 Fred Borden is a bowler, instructor, proprietor,
and entrepreneur. A native of
Carrollton,
Ohio, he has been active as a sportsman, community
leader, and teacher for most of his life. His accomplishments and his enthusiasm
are boundless. Not being one to rest on his laurels, Fred continues to make
important contributions to the bowling industry, especially in the area of
teaching and coaching. Here are some highlights from Fred's exciting career.
An athletically active youth, Fred began bowling
at the age of 12, and soon began to excel in the sport. By sixteen, he had
accumulated a 200 average, and by eighteen he had bowled his first 800 series.
At nineteen, Fred had won the Akron, Ohio
City Doubles. He was named by the Akron Beacon Journal as a member of their
all-star team no less than eight times. He was the Akron U.S. Open qualifier
three times. While an occasional player on the PBA tour, Fred finished in the
money in a number of tournaments. He was inducted into the
Ohio State, Summit County
and Tri-County Halls of Fame for his contributions to the sport. Fred's numerous
accomplishments in bowling include a most prized 300 game in the 1990 ABC
National tournament in Reno,
Nevada.
In the early 60's Fred began to teach bowling by
conducting his "learn to bowl" classes at Colonial Village Lanes. The popularity
of Fred's classes quickly increased and soon he was instructing as many as 400
beginning bowlers at a time. Fred's teaching effectiveness soon reached members
on the PBA circuit. Don Johnson, eventual winner of 26 PBA titles, was one of
Fred's first pupils. "I owe over half my titles to Fred Borden, truly the best
instructor around," Johnson was to later say of Fred.
By the 1970's , Fred had earned the distinction
of being the "pro's pro." A very rewarding point in his teaching career was when
42 of his fellow PBA members presented him with a plaque of appreciation and a
one-of-a kind ring in recognition of his years of teaching and assisting
bowlers, both men and women.
The great honor of his teaching career came in
1989 when he was named head coach and advisor for Team USA. The thrill of coaching teams
to bowl for one's country has been a most rewarding and gratifying experience
for Fred. During his tenure as head coach for Team USA, he attended both the coaches'
college on sports psychology and the coaches' college on biomechanics, held at
the United States Olympic Training Center In Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Fred developed and authored the original core
curriculum for the certified coaches program of the U.S. Bowling Congress, which
is recognized by the United States Olympic committee. Fred's curriculum
is one of only a few certified coaching programs that exist in sports today. To
date, Fred has certified over 1400 coaches.
Fred has always been a visionary. He
revolutionized the bowling bag industry in the late 70's when he invented the
soft sided, carry over the shoulder bowling bag, the "easy tote," which was
endorsed by his friend Don Johnson. Soon all of the manufacturers were producing
soft sided bowling bags.
In 1992 Fred invented and conceptualized "lunar
bowling," a glow in the dark bowling
program. Soon the bowling industry jumped on the band wagon and now lunar
bowling is marketed under many names across the nation.
He has written many books, most notably,
"Bowling, Knowledge is the Key", also "Bowling, the Ten Keys to Success" and
"The Secrets of the Big Money Pros." He also authored
a book for Mosby International.
Fred also produced video tapes as well, including
Going for the Gold, the Bronze and Silver series for the coach's certification
program , and a family oriented tape, Bowling the Family Sport.
Fred is the 1997 recipient of the Bowling and
Billiards Institute of America Service Award. This award is presented annually
to a personality who has contributed qualities of creativity, dedication, and
service to the industry.
In November of 1996 during a weekend in
Tampa, Florida, hosted by George Steinbrenner, Fred received the
United States Olympic Committee's Coach of the Year Award; he received
this honor again in 2003.
Fred was honored by the world's largest women's
sporting organization in May of 1999 receiving the WIBC Gladys Banker Friendship
Award for his contribution to the sport of bowling.
In March 2000 Fred was honored as the first USA
Bowling Gold Level Coach. This
program is recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee as "the" standard in the
sport of bowling." It is also a
program that Fred was instrumental in developing and implementing
Fred is the co-author of the "Advanced Adjustments Program," a three part
package including a book, video or DVD, and audio tapes. He also co-authored a
sports psychology book, "The Handbook of Bowling Psychology."
Most recently Fred co-launched the interactive MyBowlingCoach.com website in
June 2006. This innovative coaching platform delivers over 150 lessons per year
to its subscribers.
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