From an interview with Bowling Press Pro (BPP) on June 10 , 2004

BPP: Your Pro Shop, Aleta Sill's Bowling World, is narrowing in on its first year anniversary. How has your first season been?

ALETA: It's been better than I imagined it would be. When we first opened, I was very pleased. We had a tremendous opening day, and from then on, it seems like it has just gotten better and better for us. The 'word of mouth' has been a big factor in our success this year. We really work hard on servicing our bowlers, making sure every bowler feels well taken care of.

MICHELLE: Unbelievable. We spent a good bit of money to make a presence and create a shop that, we felt, reflected our commitment to servicing bowlers. When we opened the gate, we did not know what to expect. Our opening day was a day that I will never forget. It was awesome. And even then, we did not know what was to follow. It was like the bowlers were waiting for us to open. It was such a good feeling. And the flow continued until the season ended. It was amazing. Having been coaching now for over 18 years, it such a good feeling to fully service bowlers, for everything that they need, and see that they really appreciate the quality of service that we are providing them.

BPP: Why do you think your first year has been so successful?

ALETA: Part of it is word of mouth; part of it is our coaching. People know that we are professional bowlers and respect our coaching ability. Both Michelle and I have been coaching for over 18 years, and that has been the base of our service. We help every bowler take their game to the next level by coaching them, by helping them know what equipment to use and when to use it. We take each bowler out on the lanes to watch them throw the ball so we can decide the best equipment for them. From there, we can layout a ball for them and drill it best for their game. In today's game, we believe you have to watch the person bowl before you can recommend the right piece of equipment for them and lay it out properly for their style.

MICHELLE: What I see is that bowlers appreciate being really taken care of, and that they want their family and friends taken care of, too. Bowling is for all age levels and skill levels. Most bowlers know other bowlers. And when they are happy, they share it with each other. And when bowlers come in for us to help them bowl better, we listen to them to decide the right equipment for them. We base our recommendations on what they tell us about conditions they bowl on, what they currently own, and then we base our recommendations on how they bowl. This is the only way to suggest the best equipment for them, as well as considering their type of release and ball speed. Sometimes, bowlers come in thinking they need one thing, and, after watching them bowl, we realize they need something else. That is what professional service is all about, and we take pride in it.

BPP: When you say that you spend time to provide customers with your service, what exactly is it that you do?

ALETA: Well, we talk to them first about where they are bowling, and what type of surface they are bowing on, and how much oil they feel that they are playing on. Then we take them onto the lane, and we watch them bowl. We watch how they play the lane, what their ball speed is like, what their rev rate is like, and watch their ball rotation. We also locate the axis point on their ball, and that point will help to determine how to layout their new ball. We ask if they bowl early shift, or the late shift. That tells us how to go in and pick out a ball for them. We look at their ball fit, to make recommendations on how to make their fit better, explaining why we would want to make changes. We do this by explaining what effect their grip has on their armswing. A loose armswing is the key to consistency. An excellent ball fit leads to a looser swing and better consistency.

MICHELLE: In watching and coaching bowlers, we can see what their grip pressure is like and how to improve it. That includes some swing work, using the Digital Video Coach. We use the "Bowler's Map" Software to significantly help bowlers improve their games. And with coaching, we can help bowlers relax their grip pressure, which helps bowlers use less thumb pitch, as they learn to relax their swing. And typically, with coaching, a bowler's ball speed and release improves, which affects equipment recommendations for them. In watching bowlers bowl, we are very forthright about what we think is their best plan to bowl better. They may come in for a ball, but we recommend a lesson. Some bowlers come in for a lesson, but really need a ball for the conditions they bowl on, so they can keep their swing relaxed. Some need a wrist support to firm up the release. Knowing what each type of support does, and which ones best suit a bowler's tendencies are an important key in providing the best equipment for somebody. For us, it is all about helping bowlers, of all skill levels get to their next level, whatever it takes.

BPP: Where does your philosophy on customer service come from?

ALETA: I know how I want to be treated when I make a major purchase in a store. And in my career, being out on tour, we have been around the best in the industry. We've learned from the best coaches, and the best drillers, and we have been able to learn the most progressive ball fitting techniques to keep the hand relaxed enough to create a loose armswing. We help bowlers become loose to be more consistent. And we eliminate any soreness to the hand. If we make it better but there is any soreness to make better, we will continue to fix it until it is the best for the bowler. Bowlers should not rip, or be in pain when they bowl, whether is takes an even better fit, or lessons to learn how to better relax. I also know that when I make a major purchase, I want to talk to someone very knowledgeable, and experienced. I want to know the 'in's and out's of what I am about to buy. Rather than figure it out myself, I want to be educated on my purchase so that I make the right one and use it better. There are many philosophies to ball fitting, and there are still a lot of drillers out there with 'old school' mentality who have not kept up with the changes. Our fitting techniques lighten up grip pressure to produce a looser swing for a more consistent shot.

MICHELLE: Bowling for so many years, starting with the influence of the old school and then having the opportunity to have the best in the industry around you, we SEE what a difference the expertise makes in our ability to bowl up to our ability. We have learned, through experience, and through what we watch bowlers do, that "the better the bowler, the lighter the grip pressure." That is what we have been able to achieve over years of our professional bowling experience, and that is the inspiration behind our service to bowlers. Firsthand, we knew what poor fits felt like, but did not know that it was the fit, until we had a better one, and learned to relax more. And our hands no longer ripped, or felt sore. That is the best way to explain how a looser swings develops and why we fit hands that way we do. We want to provide the best ball fit for a bowler to relax and be pain free, as it should be.

BPP: You seem to take a personal interest in how a bowler feels in the ball…

ALETA: I had my tendons blown out years ago. All due to a poor fit, from the 'old school' of fitting a hand. I have had cortisone shots and have been in pain. Like many bowlers, I thought it was just overuse, or bowling so much. But, with a better ball fit, my career was prolonged to be able to even reach the million-dollar mark. Without a better fit, it would never have happened. Bowling as many games as I have over my career, a poor fit showed itself to me. And a good fit did too…to help me reach the million-dollar mark. We have taken many blisters, aches and pains away from bowlers' hands by providing better fits. We have taken body injuries and soreness away through coaching by helping bowlers use their bodies so much better to bowl. I was just saying to Michelle (as I was over the drill press to make an adjustment to a bowler's ball fit) that fixing a grip is my favorite part of having a pro shop. I just love helping bowlers feel and bowl better.

MICHELLE: Most of us, including us pros, have been victims of poor ball fits, and just thought that is was "us" not bowling properly. And by networking with the women on tour as well as the men from the ball manufacturing companies, and PBA tour representatives, we have really gone through major grip changes that have not only improved the condition of our hands, but have led us to much better, looser armswings. Originally, long spans and reverse pitch in the thumbs were designed to get us out of the ball as fast as possible. (Excessive reverse pitch, by its very nature, provided a less secure grip on the ball, due to the 'relaxed' angle of the thumb, in the ball.) Well, in the meantime, this created an epidemic of muscled downswings, from bowlers 'clamping' onto the ball to hold on. This had a detrimental effect of the potential of every bowler who fell victim to this type of fit. Providing the proper span, and pitches, a bowler should be able to relax enough to maintain their loosest swing, without dropping the ball at the release. We cannot even tell you the amount of bowlers we have coached who, like us, have learned to handle much less reverse pitch, to create a much better swing, without loosing the ball. That is a true sign of success in their quest to take their games to the next level. And that, for us, like it is for ourselves to experience, is fun to watch.