Danny Wiseman: Living the Dream

Long before becoming one of the most recognizable faces of the Professional Bowlers Association, Danny Wiseman was one of the top youth bowlers in the Baltimore area.

Although he initially split his time between the lanes and the baseball diamond, it wasn’t long before Wiseman’s full attention was on bowling. Every Saturday he would pile six bowling balls onto an old luggage cart and trek nearly a mile to his local bowling center.

“I used to bowl league on Saturday and get home just in time to go to baseball practice,” Wiseman said. “I wanted to be a pitcher first off, but some things happened when I was about 13, and I stopped playing. That is when I devoted myself totally to bowling.”

Wiseman added a Sunday travel league to his schedule, and relied on his luggage cart for daily trips to the bowling center for two-hour practice sessions.

At 15, Wiseman bowled his first perfect game. By 16, he learned to drill bowling balls and was working in the pro shop, as well as spending time as a lane man.

“I used to run home after league on Saturdays so I could watch bowling on TV,” said Wiseman, an 11-time PBA Tour champion. “My favorites were Mark Roth and Marshall Holman. Back in my teenage years, it was a dream for me to go right out on tour.”

Wiseman bowled a few PBA events in 1988 and ’89, and his dream finally became a reality when he joined the Tour full-time in 1990. It didn’t take long for Wiseman to reach the winner’s circle either, as he collected two titles in 1990, including a win at the Fair Lanes Open in front of his hometown crowd in Baltimore.

During the 2004-05 season, Wiseman claimed the first major victory of his career with a win at the Miller High Life United States Bowling Congress Masters. The event also marked the first time a televised final had been conducted inside a Major League baseball stadium, as Wiseman defeated Patrick Allen of Tarrytown , N.Y. , in front of 4,307 fans at Milwaukee ’s Miller Park.

“One of the keys to being out there for so long has been keeping up with the environmental and equipment changes that have happened over the years,” Wiseman said. “Being able to play everywhere on the lane with no fear helps. I also think that the desire to win is a big part of making me aware of the game’s changes and knowing how to adapt and change my game to them.”

Although Wiseman is a long way from the days he and his father spent bowling in the basement with plastic pins and tennis balls, his enthusiasm remains as fresh as the first time he picked up a bowling ball. His desire is evident by how hard he practices and works out off of the lanes.

“I feel that as long as I have the desire and the heart for the game and winning, I will be able to continue into my mid-40s,” Wiseman said. “I have been bowling since I was 4 years old, and I think after my bowling career I will indulge in some sort of business, bowling related or otherwise. I have invested a lot of my earnings so I could prepare for retirement. Who knows, I may come back at 50 bowling left-handed to be the first PBA player to win titles with both hands.”

Danny Wiseman’s tips for young bowlers Patience- You’re not always going to strike. We’re all human and we make errors. Be patient with yourself and learn from your mistakes. Discipline- Practice pays off, and you have to practice to get better. Work on getting better by correcting your flaws or mistakes you consistently make. Desire- If you want to succeed at anything, you have to have the desire to become the best. Knowledge- Learn all that you can. Read books, magazines, etc. I used to read all the time to learn about the history, techniques, bowling balls and everything else about our game. I still do to this day. Spares- Most of all, make all of your spares. They matter!