Does bowling ever leave your system.

[John_Velo]

Hi Guys,

I thought I would post these videos up here for those that are interested.

Dad's interview on the local TV Station after being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Thank you to everybody that made this possible.

Joe Velo - Hall of Fame interview - YouTube

I also managed to get Dad on the lanes last week, after 2 1/2 hours of arguing over how he should lay his span out, then we started on the ball layout argument, but we got there.

Dad's opening statement went like this before the first ball was bowled, "don't expect me to do any of that p**fy Hi-5 five stuff, I am here to bowl!"

Anyway, here is the short video taken, the quality is not the best.

Joe Velo Bowling for the first time in 27 years. - YouTube


Thanks for looking.

 

[Ryan_E]

Thats so cool! What was his first impression when he rolled that ball and it snapped at the breakpoint? haha

 

[amagill]

Your dad looked to be really enjoying himself there John! Good to see he's still got it!!

 

[robbo300]

Fantastic to see John you must be so proud please pass on congrats to your dad

 

[John_Velo]

Hi Ryan,

Well, it was an eye opener for him. His first couple of shots I did not get on tape, the second frame took the 7 pin clean out of the deck.

Final statement, "I have never hooked a ball that much, never seen a sub 14lb ball hit that hard" followed by, "I wish I had one of these balls 40 years ago!"

The leap forward is always a shock for anybody that stopped mid 1980's then comes back for a game.

He had fun but was annoyed not to break the 200 barrier.

 

[gregb]

As young kid sitting in the crowd watching the stars of bowling, i think it may have been the nationals in Canberra (early 70's). I first saw Joe Velo bowl. It is a memory i still have till today, there was a aura about this man bowling of the wrong foot that had to be seen to be believed. Everyone in the crowd would be listening to every word he said, oohing and arring on every shot it was a pleasure to watch.

I thank you Joe, and now John for bring those memories back.

Greg B

 

[John_Velo]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

I will pass them on to Dad tonight.

 

[Wal Brooker]

Thanks for reviving some great memories of your dad john. He mentioned that the 14lb reactive hit really hard.

Hey, Joe from what I can remember did you not win the Canberra Cup a few months after your heart op? As I recall it your 14lb ball hit pretty decent as well and it was only rubber!

 

[androooo]

Great clips!

If only we could get more clips of the legends... Thompson, Mackie, Powell, Prez, Guerster... the list could go on forever

 

[magpi17]

Absolutly awsome John, I'm glad you got Joe to have a bowl looked like he enjoyed himself.
Hope there was no singles missed!!

 

[John_Velo]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the feedback I ran Dad through the vid's tonight to make sure it was OK. The lovely wife picked up my common spelling mistake being the missing "S".

I am trying to get Dad into to bowl with some of the younger guys that are starting out, it would be great to have the legends of Australian Bowling do that around the country to rekindle some old memories and enthuse some of the younger guys.

Neil, you may have noticed he got the 5 pin. Just on that, Neil was sitting with Dad in a tournament that Neil and I bowled in. Dad was giving me a hard time, riding every ball as he does. To get him to go away for ten minutes and give me some piece I would blow a single pin spare. Piece for ten minutes, down side , I missed the final cut by 18 pins.

Dad is already asking how we are going to lay out his next ball.

He said to say thanks for all the kind words and support.

 

[twenban]

Hi John,

I watched the video and he still looks great, he hooks the ball more than I do. I agree with his initial words, no hi-five stuff, back in our day we competed and where very focused on winning.

Joe was a great competitor, he took no prisoners nor asked any favors, and he was the best at it. He demolished the competition he didn't just win and that was what I admired most about him. So when you did finally beat him you knew you had come of age and it was very satisfying. I miss those old days, not so much for the bowling but the competition, now days it's not the same with bowling conditions determining way too much of how the game is played.

You better watch out if he bowls a few weeks he will be beating you .... as usual say hi for me .. and induction was about 25 years late coming.

 

[dishman]

Awesome......what a champion!
BTW, I saw your other video on your release. Looking good but what do you mean you need less rotation ( do you mean tilt or revs?)

 

[John_Velo]

Hi Dinesh,

I have a habit of being around the side of the ball to early and very much on top of the ball. Or as they say, chicken winging the ball, the face of your elbow should face your target at all times during the release of the ball. The chicken Wing is often caused by a slight timing miss on the delivery of the ball and body weight on step one of my approach causing me to pull the ball down from my back swing instead of letting it swing freely.

If I could stay under the line of horizontal with my finger and a little further behind the ball, say at 45* rotation the ball will hook a tad less but have more drive at the pins. Sure hook is good but only if the ball does not start to slow down before the pins. Revs are not an issue, just so long as the ball is not slowing down, watch some of the PBA-Women Videos, Kelly Kulick for example, all the revs where they are need, at the pins.

I think that is very much as Terry mentioned above, conditions determine the shot so much these days that sometimes the basics of a good shot making is missed by new bowlers. The game is very different these days. I like both the new and the old as they are very different and equally as difficult as each other.

The science of bowling really gets me hooked. But as dad always says, just bowl the bl**dy thing.

Regardless of the era, you still need to repeat shots and that is what makes the great bowlers great more than the number of revs or how much they hook the ball.

 

[CHIN]

Im glad im in the senior section & not the grand seniors section if he decides to bowl the Sydney seniors tournament this year.

 

[Geoff300]

Great memories there watching that video clip John
He looks as stubborn as ever !!!
Brings back memories of when I was a kid watching him in the early 70's
Now those were the days of Velo, Mackie, Speteri ,Batson, Bacon x 2, Quinn, peel etc
Fun days and real characters

 

[~Mrs STORM~]

We have vacancies in Scratch Trios for him John

Listening to him when you and Neil were bowling Mick Camarda was entertaining, but just so cool at the same time.
Hope to see him in the centre more often

 

[jason_doust]

Good to see Joe bowling again. Takes me back to being 15. Especially good to see him having a blast doing it!

Longer pin to PAP on the next ball. He needs a longer break shape to carry better with all the extra friction. (Probably help if he could have slid on the approaches too! They looked slow from here!) Then again, maybe a bit of practice will get that ball going faster.

Say G'Day to your Dad for me, please!

 

[John_Velo]

Hey Jason,

Yes, the next ball will be longer pin and more angle in the drilling as we spoke about the other day.

Speed was his issue and all due to his timing being out, I have had him telling me three more weeks and watch out....!

On Sunday we might get in for another game, it does make you feel young again bowling with your Dad. Only difference was that I beat him this time which never use to happen, but maybe not for much longer.

 

[steve jones]

John,

I cant add much to the compliments already noted in this thread - I'd agree with them all - particularly the one about how well Joe looks and how it brings back great memories to see the clip.

I would add to Terry's note - and that was the competitor in Joe. I'd say Joe and Richard Hall were two of the toughest competitors of their day - some others as well come to mind of course but Velo and Hall were as hard to beat as most. I recall the 1969 SPC at Moorrabbin - Richard Hall had of course won the first three SPC's Velo the 1968 edition - and they went head to head in Match Play in the middle of the centre - it nearly came to blows [mind you the years add to the drama of course] - but there was no doubting the enmity between the two bowlers. Kozaki won in 1969 effectively slowing up the battle between the two men........and Hall of course went overseas to Thailand to open up bowling there. But watching Velo and Hall "at it" on that day was something very, very special.

Oh - and Geoff300 [hope all's well mate] - you'll be interested to know that Bruce Peel spent a week over here last year - a little golf, a wine tour or six and of course lot's of catching up - AND [much to my annoyance] he looked almost the same as he has always looked [we hadn't seen each other for close to 15 years] - same weight [damn it] and the same head of hair [and that's what really annoyed me]...and he golfs still about as well as he bowled...which is to say..great!