onefrombills
10-15-2008, 02:44 AM
Ryan Shafer, 42, who lives in Horseheads with his wife, Michelle, is getting set for his 22nd full season on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. He has four career tournament titles, 42 career PBA 300 games, and has earned more than $1.2 million on tour. Last season he made the TV finals three times and earned $78,810. Pat Moffe, the Star-Gazette's bowling columnist, interviewed Shafer recently.
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Q: What is new on the horizon for the 2008-2009 season?
A: The PBA has a bunch of new formats outlined for the new season. The idea is to celebrate our 50th season by helping educate our fans to the difficulty of our sport. I personally think there are some logistical problems with some of the schemes. In fact, if you ask me, a few of the ideas are tantamount to NASCAR letting deer loose on the track. I believe there are better ways to educate the fans. But I do appreciate the PBA's newfound enthusiasm.
Q: I know you have been involved in player relations with the PBA office. Have you made any headway?
A: Not really. We still don't have a union, and therefore no negotiating power. If we want to bowl we have to do what the owners say. We are trying to make progress, but it takes money and cooperation. It is a very slow process.
Q: Two years ago, the PBA lowered the prize funds. Why? And what is the current state of the PBA?
A: The PBA lowered the prize funds so they could break even. The new owners didn't want to continue to write a blank check to support the tour. The goal was for it to be self-sufficient. There were other cost-cutting measures as well. The PBA, like any sport, can always use more sponsors, but what needs to change is our relationship with ESPN. Right now we pay for our airtime. The situation needs to be reversed -- we need to receive rights fees. We have good sponsors and sell lots of advertising and we should get revenue from TV like any other sport.
Q: Speaking of relationships, your relationship with the Star-Gazette has been contentious over the years. Why?
A: You mean contentious because I have refused interviews? I believe the Star-Gazette's coverage of me and the PBA has been spotty at best. Either cover it or don't cover it. As for interviews, I don't feel an interview is necessary when a tournament gets no press until after it's over. Headlines like "Shafer loses" instead of "Shafer finishes second" tend to rub a person the wrong way, especially if there was no story the day before to even let anyone know I was even bowling on television. Apparently, the Star-Gazette considers bowling to be third rate. They cover the PGA and Joey Sindelar on a regular basis. And I agree Joey deserves to be covered, but so does bowling, especially when a top-10 player (for the last 10 years) happens to live in your community. A local paper should make more of an effort to cover the career of a local athlete that is at or near the top of his profession.
Q: You've been a part of the Japan Cup for 10 years. Did you qualify this year?
A: Yes. Actually I should have just returned from Tokyo, but the tournament has been delayed until April due to arena issues. It will be my 11th Japan Cup. It is very prestigious. You have to be one of the top 16 players on tour to qualify. It means a great deal to me. The Japanese always treat us great and I have had very good results most years. I hate the plane trip, 13 hours from Chicago, but the event is worth it.
Q: Where are your favorite places to bowl?
A: Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis and Taylor Lanes in Detroit. I bowled my first PBA event in Indy in 1986 and have made three shows in a row there. My televised 300 game was there as well. As for Detroit, I ended a huge slump in 1993 by making the show there. The fans are great in both cities, and I have made many good friends in both places
Q: Where don't you fare so well?
A: That would be my burn list. Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Dallas, Reno and Buffalo, in that order. Nothing against those cities, but if the centers I bowled in ceased to exist I wouldn't miss them.
Q: What is the difference between bowling leagues, local tournaments and on tour?
There is no comparison between bowling leagues and bowling on tour. Remember, when you bowl in a league the proprietor wants you to have high scores and continue to give him business. On tour, we are trying to identify the best player while still being entertaining. In both cases, what controls this is how the lanes are oiled. And the biggest problem with oil is that it is invisible. You can't see the difference between an easy lane and a hard lane. When you watch golf on TV it's easy to see the high grass in the rough, the tight fairways and the huge water hazard. I wish the fans could experience our lane conditions to appreciate their difficulty.
Q: There is a regional at Waverly's Valley Bowling Center this weekend. What's your involvement?
The regional in Waverly is a great event. I work with Greg Joseph coordinating it. The best bowlers in the East and some exempt players come to our area to compete. It's a great chance for avid local bowlers to watch a great competition and even bowl with a pro in the pro-am if they choose. I run a charity shootout to benefit diabetes on Friday night after the pro-am. There is a raffle for great bowling equipment donated by several companies. Greg does a great job getting volunteers and organizing the event.
Q: There is a junior tournament named in your honor run by the Elmira Bowling Association. Tell me about this.
