June 2014: You might not know Tony Warren yet, but bowlers who participated in the PBA Reality Check Classic presented by DV8 in Melbourne, Florida aren’t likely to forget this young man. His scores were good enough to earn him 21st place in the tournament and to provide him with his 1st PBA paycheck.
Tony is an accomplished pro shop operator and bowler at the Splitz Bowling Center in Gainesville, Florida. He has always dreamed of bowling on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, but like many of us, he wasn’t sure if his dream was realistic.
Tony is the kind of guy who dreams big and then puts everything he can into making his dreams come true. With his PBA goal in mind, Tony began coming to the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, Florida in September of 2013. He developed a working relationship with Coach Rick Wiltse and he shared his plan to become a competitive bowler on the PBA circuit. He completed several lessons with Coach Wiltse and he attended a Kegel Seminar entitled “Bowling Under the Gun – How to Handle Pressure Situations” which featured renowned Sports Psychologist Dr. Dean Hinitz in March of this year.
Most recently, Tony came to Coach Wiltse with a request for developing a one year training program to prepare him to bowl on the PBA tour. Coach Wiltse agreed and Tony began working on every aspect of his game, including joining a gym and hiring a personal trainer.
Coach Rick Wiltse
Coach Rick Wiltse
On June 20, 2014, Tony took an even bigger step toward his goal. He entered the PBA Reality Check Classic in Melbourne, Florida. This PBA South Region event would be an early test of his worthiness to be on the tour. Even though it was a Regional event, he would be competing against some of the best bowlers on the PBA National Tour such as Tommy Jones, Andres Gomez, Jason Sterner, Scott Newell, and top amateurs such as John Janawicz and Gary Faulkner, Jr.
Bowling on the PBA Viper pattern, Tony posted an impressive 1802 for 8 games, averaging 225.25 in the Reality Check Classic. Pardon the pun, but the PBA Reality Check Classic proved to be a true “reality paycheck” for Tony Warren who quickly returned to his home in Gainesville to continue his training plan. He has another appointment scheduled with Coach Wiltse on July 22, 2014 and we believe that you will hear much more about this young man with big dreams!
