BPP Interviews Michelle Mullen - March 30, 2002

BPP: How long have you been coaching?

MICHELLE: I have been coaching for about 16 years.

BPP: Are you a certified coach?

MICHELLE: Yes. IPBI and USA Bowling Certified Gold Coach. I have been coaching as long as I have been competitively bowling. Thanks to Tom Kouros, Jeri Edwards, PBC Camps, Fred Borden, Team USA, Don Moyer & Bob Summerville and other great coaches that I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from.

BPP: What programs have you coached for?

MICHELLE: I gave private lessons as an IPBI Certified Coach in the late '80's. I then coached PBC camps. I coached TEAM USA in the mid '90's and was co-founder of Professional Bowling Instruction (PBI), Inc., a nationwide coaching company for bowlers of all levels. I have since formed a company, with Aleta Sill, called "Your Bowling Coach", based in the Detroit, MI area…the capital of bowling.

BPP: Why did you pick coaching for your career?

MICHELLE: It is ironic that I have. I have such a passion for coaching that I cannot stop myself from doing it. I have been an athlete all my life. I love sports. I have had such an admiration for those people who seem to be able to make a difference in my life. I have had so many influential people in my life who have been coaches. I was never educated on the game, enough to be a coach. They say that 'your weakness becomes your strength.' In college, I was captain of the team, won many tournaments, but did not know how to help my own teammates. That profoundly affected me. I wanted to help, but would never try unless I felt that I had the tools to know how. It was frustrating. That was the beginning of my wanting to be able to help bowlers who want to bowl better. After all, they were my own teammates. That is why it is ironic that I have become a coach. I have worked hard to become educated enough to coach bowlers. And I knew the value of good coaching early on, in high school. I would not be where I am today if not for the strong coaching I received in high school from Coach Dave Seidler. He stressed the fundamentals and knew how to teach them. That is also, by the way, why I am excited to start developing programs for high school bowlers. They stand to gain so much in their development by coming to work with us starting this summer.

BPP: What is your degree and from what university did you receive it?

MICHELLE: I went to the University of Illinois (though I am in U of M territory!) and received my B.S. in Kinesiology, with an emphasis in Sports Psychology. Kinesiology is largely the study of physiology and movement.

BPP: Did your collegiate studies help you become a coach?

MICHELLE: I did not think so, in the beginning, for many years since graduating. But, the more I coached, the more I'd realize that I cannot help but understand motion better as a result of what I studied in college. The more I coach, the more I think that, it's like, if I studied motion for 4 years, how do I not understand it better? I suppose things sync in more than I guess we realize sometimes…

BPP: What does coaching mean to you?

MICHELLE: It is weird, but I could not imagine myself not coaching. Bowling is different from other sports. In golf, golfers seek out a coach. In bowling, it seems different. I want to create a menu for coaching for bowlers of all levels, so that they, too, have a place to go for coaching. As professionals, we are making that happen. The vision and mission of Your Bowling Coach is to create an opportunity for all bowlers, of all age/skill levels, to bowl better. 'What does coaching mean to me?' I just love it with all my heart. I get more satisfaction from coaching, and more exhausted from coaching, than I ever have from bowling. That says a lot, as a Championship Player on tour. I dig deeply into coaching. I concentrate almost even harder and look for results, without fail. Bowlers simply enjoy the game more when they bowl better.

BPP: Do you think your tour experience has helped your coaching?

MICHELLE: Yes, absolutely, without a doubt. Again 'my weaknesses become my strengths.' I have had so many things that I have had to work on over the years, that I know what it is like to make changes. It is weird, because I have been so aware of this while I have had to work on things in my own game, over the years. It is, like, I know how to better relate to bowlers in their time of change. I guess what I mean is that…If my weaknesses (and strengths, by the way) in bowling have made me a better coach for my students, it has been worth it to me.

BPP: How is coaching going?

MICHELLE: It is good, but could always be better. The best coaches in our sport still struggle to make a living doing it. For some( like me), that does not stop the passion. You understand the need for bowlers to improve when you meet and work with them. And their happiness as a result of good information and good bowling is unmistakable. That just fuels my passion. That is the inspiration behind Your Bowling Coach. To provide a full menu of coaching programs to fit the needs and commitment (including financial commitment) levels for all bowlers. Everyone has different priorities. To develop this, Detroit is where a great volume of bowlers are. It is definitely the place to begin.

E-Mail Michelle Mullen