Bowling in the 2020 Olympics – Bowling Memoirs of Johnny Petraglia

Two thoughts this time..

First, we are on the verge of getting into the Olympics. 2020 seems possible and 2024 seems almost a lock unless we don’t support the movement. Let’s not make the same mistake. This time check the USBC website and find out how to support bowling in the Olympics. It’s pretty simple. If bowling gets into the games, then countries that don’t have bowling will have to build bowling centers and get their citizens in to bowling to field a team. If the country is already bowling they will do their best to put in a team that can win a medal. Either way, the sport of bowling grows world wide. Isn’t that what this is about? Not how much money companies and countries profit from bowling, but how much the sport of bowling grows and prospers? Ironically, if the sport prospers, the companies in bowling will prosper in turn. So bowling in the Olympics will be a big help for everybody. For me, even if I’m not around to see it in 2024, just knowing that it will be there is enough. Go USA!

Secondly, 30 years ago a great bowler came on tour. His name was Bruce Carter. As a talent, Bruce was as good as anybody. But Bruce was one of those personalities that always saw the glass half empty. An example was when Bruce started the tour on New Year’s day in Anaheim, CA at Wonderbowl. Bruce and I crossed together that day. In the first block of the year, Bruce shot 105 over and was in 7th place after round one, bitching all the way. In the first game of the second block, Bruce started with a spare, a double, a spare, and then struck all the way to the 10th frame. He got up in the 10th, hit high and tripped the 4 for a strike, and he came back shaking his head. In the 11th, he hit even higher and tripped out the 4-7-10 for a strike, and came back shaking his head vigorously. He was going to open the second block with 269, and the first tournament of the year with 174 over after 7 games. He was looking down at the ball return and didn’t realize I had walked up behind him. I heard him say, “That’s right, use up all your luck the first game so you don’t have any for the rest of the block!”. Bruce left the tour a couple of years later. I know he had a good job and a great life. I don’t know if his attitude or something else caused him to leave the tour. I will always wonder if Bruce had the personality of Pete Weber or Parker Bohn, what could have been. Either way, I watched a tremendous talent for a short time, and I’m glad life turned out okay for him.

cento anni’…Johnny Petraglia

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