AboutWarren Friedl Expertise 20 Years Pro Shop Owner/Operator, 17 Years Bowling Center Operator (Manager/General Manager), Certified Coach since National Bowling Council and YABA days. Also Dick Ritger and USA Bowling Bronze certified. International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association (IBPSIA) Charter member, IBPSIA Certified, IBPSIA "On Lanes" Certified, 2 Time Member of the IBPSIA Board of Directors and Past Secretary/Treasurer, Small Shop columnist "Pro Shop Operator" Magazine, contributor to "Bowlers Journal International" magazine, editor of IBPSIA NET NEWS weekly e-newsletter, editor of "The Bowling Tree" blog and webmaster of www.revbowl.com.
Experience 20 Years operating Revolutions Pro Shops in 2nd Largest bowling ball market in the country, Chicagoland.
17 Years in Center operations as Marketing Director, Asst. Manager or General Manager, becoming GM in every Center I worked.
Organizations American Bowling Congress/USBC Member since 1976, bowling 50 years.
International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association (IBPSIA) Charter and continuing member (18 years), 2 time member of IBPSIA Board of Directors, former Secretary/Treasurer.
US Bowling Coaches Association (Bronze Coach)
Bowling Writers Association of America (BWAA)
Publications “Bowlers Journal International” and “Pro Shop Operator” Magazines.
Chicago Bowler, Windy City Bowling News, Centennial Lanes.com, The Bowling Tree Blog, IBPSIA.com and IBPSIA Net News (e-newsletter).
Education/Credentials IBPSIA Technically Certified. Multiple Seminars from AMF, Brunswick, Columbia, Circle, Ebonite, Hammer, Mo-Rich, Storm, Track, Dexter, Etonic, and others. Kaploe and Davis Bowling Marketing training.
Certified with the Young America Bowling Alliance (YABA) and the National Bowling Council (NBC) as a coach in 1982. Other coaching credentials include: Dick Ritger Level One, Dick Ritger Coaching Coaches, and USA Bowling Bronze Level.
Awards and Honors Created and executed Promotions highlighted in Bowlers Journal Magazine and included in the “150 Promotions for Bowling Centers” organized by the Bowling Proprietors Association of America (BPAA).
First Pro Shop featured in Bowling Industry magazine, for customer service and merchandising, October 1996.
Identified “One of the best ball fitters in the country” by then Track, Inc. President Del Warren, September 2005.
Tournament Promotions lead to top performance in center, or for center hosted events including: Chicago City Championships, US Open Qualifiers, Amateur Bowlers Tour.
Past/Present Clients Presenter at the IBPSIA National Convention.
Presenter at Bowling Proprietors Association Management School
I have asked several questions to this site, and it has helped my game a great deal. After taking a 10 year break, i got back into bowling about a year ago. When i stopped i was 16 and had an average of about 165-170. Now I am a consistent 190-195 average. I am looking to take my game to the next level, and try to enter the 2010 US Open as an amateur. Please let me know if this is even possible, and what i would need to do to be able to compete with the guys that will be showing up.
Regards,
John
Answer John,
The US Open is an open tournament and anyone can enter. On one of the hardest, longest patterns, the tournament is demanding (to say the least).
Often several hundred top amateurs compete with the top professional players. I'd expect if you competed in several events like the Open, it might provide enough experience to START becoming competitive.
I don't mean to be discouraging, but to be competitive, you'll need to find tough(er) conditions to practice on, and sharpen your game to 200+ on tournament conditions. I encourage your objective, because without a plan or desire to improve, bowling on the Typical House Shot (THS) can give you a false sense of achievement.
Thanks for the questions, good luck. Let me know how you do.
