March 2017 -
7
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
Seven Elite Coaches Join Team USA Staff
By Terry Bigham
Team USA has experienced tremendous success in international competition,
and to ensure future teams have the highest level of training, the United States
Bowling Congress has added seven coaches to the Team USA program.
Joining Team USA head coach Rod Ross and Junior Team USA head coach
Bryan O’Keefe on the coaching staff are:
Mark Baker, Yorba Linda, California
Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas
Andy Diercks, Marion, Iowa
Kelly Kulick, Union, New Jersey
The seven assistant coaches will work with the athletes at training camps and will
be available to work with the teams in international competitions, as needed. Each
coach is an independent contractor for Team USA and not an employee of USBC.
“These coaches bring a wealth of experience to the Team USA program, and the
athletes will benefit from the knowledge and experience of this group,” USBC Ex-
ecutive Director Chad Murphy said. “Having the coaches work training camps will
help build the coach/athlete relationships. Much like the player selection process
for international competitions, we also will make coaching selections for competi-
tions.”
Baker is a USBC Silver coach and former PBA Tour professional who has been
coaching for more than 20 years. He has written a bowling instructional book, The
Game Changer, and has conducted more than 140 clinics worldwide. He has
worked with many PBA players, including current and former Team USA members
Chris Barnes, Mike Fagan, Tommy Jones and Bill O’Neill. On the lanes, he won
four PBA national titles.
Dorin-Ballard is a USBC Silver coach, and, with husband Del, owns Ballard’s
Bowling Academy, which conducts clinics throughout the United States and inter-
nationally. She previously worked as USBC Director of Coaching. A USBC Hall of
Fame member and five-time Team USA member, she has won more than 20 pro-
fessional titles.
Diercks, a USBC Silver coach, is the head coach at Mount Mercy University. An
International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association (IBPSIA) certified tech-
nician, he previously was a staff coach and manager for the International Art of
Bowling (IAB), where he worked with USBC Gold coach Ron Hoppe. He serves on
the Iowa and Cedar Rapids association boards, and on the IBPSIA board.
Kulick is a USBC Silver coach and has been a lead instructor for Dick Ritger
Bowling Camps since 2006. A graduate of Morehead State, she assisted Larry
Wilson on the women’s team that won the Intercollegiate Team Championships in
2000. She is a 13-time member of Team USA, two-time member of Junior Team
USA and has six major titles, including the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions.
Shady, who will be inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in April, is founder of
Peak Performance Bowling, a company that develops educational and instruc-
tional programs including clinics, camps, mental conditioning and personalized
programs for the growth and development of bowlers of all ages and abilities. He
has been on Bowlers Journal Top 100 coaches list the past 16 years, and he is a
full-time high school teacher.
Spigner, a USBC Gold coach since 2000 who has been teaching for nearly 40
years, has been on the Bowlers Journal Top 100 Coaches list since 2006. A
coaching specialist for IAB, he was the head teaching pro for the Professional
Bowling Camps for a decade. He has authored more than 300 instructional articles
and has written The Pro Approach for Bowlers Journal since 2008. As a bowler,
the USBC Hall of Famer won three PBA national titles and nine regional titles.
Warren is a USBC Gold coach and vice president of Kegel Training Center. He
has been the head coach of Webber International men’s team for the last eight
years and was the national team coach for the Dominican Republic from 2012-
2014. On the lanes, he earned two Professional Bowlers Association national titles
and 10 regional titles.
Mike Shady, Girard, Pennsylvania
Bill Spigner, Vernon Hills, Illinois
Del Warren, Lake Wales, Florida
2017 Hall of Fame Inductee
Phyl Knoll
The Meritorious Service recipient is Phyl Knoll. She hails
from the Southern L.A. County USBC and has been involved
in bowling for over 55 years. She is a past director of the
CUSBC, WIB C/USBC member for 58 years, Los Angeles
WBA member for 58 years, California WBA member for 58 years and is a current
member of the National Women’s Bowling Writers. She also is a member of the Cali-
fornia Bowling Writers. She has participated in 48 WIBC/USBC Championship Tour-
naments. The list goes on and on!
2017 Hall of Fame Inductee
Roy Stuart
The Meritorious Service recipient is Roy Stuart who hails from Los Angeles and has
been active in bowling since the early 1970’s. He has bowled in 33 State Champion-
ships and has coordinated teams to bowl in the State Championships for many years.
He was instrumental in establishing participants for the Southern California Men’s
Bowling Club and Open Men’s State Championships. Due to declining health Mr. Stu-
art doesn’t bowl any more but his vision and ability to provide direction for bowlers
continues.
These winners will be honored at the 2017 California USBC Awards Banquet to be
held on Saturday, June 10 at the Visalia Marriott. If you are interested in attending,
tickets may be purchased online at
Hall of Fame Superior Performance – Bruce Pederson, Oceanside
Hall of Fame Superior Performance – Lou Mathews, El Cajon
Proprietor/General Manager of the year – Ron Briseno, Vista Entertainment Center
Local Association of the Year – Orange County USBC
Coach of the Year – Lee Fitzgerald, Beaumont
Coach of the Year – Brent Korff, Carmichael
$1000 State Youth Scholarship – Jennifer Loredo, Fresno
$1000 State Youth Scholarship – Megan Carpenter, San Diego
2016 QuibicaAMF PBA West Region
Pat Patterson Award Winner Jim Gordin
Congratulations go to Jim Gordin, proprietor of Yosemite Lanes, for being named
the 2016 QuibicaAMF PBA West Region Pat Patterson Award winner.
Gordin competes on the PBA50 Tour and for many years has hosted the West Re-
gion Vanessa Brown PBA Open and PBA50 Open at his bowling center. The Patter-
son Award program was originated in 1972 in honor of Pat Patterson who worked to
advance the PBA in its early years.
The award recognizes individual contributions toward the
PBA regional program. Recipients are selected by the
regional managers in each of the eight regions.
P
hoto: Modesto Hall of Fame 1999
