Expert: - 12/8/2008

Question
QUESTION: i am looking for a sponsor and im averageing a 180 and im a freshman in highschool. should i look for a sponsor now? or should i wait a couple of years.

ANSWER: Tyler,
To get a sponsor, you have to benefit the sponsor in some way. How do you plan to benefit your sponsor?

Any competition you enter while in HS, or college will have to be scholarship money or deferred, so you don't ruin your amateur standing. Wait it's a slippery slope.

Thanks for the question.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What college School is the best for a highschool bowler to goto to get the best
coaching and have the best oppertunity to succed at?

Answer
Tyler,
Do you have any high school bowling in your area? At your school or a school nearby? Some programs have experienced bowling coaches, some have teachers who oversee but don't have much (coaching or bowling) experience. Where are you from?

High school bowling is growing so fast that experienced coaches are to few and far between, so many schools just assign a faculty representative and they do the best they can. Best to find a solid coach.

Seek out coaching through your local International Bowling Pro Shop and Coaching Association (IBPSIA) pro shop (check ibpsia.com to locate members), your local bowling center, the United States Bowling Congress (bowl.com) website (go to coaching), or check with the local USBC association office for more information.

Good luck with your bowling. Keep me informed about how you do. I've been lucky that a couple of my own kids have received scholorship money for college. There is money out there, but you need to work to improve and get noticed by colleges. Talk to your high school Athletic Director or school conselors to get more info about how to qualify for, and apply for scholorships, too.