What does it take to build a business that thrives for decades? Larry Schmittou, the man who brought professional baseball back to Nashville and built a thriving bowling empire, reveals his secrets to leadership, longevity, and purpose in this must-watch episode of the Charge Forward Podcast.
At 84 years old, Schmittou still leads 500+ employees across multiple Strike & Spare bowling centers with the same passion and integrity that fueled his career in baseball, including founding the Nashville Sounds. His straightforward leadership style, emphasis on honesty and accountability, and commitment to putting people first have made him a legend in both sports and business.
🎯 Key Takeaways from This Episode:
✅ Why work should be your passion, not just a job
✅ The three leadership lessons that shaped Schmittou’s success
✅ How he built a bowling business that prioritizes customer experience
✅ The importance of family, integrity, and hiring the right people
✅ How servant leadership fosters loyalty and long-term success
🔔 Watch now and learn how to build a business that provides purpose well into your 90s!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You had to have some joy in it to stay in it this
long.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Well, I enjoy it.
I enjoy my employees.
We have 500-some-odd employeesnow and I really enjoy the
customers.
That's what I enjoyed about thesounds.
I enjoyed walking those stepsand talking to the customers.
I enjoyed talking baseball tothem.
I've never wanted to just sitaround and do nothing.
(00:27):
I used to play golf, but Idon't do it anymore.
I don't garden, I don't fish, Idon't hunt, so my hobby is work
and I don't even regard that aswork.
I back up to take my paycheck.
So you know, I just thinkyou've got to be active, you've
(00:48):
got to have a reason to get up,and I've always jokingly tell my
employees I don't want you towork, but a half a day, and I
don't really care which 12 hoursyou work.
So I don't work 12 hoursanymore, but I enjoy what I do.
(01:12):
If I weren't doing that, Iwould be doing something else
that I enjoy, whether it be agreeter at Walmart or something
that I enjoyed that I was aroundpeople.
We had made an approach tobuying Kansas City.
That went to the guy that wasalready running them, that was
(01:35):
from the Walmart clan.
So Rick stayed on me, let's dosomething together.
And so the center inMurfreesboro, tennessee, became
available.
We reached agreement.
I presented it to Rick.
Here's an idea I had taken thefinancial statements of a
(02:00):
company called Bowl America thatat that time owned 18 bowling
centers, but they were publiclytraded and they were all made
mostly in one area of washingtonbaltimore area and I said we
could do this.
So I got involved with thepatrick family.
(02:25):
Doug had been in baseball Imean in bowling for a time.
So I said why don't you stickwith me for 90 days and teach me
something about this?
And so that was our firstcenter and we bought it.
Then all of a sudden a lot ofother people said it's time for
us to get out.
So by the next july we wentfrom owning no centers.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
In September of you are the cap for whatever goes on
in your store, in your company,in your district, in your
household.
However excited you are, whatyou believe is possible,
whatever that threshold is.
(03:12):
Who's been a mentor for youthrough the kind of through that
?
I'm sure that these days you'rea mentor for others.
But who, who, who?
Speaker 2 (03:19):
helped you along the way?
Well, I don't.
I think the most help that Ireceived, to set me a standard,
was Jess Neely, my athleticdirector at Vanderbilt.
He had been a head footballcoach at Rice and Clemson and
he's just a man of integrity.
(03:41):
I remember when he came to seeme at Goodall's he said I want
you to be our baseball coach atVanderbilt.
And I said why would I want todo that?
Y'all not very good.
And he said well, you're right,we're not, but I'll help you.
And it's just something aboutthat man.
And I learned that you know hewas at Rice when Bearryant was
(04:06):
at a and m.
He would never call bear, barry, called him paul because paul
had caught, been caught, barryhad been caught cheating at a
and m and he just emphasizedplay by the rules.
When things go bad, don't beblaming other people, don't take
(04:26):
credit for everything.
You know, he's just a mannerthat he had and he was up in his
years after he became realquick being ad, served as a golf
coach at vanderbilt and uh, hewas just, uh, an inspiration to
me.
(04:46):
You know, don't?
You know, keep your word.
If you give your word, keep it.
If something comes up you can'tyou go explain why you can't do
that and treat your playerswith respect, treat them all
like, give them a responsibilityand hold them to that.
I can't emphasize any more fromwhat I learned at Vanderbilt
(05:14):
dealing with less than whatother teams had, but not using
it as an alibi.
That probably taught me morethan any other thing I've done
I'm sure it served you well,growing your own businesses sure
did?
Speaker 1 (05:29):
yeah, because at the end of the day, as the business
owner, you have to assumeresponsibility for everything
that happens.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Yeah and that's where you know I've always kind of
wink when some head coach gottheir school, got caught doing
something, so they fire theassistant coach and said the
head coach didn't know anythingabout it.
Well, his jobs know yeah abouteverything right, so don't be
(05:57):
just blaming it on somebody elseto protect you on high.
Just admit it yeah I makemistakes every day and you're
going to.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
I mean, there's nobody's perfect and for us to
assume that we're going to beperfect is is just setting
ourselves up to fail.
Now, I do believe in perfectmoments.
Um, you know there's a lot ofpeople that will challenge
perfect perfection at all, but Ithink, think every once in a
while, a moment comes together.
Maybe maybe it was uh, beingable to put the sounds together,
(06:29):
maybe it was, uh, you know thesituation at the Royals, or
maybe it was just, uh, lastTuesday, but every once in a
while we get something justcomes together, and that's
that's fun.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Uh, that's fun.
Yeah, One of the things thatcomes up on the podcast pretty
frequently.
Now you and your wife have beenmarried 65 years.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Going on 66.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
That's fantastic.
Now, how much of your successdo you think is because you had
the right partner, that you hadsomebody that supported you,
supported them, and I mean youhave five kids.
Obviously that's a bigundertaking by itself, much less
.
All the rest, 100%, yeah,that's great.
(07:11):
And so give me a ballpark oneverybody's ages.
How old are all the kids?
Steve, you might have to helpwith that one.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
How old are I?
Yeah, how old is the 60?
Steve is the youngest.
How old are you?
Yeah, how old is he?
60.
Steve is the youngest.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
How old are you 50?
, 52.
There's probably a few nightsin the English that they'd suck
it for?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, we went four and four years.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Wow, and you were busy at that time too with the
business, and you know.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Well, I was still coaching when the first ones
were born, right.
Just to speak of his work ethicwhile he was at Peabody he was
working at Ford Motor Glass atthe same time.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
I don't think he slept for the first 20 years of
their marriage.
He was working the graveyardshift at Ford, going to Peabody
with the young wife, and thenthey started having us kids
along the way.
So I didn't know you were atFord too.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Yeah, I worked there for three years full-time.
I went to school during the dayand coached some little league
teams and then, when I taughtschool at Bailey, my at bailey
jr and then goodless for high, Iwould go back and work there in
(08:32):
a summer and make more money in10 weeks than I made all year
teaching sure oh, I believe thatmy grandfather retired from
ford now.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Uh, he was at the glass plant, but he would have
been.
He would have been a littleolder than you, I think he would
have been.
He would have turned 100 thisyear.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
That's where I was.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
I worked in every department except maintenance.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
I believe it.
So when did you sleep?
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I get through four hours a day, but you can do a
lot of things when you're 20years old.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Oh sure, Absolutely.
He was also the head footballrecruiter at vanderbilt and made
a pretty good acquaintance thatwent on to be a pretty good
coach of his own right at thesame time talk about bill
parcells okay, all right, sothis is new information for me.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
I did not know you were involved with the football
program yeah, I was a headfootball recruiter back when.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
when I coached in vanderilt almost all the
baseball coaches did somethingelse except the two Mississippi
schools had full-time baseballcoaches, but I was a head
recruiter became real goodfriends with Parcells.
He was a great motivator andwe're still friends.
We've had a gin and rummy gamegoing for a long time.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I love that.
That's great.
Uh, who's your favorite coachbesides your mentor?
Who?
Who do you see out there thatmaybe it's coaching today or has
coached along the way?
That, uh, maybe makes your list.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Oh, there's a lot of uh actually going back to old
timer Walt Austin and SparkyAnderson and people.
But you know Nashville is veryVanderbilt's got an excellent
baseball coach in Corbin.
He's done a great job.
He's established, put them on alevel with anybody else in the
(10:20):
country.
Looks like they got a prettygood basketball coach now and
certainly you know the.
You know I look at a lot of thebest coaches are not coaching
at the big schools that uh aremaking a living and doing the
best they can at a middletennessee or austin p or places
(10:43):
like that.
So I don't keep up with it asmuch as I used to as who I would
say is the best and all now.
But uh, certainly I guess theguy at ohio state established
himself is pretty good yeah, Ithink he's.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
I think you can probably mark that one down.
Um, now, well, because you takea lot from what you've learned
coaching and you know, obviously, growing, the sounds and and
those things, uh, what, what doyou think are some of the keys
to your winning strategies,other than identifying the
different types of people youwant to cater to in your bowling
centers?
But just in business in general, what would?
(11:19):
What advice would you givesomebody out there?
That's, that's a maybe ahallmark that you, what advice
would you give somebody outthere?
That's maybe a hallmark thatyou really stand by.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Well, the employees you hire and how you mold them
into what they should be doingyou know, have a manual and then
verbally tell them you know,this is what you do and this is
what I had to learn when I firstgot into bowling.
A lot of people have been doingthe same thing for like 20
(11:48):
years.
I worked the front desk.
That's all I do.
That wasn't my philosophy, andsometimes I've had to replace
people because I'd say you know,okay, you have slow times.
If you're slow time and all of asudden our snack bar get real
busy, you need to go over andhelp them out, and vice versa.
(12:09):
Sure, you need to help cleanthe stadium, your building, and
so to establish teamwork thatwe're on the same team in this
center, I'm going to treat thiscenter in Hendersonville as if
it's the only center I got.
We're not worried about the oneat Tuscaloosa, we're not
(12:30):
worried about the one inLouisville or Cincinnati.
We're going to make your centerthe best because you are a team
, and then translate that to thegeneral manager, which we've
tried to get at least somebodyin every center that really
knows bowling Like.
If you come to Hendersonvilleand you think you know something
(12:54):
, I guarantee you, tracy, whohas been on a pro tour, knows
more than you do.
Oh yeah, he's been around a longtime and so we have even in
Knoxville, where I have one ladyrunning three centers.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Wendy is the second or best bowler in the whole
state so she can talk to everyleague bowler.
You know, I've got a guy atE-Town.
He just was on the nationalchampionship team and I tell him
if somebody complains thatsomething wrong, these lanes say
(13:31):
let's go out there and you wantto bowl me for 10 bucks.
So uh, we, we try to get theteam right.
Yeah, it's still a team game.
It just don't keep standing.
So a baseball or football doesyeah.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Well, I, to me.
That is that's why so manypeople go wrong.
They don't one.
They just assume that peopleare going to know and
everybody's experience is notyour experience or my experience
and you have to own that foryour business.
So you having the manual,setting the standard and then
putting somebody in place thatknows bowling which so many
(14:10):
people get that wrong but knowsbowling and can talk bowling but
also understands the missionand that is that is, to excite
people, to get people to comeback because they enjoyed their
time there.
Um, and then some things thatwe take for granted that
obviously you know so manypeople don't do these days.
It was just keeping a centerclean or being cross-trained so
(14:33):
that they can step in forsomebody.
So I think that's fantastic andyou're really, if they decide
not to stay in bowling, you'reactually helping them get the
skills for their next job.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Oh, we have a world of first-time job holders,
especially in our circus worlds,our family entertainment center
.
We got a lot.
I mean, picture yourself asyou're now the general manager
and on Saturdays you've got 16teenagers working over there.
They all have their cell phonesand they want to talk on their
(15:10):
cell phones and you don't wantthem to talk on their cell
phones.
You want them to do their job.
Fortunately, crystal Moore, whoruns, has been with me since
2001.
She has a criteria.
Over there You're going to work.
You know no one should ever seeyou.
(15:31):
No customer should ever see youon a cell phone.
That's a great question and youmust show up and you must do
your job, and if you don't showup, if you have something, come
up, you're supposed to callsomebody else to fill your job,
and if you don't, you're fired.
Okay, so, and she sticks to itand she's had a lot of those
(15:56):
people start out as a15-year-old party host and now
is working full-time as doingsomething either in a snack bar,
the bar or the bowling counter.
Been with us for 10 years ormore yeah, well, because they're
growing.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
They're still growing , and that's why a lot of people
leave a position is becausethey're not getting closer to
their goal, or they don't feellike they're moving up, or they
don't.
They don't feel like they'regaining skills, and so kudos to
you and your team for growingpeople through their employment.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Well, we're trying.
We don't grow them all, somejust don't work out.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Well, that's just part of it.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
I think that speaks to dad's leadership and his
management team, from the frontoffice to the managers,
mechanics a lot of long lastingpeople have been there 20 plus
years that stick with them, goabove and beyond.
