BOWLING HIGHLIGHTS COLUMN 1-13-12

Tom Clark Is New PBA Commissioner

Fred Schreyer, Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner of the Professional Bowlers Association has retired after 11 years of service to the organization. The PBA Board of Directors has named Geoff Reiss Chief Executive Officer and has promoted Tom Clark to the position of Commissioner.
Schreyer will continue to serve the PBA as a senior advisor.
"Fred has managed the PBA through a really challenging period. We're grateful for his leadership and that he's agreed to continue working with us to grow the PBA," said Mike Slade of the PBA ownership group.
Schreyer joined the PBA full-time in October 2002 as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, and was named Commissioner in 2003. But he has been affiliated with the organization since 2000 as its legal counsel. The University of Michigan and UCLA Law School graduate has 25 years of experience in the sports industry, including a seven-year stint as Director of Sports Marketing at Nike and was a founder of Nike's Sports Management division.
Among Schreyer’s signature accomplishments during his tenure at the PBA’s helm were negotiation of umbrella sponsorship packages with Denny’s and Lumber Liquidators, opening PBA membership to women for the first time (2004), creation of the PBA Summer Series, creation of the PBA World Series of Bowling, production of the PBA’s 50th Anniversary Gala in 2009 and working to allow PBA members to represent their country as Team USA members.
"Serving the PBA for the past 11 years has been a great privilege and a tremendous experience,” Schreyer said. “It is always difficult to step back, but I feel good about handing the reins to Geoff and Tom. As the PBA embarks upon its 53rd year, I look forward to continuing to provide assistance wherever I am needed."
Reiss, who joined the PBA as Vice Chairman in March 2011, previously held several positions at ESPN, was CEO at Associated Content, and was Senior Vice President/General Manager of Newsweek's digital division. While at ESPN, Reiss managed the launch of ESPN.com, NFL.com, NBA.com, and NASCAR Online. He also was Senior Vice President/General Manager of ESPN the Magazine, and managed ESPN's relationships with Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and The Tribeca Film Festival. He developed and acquired the Peabody Award-winning Dan Klores documentary Black Magic. He started his media career at Spy magazine.
"The PBA has a terrific opportunity to establish an important presence in the sports marketplace and I'm looking forward to working with our team, members and industry partners to fully realize our potential," said Reiss.
Clark became the PBA’s Vice President and COO in March 2008 after serving as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the United States Bowling Congress. Clark, who was promoted to Deputy Commissioner in 2009, came to USBC from USA Today where he worked as a sports editor from 2000-2005. Previously he was an executive editor and sports editor for newspapers in the Media General chain and founded and published a sports magazine in his hometown Syracuse, N.Y.
The former collegiate bowler was named Bowlers Journal International magazine’s “Person of the Year” in the bowling industry for 2005 for his efforts in bringing publicity to the game. Clark also was the recipient of the 2008 Billiard and Bowling Institute of America Industry Service Award and the 2009 USBC Joyce Deitch Trailblazer Award.
"It's an honor to be given this opportunity to help build an organization that has meant so much to my life," Clark said. "I love the sport of bowling and the PBA and I'm energized by that same passion for the game that our players and fans have shown for over 50 years."
The PBA also has announced that Kirk Von Krueger, Vice President and Director of PBA Tours, has been promoted to Deputy Commissioner. Von Krueger, a former PBA touring player, began his career with the PBA in 1995 as assistant Tournament Director, becoming Tournament Director in 1996..
The Bowling Tip
By Mike Luongo

Bowlers: This weeks tip will help you execute and r repeat good shots by having your body set properly so that you can use the laws of physics to roll the ball and eliminate tension in your swing.
As I've mentioned in previous columns, too much upper body and head movement make i very difficult to repeat shots.
The purpose of the stance is to place the body in an athletic position, eliminate all unnecessary movements during the approach and reduce tension.
Resting forearms against the body, in the stance, will help reduce tension in the upper body.
How do we do this?
Here are the four steps in the proper order for setting posture.
1. Set the feet (toward your break-point).
2. Set your head (tilted over the ball).
3. Set your posterior (this is your balance point as you are swinging a heavy object).
4. Set the ball position close as noted above.
You are now in position to start a smooth approach. Maintain your body position and let the ball swing under your shoulder. You will find this easy to repeat shot after shot.
An important thing to note here is if your ball does not fit, it will be difficult to eliminate tension from your swing.
Mike Luongo is a certified IBPSIA Pro Shop Operator, Master Instructor, USBC Silver Level Coach and an Advisor-Special Events assistant with the Storm and Roto Grip Bowling Ball Company. Have a question, call him at 435-720-7939 or email at mikel@stormbowling.com

This column is written by Ed Townsend, a public relations consultant to the amateur-professional sport of bowling and to several bowling writers associations. League and tournament information and scores can be sent to 845-439-8177, via email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com and by fax at 845-205-4474. We are also available at http://bght.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook.