In 1957, a bowling center was built in John Sudduth’s small town of Warrenton, Va., where he bowled with many of his friends. When he was 11, he started working at the center, watching the kids while their mothers bowled. He worked at the center until he was 18 before going off to school.
In 1969, he went into the Army and spent 1˝ years in Germany, where he bowled every day. While there, he helped people learn to bowl, and he won several tournaments.
When he started bowling locally, his game had improved so much that he qualified fifth in the NCABA “Top 10” Ranking in 1975-1976. He also won the Virginia State All-Events and Doubles.
During this time, he was involved with improving bowling in this area. It largely began in 1981, when Bowl America’s Irv Clark created a new position for John, “Bowler Development Coordinator.” Within the first year, John went to every seminar he could, including classes conducted by the PBA, Brunswick, and Century. He spent time in Las Vegas and trained under legendary instructors Don Johnson and Fred Borden. John went to virtually every seminar by Bill Taylor and spent several days with Tom Kouros. By doing this, he became a Master Instructor who trained many staff members and anybody else who wanted to learn how to teach bowling. He has taught over 1,500 people.
When John first started, he trained several Bowl America employees how to measure and drill a bowling ball. Over a two-year period, he helped Bowl America create 14 pro shops in its centers.
One of John’s first jobs was to make sure that all lanes were properly oiled. He was sent to lane maintenance seminars, where he learned the importance of properly cleaning and oiling lanes each day. By buying updated lane machines, there was a more consistent scoring environment. Overall company lane maintenance became much better once these changes were initiated.
A PBA member for 35 years, John Sudduth still tries to learn as much as possible about bowling. He has spent his whole life learning, teaching, and bowling. He’s loved every minute of it and would not change any of these experiences for the world. He is a welcome addition to the NCA-USBCA Hall of Fame.
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