We just opened a new center inlouisville that a handful of
managers and a handful ofmechanics were all driving there
(16:58):
on their time, taking time awayfrom their family, and helping
us get that center open.
Yeah, so it just they bend overbackwards to him because he
treats them well and he's beentoward a lot of them.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
The one motto I have is don't ask your employer to do
anything that you wouldn't do.
Sure, when I was with thesounds, I told them I'll do
everything you do.
When I became 50 or so, I didsay I'm'm gonna put one
exception in there.
I'm not pulling the tarp anymorebecause I'm not physically able
(17:30):
to keep up with you, young guys, when you start running with
that tarp.
So and I tell our managersdon't, don't, don't tell
somebody go clean up a messyrestroom.
You go clean it up, then thenext time you can do that.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
But you've done it too.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
That's right, that's right and lead by example, and
I'll talk about one job that hedidn't take that I kind of wish
he had.
As you might know, being avandy fan, it's not always the
easiest, especially footballseason, but something I just
learned a few years ago is hewas offered the georgia head
baseball job.
And tell him what happened onthe way back why you didn't take
(18:09):
that job.
I could have been a Georgia fanmy whole life.
And they've done pretty well infootball.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I think that would have been easier.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Well, that's a long time ago.
But they had a great tennisprogram and I asked them about
lights and they said, well, atennis program will have to come
first.
So driving back, even before Igot Chad there, I said, man,
I've been playing second fiddleto football and basketball all
these years.
Dang, if I'm going to beplaying second fiddle to a
(18:37):
tennis program.
So I said that job's not for me.
It worked out great.
Yeah, I wouldn't have done thesounds if I, if I'd done that,
sure well, everything happensthe way it's supposed to happen
yeah that doesn't mean we can becomplacent or just sit back but
, um, that's well and I get itit.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
We're always looking for clues as to whether we're
supposed to do something or notsupposed to do something, and
that one said no yeah that'sgood steve.
I like that.
Um, how big, how big a uh parthas maintaining your health been
through throughout this?
Speaker 2 (19:13):
well, I've been fortunate.
I guess I got good genes.
My, my dad, lived to be to be93 and he had a.
He's a disabled veteran had ahole in his lung.
I've always tried to watch myweight.
I've tried to stay active.
I've heard of so many peoplethat was active and quit being
active and they're dead within ayear.
(19:36):
And so I've never wanted tojust sit around and do nothing.
I used to play golf, but Idon't do it anymore.
I don't garden, I don itanymore.
I don't garden, I don't fish, Idon't hunt.
So my hobby is work and I don'teven regard that as work.
Uh, I back up to take mypaycheck.
(19:57):
So, uh, and you know, I justthink I think you gotta be
active, you gotta be, have areason to get up, and I've
always jokingly tell myemployees I don't want you to
work but a half a day and Idon't really care which 12 hours
you work.
So I don't work 12 hoursanymore, but I enjoy what I do.
(20:26):
If I weren't doing that, Iwould be doing something else
that I enjoy, whether it be agreeter at Walmart or something
that I enjoyed that I was aroundpeople.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Well, and I hear stories about you all the time,
and in fact we were, we were ata meeting yesterday and, uh,
they were talking about, uh, youguys talking at the old timers,
uh, baseball banquet, and thatspurred all kinds of stories,
and so I've heard I've heardsome good ones that other people
have of you.
But, uh, what is it?
(21:00):
What is maybe one of the mostfun things that you ever did, or
maybe a story that you like totell?
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Oh, I don't have enough time to tell all my
favorite stories, but yeah, youknow, some of my most fun days
was when I was coaching summerball and having great teams and
going to World Series notgetting many money for that, but
just enjoying watching somesuper athletes developed into
(21:31):
professional athletes or collegeathletes.
And my favorite game atVanderbilt was I always wanted
to beat ut and if I was goingagainst ut I was charged up.
My players were charged up andthey beat me real bad.
The first year I first year Iwas there.
(21:53):
I went there in february anddidn't have any scholarship guys
.
So I always said I'll get youback.
And a couple years later I gotthem back.
I beat them about 13 or 14 runs,but they had a good team and we
had a good team.
And so our first 1973, they gotus whipped 8-4.
(22:17):
And they take their startingpitcher out and the ninth inning
comes up and we get a couple ofguys on base.
Then we get a couple more guyson base, we get one run in and
then a little non-scholarshipplayer at Vanderbilt comes to
bat named Tom Powell and hits agrand slam up on top of the gym
(22:39):
that we win nine to eight andparcells even wrote a poem to
put in the vanderbilt newspaperabout that.
And then we played tennesseethree more times that year and
they were still feeling theeffects of that.
We swept them.
That's probably my mostfavorite game.
Yeah, that that we had were thesounds.
(23:02):
I like to tell this story abouthow things must change.
I used to give a lot ofspeeches and I tell them my
favorite hero is ted giannullis.
Do you know who he?
is I don't never heard of him,huh no well you should.
You know him.
Ted giannullis lived in SanDiego and he was working for a
(23:24):
radio station and a new ownercame in and wanted a mascot, so
they advertised for the mascot.
Ted Giannullis got the jobbecause he fit the uniform and
he became the chicken.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Yep San Diego chicken .
Speaker 2 (23:38):
So Ted Giannullis became the famous san diego
chicken and he was a greatentertainer.
Uh, he always wanted to comeout at the top of bottom of the
second in a golf cart waving aflag.
So we're playing a and it'snothing to nothing, and Ted is
(23:58):
down at the gate to come in theleft field gate and all of a
sudden not all of a sudden, buta little bit later we're behind
12 to nothing.
He hadn't come out yet.
So he comes out and he changeshis whole routine to fit in.
Y'all done, lost this game.
Now I'm here to entertaineverybody.
(24:21):
So I used to tell my audienceted genotas makes over three
million dollars a year being achicken, and if you can be a
chicken and make three milliondollars a year, there's
absolutely nothing you can't doI love.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
I love that so well, so I will tell you and I think
I'm right when I say 1982.
Um, and maybe that was aroundthat time, I don't know, but I'm
I'm almost certain that myfirst recollection of baseball
was watching the sounds and theSan Diego chip, and the next
(24:59):
year I wanted to play T-ball.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I booked that little bird 92 times with all the
different teams.
I had major league.
He also did hockey, so we owneda hockey team for a little
while and so, uh, he's justentertainer.
I think he's still doing some.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Yeah, I think he had 92 different assistants.
He was tough to work for.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
He was very demanding .
Speaker 2 (25:23):
I believe it.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Because he was a pro Sure so he wanted to always make
sure he put on a great showyeah.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Well, he's risking his reputation every time.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
You know, just the other day.
