Rod Ross Named Head Coach International Training Center

Rod Ross, one of the most respected and innovative coaches in the sport of bowling, has been named the first head coach of the United States Bowling Congress International Training Center that will be constructed at the national governing body’s new headquarters facility in Arlington, Texas.

Ross, 52, is the current head coach of Junior Team USA – the national youth amateur bowling team – and one of just 30 bowling coaches in the world certified at the USBC Gold level, the organization’s highest. He has coached numerous professional and world-renowned amateur bowlers and has helped revolutionize coaching in the sport by developing cutting-edge computer and video training technology that have become industry standards. He will use these resources at the new training center along with recently developed and patented USBC coaching technology.

“It is an extreme honor to be named the first head coach of the new USBC International Training Center,” said Ross, who is expected to begin his new position in January 2009 and will continue as Junior Team USA head coach. “I am very excited to be part of what promises to be a truly state-of-the-art facility for bowlers and coaches worldwide. The technology we will have available will lead coaching and the sport of bowling into the future. We’ll be the leader, studying bowling as a sport. It’s an exciting opportunity for advancing the sport.”

Ross, who as a Master Instructor with USBC Coaching advises coaches as well as bowlers, will direct the training center that will be located adjacent to the new USBC headquarters in Arlington. Groundbreaking for the facility is expected in late summer, with the building expected to be completed by June 2009. Plans call for the facility to have 20 bowling lanes, 14 for training and six for research and testing of bowling equipment.

Advanced technology and teaching tools will be a key component of the training center to help improve the skills of coaches and bowlers alike. The facility will be a coaching and training destination for Team USA, Junior Team USA and national teams from countries around the world. In addition, the training center will be available for a fee to any bowlers who want to take high-tech coaching lessons.

“For more than a decade, Rod has been a pioneering force in bowling coaching technology, which is a major focus of USBC as it moves forward,” said USBC Vice President – National Governing Body Neil Stremmel. “Rod’s background and expertise in coaching and technology makes him the perfect fit to make the USBC International Training Center the premier coaching and research center in the world.”

Ross and his wife, Teresa, a USBC Silver coach, have owned and operated Bowlers Connection, Inc., a pro shop and high tech training center at Manteca Bowl in Manteca, Calif., considered the premier bowling training facility in the western United States.

Ross, a native of Pocatello, Idaho, has served on the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association board of directors. He trains and advises pro shop operators around the world with his extensive knowledge of modern bowling equipment.

When Rod Ross takes over as head coach of the USBC International Training Center planned for Arlington, Texas, next year, he will have an abundance of high tech equipment at his disposal. The USBC Gold coach and his staff will use cutting edge bowling technology to train and coach bowlers from around the world.

That equipment includes USBC patented biomechanics technology systems called grip pressure, foot pressure and motion capture that use a network of cameras, electronic sensors and computers to measure exact movement of the body during the approach and delivery. Motion capture is similar to the technology that video game-makers use to record Tiger Woods hitting a golf ball or NBA star and USBC spokesperson Chris Paul shooting a jump shot to make their game characters look realistic. Ross also will oversee the use of the Computer Aided Tracking System (C.A.T.S.) to record the exact location and velocity of bowling balls on a lane.

In addition, Ross and his colleagues will use DigiTraxT ball motion tracking software that measures the accuracy, consistency and transitions of a bowling ball on a lane and BowlersMAPT software that provides coaches the ability to analyze students utilizing computers and video analysis. Ross designed and developed both DigiTraxT and BowlersMAPT.

The sophisticated technology will be put to use during coaching sessions for Team USA, Junior Team USA and national teams from Federation Internationale des Quilleurs and World Tenpin Bowling Association countries around the world who want to train in the facility. In addition, the training center will be available for a fee to any bowlers who want to take high-tech coaching lessons. Ross also will be tasked with developing new technologies to keep the training center on the cutting edge in that important area.

“The goal of the USBC International Training Center is to have the most advanced teaching tools that will provide hard data about bowlers during their approach and delivery,” said Co-Director of USBC Coaching David Garber. “As one of the most respected coaches in the bowling industry, Rod will lead the training center to be the preferred place to train athletes from around the world that, in turn, will make it a financially sound project and investment for USBC.”

Long-term goals of the training center include: advanced development of bowling coaches and coaching programs for youth bowling, high school and college bowling; developing training techniques for different bowler styles; the improvement of bowling federations around the world; and to improve the sport worldwide with an eye on securing a place for bowling in the Olympic Games.

“If we’re going to be a sport in the Olympic family, we should give our athletes the facilities they need,” said Ross, who was bowling’s nominee for the 2004 United States Olympic Committee National Coach of the Year award and the 2005 USOC “Doc” Counsilman Award for advanced use of science and technology in bowling. “We’ll be the leaders, studying bowling as a sport. It’s an exciting opportunity for advancing the sport.”

By Patrick Brettingen
USBC Communications