Experience
As a bowler, Tom has rolled honor scores with rubber, plastic, urethane and reactive bowling balls. He showed a profit from a heavy tournament schedule for several years in the mid-1980’s, and he was inducted into the Elyria (OH) USBC Hall of Fame for performance in 2001. But it has been as a coach that he has really hit his mark. As a young bowling center manager just out of college, Tom began to build the center’s program by forming a youth league and an intercollegiate bowling team, and he continued to coach both (along with many other youth programs, including high school and home school physical education classes) for nearly four decades. As a Lecturer in Athletics, he taught beginning, intermediate and advanced bowling classes at Oberlin College for 25 years and was one of the schools top-ranked instructors on RateMyProfessors.com throughout the last 15 years of his career. He authored A Good Way to Bowl as a textbook for the courses in 2001. Tom was inducted into the Elyria USBC Hall of Fame in 2000 as a youth coach and was named one of Bowlers Journal International’s inaugural Top 100 Coaches in 2006. His students include PBA and international champion Chris Loschetter, former Junior Team USA member and NCAA national collegiate champion (with Central Missouri State University) Erin Loschetter, and Griffin Sabelli, who had the nation’s 8th highest average (215, with Oberlin College) among intercollegiate bowlers during the 2013-14 season, as well as many beginners who developed into regional pros or lifetime bowlers, or who used concepts learned in bowling classes or youth leagues to thrive in other pursuits. Tom earned his first coaching certification from the Institute of Professional Bowling Instruction in 1986. He is a United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Silver level coach and a member of the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association (NCBCA) and the International Bowling Pro Shop and Coaches Association (IBPSIA). He’s even a certified Brunswick pinsetter mechanic.
In addition to group and individual lessons, Tom has presented programs such as “Bowling as a Lifetime Fitness Activity” during a fitness week, and “Bowling as a Metaphor for Life” for an organization supporting families coping with substance abuse. He is skilled at developing bowling-themed sessions to serve a wide range of individual and group needs, so let him know your situation and he will get to work!
Testimonials
“I’ve known Tom Reid since I was 9 years old and Tom has been my coach for 17 years. Tom has been nothing but kind and supportive, both in bowling and personally! Tom is patient with each student, listening to what each person has to say. Tom is able to transfer knowledge to his students in a way that is meaningful to that individual. Because of Tom’s flexibility, communication skills and focus on fundamentals, Tom can coach any style or age, new to the sport or a professional bowler. After a lesson you will always walk away with something to practice. One thing I love about Tom’s coaching is the use of analogies to teach. Building confidence in your game is key to success and no question Tom is number one at doing so. Tom has a passion for the game that is infectious. Tom inspires you to be a better bowler and an even better person. I’m honored to call Tom my coach and my friend! To quote Tom, “Good luck, good bowling and have fun!””
note tom left for the oberlin College intercollegiate bowling team before a tournament. Photo courtesy of Karalyn Grimes
“There is no other coach that could even begin to compare with Tom Reid. He has been our children’s coach for over 4 years now and we wouldn’t consider going anywhere else. His knowledge and love for the sport come only second to his kindness and understanding. If you’ve been looking for a coach that is knowledgeable and can make you excel above the competition, you need not look any farther then Tom Reid. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
“Tom worked with me to create goals that were accessible to me at my experience level. With Tom’s coaching my spare game was on a level unlike anything it had been before.”
