On the Lanes with Bill Spigner
May 16, 2010
In the coming months, we'll talk with some of the best-known bowlers at the USBC Open Championships and get their thoughts on their time at the tournament and what it takes to succeed on the championship lanes.
This week, we heard from USBC Hall of Famer Bill Spigner, a member of team that won the Team All-Events title at the 1996 tournament in Salt Lake City with a record score of 10,425.
The Versailles, Ind., team also included Jerry Kessler and USBC Hall of Famers Rick Pollard, Ron Pollard and Don Scudder. All five team members posted all-events totals of 2,000 or better, and Scudder also claimed the Regular Singles title with an 823 series.
Spigner, a 60-year-old right-hander, is a member of six halls of fame and spends much of his time giving back to the sport as a USBC Gold coach. He has been a regular fixture on Bowlers Journal Magazine's annual Top 100 Coaches list.
In 42 years at the Open Championships, he has collected a dozen top 10 finishes and maintained a 205.6 career average. He also finished second at the 1979 USBC Masters and rolled a 299 game at the same event a year later.
Spigner also found success on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour from 1973-1986 and owns three national titles.
Spigner and his hall-of-fame teammates will hit the lanes at the National Bowling Stadium on May 24 and 25.
HOMETOWN: Vernon Hills, Ill.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS APPEARANCES: This will be my 43rd.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TITLES: Unfortunately only one, but many top 10s.
BOWLING BALL WEIGHT: 15
FAVORITE BRAND OF BOWLING BALLS: Brunswick
ONE all-time favorite host city: Miami
TWO best Open Championships memories: 1. My first ABC event (Miami, 1967); 2. Salt Lake City in 1996 when we won and set the Team All-Events record
THREE keys to success at the Open Championships: 1. enjoy the experience of bowling our national championship regardless of out come; 2. prepare before you get there by reading blogs and gathering all the info you can about how to play the lanes; 3. It's hard not to put a lot of pressure on yourself. It's a once a year event. When you get there, regardless of all the info you have gathered about playing the lanes and the game plan you have, it only gives you an educated guess on how to start. There are so many factors that determine success that you have to be very flexible and fast in your thinking to score well and get the most out of your performance.
FOURgettable Open Championships moment: Finishing second in the 1979 Masters. It took me a long time to get over the loss. You don't get too many chances to win a major.
FIVE bowlers in history on your Open Championships fantasy all-star team: Besides the guys I have bowled with the past 20 years, I would have a future team with my two sons, my father and a grandson. Unfortunatly, my father isn't here, so the future team can never be complete. A past fantasy team would be Bill Lillard, Dick Weber, Earl Anthony and Don Johnson.
SIX bowling balls currently in your Open Championships arsenal: (All Brunswick) Target Zone, Evil Siege, C System 3.5, Wild Card, Rattler and Wild Thing.
SEVEN cities you'd like to see the Open Championships go to/return to: Miami; Long Beach, Calif.; Indianapolis; Chicago; St. Louis; Salt Lake City; Knoxville
EIGHT favorite bowling balls ever: AMF 3-Dot and Brunswick Black Diamond in the 60s; Columbia White Dot and Yellow Dot in the 70s; AMF Black Angle in the 80s; Brunswick's Teal Rhino and Black Ice Danger Zone in the 90s and now the Brunswick C System balls.
NINE other current/eligible bowlers you would choose to join you on your ideal pair of companion teams at the Open Championships: I've never thought about or worried about companion teams because we always had low-maintenance, good people to bowl with. For a long time, our companion team was headed up by Dave and Fran Deken. They were great to bowl with, and I would bowl with them anytime.
TEN seconds or less, who is your favorite bowler of all-time?: Pete Weber
ELEVEN strikes in a row to start a game at the Open Championships, what's going through your head?: I would still be nervous, but having bowled a number of 300s, I have the understanding that being nervous is good. I would concentrate on allowing my game to make the shot and take the thinking out of it. Basically, I would trust my game to work.
