What does the BEST of the BEST PRO Bowlers Lose First!!

[MICHAEL]

I some times wonder, just what would keep a good bowler from lasting into his mid 60's if he is healthY? All other sports, Track,,, Baseball,,,, Football,, even golf to degree,,, Like Tom Watson lost his ability to Putt when his game started going down hill. In bowling, What is it that starts to leave with age? I know I am a new bowler,,, Just a couple years under my belt,,, I am 63,,,, and endurance is not a problem with me, I work out, do cardio machine for 30 minutes..
good heart rate.....I bowl better now then I did back in my 20s! But to be fair, I just bowled on two leagues in the early 70s for two years!
What is it that the BEST of the Best,,,, top 20 or so bowlers lose, and at what age does it usually happen. Have their been PBA bolwers win tournaments in their 60s, 70, or even 80s?? (:)

[GeorgiaStroker]

Not sure about bowling but I seem to remember Muhammad Ali talking about this in boxing. He said First your reflexes go then your legs go then your friends go. We did have some some guys in our league that were well into their 70's and 80's. None of them were going to win on the PBA but they were decent bowlers. Better than me anyway. lol

[J Anderson]

My guess is that with the dozens of games they roll each week between practice and competition their joints wear out, and they become prone to repeated bouts of bursitis and tendonitis. With the pain, they cut back on their practice time, and what had been automatic becomes a challenge.

Most likely there is an unrelated mental component. It may be that with age we can no longer maintain the intense focus needed to be an elite athlete.

[billf]

Johnny Petraglia just won an event in Dayton a few weeks back. The joints and arthritis would be my guess. At some point the speed drops and with it the carry needed to hang with the young guns on a weekly basis.

[The German Shepherd]

My thoughts exactly. Petraglia does keep himself in great shape with his karate and such. I was talking to a friend of mine who used to be a touring pro, and he told me that the arthritis in the joints and loss of ability to "hit" the ball with the same authority is what did him in...

Jay


Johnny Petraglia just won an event in Dayton a few weeks back. The joints and arthritis would be my guess. At some point the speed drops and with it the carry needed to hang with the young guns on a weekly basis.

[TheSheibs]

My grandfather is now in his mid-90s and just starting to show since of being old. He bowled until he was 88. Reason he stopped bowling was that he started to struggle to hold the ball. His form, and focus were fine, but he couldn't grip the ball to get it down the lane with the same speed as he used to.

My league, actually a teammate, has a member who is 80 and still bowls 200+ games and doesn't have any problems throw three games.

I think that each person is different. I came across a post on another forum of a guy turning 100 and was still bowling. Granted his average dropped from in the 200s to being in the 180-200 range. But he was still bowling at that age. So I think it is something that we all will find out on our own when it is time to call it quits.

[GeorgiaStroker]

The secret to living a long healthy life is picking the right grandparents. lol

[JerseyJim]

Teata Semiz won a Senior tour event in 1993 at the age of 63. He bowled in a couple of events on the Senior Tour this season and he's around 82 now.

[TheSheibs]

The secret to living a long healthy life is picking the right grandparents. lol

Hahaha....I wish that is true. If so I need to start planing for living into my 90s right now.

[ursus]

Pete Webber lost his personality many years ago

[got_a_300]

Pete Webber lost his personality many years ago
LOL!!!! I think PDW was born without a personality to start with.

I think the main thing that goes first with older Pro's and older regular bowlers in
general is the knees I know WRW and several other Pro's are now wearing knee
braces because of all the stress on their knee joints. I have to wear a knee brace
myself when I go to bowl because of the Osteoarthritis in both of my knees.

[martinezsam2495]

You can't really say age as an immediate factor, because it all depends on different categories, wether the person has good motor skills, still able to lift weights, is in good enough shape to pick up a bowling ball and throw it.
So as long as you feel as strong as a horse, you shouldn't care, like they say age is just a number :)

[billf]

Age is the immediate factor of ALL sports. It's the basic cause of deteriorating motor skills, joints, arthritis, etc. As for age just being a number, to a point. I feel the same at 43 as I did at 23. Problem is by 23 I had already subjected my body to enough brutality to have been diagnosed with degenerative arthritis, PTSD and nine right knee and one left knee surgeries. After the last knee surgery I was told I would need a knee replacement but should put it off as long as possible. At that time they only lasted 20 years on average and you could only get one in a lifetime. I've heard that's changed but I haven't been back.

Pete Weber. He has a personality. It's all about him. Seemingly born at the wrong time, to me, because he could be the poster boy for the me, me, me generation. Definitely has little man syndrome and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a few of his peers have hit him. Then there are times I wonder how much of it is just a show for TV.

