Ripple Effects

Activities to improve individual and team performance

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BTM Issue:

As we enter the start of the bowling season, college athletes will be returning to campus with great optimism for their team’s potential success in the 2021-22 season. The hope and optimism of this time of year make it one of my favorite parts of the season. In addition, high school, national club league teams, and national teams are preparing for their seasons or for tournaments with the goal to peak at specific times of the season. In short, all teams want to be ready when it matters most. In the university bowling community, all work leads to the spring, as it is always about March and April and post-season tournament bowling.

Throughout my career as a coach, I have explored methods and approaches to help my teams have any potential competitive advantage based on all aspects that we could control. I am a firm believer that teams excel when they work diligently on all aspects they can control. From sport science techniques to team-building procedures, I am always exploring potential program adaptations grounded in evidence-based innovation, research, and best practices. Recently, I came across an evaluation process called Ripple Effects Mapping (Chazdon et al., 2017). Its participatory and appreciative nature makes it an ideal way to evaluate your program and build programming with bowlers and coaches in collaboration. Moreover, it provides an opportunity for new athletes to hear all of the positive outcomes and ...

Joe Slowinski

About Joe Slowinski

Joe Slowinski, a USBC Gold Coach, is a freelance bowling coach who works with bowlers around the globe. He is currently on assignment with the Philippines. Slowinski is the former Director of Bowling at Lincoln Memorial University, where he served as Program Administrator and Head USBC Collegiate Men’s and NCAA Women’s Coach. The Portland, Maine native has served as the Administrative and Men's Head Coach at Webber International University and served for four years as a Master Teaching Professional at the Kegel Training Center. Slowinski is also the former Director of Coaching and Coach Certification for the National Sports Council of Malaysia. He has coached international teams at the World Championships, Pan American Games, South American Games, and European Championships, helping Belgium win a Gold medal at the 2022 EBF Championship of Champions and coaching Brazil to Gold medals at the 2015 Pam American Games and the 2014 South American Games. He was the 2018 NTCA DII/III Coach of the Year and the 2010 NCBCA Men’s College Coach of the Year.