TWELVE years from now, where do you hope to be in your bowling career?: I will be 72 and hopefully joining 100,000-Pin Club at the Open Championships.
This week, we heard from USBC Hall of Famer Bill Spigner, a member of team that won the Team All-Events title at the 1996 tournament in Salt Lake City with a record score of 10,425.
The Versailles, Ind., team also included Jerry Kessler and USBC Hall of Famers Rick Pollard, Ron Pollard and Don Scudder. All five team members posted all-events totals of 2,000 or better, and Scudder also claimed the Regular Singles title with an 823 series.
Spigner, a 60-year-old right-hander, is a member of six halls of fame and spends much of his time giving back to the sport as a USBC Gold coach. He has been a regular fixture on Bowlers Journal Magazine's annual Top 100 Coaches list.
In 42 years at the Open Championships, he has collected a dozen top 10 finishes and maintained a 205.6 career average. He also finished second at the 1979 USBC Masters and rolled a 299 game at the same event a year later.
Spigner also found success on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour from 1973-1986 and owns three national titles.
Spigner and his hall-of-fame teammates will hit the lanes at the National Bowling Stadium on May 24 and 25.
HOMETOWN: Vernon Hills, Ill.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS APPEARANCES: This will be my 43rd.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TITLES: Unfortunately only one, but many top 10s.
BOWLING BALL WEIGHT: 15
FAVORITE BRAND OF BOWLING BALLS: Brunswick
ONE all-time favorite host city: Miami
TWO best Open Championships memories: 1. My first ABC event (Miami, 1967); 2. Salt Lake City in 1996 when we won and set the Team All-Events record
THREE keys to success at the Open Championships: 1. enjoy the experience of bowling our national championship regardless of out come; 2. prepare before you get there by reading blogs and gathering all the info you can about how to play the lanes; 3. It's hard not to put a lot of pressure on yourself. It's a once a year event. When you get there, regardless of all the info you have gathered about playing the lanes and the game plan you have, it only gives you an educated guess on how to start. There are so many factors that determine success that you have to be very flexible and fast in your thinking to score well and get the most out of your performance.
FOURgettable Open Championships moment: Finishing second in the 1979 Masters. It took me a long time to get over the loss. You don't get too many chances to win a major.
FIVE bowlers in history on your Open Championships fantasy all-star team: Besides the guys I have bowled with the past 20 years, I would have a future team with my two sons, my father and a grandson. Unfortunatly, my father isn't here, so the future team can never be complete. A past fantasy team would be Bill Lillard, Dick Weber, Earl Anthony and Don Johnson.
SIX bowling balls currently in your Open Championships arsenal: (All Brunswick) Target Zone, Evil Siege, C System 3.5, Wild Card, Rattler and Wild Thing.
SEVEN cities you'd like to see the Open Championships go to/return to: Miami; Long Beach, Calif.; Indianapolis; Chicago; St. Louis; Salt Lake City; Knoxville
EIGHT favorite bowling balls ever: AMF 3-Dot and Brunswick Black Diamond in the 60s; Columbia White Dot and Yellow Dot in the 70s; AMF Black Angle in the 80s; Brunswick's Teal Rhino and Black Ice Danger Zone in the 90s and now the Brunswick C System balls.
NINE other current/eligible bowlers you would choose to join you on your ideal pair of companion teams at the Open Championships: I've never thought about or worried about companion teams because we always had low-maintenance, good people to bowl with. For a long time, our companion team was headed up by Dave and Fran Deken. They were great to bowl with, and I would bowl with them anytime.
TEN seconds or less, who is your favorite bowler of all-time?: Pete Weber
ELEVEN strikes in a row to start a game at the Open Championships, what's going through your head?: I would still be nervous, but having bowled a number of 300s, I have the understanding that being nervous is good. I would concentrate on allowing my game to make the shot and take the thinking out of it. Basically, I would trust my game to work.
TWELVE years from now, where do you hope to be in your bowling career?: I will be 72 and hopefully joining 100,000-Pin Club at the Open Championships.