NICKOLAI NAMED USBC YOUTH
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Karl Nickolai, who has led the Michigan State University bowling program for the last 25 years, has been selected to receive the USBC Youth Volunteer of the Year Award by the USBC Youth Committee.

The prestigious award is annually presented to an adult volunteer who has displayed outstanding efforts to foster, organize and promote certified youth bowling programs at the local, state and/or national level for the last seven or more years.

In addition to his work at Michigan State, Nickolai has helped to promote collegiate bowling through his Web site, CollegeBowling.com. He also currently serves as president of the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association (NCBCA), a position he has held for nearly 15 years. He has been with the organization since 1985.

“I have always enjoyed my work with the MSU Intercollegiate Bowling Program, the NCBCA and the CollegeBowling.com Web site,” Nickolai said. “I am very honored to have been nominated and selected for the USBC Youth Volunteer Award.”

Nickolai makes a 70-mile commute from his hometown of Waterford, Mich., to the university in East Lansing to coach the Michigan State bowling team. He conducts tryouts in addition to taking the team to tournaments.

He launched CollegeBowling.com in 1997, when there were a limited number of Web sites for bowling teams but not a site dedicated to the coverage of collegiate bowling. CollegeBowling.com has allowed fans to follow their favorite teams and sport.

In 1998, Nickolai developed the Online Team Power Ranking (OTPR), an objective point system for ranking all schools with college bowling teams based on regular-season tournament performance. He credits Joe Ciccone, a former Arizona State University and Erie Community College bowler who is a current PBA member, with helping to develop a system that provides a meaningful team ranking throughout the season.

He also devised the concept of a college bowling “average differential” to measure athlete performance against an event field rather than by just tracking traditional bowling averages. The average differential allows athletes to be fairly compared across different events with different lane conditions.

In 1998-1999, he was selected for the Gordon Teigen Meritorious Service Award, presented annually by the NCBCA to an individual in recognition of outstanding service to collegiate bowling, for his work on CollegeBowling.com. In 2000-2001, he was the first recipient of the NCBCA Men’s Coach of the Year, now known as the NCBCA Kerm Helmer Men’s Coach of the Year award.

“Karl’s time spent coaching and successes, along with his countless hours and resources volunteered in non-coaching situations, make him an excellent candidate,” wrote Steve Lawson in his recommendation of Nickolai.

On the lanes, Nickolai had an 877 series (299-300-278) in January 1997, which at the time was the Greater Detroit Bowling Association city record and remains fourth on the all-time Detroit list. He also rolled an 827 series in 1996, which included consecutive 300 games (227-300-300).

Nickolai will be presented the USBC Youth Volunteer of the Year Award during the USBC Convention, April 28-May 1 in Reno, Nev. To learn more about USBC awards and this year’s USBC Convention, visit BOWL.com.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to more than two million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience.