HAMMER NEWS

BLANCHARD BEGINS WITH EBONITE

HOPKINSVILLE, KY –Professional Bowling Association rising star Josh Blanchard has signed a four-brand contract with Ebonite International. Together they hope to advance exposure to their sport through superior equipment and coaching.

Although new to the PBA Tour, Blanchard has extensive tournament experience. At age 16, Blanchard made Junior Team USA for the first time; when most kids his age thought a travel team meant competing in another state, Blanchard was competing for medals in other countries. It was at that point Blanchard knew he wanted to bowl for a living.

It wasn’t until 2011 that Blanchard decided to make the commitment to bowl professionally, and it was his wife who encouraged him to do so.

“After my honeymoon last August, my wife inspired me to go pro and compete in the World Series, to see if I could compete on the same level,” explained Blanchard. “If it wasn’t for her, I would have gotten a real J.O.B . and just bowled for fun on the weekends. It’s crazy how 12 months can change someone’s life! I thank her every day for pushing me.”

Blanchard’s “push” worked out well for him. After gaining notoriety with a fall on the ESPN telecast of the Mike Aulby Division final of the World Series of Bowling, Blanchard came back to finish in the top ten four times during the season. With one Regional title, Blanchard not only received the PBA Tour Rookie of the Year award, but he also earned Rookie of the Year in the West and Northwest Regions, marking the first time a bowler has earned three Rookie of Year awards in one season.

“That fall was the single worst and best thing to happen to me,” said Blanchard. “The ability to bounce back from something like that comes from many years of failing and picking me back up. One mistake doesn’t define you, and I received a lot of phone calls and text messages from individuals in the industry showing their support.”

Blanchard may not have been the first to fail on national television, but he may be the first to turn that into a huge success as Rookie of the Year. His ability to bounce back makes him a great mentor and coach to younger bowlers. His business, JBBowling, provides lessons and clinics to help improve the ability of bowlers in an effort to grow the sport of bowling.

“Our sport has become so complex that the average bowler needs help, whether physically or visually seeing the bowling ball do the right thing on the lane,” explained Blanchard. “I started my company with one-on-one lessons and it has grown to clinics and seminars throughout the United States in just a few months.”

Blanchard’s performance on and off the lanes made him a great fit for the Ebonite International team.

“Josh is an incredible talent with a great personality and is doing great things for the sport with his coaching business,” said Bugsy Kelly, Columbia 300 Brand Manager.  “A key focus of ours is to grow the sport of bowling and Josh provides an important piece of that puzzle with his coaching abilities.  Josh is a great addition to our team and we’ll partner well together on and off the Tour to grow the sport.” Blanchard agreed.

“Signing with Ebonite International was a no-brainer for me,” he explained. “Together we can provide clinics and lessons to help grow our sport while at the same time putting great products in consumers’ hands. With such a wide range of products from each brand, every style of bowler can find a product that matches their game!”

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• 08/06/2012
  BLANCHARD BEGINS WITH EBONITE

  HOPKINSVILLE, KY –Professional Bowling Association rising star Josh Blanchard has signed a