If anyone on the board has any experience with the WSU bowling program, could you please PM me?  I am interested in finding out some more info from people who have personal experience or knowledge.  Thanks!
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D <~~~~ Used to be terrible wiffing 10 pins.  Now through much practice, can wiff any single pin spare at any time.

Darrell Guzman
guzmand19 - Yahoo IM and MSN screen names

Attend one of their bowling camps.  This will allow you to meet the coaches and several former players.  This also gives the coaches a chance to see you.  Gordon recruits most of his players anymore from these camps.  Unless you are a well-known, national, had your picture in Bowlers Journal type, then you need to find a way to get noticed.  These camps will definitely do that for you.  

If you go, try to ask who will be the extra coaches.  You may end up with PBA stars Rick Steelsmith, Lonnie Waliczek, Justin Hromek or Chris Barnes to name a few.  All of these pros continue to help out the program.

If you really want to make this team, then you had better bring everything you've got.  Tryouts are brutal.  Very few first year players will make the team.  However, you can still go to school and work with some of the team members and coaches if time allows.  Gordon looks for players willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team.  This means that you will play a chosen strike line even if you think you can do better on your own.  Team play always comes first.

Newman University is also in Wichita and is gaining some recognition as a good bowling program.  Since the program is so new, they have started building with bowlers who didn't make the WSU team.

I guess it depends on what you call personal knowledge of the program.

I have never been directly involved in the program. I haven’t coached or been in the program myself.

I know the pro’s who use to be in the program and quit a few others who didn’t turn pro. As well I bowl in a travel league with many of the current team’s bowlers, both men and women teams.

To reinforce what ksucat said the competition is brutal there. I’ve seen several Chuck Hall winners come in and not make the team their first year, some leave, some quit, some stick it out. I believe Newman’s squad finished inside the top 15 last year with mostly bowlers that didn’t make the WSU team.

While they work with the physical game the biggest emphasis is on the mental side. They get so many kids with good physical games that the ones that don’t have the physical games don’t make the cut that year.

The young man that works for me went there for two years.  He was one of the better bowlers after the tryouts, yet was not "picked" to be on the team.  There is some politics involved in the program, and Derrick isn't the only one to be affected by this, I know of others also.

BUT, no matter what, if you tryout, you get some year long benefits, and they WILL make you a better bowler.  Derrick improved light years in the two years he was there, and has now joined the PBA, 3 tournaments, 3 cashes, two match plays.  He can throw it!

If you want to get better at bowling, even if you don't make the team, AND get an education, WSU is very good!!!

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Mike Austin
Mike Austin's Precision Pro Shop
Houston, TX
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Drilling and Tech Advice BirdDogbowling.com

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