Well, yesterday I got a messagefrom Innsworth, the private
school, and they want me to comeout for their banquet and
that'll be.
I agreed to do that one, justto come out there, because my
favorite teacher, the one thatinspired me to become a leader
and all those things is the deanthere, and I think that's the
(25:57):
only unpaid event that I'veagreed to in probably 15 years.
And it's because I risk myreputation every time and, knock
on wood, I've never missed ashot live.
So every time I've been infront of a live crowd.
whatever it was I was trying todo, I made it happen, but I get
(26:18):
that to some degree Now.
I try not to be difficult towork with.
Happen, but I get that to somedegree now.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
I try not to be difficult to work with, but I
definitely turn some things down.
I think Ensworth might be ableto afford to pay you, but that's
good of you to do it.
That's a beautiful campus.
Oh, it's nice for most colleges.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Oh, it is.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
I mean, the first time I walked onto that campus I
was just blown away.
I didn't got an ex-majorleaguer coaching their baseball
team.
I think he's athletic directornow, maxwell I think so.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
And then y'all just missed, do y'all know, virgil
herring?
Oh yeah, so virgil was herejust right before y'all got here
, he can play.
Yeah, yeah, so he used to bethe uh, the golf coach.
Okay, who's the dean?
Speaker 3 (26:54):
uh, kate mcglasson.
Okay, yeah, I know ricky bowerskind of got them going when
they started the high school.
Yep, that's a legendary coacharound here.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Well, just the way that that whole thing came
together, you know they did alot of research before they
broke ground to make sure thatit was set up for success and to
be a world-class facility.
But yeah, a lot of collegeplaces wish they had that kind
of campus.
But yeah, a lot of collegeplaces wish they had that kind
of campus.
So one of the things that we dothat's a little bit of fun, can
(27:30):
be a little controversial isthings we think but do not say.
And so for me a lot of timesit's keeping score and how we've
kind of watered downgenerations by giving everybody
a participation trophy.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
What's something you can think of that you think just
needs to be said that's beenone of my faults.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Usually if I think it I just say it, so you know.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
everybody knows where I stand and.
I respect their belief.
I agree with you that an?
Emphasis should be placed onexcellence.
Not everybody can be excellent.
It's all right to be good.
It's all right to be bad atthings.
Nobody's good, great good orexcellent at everything that's
right, uh, my, my big pet peeveis the phoniness of certain
(28:18):
people.
I just uh.
I don't usually say that guy'sa phony, I just ignore he exists
or she exists.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Yeah, I mean you just don't have time for that person
.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
No.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Yeah, uh, I do think as I get older, and I think I
think a lot of people uh do this, but I think the more gray hair
I get, the less likely I am toput up with BS.
Yeah, that's a good motto.
Some people could say I'mgetting grumpier, but it's just.
(28:50):
If somebody's not authentic, ifsomebody knows that they're not
telling the truth, there's noreason for me to waste any more
time with them.
There's too many good people inthe world to spend time with
with them.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
There's too many good people in the world to spend
time with.
Um.
I think one of dad's favoritesayings which probably drives my
older brother, ron, that runsthe company with dad, and then
Phillip Cox who does everythingfor us is if it's not broke,
don't fix it.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Yeah, yeah, um and we , and we didn't tee this up
before Um, so I don't know howdeep we want to go with it.
Tee this up before um, so Idon't know how deep we want to
go with it.
But how big a deal iscommunication with your?
I mean, I've had a team of 500.
I know how uh strenuous thatcan be.
Um, you predominantly share itwith the leaders, the gms, and
then it's up to them tobroadcast the message, or how
(29:34):
are you doing that currently?
Speaker 2 (29:37):
well, it is communication, but ours are a
little different than maybe acompany that is all the same.
I know bolero has bought allthese centers, 350 centers, and
won't ever center to run exactlythe same.
A center in california to runthe same as for center in
clarksville t Tennessee, that'simpossible.
(29:59):
Our centers are different too.
The ones up north are totallydifferent than the one in the
south, like our center rightbelow Cincinnati.
That's the beer drinkingestgroup I've ever seen in the
(30:22):
world at erlanger and, uh, theyhave tremendous leagues.
Their leagues are totallydifferent than 90 of our leagues
in tennessee okay they'reserious, a little bit more
serious than a good time league,but it's not life or death,
(30:43):
right, and the questions you getasked is about beer, not the
shot.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
And so some of your listeners may not know what
we're talking about.
We're talking about a shot.
All is placed on those lanesand there's a certain criteria
that the united states bowlingcongress puts out to make it a
legal shot or a tough shot.
Most league bowlers I tell mymechanics, it's not what you
(31:15):
want, it's what the majority ofthe league bowlers want, it's
not what one bowler wants, themajority.
Sure, I've had disputes come upand when I do, I get some of
the best bowlers, some of theworst bowlers, the middle
bowlers, to come in and we putshot after shot after shot down
(31:36):
and say whenever you all come upwith a majority, that's it,
yeah at the shot down and say,whenever y'all come up with a
majority, that's it, yeah.
And so most bowlers want a shotthat's just barely legal, that
they can score the highest.
Some other people will say Iwant a tough shot, so we can
sometimes put in the pro shot.
(31:56):
And when we first put inHendersonvilleville I noticed a
young man.
He's a lawyer.
He was getting out of hismercedes that night and I said,
uh, how you doing that pro shot,lee?
Oh, it's good, but I'm notgonna do it again.
Why is that?
He said I'm averaging 190.
I said it's very good yeah hesaid I'd rather bowl 220.
(32:20):
So you know he wasn't just soserious that he wanted to go on
a pro tour.
Sure, uh?
And so you know it's, it's,it's the communication one.
I used to do this myself.
I'd go into every center atleast once a week during league
bowling.
I can't do it anymore becauseof my wife's health and mine too
(32:42):
.
Ronnie how old is is in thosedoing mine.
I still go once a month or onceevery two weeks to communicate
with the general manager and theother people that's there.
Talk to them, maybe not as agroup, but just say hey, steve,
you're doing a good job.
(33:02):
You know, like that smile yougot, you know.
Hey, uh, mr mechanic, we reallyappreciate the work you put in
that's right, uh, so it's aagain going back to team element
that you, as an executive, thatyou go in and translate to
whoever.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Right and all your centers are within.
What about five, six?
Speaker 2 (33:26):
hours.
Our farthest one away isCincinnati, which is four and a
half five hours.
