Tracking down PBA bowling star E.J. Tackett

Pla-Mor Lanes is located in Coldwater, Ohio and that is where I went last Saturday. I wanted to watch E.J. Tackett bowl and he would be doing so in a PBA regional tournament.The establishment has been operated for many years by father and son duo Linus and Rick Hartings. I thought I had met them 16 years ago when I received the Sam Levine Memorial Award at the French Quarter in Perrysburg. Perhaps they would remember me.Alas they did not, which should not surprise anyone, but they were very friendly and personable. I enjoyed talking to each of them and told them about the phone interview I had with E.J. two years ago. They both spoke very highly of the bowler which would be a recurring theme. Rick told me that E.J. would be coming through the door any minute, so I decided to go outside and wait.When I saw him coming up carrying a shirt and several bowling balls, I held the door for him and said "just the guy I was looking for." He quickly passed by me without saying a word.I probably spooked him a bit more as I followed him into the establishment and stood next to him. I'm not sure what he was thinking by then. All I wanted to do was introduce myself, thank him for the phone interview, wish him luck and watch him bowl. There was only one problem.He didn't know that.Once I engaged him in conversation things got better. It's likely he did not remember our phone conversation and he had no idea who I was (why would he?), but he became the nice young man everyone suggested he was once he decided I was not some crackpot. We chatted amiably for a few minutes and then I sought a seat on the bleachers waiting for the action to begin.The afternoon would consist of the B squad which followed the morning A squad. The C squad would bowl later in the evening. With two bowlers per lane in the 16 lane house, each bowler would bowl eight games. With 96 bowlers in the field, the top 32 would make the cut and return on Sunday.As I watched the bowling, three things came to mind. First and perhaps foremost is the fact that you better be a good bowler. Trust me when I say I could not have competed in this tournament. No, not even in my prime! These guys were outstanding.Secondly, you had to be physically fit to throw eight games over some four hours. My arm was sore just thinking about throwing a 16 pound ball that many times. Third was the fact that you had to be patient. Professional bowlers will wait for two lanes on each side of them to clear before they will take to the approach. It is a marathon and one needs patience to succeed.E.J. started out strong. After a spare, he threw five consecutive strikes in game one. He was clean until surprisingly opening in the 10th. He chopped a pin off the 3-6-10. Still a 222 game put him at +22. He was stung by leaving several ringing ten pins in game two which he promptly converted. He bowled 208 despite leaving the washout on his last ball as he experimented with another rock.It was the third game where he struggled. Again he left a few ringing ten pins, but he also left some wicked splits. His 165 game took all his plus pins away. He came back with a 199 before bowling a 176 game in his fifth game.As Tackett moved to a different pair of lanes for each game, I noticed a couple that moved with him. They were obviously there to see him as I saw them communicating occasionally. So I asked the gentleman if he was related to E.J.He chuckled and said no. He was however E.J.'s high school bowling coach and we struck up a conversation. Jim Bischoff was delightful and told me about his experience coaching someone who has become one of the best bowlers on the PBA Tour. He did not take any credit for his success."By the time E.J. was in high school he was smarter than everyone in the program including the coaches. He is such a student of the game. He had to be kicked out of venues at closing time, but was back in the morning perfecting his craft." Bischoff also said that Tackett was a great ambassador for the sport."He loves the sport of bowling and it shows" said Jim. E.J. and his brother Zach (also a PBA Tour bowler) own a bowling alley in Bluffton, Indiana. I can see how his personality would encourage people to play and enjoy the game.Just before the fifth game ended I said good bye to Jim as I had other commitments. I asked him if he would have any advice for E.J. as he battled to make the cut. He said that E.J. had made a change and threw the last several shots very well. He then suggested that if anyone can get hot it would be E.J. Tackett.When I got home I searched online for scores. Jim was prophetic as E.J.'s sixth game was a 258 followed by a 225 effort. His more pedestrian 180 in his final game meant that he would indeed make the cut.On Sunday I followed the action on my computer as Tackett made the Round of 16 and also the Round of 8. He would have to be one of the top 4 to get to the stepladder finals. He was the fourth seed. After winning his first game over Bailey Mavrick 208-199, he lost to A J Johnson 235-204 in the semifinal. Johnson would lose to the eventual champ Zeke Bayt by a score of 189-176. So E.J. had a good tournament finishing third.I intended to call this column Catching Up With E.J. Tackett, but after our initial encounter last Saturday I changed it. I think you can see why.All's well that ends well however. I got a chance to meet the man and watch him bowl. E.J. got to cash a nice check and left Coldwater on Sunday with a smile knowing he would likely never see that old guy again!