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

First International Silver Conference

Level 1, Bronze and Silver Level seminars to be held at Paeng’s Midtown Bowl May 2-7

Philippine legend Paeng Nepomuceno will conduct United States Bowling Congress Level 1, Bronze Level and Silver Level Coaching Accreditation Seminars in conjunction with the 6th Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge at Paeng’s Midtown Bowl in Manila. The tournament which promises to have many participants from Asia and overseas, runs from May 7-13, 2008.

“I am looking forward to conducting the seminars, especially since this will be the first time that a USBC Silver Level Coaching Accreditation Seminar will be given outside of the United States,” said Nepomuceno.

Nepomuceno was one of the 21 international coaches, who received their USBC Silver Coach certification during an exclusive International Coach/Instructor Training seminar hosted by the United States Bowling Congress in February 2008. [Read more]

European Youth Championships

When everything comes together

By Ted Thompson

The 2008 ETBF European Youth Championships at famed Tali Bowl in Helsinki Finland showed what can happen in the modern bowling environment when all parts of the scoring environment are predictable and at a high level.

During the Championships, 12 of 15 girls scoring records were broken and 11 of 15 boys scoring records were broken. There were also five 300 games during the Championships.

However, the closer you look and dissect the possible reasons why those records were broken and scores were achieved, the less anyone should be surprised.

The Players

The youth players of Europe are more knowledgeable than ever and the overall level of coaching is at an all time high. Add to the fact that eastern European countries are increasing in participation numbers and they are treating bowling as a sport. Even world renowned coach Sid Allen has been attracted to Europe being hired as head coach of Latvia. This proved to be a great move on the Latvian Federations part as it helped them achieve the country’s first Gold Medals in Major Championship events. In fact Latvia won a total of five medals during the Championships, 1-Gold, 3-Silver and 1-Bronze. A fine testament to what a solid coaching program can bring to a Federation. [Read more]

International Coaching Seminar continues

USBC Headquarters in Milwaukee, WI (Feb. 12-16, 2008)

On a bright and sunny Wednesday morning with mild temperatures of 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 12^o Celsius), the 21 participants of the International Coach/Instructor Training seminar hosted by the United States Bowling Congress returned to the USBC Headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis. on for the second classroom portion of the USBC Silver coaching certification conference led by USBC Junior Team USA and USBC Gold coach Rod Ross.

Yesterday Ross (pictured left) and the coaches from 16 countries - Australia, Austria, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, England, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden and United States - covered Chapter 2 “Coaching the Physical Game” including Section 1 “Assessing your Athlete” and Section 2 “Evaluation Workbook” (Stance, Start, Posture, Timing, Footwork, Arm Swing, Release, Finish Position and Bowlers Analysis). [Read more]

First International Silver Conference

On Tuesday morning, Feb. 12 at 7.15 a.m. CST, some of the world’s best coaches and players met in the lobby of the Wyndham Milwaukee Airport hotel in Wisconsin to get ready for the first International Silver Certification Seminar at United States Bowling Congress Headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis.

21 notable names from 16 countries representing all the three FIQ/WTBA zone - Asia, America and Europe - were invited by the USBC Coaching department to join the world’s most exclusive coaching seminar:

Andres Gomez, Colombia; Andrew Frawley, Australia; Cassidy Schaub, United States; Christer Backe, Sweden; Daniel Falconi, Mexico; Erik Garder, Norway; Ernesto Avila, Mexico; Foong Tak Meng, Malaysia; Holloway Cheah, Malaysia; Jason Belmonte, Australia; Juliano Olivera, Brazil; Kazuhide Shimoji, Japan; Kim Eui Young, Korea; Magnus Johnsson, Sweden; Marcio Vieira, Brazil; Paeng Nepomuceno, Philippines; Pedro Merani, Argentina; Sandy Lowe, Canada; Steve Innins, England; Thomas Tybl, Austria; William Woo, Singapore. [Read more]

USBC to Host International Coach Training Seminar

In another step to bolster the number of quality coaches worldwide, the United States Bowling Congress will host nearly 20 notable names in bowling from around the world in a week-long International Coach/Instructor Training seminar at USBC Headquarters in suburban Milwaukee on Feb. 12-16.

This seminar is a continuation of USBC’s effort to assist in the creation of an international coach training program and enhance the strength of federations within bowling’s world governing body, the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs.

The newly trained coaches will certify USBC coaches in their home countries and regions who in turn will develop more high-level bowlers. Those athletes will increase the level of bowling competition around the world, which will help reach the ultimate goal of securing a place for bowling in the Olympic Games. [Read more]