Okay, gotcha, I've tried to gethim on the beach, but he keeps
turning it down.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
I said I'll be happy to relocate, that's right and
keep an eye on it, but for somethe beach.
But he keeps turning it down.
I said I'll be happy torelocate, that's right and
keeping on it, but some reasonhe just he thinks I just drink
coffee and don't spend any money.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
he's worried the sand will get on the line.
Yeah, that's something to do,that's right.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Um, and you said 500 plus employees, right, yeah,
some of those are temporary orpart-time, but they're still
very important, especiallyweekend people.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Yeah, how big a focus is youth bowling for your
centers?
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Probably not as much as it used to be.
Our leagues are.
When I first got into it, you'dhave a youth league that's
bowling 24, 25 weeks.
Kids not going to do that, nomore.
Yeah, so we have the youthleagues we, but most of them are
(34:32):
10 or 12 weeks.
If you like it, take two weeksoff and come back again, so
we'll put them.
We put a tremendous emphasis onhigh school bowling.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
Okay, I love that.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
We've got every high school bowling in the city
pretty much bowls at our centers, and so a lot of our managers
whether it be Mark Hubbard atHermitage or Tracy or Chris Law,
are coaching some of those highschool.
(35:02):
And then we also are employingsome of those high school
bowlers to work part-time, beinga lane attendant or whatever.
So we're very, very involved inhigh school bowling, which is a
fast-growing sport throughoutthe United States.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
It is, and you know a lot of people are new to it or
don't know that their schoolmight even have one.
And then a lot of people don'trealize how many different types
of jobs there are in bowling,whether it's at the center
itself or whether the marketingfor a center, the business
aspect of a center, theinventory management of a center
, the food and beverage, thehospitality side or, you know,
(35:45):
in manufacturing itself.
You know there's marketing jobs, there's design jobs.
You know there's a lot of that.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
Well, we also.
You know we're not known forthat, but we have 15 restaurants
, yeah, we have 15 bars, yep.
So you got to know food costs.
You got to know how we're notknown for that, but we have 15
restaurants, we have 15 bars.
So you've got to know foodcosts.
You've got to know how to cookor how to serve a drink and the
(36:13):
bars are not a big part but youneed bars.
But you know, people have triedit without alcohol.
I understand the people thatthe church people say you
shouldn't serve alcohol, youdon't have to drink it.
That's right.
We don't push it, we don't havespecials, but we have a bar.
If you want a beer, you get abeer.
That's on a mixed drink, youget a mixed drink.
If you want to watch footballgame, we got, I think it.
(36:33):
I think it's a good idea.
For instance, we've got like 40TVs.
You know you've got toentertain, yeah, and you've got
to have some rules andregulations.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
I'd love to know not that it's because of us, but how
many high schoolers have comethrough our centers that have
gone on to Bowling College andwhat they've been able to do
with that.
Even if they didn't use it,they have that money that's in
their smart account.
That's right.
I wish they had bowling 30something years ago when I was
in high school.
Not that I'm a good bowler, buthopefully I could at least been
(37:07):
a fifth man on the team.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
It would have brought more interest, and you know one
of the things.
Well, let me ask this Do youthink that, if there was, do you
think funding is an issue inyouth bowling, or is it interest
, or is it the majority of theplaces get?
Their leagues are too long.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
What do you think it is?
I think it's a total timeelement.
You hear, you know why areleagues, full-time leagues,
declining?
Used to as over 10 millionregistered league bowlers, now
there's a little over a million.
You know, some people say theowners chased them off.
Well, or it got too expensivetime, chased them off.
(37:48):
you know it's more things forpeople to do there's a lot more
competition instead of sayingI'm going to tie up 32
consecutive thursdays, that'sright to go.
I want to do other things.
You know I love bowling, somost of your leagues that you
start now are 12, 14, 16-weekleagues.
(38:10):
Take a couple weeks off atChristmas If you really love it.
We have another 14-team league.
So if you start a new leagueleague, say we got a new league
and we're gonna bowl 35 weeks,you'll have like two teams yeah,
you're not gonna get new bowlsyeah, uh, well, I'll tell you at
(38:32):
, specifically at hendersonville.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
Um, uh, john and megan henderson, I've bowled
with them a couple times.
They bowled on Sunday nightsand they love bowling there and,
uh, I've subbed with them acouple of times and the other
night, uh, megan decided tothrow a ball backwards.
She got a strike.
Uh, she did fantastic.
But, uh, you know, um, I dothink that people get passionate
(38:56):
about their center and and thepeople that, uh, that are
employed there and and and serve, serve the drink or serve.
You know, uh, get the laneready or, you know, it becomes
more like family.
And so thank you for forbuilding places and maintaining
places.
It obviously would be easy tojust sell out to Bolero, uh, and
there'd be, they'd be trying tocookie-cutter the next 17, 18
(39:24):
locations.
But I appreciate you being whoyou are and the integrity that
you bring to the business and,obviously, taking care of your
employees.
And you know, I can't believe,it's been 25 years already.
Speaker 2 (39:35):
Well, we appreciate the bowlers, we appreciate the
people like you are dedicated toit.
I tell anybody.
If you have an idea, acomplaint, my cell number is
615-294-8500.
You can call me between 8 and1030 at night.
I'll listen to your complaint.
If we did something wrong,we'll make it good.
(39:57):
If we didn't do something wrong, I'm going to tell you.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
Yeah, this is a rule for everybody, not just you,
that's right, that's right andand really a lot of people need
that, that, that reality check.
A lot of people get kind ofcaught up in themselves and
really it's.
You know, you've said this.
You know probably 10 differentways since we started talking,
but it's about other people.
Yeah, yeah, it just is and it'skind of corny.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
I mean, bowling brings a lot of different people
together.
I mean I'm I don't even want tosay what my average was we're
bowling league, but you knowfrom your scratch bowler, I was
working in tuscaloosa a couplenights and these two brothers
kept coming in.
I'm like y'all need to join aleague yeah they didn't, they
only joined the league.
they ended up working for us andone of them runs our Donaldson
Center now.
So it's just such a greatactivity.
(40:41):
Me and my two brothers bowled aleague Sunday night at
Tuscaloosa.
Ron was way more competitivethan me and Brother Mike and
he'd get mad at us for walkingaround socializing too much and
not winning.
Everybody's giving us 200 pinsevery time we bowl because we're
so bad.
But it's great, it'shandicapped and it's you know.
You can bowl against somebodylike yourself and get all those
(41:05):
and it's just competitive,brings out competitive juices in
you.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
So it's just a great game.
And I will give one last thingbefore we close this, to the
people that say bowling is not asport come out and try it.
