HELLO IBPSIA MEMBERS
Your 2025 memberships have been delivered to your inbox.
If you have not received it, please contact info@ibpsia.com
For More Information
Contact:
Teri Haugh
Teri@IBPSIA.com
or 507-210-9032
call or text
Your Board of Directors and Executive Director are hard at work creating the schedule for the
Please mark your calendars to attend next summer
in our Nation’s Capital.
More exciting news to come in the upcoming months.
Presented by:
As you’ve seen in the October edition of IBPSIA Pro Shop magazine, there are a number of Black Friday and Holiday sales plans shops can run for the upcoming holiday season, depending on your market. A great unknown factor is when do all those undrilled balls you sold come back with their new owners expecting to be drilled.
Now what I’m about to suggest may get some pushback, so keep in mind, this was a system I used in the #3 market in the country while working solo in a shop that generated $170k-plus in sales a year. My first few years there, I absolutely dreaded December 26. The shop was full of people waiting to be fitted and they wanted to know when they could pick up their new toy, many asked to wait for their ball.
Meanwhile, league play was still going on, although some centers may not schedule league play until January to maximize open play time. Why not have league play then? It’s simple. Local public and private schools are not in session from roughly December 22 to January 2 – 6, local colleges have semester break mid – December until the same return date, and many parents have that week off work. Families are looking to do a group activity together, often it is an annual bowling trip.
Now back to the pro shop Holiday ball turn around schedule. There were people waiting before I opened on December 26, some even as the center opened. A conventional plastic ball could be turned around in 10 – 15 minutes but by then, the line got longer. Often, I would end up fitting everyone in line, then place their ball behind the counter in full view of anyone who would ask why they could have theirs while they waited, first come – first served. Unfortunately, I would be fitting for at times two hours straight – no break at all, stepping away to wash my hands as needed – and this was before Covid.
Balls awaiting work are lined up on the floor against the back wall behind the counter for a reason. Some pushier customers ask why they can’t sneak ahead in line. I would tell them to look behind the counter. Often there were close to 50 balls to be drilled with a parade of people continuously stopping in, so even getting the ball back to a customer December 26 was not going to happen. A second trip would be necessary no matter what.
As Holiday balls were purchased, I started telling the gift buyers in November through December 24, don’t come in December 26 at all. Choose another day that week. Plus, I didn’t want to make any measuring or drilling errors trying to go to quickly. Guess what happened? A few undrilled balls came in, but gift purchasers and recipients were ok with it, some stating made sense to them. As it turned out, balls that came in December 26 would be ready the next day and so on through the holidays. This plan evenly spread-out returning balls to the shop without sacrificing quality of work or increasing stress. In addition, it allowed those coming in with cash or credit card-based gift cards time with you to choose new equipment.
Keep in mind, this is one model for someone working alone in a busy shop. If you have an already existing model, like one with two people, one fitting and one drilling and if it works well, you know the old adage,
“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Until next time, go make some more ball dust.
October 24, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Aaron Smith
USBC Communications
817-385-8388
aaron.smith@bowl.com
On the Web: BOWL.com
ARLINGTON, Texas – Tom Laskow of Dover, New Jersey, has successfully worked his way through the top tier of training in the sport to complete the United States Bowling Congress Coaching Gold certification program.
Laskow will receive the Fred Borden USBC Gold Coach Award for his recent completion of the program. He’s now one of just 24 active coaches in the program from across the globe and the first to earn the distinction since 2019.
He has competed at the top level of the sport, been an innovative figure in the pro shop industry for 40 years and continues to help bowlers sharpen their skills through his coaching efforts both domestically and internationally through his current position as a technical advisor for Peru’s national bowling team.
“If you strive for a goal, you’re going to have to put yourself out there and try to learn as much as you can,” Laskow said. “I think that’s a good thing because the game is always changing – there’s always new information to learn. If you’re going to be a coach or try to help people out with their games, the best thing is to have a goal that will keep you hungry for knowledge so you can better relate the information to the people and teams you’re trying to help.”
Laskow started his journey in the team aspect of coaching in 2015 after joining the staff at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. His impact quickly resonated through the program as the Pioneers finished the 2015-2016 season as the runner-up in the men’s division at the Intercollegiate Team Championships.
The university advanced to the ITC in five of the next six editions of the event, and in 2022, William Paterson’s Brandon Vallone earned the individual title at the Intercollegiate Singles Championships.
While joining the team on a trip to the Chicagoland area in early 2019, Laskow met with longtime friend Bill Spigner, who’s been part of USBC Coaching’s Gold certification program since 2000. Spigner, also a member of the USBC Hall of Fame, served as the connection between Laskow and Ernesto Avila, the head coach of Peru’s national bowling team.
Laskow joined Peru’s staff shortly after, and that July, he found himself among the sport’s top athletes at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.
The members of Peru’s national team have made their way to the podium for gold, silver and bronze medals in multiple events since 2019, including earlier in October at the PANAM Bowling Champion of Champions in Lima (bronze in men’s doubles).
During this time, Laskow continued to hone his coaching craft in hopes of reaching Gold status. His first evaluation in 2016 gave him some things to work on, and he feels that assessment helped him grow as a coach on the way to completing the program in 2024.
“In taking the Gold evaluation in 2016, I learned that I didn’t have enough experience working with a team,” Laskow said. “There’s a tremendous difference between giving a lesson to a person in a center compared to a team you’re trying to nurture along from development to the high level needed to compete at the collegiate or international level.
