More from The Q&A: Mike Edwards
Ah, the life. Bowling for a living.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. So I learned when in talking with Tulsa native and resident Mike Edwards. He has been on the Professional Bowlers Association tour for almost three decades, and while he loves what he does, it takes work.
Yes, bowling requires work.
Jenni Carlson: You began your 27th season on tour recently. How do you get prepared for the season
Mike Edwards: It’s a long year. I try not to burn myself out too quick. Before when I was younger, I would try to win every week no matter what. You get burnt out that way. I try to look at it … “Let’s take it game by game. Week to week, let’s try to be consistent.” You never know how you’re going to feel.
JC: What’s a normal amount of games that you throw in a week?
ME: Anywhere from 70 to 80 games in about a four-day span.
JC: Wow.
ME: It’s a lot. That’s basically what an average league player would have in one year, and we’re doing it in four days, and we’re doing it every week for 21 weeks. You’ve gotta condition your body. You’ve gotta condition your legs. Through all my career, I’ve heard that bowlers aren’t athletes. We’ve had other guys from other sports try to come out and bowl three games. Jerome Bettis, he’s come out and bowled. But he said his legs were so sore after bowling three games. It’s just different muscles. And here this guy is, I wouldn’t even want to try to get in front of him playing football. But bowling, they’re different muscles, so you’ve got to train your muscles and everything to condition yourself.
JC: Do you lift weight or run or just try to roll a bunch of games?
ME: It’s a combination of all of the above. I do wrist curls. I do arm curls. You really don’t want to give yourself too much muscle because it hinders the arm swing, but I work on my legs. I walk between four to six miles a day just to keep my legs in shape. That’s how you develop your strength and speed getting to the line.
JC: Maybe I can use some of this when I bowl — blame my poor performance on improper training.
ME: Whenever we throw a bad shot, it’s not us. It’s the lane. It’s the foul line. Somebody yelled. Anything. It wasn’t the player.
JC: You’re the only American Indian on the bowling tour. What does that heritage mean for you?
ME: I’ve talked with a few guys about why there aren’t more Native Americans in the major sports, but I just happen to be in a sport where I do it really well. I don’t know if I’m a role model. I guess I am to some extent, but the thing is, I don’t really come across that many Native Americans that bowl anymore. I don’t know why that is. I don’t know if it’s the economy or the interest. Wherever I’ve gone, I’ve tried to meet with the different tribes and the leaders just to let them know, “I’m out here. I’m trying to do the best that I can do.” I’ve always just done what I’ve done. I hope I’ve come across as a positive to some kids or adults.
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