That's right, and I'll put youwith a league bowler and if you
think it's really easy to bowl200, we'll see how long it takes
you yeah, that's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
Um, well, the last.
I got two last things for you,so this one's fun.
So if you were to put togethera celebrity bowling challenge
and we're going to raise somemoney for a particular charity
out there, who would be on yourteam?
Could be anybody throughouthistory, whether you knew them,
didn't know them alive orotherwise.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
I've got a four-person team.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
You and four others.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
Well, I'd have to bring in my boyhood idol, mickey
Mantle.
Well, I'd have to bring in myboyhood idol, mickey Mantle.
I'd have to bring in my oldbuddy, bill Parcells, where he
could chew them all out.
My other bowler would have tobe Jerry Reed.
(42:26):
Other bowler would have to becherry read.
Well, yeah, that would be agood one here, conway.
And my most important bowlerwill be bringing in would be my
wife of 65 years, shirley smitho, who can't bowl a lick, but she
has her own ball.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (42:42):
And she's going to be fun.
That's right, she just retiredlast year, so the work ethic's
in the genes a little bit.
Speaker 1 (42:49):
Yeah, absolutely Absolutely.
Now does she enjoy bowling?
Speaker 2 (42:53):
With the grandkids.
Yes, my wife is.
You know anything I've everdone, she'd been a hundred
percent for me.
When I told her I was going toget into bowling, she kind of
turned her nose up to it,because she grew up in a time
like I did that bowling was aplace where old white guys hung
out smoking cigars, tellingnasty jokes and drinking beer.
(43:17):
That is true to some extent,but really not anymore, right.
So once she learned whatbowling was really like, she
just jumped right back in to beinvolved.
She was involved in baseball.
She's involved in every team Iever coached, so she's always
been involved.
(43:37):
Yeah, always been supportive.
She's your partner, yep.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
That's fantastic.
Well, big shout out to MissShirley out there and thank you
for being a part of bowling,even by proxy, by letting him
follow his dreams.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
Well, we planned on being in it a long time.
Speaker 1 (43:54):
I love that Last thing.
Have you put any thought intohow you want to be remembered?
Speaker 2 (44:02):
Yeah, I just want to.
I would like to be rememberedas a guy was a decent guy that
treated people right and alwayskept his words and didn't let
things get him down.
He just got knocked down, hejust got back up, he just got
(44:22):
back up.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
Yeah, I love that.
Well, larry Steve.
Thank you guys for coming in.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
My pleasure.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
It's been a fantastic time hanging out with you guys
and again, larry, you know a lotof people did not like the way
that I bowled.
A lot of people turned theirnose up at that and you would
not have been wrong for beingany other way than they were,
but you took an opportunity tobe nice to me and it really
(44:54):
helped me along the way, so Iappreciate that Well
congratulations on all yoursuccess.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
You're the chicken of bowling, main money out of
bowling.
Speaker 3 (45:03):
so, uh, maybe it didn't get the same rights fee
that the old chicken got, butwe're proud for your success he
probably owes you some royaltiesbecause he's gotten a lot of
mileage out of that story likethat whenever we travel in all
the different bowling worlds.
He's got a lot of mileage outof, out of your story so well,
it's fun for you it.
Speaker 1 (45:22):
you know, I appreciate it.
One of the uh I when I used toget periodically kicked out of a
place.
Um, I was bowling with a friendof mine.
We were in south haven,mississippi, and we had been at
tunica and he was losing moneytoo fast and I said we'll go
bowling like let's, let's goaway from the casino for a
little bit.
And I had been used to that.
(45:43):
Look when, when the manager washeaded over to usher me out of
there and this guy comes overand, uh, he in a stern voice,
you, jim Cripps, yes, sir, comewith me.
And you know, I don't know ifhe's walking me out of there or
what and I was, like you know,told my buddy, I said grab my
bag, if you know I'm out of here.
(46:04):
And he walks me back to theoffice and he pulls my picture
off the wall and he goes.
you mind signing that, and Ithought you know hadn't been
hadn't been treated like thatsince, uh, since Larry put me on
TV, so, but I tell a lot ofpeople that story and uh, in
fact, um, um, rudy and I weretalking about that just last
(46:25):
year.
So, um, again, I appreciate allthat you did with Kimball.
I did not, okay, um.
So when I was on Jimmy Kimmel,uh, I bowled against his aunt.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
Okay, he makes fun with her all the time, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (46:41):
And she just about lost it.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
I was surprised they didn't have to beat some words
out, because they actually it'sthe only time I have thrown a
game forward and it's becausethey did not want her to know
who I was.
They said look, you've got toblend in.
I said I don't bowl forward,and they go.
We've hired these four actorsto act like they're your best
friends.
We're drawing you randomly outof the crowd, and so I bowled a
(47:04):
whole game forward.
I shot 112.
Speaker 3 (47:11):
And then they randomly picked me and I shot
210 against her on TV.
You weren't nervous at all.
Speaker 1 (47:14):
Well, you know that one just worked out.
I was able to shake the nervesand, partly because you know
whether it was at your center oranywhere else, I drew a crowd
and you were either going to gettough skin or you were going to
get used to you know the stressand, um, you know, for a while,
usbc hired me to bowl with boblearn and, uh, carmen sorvino
(47:36):
and a few others to do trickshot shows, and, and that was a
whole new level of stress.
In fact, my pinnacle moment was2009 and, uh, we were doing a
trick shot show in between thefirst round and the or the last
round in the, the, the TV showfor the masters, uh, or the open
, and so everybody in bowlingwho earns their money bowling
(47:58):
was watching and they'rewatching me, you know you know
I'm who earns their money.
Bowling was watching and they'rewatching me.
You know, you know I'm.
I'm the guy that doesn't fit.
I don't have a pro card, yeah,um, but it.
It inspired me to go get my pbacard, because every kid that
got an autograph you want toknow you're pro.
You're pro no, so so 2011?
Speaker 2 (48:15):
uh, I got my pba card , yeah we brought parker boy in,
we opened Hillwood.
He sent one of our employees onthat barstool right in front of
the pens and threw threestraight strikes right through
the legs of that barstool.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
Oh, yeah, well, probably the biggest honor I
ever got was 2012, when theyopened the first Disney bowling
alley, johnny Petraglia and Iwere both hired to do all the TV
shows and so we were on 75channels just back to back to
back.
They just swapped them out andyou went as fast as you could
(48:49):
and of course every one of themwanted to strike Uh.
But we did a couple of trickshots and you know they loved it
.