“I didn’t make the grade in 2016, and that was probably one of the best things to happen to me. I’m a curious guy, so I wanted to learn more about what I was deficient at, and I did. Between William Paterson and Team Peru, I learned a lot. Having enough information to help those teams along both individually and as a team was probably the biggest thing that happened for me.”
On the lanes, Laskow bowled professionally and made three appearances on television in Professional Bowlers Association competition. He has recorded 43 appearances at the USBC Open Championships and helped Robby’s Automatic Positioner No. 1 win the Classic Team title at the 1979 event in Tampa, Florida.
He opened his first pro shop in 1984 and started an 11-year stretch managing the AMF exhibit booth at the Open Championships in 1987, traveling across the United States with the tournament to help bowlers prepare for the event.
In 1990, he teamed with USBC Gold coach Ron Hoppe and Larry Cook to help lay the groundwork for the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association (IBPSIA) and served as the organization’s president on three occasions (1994, 1999 and 2006).
His innovation in the pro shop sector still can be seen today. He worked with Turbo 2-N-1 Grips (now Turbo) to patent the Pro-Sect in 1995, a tool used to help pro shop operators lay out bowling balls.
In 1996, Laskow and Joe Conigliaro patented the Custom Thumb molding system, which allowed operators to duplicate a thumb insert for a consistent feel from ball to ball. Recently, Laskow has introduced Oval Edge, a sizing and molding system for creating oval inserts.
“After my competitive days, I spent a lot of time watching from the bleachers after not making the finals on tour toward the end of my career,” said Laskow, with a chuckle. “So, I was just trying to get more proficient at my observational skills. You just learn about and realize the evolution of the game, the newest trends and how it’s all changing. From the bowlers to the bowling balls being manufactured, coupled with the changing environment on the lanes to new lane machines and new oils, you have to be well-versed in all things to help bowlers.
“I’ve always been curious and wanted to know more, whether it was for selfish reasons to make myself a better bowler or to help somebody else. I wanted to know all the answers, so I could give them the shortcut. This validation helps confirm that I know what I’m talking about, and it’s being validated by the people who have been down the same road as I have.”
Becoming a USBC Gold coach through the USBC Coaching program is similar to obtaining a doctorate in a field of study. Candidates are required to demonstrate knowledge of the latest techniques and information through practical application and discussion.
The final steps for the certification require a coach to conduct a class, participate in an oral exam and give lessons to bowlers of various skill levels. A final review board of active USBC Gold coaches and USBC staff evaluates the applicant to determine if the individual meets the required standards.
For more information on the USBC Coaching program, visit //BOWL.com/Coaching.
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). USBC conducts championship events nationwide including the largest participation sporting events in the world – the USBC Open and Women’s Championships – and professional events such as the USBC Masters and USBC Queens.
Founded in 1895, today USBC and its 1,449 state and local associations proudly serve more than a million members. USBC is headquartered in Arlington, Texas, working toward a future for the sport. The online home for USBC is BOWL.com.
We would like to announce our new Twisted Series!
Upcoming Events
- November 17: KYPS
- November 28-30: Happy Thanksgiving (Closed)
- December 8: KYPS
- December 12-14: KCMP 4 (Coming to MN)
- December 24-25: Merry Christmas (Closed)
- December 27-29: Holiday Camp
- December 30: Closed
- January 1: Happy New Year (Closed)
Having issues with the website?
Email support@ibpsia.com
You are now able to log onto the website.
You must reset your password to log in.
Please see Instructions below:
Here are the steps to reset their password:
- Go IBPSIA.com and click on tap on Member Login (top navigation, third option).
- At the bottom of the login form, click or tap Lost your password?
- Enter the email address associated with your account and click or tap Get New Password (note: the email address is also the Username).
- Check your email for a Password Reset Link.
- Enter your new password (or click Generate Password for a random password) and click or tap Save Password.
- You can then log in to the IBPSIA site to see the member benefits for your user role
USA Bowling is hosting upcoming seminars
Interested in becoming a USBC Gold Coach? Click the blue button below for information.
Our partner Jayhawk Bowling Supply will have the following HOTS
equivalent classes at their location in Lawrence, Kansas
For more information or to sign up contact Russ Wilson
RussW@jayhawkbowling.com or call 800-255-6436
2024 Schedule
December 12-15
2024 IBPSIA SEED BALL PROGRAM
Hello Members if you order Storm, Roto Grip or 900 Global balls you will receive an email from Storm. You will then pay via that email. Please continue to send them to me first, so we can make sure you get the proper price.
The select balls are offered at a low cost of only $90, plus shipping, per ball. Balls shipped are at the selection of the manufacturer and can be changed at any time. Brunswick entities will charge sales tax if they do not have a resale certificate on file.
IF YOU WANT TO PLACE AN ORDER, PLEASE EMAIL YOUR ORDER TO INFO@IBPSIA.COM
- Brunswick — Your choice of any HP ball
- DV8 — Your choice of any HP ball
- Radical — Your choice of any HP ball
- Ebonite — current balls only
- Columbia — current balls only
- Track — current balls only
- Hammer — current balls only
- 900 Global — Harsh Reality Pearl
- MOTIV — Subzero Forge
- Roto Grip — X Cell
- Storm — Ion Pro
Teri Haugh – Executive Director | 800-659-9444 | teri@ibpsia.com
Lori Hurst – Operations Manager| 800-659-9444 | lori@ibpsia.com
GOT NEWS?
IBPSIA welcomes short news items that pertain to your services, products, personnel, new releases, specials, etc. Submissions should be short (3-4 lines, max) and may include links to additional information or contacts. Send your items to info@ibpsia.com no later than 3 p.m. Monday for inclusion in the following week’s IBPSIA Net News, distributed every Wednesday afternoon