A: Junior bowling is very important because it is the next generation of bowlers. They need to be encouraged to bowl and be taught how to bowl correctly so they can enjoy it for the rest of their lives. Jim Comfort started this event and has worked diligently to continue it. It is an honor to be able to lend my name to this great event.
Advertisement
Q: What is new on the horizon for the 2008-2009 season?
A: The PBA has a bunch of new formats outlined for the new season. The idea is to celebrate our 50th season by helping educate our fans to the difficulty of our sport. I personally think there are some logistical problems with some of the schemes. In fact, if you ask me, a few of the ideas are tantamount to NASCAR letting deer loose on the track. I believe there are better ways to educate the fans. But I do appreciate the PBA's newfound enthusiasm.
Q: I know you have been involved in player relations with the PBA office. Have you made any headway?
A: Not really. We still don't have a union, and therefore no negotiating power. If we want to bowl we have to do what the owners say. We are trying to make progress, but it takes money and cooperation. It is a very slow process.
Q: Two years ago, the PBA lowered the prize funds. Why? And what is the current state of the PBA?
A: The PBA lowered the prize funds so they could break even. The new owners didn't want to continue to write a blank check to support the tour. The goal was for it to be self-sufficient. There were other cost-cutting measures as well. The PBA, like any sport, can always use more sponsors, but what needs to change is our relationship with ESPN. Right now we pay for our airtime. The situation needs to be reversed -- we need to receive rights fees. We have good sponsors and sell lots of advertising and we should get revenue from TV like any other sport.
Q: Speaking of relationships, your relationship with the Star-Gazette has been contentious over the years. Why?
A: You mean contentious because I have refused interviews? I believe the Star-Gazette's coverage of me and the PBA has been spotty at best. Either cover it or don't cover it. As for interviews, I don't feel an interview is necessary when a tournament gets no press until after it's over. Headlines like "Shafer loses" instead of "Shafer finishes second" tend to rub a person the wrong way, especially if there was no story the day before to even let anyone know I was even bowling on television. Apparently, the Star-Gazette considers bowling to be third rate. They cover the PGA and Joey Sindelar on a regular basis. And I agree Joey deserves to be covered, but so does bowling, especially when a top-10 player (for the last 10 years) happens to live in your community. A local paper should make more of an effort to cover the career of a local athlete that is at or near the top of his profession.
Q: You've been a part of the Japan Cup for 10 years. Did you qualify this year?
A: Yes. Actually I should have just returned from Tokyo, but the tournament has been delayed until April due to arena issues. It will be my 11th Japan Cup. It is very prestigious. You have to be one of the top 16 players on tour to qualify. It means a great deal to me. The Japanese always treat us great and I have had very good results most years. I hate the plane trip, 13 hours from Chicago, but the event is worth it.
Q: Where are your favorite places to bowl?
A: Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis and Taylor Lanes in Detroit. I bowled my first PBA event in Indy in 1986 and have made three shows in a row there. My televised 300 game was there as well. As for Detroit, I ended a huge slump in 1993 by making the show there. The fans are great in both cities, and I have made many good friends in both places
Q: Where don't you fare so well?
A: That would be my burn list. Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Dallas, Reno and Buffalo, in that order. Nothing against those cities, but if the centers I bowled in ceased to exist I wouldn't miss them.
Q: What is the difference between bowling leagues, local tournaments and on tour?
There is no comparison between bowling leagues and bowling on tour. Remember, when you bowl in a league the proprietor wants you to have high scores and continue to give him business. On tour, we are trying to identify the best player while still being entertaining. In both cases, what controls this is how the lanes are oiled. And the biggest problem with oil is that it is invisible. You can't see the difference between an easy lane and a hard lane. When you watch golf on TV it's easy to see the high grass in the rough, the tight fairways and the huge water hazard. I wish the fans could experience our lane conditions to appreciate their difficulty.
Q: There is a regional at Waverly's Valley Bowling Center this weekend. What's your involvement?
The regional in Waverly is a great event. I work with Greg Joseph coordinating it. The best bowlers in the East and some exempt players come to our area to compete. It's a great chance for avid local bowlers to watch a great competition and even bowl with a pro in the pro-am if they choose. I run a charity shootout to benefit diabetes on Friday night after the pro-am. There is a raffle for great bowling equipment donated by several companies. Greg does a great job getting volunteers and organizing the event.
Q: There is a junior tournament named in your honor run by the Elmira Bowling Association. Tell me about this.
A: Junior bowling is very important because it is the next generation of bowlers. They need to be encouraged to bowl and be taught how to bowl correctly so they can enjoy it for the rest of their lives. Jim Comfort started this event and has worked diligently to continue it. It is an honor to be able to lend my name to this great event.