Speaker 3 (48:54):
And uh, you know it's amazing where bowling's take,
or just on a whim you threw itbackwards and where it's taking
you from that.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
That's a great story, the relationships.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
I mean we wouldn't be sitting here, Honestly, I
wouldn't be here in this podcaststudio.
So the reason that I met NickHeider was when I shot 300,
randy Huth, who was the littleleague coach well, he used to
run the Pinnacle and so he's thereason that I was able to start
bowling.
Backwards and he called and hesaid look, you got to, you got
(49:28):
to do a hiders podcast.
So I jumped on the podcast withhim and then he found out about
all the business stuff that I'ddone and he goes well, you need
your own podcast.
So indirectly, bowling kind ofhas changed the direction of my
life.
Speaker 3 (49:42):
Yeah, sure Good.
Speaker 2 (49:44):
Well, speaking of bowling, if we're through, I've
got to go to work.
Yeah, he's getting anxious,he's getting anxious.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
That's good.
We go on two family reunionsevery year and you can just see
him crawling out of his skinsitting over there.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
Ready to get back to it.
Speaker 3 (49:56):
He likes his routine.
I love it.
He's pretty good at it.
Speaker 1 (50:01):
Well, I love it.
He's pretty good at it.
Well, larry and Steve, thanksso much for coming in.
Thank you To everybody watchingthe podcast today.
I just want to say thank you.
Thank you for checking this oneout.
Hopefully, some of the thingsthat you heard today whether it
be the integrity piece, whetherit be the mentors along the way,
the coaching, how you treatyour team members, how you treat
your customers all those manythings there's a lot to learn
(50:22):
from Mr Schmidto and what he hasdone, both in sports, for
Nashville and for bowling.
Until next time, I'm Jim Crippswith the Charge Forward Podcast.
Thanks so much to the team hereat HitLab Studios and our
partners at Sense CustomerDevelopment and Charge Forward
Solutions.
We'll see you later.
Team is Jim Cripps here withthe Charge Forward Podcast.
I just want to tell you I loveyou.
(50:47):
I appreciate you listening, Iappreciate you for subscribing
and sharing the Charge ForwardPodcast with people you know and
you love, because that's whatwe're here for.
We are here to share theamazing stories, the things that
people have been through, theways that they were able to
improve their life, so that youcan take little nuggets from
theirs and help improve yourstory and be better tomorrow
than you were today.
(51:08):
I hope that this is the toolyou needed at the right time and
that you find value in theamazing guests that we bring
each and every week.
Thanks so much and don't forgetnew episodes drop every
Thursday.
You had to have some joy in it to stay in it this
long.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Well, I enjoy it.
I enjoy my employees.
We have 500-some-odd employeesnow and I really enjoy the
customers.
That's what I enjoyed about thesounds.
I enjoyed walking those stepsand talking to the customers.
I enjoyed talking baseball tothem.
I've never wanted to just sitaround and do nothing.
(00:27):
I used to play golf, but Idon't do it anymore.
I don't garden, I don't fish, Idon't hunt, so my hobby is work
and I don't even regard that aswork.
I back up to take my paycheck.
So you know, I just thinkyou've got to be active, you've
(00:48):
got to have a reason to get up,and I've always jokingly tell my
employees I don't want you towork, but a half a day, and I
don't really care which 12 hoursyou work.
So I don't work 12 hoursanymore, but I enjoy what I do.
(01:12):
If I weren't doing that, Iwould be doing something else
that I enjoy, whether it be agreeter at Walmart or something
that I enjoyed that I was aroundpeople.
We had made an approach tobuying Kansas City.
That went to the guy that wasalready running them, that was
(01:35):
from the Walmart clan.
So Rick stayed on me, let's dosomething together.
And so the center inMurfreesboro, tennessee, became
available.
We reached agreement.
I presented it to Rick.
Here's an idea I had taken thefinancial statements of a
(02:00):
company called Bowl America thatat that time owned 18 bowling
centers, but they were publiclytraded and they were all made
mostly in one area of washingtonbaltimore area and I said we
could do this.
So I got involved with thepatrick family.
(02:25):
Doug had been in baseball Imean in bowling for a time.
So I said why don't you stickwith me for 90 days and teach me
something about this?
And so that was our firstcenter and we bought it.
Then all of a sudden a lot ofother people said it's time for
us to get out.
So by the next july we wentfrom owning no centers.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
In September of you are the cap for whatever goes on
in your store, in your company,in your district, in your
household.
However excited you are, whatyou believe is possible,
whatever that threshold is.
(03:12):
Who's been a mentor for youthrough the kind of through that
?
I'm sure that these days you'rea mentor for others.
But who, who, who?
Speaker 2 (03:19):
helped you along the way?
Well, I don't.
I think the most help that Ireceived, to set me a standard,
was Jess Neely, my athleticdirector at Vanderbilt.
He had been a head footballcoach at Rice and Clemson and
he's just a man of integrity.
(03:41):
I remember when he came to seeme at Goodall's he said I want
you to be our baseball coach atVanderbilt.
And I said why would I want todo that?
Y'all not very good.
And he said well, you're right,we're not, but I'll help you.
And it's just something aboutthat man.
And I learned that you know hewas at Rice when Bearryant was
(04:06):
at a and m.
He would never call bear, barry, called him paul because paul
had caught, been caught, barryhad been caught cheating at a
and m and he just emphasizedplay by the rules.
When things go bad, don't beblaming other people, don't take
(04:26):
credit for everything.
You know, he's just a mannerthat he had and he was up in his
years after he became realquick being ad, served as a golf
coach at vanderbilt and uh, hewas just, uh, an inspiration to
me.
(04:46):
You know, don't?
You know, keep your word.
If you give your word, keep it.
If something comes up you can'tyou go explain why you can't do
that and treat your playerswith respect, treat them all
like, give them a responsibilityand hold them to that.
I can't emphasize any more fromwhat I learned at Vanderbilt
(05:14):
dealing with less than whatother teams had, but not using
it as an alibi.
That probably taught me morethan any other thing I've done
I'm sure it served you well,growing your own businesses sure
did?
Speaker 1 (05:29):
yeah, because at the end of the day, as the business
owner, you have to assumeresponsibility for everything
that happens.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Yeah and that's where you know I've always kind of
wink when some head coach gottheir school, got caught doing
something, so they fire theassistant coach and said the
head coach didn't know anythingabout it.
Well, his jobs know yeah abouteverything right, so don't be
(05:57):
just blaming it on somebody elseto protect you on high.
Just admit it yeah I makemistakes every day and you're
going to.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
I mean, there's nobody's perfect and for us to
assume that we're going to beperfect is is just setting
ourselves up to fail.
