USBC Silver coach Mike Blakeney recently was hired as the head women's bowling coach at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Blakeney hopes to use the many skills and techniques he learned in USBC's Coaching and Sport Bowling programs to lead the Lady Wolves to NCAA Division II prominence.

"My goal is for us to compete at the top level with other NCAA women's programs, but I also will focus on providing a good experience for the ladies on the team," Blakeney said. "These are their college years, so this is about more than just bowling. I want them to come away from this feeling like it was a positive experience in every way."

Blakeney's own experiences on the lanes have been largely positive. He found success during collegiate and PBA regional competition. He also has performed admirably during USBC Sport Bowling play, notching a 300 game in 2003.

Blakeney believes exposure to Sport Bowling and its PBA Experience lane conditions helps bowlers improve; that is why he conducts team practices on Sport patterns as often as possible.

"Sport Bowling has really helped bowlers that want to become better because the tougher conditions give them a truer understanding of the game and what it means to make quality shots," Blakeney said. "Most of my team practices are on Sport conditions. When we don't have access to Sport patterns, I pretty much just have the team shoot spares.

"I would recommend that all coaches and serious bowlers expose themselves to Sport Bowling as much as possible. Too often, house conditions reward bowlers with strikes even when they make multiple mistakes. On a Sport pattern, if you make one little mistake, you're going to pay for it. If you stick with Sport Bowling long enough, it's a tool that tells you how good you really are and helps you to improve your game."

That does not, however, mean that Blakeney believes he has all of the answers. On the contrary, he realizes that experience and prior knowledge only get you so far; that is why he wants to become a USBC Gold coach.

"Obviously, I feel that coaching is a major part of the game, especially to grow the sport of bowling," Blakeney said. "It's essential for kids to receive quality coaching, and USBC does a great job promoting the program and making it possible for coaches to become certified in the proper manner."

Blakeney has already gone through a great deal of that training, and it has allowed him to find success while serving in coaching roles at Temple University as well as Philadelphia's Cardinal O'Hara High School, whose boys' team, under Blakeney's direction, earned the 2007-08 Catholic League Championship and a third-place finish at the state tournament.

If Blakeney continues upgrading his coaching knowledge and helping bowlers improve, NCAA teams may need to keep a look out for the Lady Wolves in the seasons to come.