Bowlers Journal International - April 2008 - (Page 46)

UPCLOSE pleasant surprise and a bonus. Surely, you had a pretty good idea how talented these guys were on Tour, right? I did. I bowled the U.S. Open the last three years, and I bowled the Masters, so I had played against them and knew that if you want to beat these guys, you have to be at the top of your game. I took it as motivation, which helped me. When BJI acknowledged your great record by declaring you 2007 Amateur of the Year, were you thinking that it was time to take the next step? but with Team USA allowing professionals, and the megabuck events not allowing Team USA members anymore, that was kind of my green light to get out there in that if forced my hand. I've already heard you called names like Cinderella, Rocky, even Tiger Woods. What do you call yourself? I’m just Rhino. I’ve been bowling my whole life and I’m just enjoying the experience. I kind of look at myself as a Zach Johnson type — he won the [USGA] Masters — and he’s just a normal guy from Iowa. I’m just enjoying what I’m doing, and now that a huge The Boot Hill conditions are not for the faint of heart. You’ll ﬁnd out how good you are, how accurate you are, when you bowl on Boot Hill-type conditions. To beat those guys, you have to be able to hit your target. Do the guys from your amateur days give you a hard time — so you still remember where you came from? Some of them, yes. They call me stuff like 'Superstar,' and I look at them like, 'Whatever.' I try not to get caught up in all the drama, and I’m just trying to live the dream right now. It’s ironic as far as Team USA is concerned. You were on that team, quit to join the Tour, then suddenly, Team USA was opened up to PBA members. It was kind of crazy how it all worked out. Luckily for me, I have the best of both worlds. My patience deﬁnitely paid off. People ask me when I knew I’d be a pro, and I answer: 'Three weeks before the [2007-08] Tour started.' You pinch yourself once in a while at how it's all happened for you? It’s pretty crazy. I think the ultimate was when we went into a restaurant where they were showing a replay of [the tournament] we had just bowled. I was like, 'Holy cow, that’s me.' You go from bowling on Team USA and doing well on the amateur side one day, to seeing yourself on TV the next. It’s a bit overwhelming, actually. There have been players who've been through a lot of the same experiences as you, competitively, and haven’t had the success you’ve had. Why have you succeeded while they haven’t? That’s a tough question. [I know that I had] stepping stones, like Junior Team USA, college bowling, Team USA, the amateur tournaments and each really helped make me a well-rounded player. I’m not saying the other players aren’t, but being a versatile left-hander — not just one-dimensional — is something that has gone a long way toward my success. “ The ultimate was when we went into a restaurant where they were showing a replay of [the tournament] we had just bowled. I was like, 'Holy cow, that's me.' You go from bowling on Team USA and doing well on the amateur side one day to seeing yourself on TV the next. It's a bit overwhelming, actually. ” Well, for my whole life, my goal has been to be a professional bowler. So to be out here now is just a bit surreal. When you are a little kid watching the guys bowl on TV, you don’t dream about bowling in the High Rollers and all that; you're thinking about being a professional. So, while the amateur [accomplishments] were great, it was not something I dreamt of. But to come out here and do what I dreamed about doing has been a great experience. So you just accepted the challenges as they came? Was it all geared toward getting you ready for the big show? Absolutely. I didn’t know how quickly I was going to be able to come out here, 46 bowlers journal international APRIL 2008 fan base has popped up out of nowhere, it’s a neat experience. Was there one single tournament on the amateur circuit that really prepared you for this level? I don’t think you can say that a single tournament did it, but a lot of it was the coaching I got through Team USA. They really prepared me for bowling on different conditions by teaching me how to have an open mind and prepare myself for playing these patterns. Also helpful were events like the Boot Hill, where you go out every year and face very difﬁcult conditions. Experiences like that combined to play a strong part in [the development of my game].

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Bowlers Journal International - April 2008

Bowlers Journal International - April 2008 Contents Leading Off Letters Bowlitically Incorrect Calendar Par Bowling The Coach Frame of Mind Inside Line The Truth Be Bowled Tournaments Pro Bowling PBA Bayer Classic PBA Pepsi Championship PBA Don Johnson Classic Regional Roundup Cover Story Up Close Senior Tour The USBC Move USBC Convention Pattern Play Anniversary Flashback Time Capsule Media Beat No Holes Barred Shop Talk Spotlight Marketplace Hall Marks Profit Prophet Advertisers' Index Classified Advertising Intelligencer Business Calendar Business People Strikes Me

Bowlers Journal International - April 2008

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