Naegele,
Hobbs, N.M., 1,097.
