Coach inspires Charlotte team at USBC Women's Championships
RENO, Nev. - At the United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships presented by the Eldorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus, many bowlers are accompanied by their family and friends, along for the ride, the vacation and the moral support.
Jim Haynes Sr., of Charlotte, N.C. - where the 2007 USBC Women's Championships will be held - has more than just an earnest interest in how the women on the Strike-Mor Pro Shop 1 and 2 teams are playing, he has a genuine investment in them. As a USBC bronze-level coach, Haynes has had a steady hand in improving the games, averages and confidence of several bowlers on both teams competing in Reno.
Twenty-five year bowler Belinda Weaver, 45, is one of them. Participating in her second national women's tournament this year, Weaver says initially she kept the idea of getting coaching - and the coach - at arm's length.
"I waited for years and years before I ever let him coach me," Weaver admits. "When I finally did, he took my average up like 15 pins in one year, just working with him one summer. I came back and had the best season I've ever had. I went from a 170-plus average to this year, when I ended up with a 202 average.
Both Dawson and Haynes's son, Andy, have won the North Carolina Superlative Awards. Andy Haynes first received the award when he was six years old, according to his dad.
"He got high game, high average and high set," Jim says.
The twist is that Haynes himself didn't start bowling until he was 21. Just out of the Air Force after serving in Europe, Haynes says he just started building his game over the years.
"I went to a lot of bowling camps and had a lot of different instructors and pros, and just learned the game," says Haynes.
As he progressed from being a bowler to being a coach, Haynes paid his dues at bowling centers, coaching juniors leagues. He attended numerous bowling instructional camps to learn the diplomatic and dynamic art of bringing youth bowlers along.
Haynes says his 45-year pursuit of coaching young bowlers is rooted in one simple incentive, and it's all right there, on the lanes.
"When the bowlers do good, it makes you feel good," he says.
To say that Emily Dawson has done well in the sport is something of an understatement. At 24, Dawson's bowling resume is impressive: she was a North Carolina Young American Bowling Alliance all-events champ at 15; a singles and all-events champ at 19; and a four-time winner of the state Superlative Awards, garnering sets of 766 and 767. This rising bowler doesn't hesitate to assert what Haynes has done for her game, and for her psyche as a bowler.
"He gave me self-confidence," Dawson explains. "He told me not to worry about anybody else around me, but to bowl true to myself, really. He instilled competitiveness in me and my teammates, who are just as strong and competitive as I am, and it makes you bowl better."
Teammate Erin Cook, whose parents met in a bowling center and started their baby girl bowling at age three, has an average of 176 and is in Reno for her third Women's Championships. She says her goal for next year's tournament in Charlotte is to beat her average.
"I worked with Jim a couple years ago, for maybe two years," Cook says. "It really increased my average quite a bit. He just helped me to slow down and roll the ball. He knows what he's talking about; he studies it, he keeps up with his lessons, his own knowledge about the sport. He's taught me a few things."
According to Strike-Mor Pro Shop owners Hal and Pat Beck, their long-term association with Haynes has gone beyond just good business.
"Jim has coached me, he's coached my husband and we drill all of the equipment for the girls," Pat says. "Jim is just a wonderful coach. His theory is if you don't get to the line properly, it's not going to happen down the lanes. He's just excellent on that."
A consistent, delicate balance of patience, tenacity and discipline are all characteristics of a winning coach, qualities that the members of the Strike-Mor teams agree are inherent in Jim Haynes. His daughter-in-law, Shannon Haynes, who's had several certified 300 games, worked with Haynes for six years.
"He's a wonderful coach," she says. "He really knows what he's talking about, and really cares about the game, studies up on the game."
Ever looking toward the future, the coach continues to grow as both a bowler and a mentor.
"We're excited that everyone's coming to Charlotte," says Haynes, who effects change on a local level, within his community, for the benefit of the bowlers he coaches. "A lot of times, I still go out and see Fred Borden and find out some of the latest tips, then down to Kegel to see how things are going down there. I try to keep up with the latest that they're learning, for the kids and adults to bowl better."
For now, Haynes maintains his focus on the Strike-Mor team and its growth both as a whole and as individual competitors.
"They all started out in junior bowling," Haynes explains. "They all got real serious about the game and wanted to learn. We worked on the game quite a bit and they're all real good bowlers now."
