onefrombills
03-03-2009, 09:12 PM
Professional Bowlers Association executive Tom Clark, Ohio state and local association leader Jean Tondola-Smith and California bowling center owner Charles Kinstler have been named winners of the 2009 United States Bowling Congress Recognition Awards.
Clark was selected as winner of the Joyce Deitch Trailblazer Award, Tondola-Smith the Helen Baker Outstanding Association Service Award and Kinstler the Proprietor of the Year Award. All will be formally honored during the USBC Convention April 29-May 2 in Reno, Nev.
The Joyce Deitch Trailblazer Award is named for the seventh president of the former Women's International Bowling Congress. It recognizes organizations and individuals who have made important contributions to bowling by being motivators, visionaries, leaders and innovators.
A former USA Today editor and USBC vice president of marketing and communications, Clark was largely responsible for the return of women's professional bowling after a four-year absence. His creation and execution of the USBC Women's Challenge, U.S. Women's Open and the PBA Women's Series has provided opportunities for the next generation of women's pro bowling.
"It's a great honor to be given this award, named after Joyce Deitch, who was so dedicated to bowling's growth," Clark said. "This recognition is really a testament to the direction and commitment to keeping bowling in the public eye that the USBC board, leadership and staff accepted and supported. Together we did some special things. Now that I am with the PBA, I hope to continue to work with the USBC across many platforms to give the sport of bowling the attention and respect it deserves."
The Helen Baker Outstanding Association Service Award is named for WIBC's fifth president. It annually recognizes an outstanding bowling leader who has made invaluable contributions to local and state associations as an innovator, creator and mentor of adult programs.
Tondola-Smith has been active in all aspects of bowling on the local and state levels. As Massillon USBC Women's Bowling Association and Massillon WBA president for the past 17 years, she helped develop bowling instructional clinics and conducting membership surveys. She developed a "Welcome to the New Season" letter distributed the first night of bowling each season. She also created numerous association fund-raisers, personally promotes the local association championships and conducts yearly workshops for league officers. She also has spent many years on Massillon's youth bowling associations' boards and working with the West Stark USBC Bowling Association/Massillon BA on numerous projects.
She is in her seventh year as Ohio USBC WBA president. She was instrumental in starting bowling certification clinics in her state and developing Ohio's all-star team and bowler of the year award. She does all this while working a full-time job with the United Way.
"I probably busted the poor lady's ear off," Tondola-Smith said of when Awards Committee Chair Valerie Pittser notified her of winning the award. "The car beside me probably heard me. I could not believe it. I was so ecstatic.
"This is probably the greatest honor I've received in my life. I never thought I would even qualify for something like this. I just try to do the best I can to promote bowling."
The Proprietor of the Year Award annually recognizes an outstanding bowling center proprietor for his/her enthusiastic support of local and state bowling associations and of national programs.
Kinstler's purchase of Del Rio Lanes in Downey, Calif., in the 1980s laid the foundation for his building a successful bowling business. He has since purchased four other Southern California centers (Keystone in Norwalk, Forest in Lake Forest, Cal Bowl in Lakewood and The Bowlium in Montclair), each of which was in danger of closing. In addition to remodeling the centers, he has included youth learn-to-bowl classes at each location and focused on enthusiasm, hospitality, cleanliness and helpfulness.
The former California Bowling Proprietors Association president and Orange County Council member belongs to the Southern California Bowling Writers Hall of Fame and has been named Southern California proprietor of the year.
"It was a pleasant surprise," Kinstler said. "It's a pretty big honor. I'm very excited.
"I enjoy the diversity of people that bowling touches. It's not just one market segment. You have bowlers from 3 to 103, black children to white children, grandparents to great grandchildren. It's amazing. You don't have to be good to have fun but if you are good you can still have fun. It's like doing a business where you can't lose."
Clark was selected as winner of the Joyce Deitch Trailblazer Award, Tondola-Smith the Helen Baker Outstanding Association Service Award and Kinstler the Proprietor of the Year Award. All will be formally honored during the USBC Convention April 29-May 2 in Reno, Nev.
The Joyce Deitch Trailblazer Award is named for the seventh president of the former Women's International Bowling Congress. It recognizes organizations and individuals who have made important contributions to bowling by being motivators, visionaries, leaders and innovators.
A former USA Today editor and USBC vice president of marketing and communications, Clark was largely responsible for the return of women's professional bowling after a four-year absence. His creation and execution of the USBC Women's Challenge, U.S. Women's Open and the PBA Women's Series has provided opportunities for the next generation of women's pro bowling.
"It's a great honor to be given this award, named after Joyce Deitch, who was so dedicated to bowling's growth," Clark said. "This recognition is really a testament to the direction and commitment to keeping bowling in the public eye that the USBC board, leadership and staff accepted and supported. Together we did some special things. Now that I am with the PBA, I hope to continue to work with the USBC across many platforms to give the sport of bowling the attention and respect it deserves."
The Helen Baker Outstanding Association Service Award is named for WIBC's fifth president. It annually recognizes an outstanding bowling leader who has made invaluable contributions to local and state associations as an innovator, creator and mentor of adult programs.
Tondola-Smith has been active in all aspects of bowling on the local and state levels. As Massillon USBC Women's Bowling Association and Massillon WBA president for the past 17 years, she helped develop bowling instructional clinics and conducting membership surveys. She developed a "Welcome to the New Season" letter distributed the first night of bowling each season. She also created numerous association fund-raisers, personally promotes the local association championships and conducts yearly workshops for league officers. She also has spent many years on Massillon's youth bowling associations' boards and working with the West Stark USBC Bowling Association/Massillon BA on numerous projects.
She is in her seventh year as Ohio USBC WBA president. She was instrumental in starting bowling certification clinics in her state and developing Ohio's all-star team and bowler of the year award. She does all this while working a full-time job with the United Way.
"I probably busted the poor lady's ear off," Tondola-Smith said of when Awards Committee Chair Valerie Pittser notified her of winning the award. "The car beside me probably heard me. I could not believe it. I was so ecstatic.
"This is probably the greatest honor I've received in my life. I never thought I would even qualify for something like this. I just try to do the best I can to promote bowling."
The Proprietor of the Year Award annually recognizes an outstanding bowling center proprietor for his/her enthusiastic support of local and state bowling associations and of national programs.
Kinstler's purchase of Del Rio Lanes in Downey, Calif., in the 1980s laid the foundation for his building a successful bowling business. He has since purchased four other Southern California centers (Keystone in Norwalk, Forest in Lake Forest, Cal Bowl in Lakewood and The Bowlium in Montclair), each of which was in danger of closing. In addition to remodeling the centers, he has included youth learn-to-bowl classes at each location and focused on enthusiasm, hospitality, cleanliness and helpfulness.
The former California Bowling Proprietors Association president and Orange County Council member belongs to the Southern California Bowling Writers Hall of Fame and has been named Southern California proprietor of the year.
"It was a pleasant surprise," Kinstler said. "It's a pretty big honor. I'm very excited.
"I enjoy the diversity of people that bowling touches. It's not just one market segment. You have bowlers from 3 to 103, black children to white children, grandparents to great grandchildren. It's amazing. You don't have to be good to have fun but if you are good you can still have fun. It's like doing a business where you can't lose."