Memorial services have been set for PBA Hall of Famer
John Jowdy (pictured), who passed away at age 93 on Aug. 1. A mass will be held at noon on Saturday, Aug. 17, at San Fransesco Di Paola Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas. John is survived by his wife Brenda and his children John Jowdy Jr., Mary Ann Yamin, Steve Harris, Lori Millard and Andrew Harris; grandchildren Gina, Lisa, Stephen, Tera, Kelly, Ryan, Austin, Landon, Rivers and Robby and great grandchildren Pia, Addy, Hudson, Nicole and Ali.
After Sweden's Jesper Svensson bowled a 300 game at the World Bowling Youth Championships on Wednesday, it set off a firestorm of criticism as to how the four-time PBA champion could be allowed to compete in a youth tournament. People also questioned why Junior Team USA members Anthony Simonsen (two PBA titles) and Wesley Low (three PBA regional titles) were competing as well. The answer is simple. The only qualification to bowl the World Youth Championships is age, nothing else.
Just about everyone involved in the game of bowling on a sport level has learned that today's high tech bowling balls need more maintenance than the bowling balls in the "low tech" era. In the 'good ole days' all one had to do is resurface their ball every year or two, and your ball performed as good as new. But the high tech bowling balls of today need a lot more "tender loving care" in order to maintain high performance levels. Not only do the bowling balls of today need simple resurfacing from time to time, they are much more porous.
At Kegel we get many requests for converting oil patterns to and from different lane machine technologies. Sometimes it can be for a specific tournament pattern or it may be a named oil pattern. Although we fully realize the intent, we also know that there are many factors other than the oil pattern that determine ball motion, and how easy or difficult lanes play. One technical reason some oil patterns cannot be converted is simply because some lane machines do not have the capability to apply an oil pattern exactly like the machine it was made for.
At one time or another, many bowlers have considered taking lessons to improve their skills and take their game to the next level. If you are going to invest time and money into your training, it is important to understand how you can get the most benefit from your lesson. In this article, Kegel's Rick Wiltse will discuss how you can choose the type of lesson that is best for you and what to bring to your lesson.
When it comes to lane conditions, every person has their own ideas as to what they think works best. Mechanics, proprietors, and bowlers all have a difference of opinion when it comes to dressing the lanes. Ask 100 different people and you're likely to get 100 different answers. In bowling, it's one of those topics that just seems to create a lot of controversy and a lot of differences in opinions. Because of all these different opinions, we get many questions regarding what the best methods are for ensuring lanes are the same from day to day.
Mark Davis (pictured with Len Nicholson, left), younger brother of the late John Davis, founder of the Kegel Company, has been named the 2014 recipient of the John Davis Award. The surprise presentation was made at International Bowl Expo in Orlando, Fla. The award is presented annually to a deserving person who is actively involved in trying to advance the sport of bowling. A perpetual plaque, bearing each recipient's name, is on permanent display at the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, Fla.
Lake-Wales, Fla. based Kegel company, the leading lane maintenance provider in the sport of tenpin bowling, gets many tech calls asking how to help bowling centers make their lane conditions a little bit better. In this edition of the "Inside Line", Kegel Pattern Specialist Steve Cross (pictured) will show some of the more common questions and provide some basic answers to those questions. Before making any adjustments to the conditioner pattern, make sure that your lane machine is cleaning properly.
"My pattern is the same as last year but it is not playing the same" is one of the #1 lines we hear this time of year. As one of the techs at Kegel that has the privilege to not only help all of you on the phone, but to also work on lane machines in the field, let's take a look at some overlooked parts and adjustments to your lane machine. The number one overlooked problem on a lane machine is its ability to
clean. Anytime a pattern adjustment is requested because they don't play
the same, our first question is "have you done a clean only" 
Together they form one of the most famous couples on the bowling lanes. But for Del Ballard and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard (pictured), that pales to what they are doing off them. The Keller, Texas, twosome joined forces with family, friends and the North Texas business community Sept. 14 for a highly-successful second edition of their Ballards vs. The Big "C" charity event at AMF Euless. Thanks to participation by nearly 200 people on 48 teams the event raised more than $41,000.
When we last featured the United States Bowling Congress, it had changed its focus from overseeing the sport as the United States Olympic Committee-designated National Governing Body (NGB) to creating programs and services that enhance the membership experience and create lifelong bowlers. But just two years later, at the 2013 USBC Convention in Reno, Nev., the organization revealed "new" mission and vision statements similar to its original charge in 2005.
The 23rd National Golden Ladies Classic concluded March 21, 2013 at The Orleans Bowling Center in Las Vegas, with Tish Johnson (pictured) taking down the $2,000 top prize. Perennial favorite and former champion Robin Romeo finished second. News of this sort typically sends a resounding yawn throughout the 21st Century bowling community. In an era of inflated egos and technology-enhanced bowling whiz-kids, an event featuring senior ladies hardly produces a ripple. Too bad.
We did not know John Davis the way Len Nicholson did, or Chris Chartrand or Pat Ciniello, all three friends and colleagues of Davis's for years who spoke at the memorial service for him in February. It was held at the most appropriate possible place: the Kegel Training Center at Kegel headquarters in Lake Wales, FL. Davis died Jan. 25. "He tried to do something that no one else did," as Nicholson says. "He tried to make the sport as fair as possible." 
In the Summer of 1998, the late John Davis along with a group of esteemed lanes people, formed The Foundation. Within that very first edition of The Foundation's newsletter was a letter written by John Davis. For those that have read the letter before, we thought you might like to read it again. For those that have never read it, it will give you some insight into John's passion for the game of bowling and what motivated him to support the game the way he did.
While the name changed slightly, the content still focuses on America's love affair with bowling and how changes in the country and the sport are related. All are captured in the new book "Bowling: America's Greatest Indoor Pastime" now available across the world. Authored by The Bowling Examiner, the 64-page paperback traces the sport from its ancient beginnings in Egypt to Europe and eventually to the United States during the 1800s when many people emigrated across the Atlantic Ocean bringing their popular game with them.