From an interview with Bowling Press Pro (BPP) on June 4, 2003

See more photos of the Grand Opening Celebration

BPP: The U.S. Open was in your hometown this past week. Many people wonder why you didn't bowl. Why didn't you?

ALETA: Well, for a couple reasons. For one, we have had a very busy four months. It was a really good four months of coaching and we really worked hard, so that only gave us about 3 weeks to prepare to bowl, and that is just not enough time. That is the biggest reason that we chose not to bowl. We just haven't been bowling, and we haven't been practicing and cannot expect to go out there and compete with the best in the world when we have not practiced. And, we are busy making plans for our new pro shop.

MICHELLE: Yes. Gratefully, we have been very busy running our coaching business. When we are not on lanes all day, we are working to organize the business, scheduling and making materials to promote the clinics and lessons that put us on lanes with bowlers. Competing on tour, on tour conditions, is hard enough when you are in practice, let alone when you don't have time to practice. We thought hard about competing, but I think it was just our ambition to compete that made us think about it, especially with the U.S. Open being close to home. We just know we would be very inconsistent in our shot making. That would be very frustrating, and we know we would not score well, or at least up to our abilities. And in reality, as the tournament came closer, we just could not imagine bowling the U.S. Open format, as tough as it is, without having been bowling at all.

BPP: But many people believe in you and your ability to compete and win. Why not bowl?

ALETA: Because, I have a respect for the best players in the world and they are pin sharp. You just cannot think you can go out there when you have not been competing, or even bowling, and have a chance to beat them. I think too many people don't respect how tough it is to compete at such a high level, and that is what I am used to.

MICHELLE: It is hard to compete when you know that you will be inconsistent making shots. We had not even been bowling in league because we have been so busy. It is a bit of a tease though when you know you are capable of making really good shots, but then it becomes frustrating when your shots are so erratic. And the lane conditions exaggerate your errors on tour. It is all due to a lack of throwing the ball and practicing. If you cannot find the time to make practice a priority, you cannot all of a sudden make the U.S. Open a priority, as much as you would like to, especially when it is right here, in your backyard.

BPP: You mentioned opening up a pro shop, can you tell me about it?

ALETA: I can tell you that we are very excited about it, and I can tell you that it is going to be a state-of-the-art, 960-square-foot pro shop. Very few pro shops have that kind of square footage. We want it to be an extremely well-stocked and inviting place to visit. We want to give back to bowlers what we have learned being professionals and be able to fully service them to bowl better.

MICHELLE: We think it will be awesome. We have been working hard with the contractor to provide an aesthetically pleasing and inviting shop to visit. We want to provide what bowlers need and plan to have what they want. We are excited to offer an enjoyable place to be that will truly take care of every bowler's needs.

BPP: Why have you decided to open up a Pro Shop?

ALETA: Because I think we have a lot of good information to share with people. We have learned so much being out on tour for so many years and have the privilege to work with the best in the industry. And we are ready to share what we have learned in our experiences and feel that there are very few people who have been as privileged to have access to the knowledge that we have had access to. And that is what sets us aside from everyone else.

MICHELLE: Bowlers love to bowl and we love to help them bowl better. What better way than to be able to provide them not only with coaching, but also with the quality equipment to bowl better? We really look forward to providing the optimal ball fit, equipment and gear bowlers need. We coach every day to take each bowler's game to the next level. We have always enjoyed making equipment recommendations to bowlers so that they can bowl better and score more. Now, we look forward to providing this service to them ourselves, becoming a full-service to bowlers.

BPP: Where will it be and when will it be open?

ALETA: It will be inside Country Lanes, in Farmington Hills, MI. Tom [Boyle], the builder, has been working on it since mid May. In fact, the demolition is complete and the walls are going up. It should be done by the first week of July. The drill press will be delivered that first week. And we will begin stocking the inventory then. We anticipate being in the shop during our clinic July 14-16. While our doors will be open then, our official Grand Opening will be on Saturday, August 9th.

MICHELLE: When we were invited to open the shop at Country, we gave it immediate thought, because we know how much difference equipment makes to bowlers. With our coaching business thriving, we could see that it all just fits. The proprietor, Jim Hamlin, has been great to work with and Pam Jones and Mark have always been very supportive of our coaching to the bowlers. We have met many of the league bowlers through our clinics there, and we are very excited to become a part of Country Lanes to better serve them.

BPP: What is the name of the shop?

MICHELLE: Named after Detroit's legend herself: "Aleta Sill's Bowling World".