Taking a whirlwind tour: broadcasting the PWBA, overseeing amateur competition, or rolling a few frames herself—bowling's foremost female voice has seen it all

Bowling Digest, Summer, 2004 by Dick Denny

When the PWBA tour reached Rockford in 1986, Schmidt was in the field and a nervous wreck. "I got a little better each round, but I didn't make the cut," she says. "The next stop was at Algonquin, Ill. I was again pretty nervous, but I made the TV show. Cindy Coburn-Carroll put me out in my first game with a 257. My guess is I shot around 187."

It was another three years before Schmidt became a regular PWBA touring player. Jan's husband Greg, who owns and manages 12-lane Chelle-Crest in Rochelle, had encouraged his wife to go on tour, but she was reluctant. "I was afraid and didn't have that much money," she says.

Greg finally was able to convince Jan to give the tour a try, and in 1989 she quit her job with Johnson and went out full-time, without sponsorship. The highlight of her 10-year touring career came in the 1993 Queens tournament during the WIBC Championship at Baton Rouge, La.

"I wasn't going to bowl that year," Schmidt says. "I was going to go home, but it would have been expensive to fly home, so I decided to remain in Baton Rouge and bowl. I had never made the top 64 before that year. It's a hard tournament to make the cut. But I did that year, in 54th place.

"I was so excited I called home and said I was going to win it. I didn't lose in match play and was top seed for the finals. Once I got lined up, I could execute. That was my strength. I finished 7-0 in match play and averaged 212. In the title match, I beat Pat Costello, 201-163. The victory was worth about $13,000, which was my biggest payday as a pro. In terms of accomplishment, that probably was my top thrill and only PWBA title."

Schmidt had another top thrill on tour that wasn't as meaningful money-wise, but was extremely meaningful from a personal standpoint. It came at Lubbock, Texas, in 1996.

"My dad was sick with cancer," Schmidt says. "Before the tournament started, they announced there would be a bonus of $300 for shooting a 300 game. I called dad and said, 'I'm going to shoot 300 for you.' I did in the first game of match play. It was a very emotional moment for me, and I was crying. Someone said, 'You've shot 300s before, why are you crying so?' Then I told the person why. Dad passed away shortly after that tournament."

In 1994 Schmidt's pro career hit a snag when she suffered a herniated disc in her lower back. She was taking the dog outside and her cat tried to get inside. "I reached to grab my cat, and my back went out," Schmidt says. "It was into 1996 before I was back to full speed."

Twice later Schmidt's back problems flared up when she was involved in car accidents, the first time in Pittsburgh and again in March 1999 when she was rearended near Rochelle. "I hurt all year in 1998, and I never made the cut after being rear-ended."

Schmidt makes no excuses for never having won a regular PWBA event "I made a lot of shows, but didn't even have a runner-up finish. I seemed to always lose in my first match [on TV]. In some ways, it was disappointing. I don't think I ever reached my full potential. I came close in 1997, when I had a huge year [she won the WIBC classic singles title at Reno with a 765 series]."