[GeorgiaStroker]

I remember Carman Salvino saying that his family and the Webers were staying at the same motel. Pete was about 7 years old. One morning the kid walked into their room, changed the channel on the TV, flopped down on the bed and said "get me a bowl of cereal". I guess the me me me thing started young.

[billf]

Sounds like nothing has changed in the last 42 years.
Before someone tried to correct me, he is currently 49, happened when he was 7. That makes 42 lol

[GeorgiaStroker]

Better living through chemistry didn't help matters any.

[MICHAEL]

Pete Webber lost his personality many years ago

Did Pete ever have a (Good Personality)? How can you lose what you never had? HE"S NOT THE ONE!!! HE"S NOTHING!!! I am THE ONE,,, YOU want some of ME.... PETE!! LOL !!! I have to hand it to him... in his 40's with shades, still kicking!!! He is certainly not the poster child of Modest Bowler,,,,, but,,, BUT then he's Pete The Weber!! (:)

[ursus]

What surprises me most about PDW is that his dad was the total opposite class act of a bowler

[J Anderson]

What surprises me most about PDW is that his dad was the total opposite class act of a bowler

I think a lot of what we see with PDW is a result of him dealing with being Dick Weber's son and establishing a unique identity.

[billf]

So true as that is such a humongous shadow to try and live in, never mind attempt the same profession as.

[JerseyJim]

I talked briefly to PDW prior to a bowling tournament here in NJ in the mid '90s. On the lane he may be outrageous, but he's a funny, and polite guy to talk to, just a tad high-strung. :D

[MICHAEL]

I talked briefly to PDW prior to a bowling tournament here in NJ in the mid '90s. On the lane he may be outrageous, but he's a funny, and polite guy to talk to, just a tad high-strung. :D



Personalities are one of the missing links in what bowling needs more of!! Its too milk toast (in my humble opinion)! Let loose of some of the archaic, codes of conduct, and dress! Give the public what it wants! Not just GOOD bowling, something fun to watch with all the drama of Octa-Mom! ()….
PBA could be a huge money making venture! It all starts with management, and the powers that be! Creativity, and imagination, It works every time!!

[billf]

Octo-mom?!?!?????! Does that mean you want to see a woman roll a ball so heavy, so often that she pops out 8 kids right on the approach? I don't think that would help TV ratings or attract the appropriate target audience sponsors will want.
The dress code needs some changing but I still think the shirts need some kind of sleeve (1/2" counts). Why not allow shorts? Why the length requirement on the skirts? Do they really believe women pro bowlers would wear a mini-skirt and thong on TV?-NOT! So why the ridiculous rule regarding skirt length?
Kelly Kulick did a photo spread for ESPN the Magazine awhile back. Why didn't they take advantage of the publicity that could have generated? A female bowler, naked and obviously works out. Sex sells everything else but not bowling?

[billf]

Sorry, wrong thread for that rant

[MICHAEL]

Sorry, wrong thread for that rant



Gulp!!!!! Wow you have some great ideas Bill!!! I mean as far as the male audience! What about the women! What would catch the women’s eyes!! I like your ideas on women bowlers, I was ready to call cable and subscribe to women bowling wild!!!
But what would bring the women to the set?? Gulp!!! Double GULP,,,,,,Dying with anticipation as to Bills suggestions, as are thousands of hungry women waiting on your fantastic, bizare, ideas to be passed on to the PBA president!! Timothy R Boring!!

[MICHAEL]

oooops... your correct,,,, wrong thread!!! Please accept my sincere, apology!!

[ursus]

A kittke relaxation of the rules would be great. At least it may add some flare to the broadcast and hold peoples attention long enough to see the skill involved. As much as I am not a real fan of PDW, I have to agree he makes the sport more interesting. Every good sport needs a villain, someone that fans love to hate. I think that is what makes proffessional wrestling popular (why I dont know). Nascar has the Busch brothers, very talented racers but have a cocky personallity that comes off the wrong way on you. Makes for some drama. Watching the college bowling finals this year, there was a kid bowling with a full on mohawk, definitely catches your attention and makes you want to see how well he does.

[ursus]

A kittke relaxation of the rules would be great. At least it may add some flare to the broadcast and hold peoples attention long enough to see the skill involved. As much as I am not a real fan of PDW, I have to agree he makes the sport more interesting. Every good sport needs a villain, someone that fans love to hate. I think that is what makes proffessional wrestling popular (why I dont know). Nascar has the Busch brothers, very talented racers but have a cocky personallity that comes off the wrong way on you. Makes for some drama. Watching the college bowling finals this year, there was a kid bowling with a full on mohawk, definitely catches your attention and makes you want to see how well he does.

Not sure how that extra word got in there. Wouldn't let me go back and edit my post