Like Mother, Like Son - bowling star/bowling instructor Virginia Norton has taught her young son to bowl

Bowling Digest, Oct, 2000 by Paul Kreins

Virginia Norton, a youth bowling standout before her stardom as a pro, now devotes her skills as a coach to helping her son Scott travel the same path

VIRGINIA NORTON BOWLED for the first time at the age of nine in her hometown of Whittier, Calif. One day her parents simply told her they were going to do "something different." She had no idea what they meant by different until the car pulled up in front of a bowling center. "From day one, I was hooked," she says.

Her grandmother would take her bowling three or four times a week, and she would bowl five or six games at a time. Norton soon joined a junior league, and she earned extra money and picked up bowling tips by keeping score for the adult leagues on weekends. By the time she was 12 years old, she was averaging 165.

The youth bowling programs in California in the 1960s and '70s were breeding grounds for bowling superstars, and Norton was fortunate to be a product of that era. "Without a doubt, I was lucky to be a part of all of that," she says. She also cites another reason not usually credited, for the strong bowling programs in the Golden State: the weather. "During the summer," she points out, "the junior programs in California were as good as they were in the fall." It wasn't until she was bowling professionally and having trouble finding bowling centers to practice in during the summer in the Midwest and Northeast that she realized how important a year-round bowling program was to her development as a top-level bowler. She also feels that the degree of talent and the caliber of competition in the California youth programs raised the skill level of everyone participating in them, including herself.

In high school, Norton's interest in bowling took a back seat to other sports such as basketball, tennis, and her first love, softball. However, once in college at Long Beach State, she decided to try out for the bowling team because the school didn't have a softball program.

Softball's loss was bowling's gain. Norton sought out and scheduled an appointment with the bowling coach, who also happened to be the assistant dean of students. Looking her over, he politely dismissed her by explaining that "the team was already set for the year." Though disappointed, she said she understood and asked to be notified when tryouts were scheduled for next season.

As she was leaving his office, he casually asked, "So what's your average?"

"One-ninety," she replied.

Slightly stunned, but assuming she misunderstood his question, he gathered himself and explained that he wanted to know her average, not her highest game. She slowly repeated, "One-hundred-and-ninety."

In 1970, few people averaged 190--particularly not attractive 19-year-old college coeds who looked like they'd be more at home on a California beach than in a musty bowling alley--and Norton recalls that the coach swallowed his pride, set aside his ego for a moment, and instantly told her she was on the team. Not willing to let him off the hook so easily, she reminded him, "I thought you said the team was full." Barely able to look her in the eye, he sheepishly told her, "We'll make room for you."

"I was instantly the anchor bowler," Norton says. She also helped recruit more good bowlers with whom she had bowled youth leagues. In no time, Long Beach State became a powerful collegiate bowling force.

However, by her third year of college, still uncertain about her major, she decided to try the pro tour on a full-time basis. It took her a few years to reach her stride, but when she won her first rifle, the 1975 Greater Akron Open, then followed up with a win a week later in Rockford, Ill., she began an impressive march straight to the Hall of Fame.

Norton won eight pro titles, six WIBC national titles, and three California state titles between 1975 and 1983. She was a five-time Bowlers Journal and WIBC All-American, and she was inducted into the WIBC and California Bowling Halls of Fame in 1988, and the Southern California and Los Angeles Bowling Halls of Fame in 1989. Though mostly self-taught, Norton credits Bill Guyette with coaching her during many of her years on tour.

She says her most cherished title was her first "because it was my first title," but she actually considers her two runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open and a runner-up finish in the WIBC Queens most memorable competitive experiences. "You don't get too many chances at the majors," she says, "and those were always elusive titles."

WHEN NORTON'S FIRST son, Scott, was born in 1982, bowling full time became a little less important in her life. Although she still competed as often as was practical, especially in the majors and in regional events, her priorities had clearly changed. Had she not already been doing the color commentary on the telecast, she may have cut back even more.

Simultaneously Norton was making a name for herself as one of the nation's top bowling instructors. She served as a long-time Brunswick staff member; the company quickly recognized Norton's value as a spokesperson and teacher, and kept her busy traveling the country doing clinics and exhibitions on its behalf. Perhaps without her realizing it, her life-after-bowling career--as an instructor--was beginning to take shape.