Frank Brosh is still looking for that elusive 300.
But the Battle Ground man has a more unique bowling prize to his name.
Last month, Brosh was inducted into the Clark County United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame during the organization’s annual awards event.
Brosh has been an avid bowler since he worked as a pin setter in Tucson, Ariz., as a youngster.
It isn’t his prowess on the lanes that earned him the special recognition from the organization that oversees league bowling in these parts. Rather, it is for his work as a Clark County Bowling board member for 15 years, and his enthusiastic mentoring of junior bowlers at Battle Ground’s Tiger Bowl, that Brosh joined 75 others in the county’s bowling Hall of Fame.
“He’s an amazing person how much time and effort he gives” to junior bowlers, said Harold Lynse, the proprietor at Tiger Bowl for more than three decades.
The Hall of Fame was established in 1976. In 1990, the Clark County Women’s Bowling Association established its Hall of Fame. In 2006, when the United States Bowling Congress was formed, merging the governing bodies for men, women and junior bowlers, the local halls of fame also merged.
Hall of famers are selected by a vote of the membership of the Hall of Fame and the Clark County USBC board of directors, who can vote for a nominee based on outstanding performance or meritorious service to the sport.
Lynse — himself a member of the hall — has known Brosh since Brosh moved to Clark County in the early 1980s. For the past decade, Brosh, 72, has been the director and head coach for the junior bowling program in Battle Ground.
Several of the girls who have had success for the Battle Ground High School girls bowling team coached by Lynse — including all-leaguers Andrea Melo and Lindsey Quint — are products of Brosh’s junior bowling program.
“He’s successful because of the interest he takes in them,” Lynse said. “He doesn’t just work with the best, he works with all of them.”
Running the junior programs includes traveling to tournaments with young bowlers. For 15 years Brosh also devoted times behind the bowling scenes as a tournament director, treasurer and other roles on the board of directors.
As both a board member and a coach, Brosh has focused on contributing to a game that brings him much pleasure.
“It’s just a lot of fun,” he said. “You meet a lot of great people in bowling.”
And bowling people know that a hall-of-fame career isn’t only about big scores.
Brosh bowls in two leagues at Tiger Bowl and carries an average in the neighborhood of 160. He once bowled a 279 game, and said he had several other near misses in pursuit of that magical 300 game.
“I’m still trying to get it,” Brosh said.
Veterans Day tradition
When it comes to giving back, area bowlers have a tradition of supporting the veterans hospital in Vancouver through its Bowlers to Veterans Link program. During the weeks around Veterans Day, local leagues and bowling houses collect money to support patients at the local hospital.
To ensure that money raised stays with the local hospital, Clark County USBC has separated from the national BVL program. Last November, donations raised more than $5,500. The local hospital supplies a shopping list, and the local bowlers use their collection to fill the wish list.
Help for tournaments
November tournaments provide a fund-raising platform for the veterans program, including the Adult-Youth Doubles Championships. The 21st annual event started Saturday and Sunday and concludes next weekend at Bailey’s Classic Lanes.
There are six classifications, defined by the youth bowlers’ scoring handicap.
Leading after the first of two weekends in the top class — for teams with youth bowlers whose average is 175 or better — is the duo of youth bowler Don Shaffer II and Donn Allen III. With no pins added for a handicap, they scored 1,432 for their six games.
The tournament will conclude with bowling on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. For entry information, call 360-694-6348 or contact Bailey’s Classic Lanes at 360-882-6921.
Entries are also open for the 38th Clark County Mixed Championship Tournament, which will take place over three weekends beginning Nov. 21 at Bailey’s Classic Lanes. Call 360-694-6348 for details or to register.
Youth football playoffs
It’s playoff time for area youth football teams.
Clark County Youth Football will host its five championship games Saturday at Washougal High School. The schedule:
10 a.m. — Grades 2-3, Woodland Beavers vs. West Vancouver Sharks. Noon — Grade 6, West Vancouver Chieftains vs. East Vancouver Titans. 2 p.m. — Grade 7, Woodland Beavers vs. West Vancouver Lions. 4 p.m.— Grades 4-5, Camas vs. Battle Ground Saints. 6 p.m. — Grade 8, Woodland Giants vs. West Vancouver Thunder.
Area Pop Warner championship teams are preparing to travel to regional playoff games Nov. 21-22 in Santa Clara, Calif.
On Saturday, teams that placed second and third in their Southwest Washington Pop Warner (www.swwapopwarner.org) age division are hosting teams from Spokane Pop Warner for bowl games. Games are scheduled for 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Pacific Middle School and at Nautilus.
Gymnast earns scholarship
KayCee Gassaway from Naydenov Gymnastics plans to sign a letter of intent on Wednesday to attend Brigham Young University on a gymnastics scholarship. Read more about her journey in a future Community Sports column.
PAUL DANZER covers Community Sports for The Columbian. Reach him at 360-735-4521 or paul.danzer@columbian.com.
