onefrombills
02-08-2009, 02:19 AM
Staff members at the new International Bowling Campus were on hand Thursday for the groundbreaking of the International Training and Research Center.
United States Bowling Congress Chief Executive Officer Kevin Dornberger, USBC Vice President-National Governing Body Neil Stremmel and Bowling Proprietors' Association of America Executive Director John Berglund briefly addressed the group before various people donned hard hats and used shovels to ceremoniously move dirt in the complex's south parking lot.
"This facility has been a long time in the making," Dornberger said. "It will be the facility to teach, the facility to train and the facility to coach. We will make this the learning place of the world."
"There are more than 30 National Governing Body training centers in the United States so, this is a positive step to the future success for bowling," Stremmel said. "The ability to perform testing, conduct research and administer high-quality coaching is a key component to be a national governing body."
Others on hand included USBC High Performance Director for Team USA, the USBC Coaching program and the International Training and Research Center David Garber and International Training and Research Center Head Coach Rod Ross.
"I am elated that USBC, along with BPAA,has the foresight to build a state-of-the-art training and test center," Garber said. "This is another huge step in being able to grow the sport of bowling and continue to increase credibility to USBC and the coaching department."
"This is a very exciting time for the sport of bowling. Having a facility like this is needed if we want to grow and develop the sport," Ross said. "The tools and techniques that we have and continue to develop will not only help the elite athletes and teams that will train here, but the programs we develop will also help bowling centers improve their bowler retention and bowler developmental programs."
The facility will include 14 lanes for training and six for research and testing of bowling equipment with four of the lanes being equipped for televised broadcasts. High-tech tools in the test center's research area will include a robotic ball thrower, computer ball tracking system and state-of-the-art biomechanics technology such as motion capture, which uses a sensor array and computer system to precisely track body movements of bowlers. "
Plans call for coaches to use that technology on the test center lanes to coach Team USA, Junior Team USA, national teams from World Tenpin Bowling Association countries and possibly coaches who want to train in the facility. In addition, the plan is for the training center to be available for a fee to bowlers who want to take high-tech coaching lessons.
"This if the fulfillment of a dream," Berglund said. "But it's not the end of a dream. It's the beginning and BPAA is happy to play a role in making it happen."
Full-time construction on the 20-lane facility will begin next week with a goal to be finished by Sept. 1.
"USBC is the world leader with regards to equipment specifications and rules; now coaching will have an appropriate place to become world class," Stremmel said.
United States Bowling Congress Chief Executive Officer Kevin Dornberger, USBC Vice President-National Governing Body Neil Stremmel and Bowling Proprietors' Association of America Executive Director John Berglund briefly addressed the group before various people donned hard hats and used shovels to ceremoniously move dirt in the complex's south parking lot.
"This facility has been a long time in the making," Dornberger said. "It will be the facility to teach, the facility to train and the facility to coach. We will make this the learning place of the world."
"There are more than 30 National Governing Body training centers in the United States so, this is a positive step to the future success for bowling," Stremmel said. "The ability to perform testing, conduct research and administer high-quality coaching is a key component to be a national governing body."
Others on hand included USBC High Performance Director for Team USA, the USBC Coaching program and the International Training and Research Center David Garber and International Training and Research Center Head Coach Rod Ross.
"I am elated that USBC, along with BPAA,has the foresight to build a state-of-the-art training and test center," Garber said. "This is another huge step in being able to grow the sport of bowling and continue to increase credibility to USBC and the coaching department."
"This is a very exciting time for the sport of bowling. Having a facility like this is needed if we want to grow and develop the sport," Ross said. "The tools and techniques that we have and continue to develop will not only help the elite athletes and teams that will train here, but the programs we develop will also help bowling centers improve their bowler retention and bowler developmental programs."
The facility will include 14 lanes for training and six for research and testing of bowling equipment with four of the lanes being equipped for televised broadcasts. High-tech tools in the test center's research area will include a robotic ball thrower, computer ball tracking system and state-of-the-art biomechanics technology such as motion capture, which uses a sensor array and computer system to precisely track body movements of bowlers. "
Plans call for coaches to use that technology on the test center lanes to coach Team USA, Junior Team USA, national teams from World Tenpin Bowling Association countries and possibly coaches who want to train in the facility. In addition, the plan is for the training center to be available for a fee to bowlers who want to take high-tech coaching lessons.
"This if the fulfillment of a dream," Berglund said. "But it's not the end of a dream. It's the beginning and BPAA is happy to play a role in making it happen."
Full-time construction on the 20-lane facility will begin next week with a goal to be finished by Sept. 1.
"USBC is the world leader with regards to equipment specifications and rules; now coaching will have an appropriate place to become world class," Stremmel said.