Kegel is the official lane maintenance provider of USBC. For more information on the USBC Women's Championships, visit www.usbcwomenschampionships.com.
5/27/2006
Jim Haynes Sr., of Charlotte, N.C. - where the 2007 USBC Women's Championships will be held - has more than just an earnest interest in how the women on the Strike-Mor Pro Shop 1 and 2 teams are playing, he has a genuine investment in them. As a USBC bronze-level coach, Haynes has had a steady hand in improving the games, averages and confidence of several bowlers on both teams competing in Reno.
Twenty-five year bowler Belinda Weaver, 45, is one of them. Participating in her second national women's tournament this year, Weaver says initially she kept the idea of getting coaching - and the coach - at arm's length.
"I waited for years and years before I ever let him coach me," Weaver admits. "When I finally did, he took my average up like 15 pins in one year, just working with him one summer. I came back and had the best season I've ever had. I went from a 170-plus average to this year, when I ended up with a 202 average.
Both Dawson and Haynes's son, Andy, have won the North Carolina Superlative Awards. Andy Haynes first received the award when he was six years old, according to his dad.
"He got high game, high average and high set," Jim says.
The twist is that Haynes himself didn't start bowling until he was 21. Just out of the Air Force after serving in Europe, Haynes says he just started building his game over the years.
"I went to a lot of bowling camps and had a lot of different instructors and pros, and just learned the game," says Haynes.
As he progressed from being a bowler to being a coach, Haynes paid his dues at bowling centers, coaching juniors leagues. He attended numerous bowling instructional camps to learn the diplomatic and dynamic art of bringing youth bowlers along.
Haynes says his 45-year pursuit of coaching young bowlers is rooted in one simple incentive, and it's all right there, on the lanes.
"When the bowlers do good, it makes you feel good," he says.
To say that Emily Dawson has done well in the sport is something of an understatement. At 24, Dawson's bowling resume is impressive: she was a North Carolina Young American Bowling Alliance all-events champ at 15; a singles and all-events champ at 19; and a four-time winner of the state Superlative Awards, garnering sets of 766 and 767. This rising bowler doesn't hesitate to assert what Haynes has done for her game, and for her psyche as a bowler.
"He gave me self-confidence," Dawson explains. "He told me not to worry about anybody else around me, but to bowl true to myself, really. He instilled competitiveness in me and my teammates, who are just as strong and competitive as I am, and it makes you bowl better."
Teammate Erin Cook, whose parents met in a bowling center and started their baby girl bowling at age three, has an average of 176 and is in Reno for her third Women's Championships. She says her goal for next year's tournament in Charlotte is to beat her average.
"I worked with Jim a couple years ago, for maybe two years," Cook says. "It really increased my average quite a bit. He just helped me to slow down and roll the ball. He knows what he's talking about; he studies it, he keeps up with his lessons, his own knowledge about the sport. He's taught me a few things."
According to Strike-Mor Pro Shop owners Hal and Pat Beck, their long-term association with Haynes has gone beyond just good business.
"Jim has coached me, he's coached my husband and we drill all of the equipment for the girls," Pat says. "Jim is just a wonderful coach. His theory is if you don't get to the line properly, it's not going to happen down the lanes. He's just excellent on that."
A consistent, delicate balance of patience, tenacity and discipline are all characteristics of a winning coach, qualities that the members of the Strike-Mor teams agree are inherent in Jim Haynes. His daughter-in-law, Shannon Haynes, who's had several certified 300 games, worked with Haynes for six years.
"He's a wonderful coach," she says. "He really knows what he's talking about, and really cares about the game, studies up on the game."
Ever looking toward the future, the coach continues to grow as both a bowler and a mentor.
"We're excited that everyone's coming to Charlotte," says Haynes, who effects change on a local level, within his community, for the benefit of the bowlers he coaches. "A lot of times, I still go out and see Fred Borden and find out some of the latest tips, then down to Kegel to see how things are going down there. I try to keep up with the latest that they're learning, for the kids and adults to bowl better."
For now, Haynes maintains his focus on the Strike-Mor team and its growth both as a whole and as individual competitors.
"They all started out in junior bowling," Haynes explains. "They all got real serious about the game and wanted to learn. We worked on the game quite a bit and they're all real good bowlers now."
Kegel is the official lane maintenance provider of USBC. For more information on the USBC Women's Championships, visit www.usbcwomenschampionships.com.
5/27/2006