Now, I do believe in perfectmoments.
Um, you know there's a lot ofpeople that will challenge
perfect perfection at all, but Ithink, think every once in a
while, a moment comes together.
Maybe maybe it was uh, beingable to put the sounds together,
(06:29):
maybe it was, uh, you know thesituation at the Royals, or
maybe it was just, uh, lastTuesday, but every once in a
while we get something justcomes together, and that's
that's fun.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Uh, that's fun.
Yeah, One of the things thatcomes up on the podcast pretty
frequently.
Now you and your wife have beenmarried 65 years.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Going on 66.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
That's fantastic.
Now, how much of your successdo you think is because you had
the right partner, that you hadsomebody that supported you,
supported them, and I mean youhave five kids.
Obviously that's a bigundertaking by itself, much less
.
All the rest, 100%, yeah,that's great.
(07:11):
And so give me a ballpark oneverybody's ages.
How old are all the kids?
Steve, you might have to helpwith that one.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
How old are I?
Yeah, how old is the 60?
Steve is the youngest.
How old are you?
Yeah, how old is he?
60.
Steve is the youngest.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
How old are you 50?
, 52.
There's probably a few nightsin the English that they'd suck
it for?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, we went four and four years.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Wow, and you were busy at that time too with the
business, and you know.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Well, I was still coaching when the first ones
were born, right.
Just to speak of his work ethicwhile he was at Peabody he was
working at Ford Motor Glass atthe same time.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
I don't think he slept for the first 20 years of
their marriage.
He was working the graveyardshift at Ford, going to Peabody
with the young wife, and thenthey started having us kids
along the way.
So I didn't know you were atFord too.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Yeah, I worked there for three years full-time.
I went to school during the dayand coached some little league
teams and then, when I taughtschool at Bailey, my at bailey
jr and then goodless for high, Iwould go back and work there in
(08:32):
a summer and make more money in10 weeks than I made all year
teaching sure oh, I believe thatmy grandfather retired from
ford now.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Uh, he was at the glass plant, but he would have
been.
He would have been a littleolder than you, I think he would
have been.
He would have turned 100 thisyear.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
That's where I was.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
I worked in every department except maintenance.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
I believe it.
So when did you sleep?
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I get through four hours a day, but you can do a
lot of things when you're 20years old.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Oh sure, Absolutely.
He was also the head footballrecruiter at vanderbilt and made
a pretty good acquaintance thatwent on to be a pretty good
coach of his own right at thesame time talk about bill
parcells okay, all right, sothis is new information for me.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
I did not know you were involved with the football
program yeah, I was a headfootball recruiter back when.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
when I coached in vanderilt almost all the
baseball coaches did somethingelse except the two Mississippi
schools had full-time baseballcoaches, but I was a head
recruiter became real goodfriends with Parcells.
He was a great motivator andwe're still friends.
We've had a gin and rummy gamegoing for a long time.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I love that.
That's great.
Uh, who's your favorite coachbesides your mentor?
Who?
Who do you see out there thatmaybe it's coaching today or has
coached along the way?
That, uh, maybe makes your list.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Oh, there's a lot of uh actually going back to old
timer Walt Austin and SparkyAnderson and people.
But you know Nashville is veryVanderbilt's got an excellent
baseball coach in Corbin.
He's done a great job.
He's established, put them on alevel with anybody else in the
(10:20):
country.
Looks like they got a prettygood basketball coach now and
certainly you know the.
You know I look at a lot of thebest coaches are not coaching
at the big schools that uh aremaking a living and doing the
best they can at a middletennessee or austin p or places
(10:43):
like that.
So I don't keep up with it asmuch as I used to as who I would
say is the best and all now.
But uh, certainly I guess theguy at ohio state established
himself is pretty good yeah, Ithink he's.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
I think you can probably mark that one down.
Um, now, well, because you takea lot from what you've learned
coaching and you know, obviously, growing, the sounds and and
those things, uh, what, what doyou think are some of the keys
to your winning strategies,other than identifying the
different types of people youwant to cater to in your bowling
centers?
But just in business in general, what would?
(11:19):
What advice would you givesomebody out there?
That's, that's a maybe ahallmark that you, what advice
would you give somebody outthere?
That's maybe a hallmark thatyou really stand by.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Well, the employees you hire and how you mold them
into what they should be doingyou know, have a manual and then
verbally tell them you know,this is what you do and this is
what I had to learn when I firstgot into bowling.
A lot of people have been doingthe same thing for like 20
(11:48):
years.
I worked the front desk.
That's all I do.
That wasn't my philosophy, andsometimes I've had to replace
people because I'd say you know,okay, you have slow times.
If you're slow time and all of asudden our snack bar get real
busy, you need to go over andhelp them out, and vice versa.
(12:09):
Sure, you need to help cleanthe stadium, your building, and
so to establish teamwork thatwe're on the same team in this
center, I'm going to treat thiscenter in Hendersonville as if
it's the only center I got.
We're not worried about the oneat Tuscaloosa, we're not
(12:30):
worried about the one inLouisville or Cincinnati.
We're going to make your centerthe best because you are a team
, and then translate that to thegeneral manager, which we've
tried to get at least somebodyin every center that really
knows bowling Like.
If you come to Hendersonvilleand you think you know something
(12:54):
, I guarantee you, tracy, whohas been on a pro tour, knows
more than you do.
Oh yeah, he's been around a longtime and so we have even in
Knoxville, where I have one ladyrunning three centers.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Wendy is the second or best bowler in the whole
state so she can talk to everyleague bowler.
You know, I've got a guy atE-Town.
He just was on the nationalchampionship team and I tell him
if somebody complains thatsomething wrong, these lanes say
(13:31):
let's go out there and you wantto bowl me for 10 bucks.
So uh, we, we try to get theteam right.
Yeah, it's still a team game.
It just don't keep standing.
So a baseball or football doesyeah.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Well, I, to me.
That is that's why so manypeople go wrong.
They don't one.
They just assume that peopleare going to know and
everybody's experience is notyour experience or my experience
and you have to own that foryour business.
So you having the manual,setting the standard and then
putting somebody in place thatknows bowling which so many
(14:10):
people get that wrong but knowsbowling and can talk bowling but
also understands the missionand that is that is, to excite
people, to get people to comeback because they enjoyed their
time there.
Um, and then some things thatwe take for granted that
obviously you know so manypeople don't do these days.
It was just keeping a centerclean or being cross-trained so
(14:33):
that they can step in forsomebody.
So I think that's fantastic andyou're really, if they decide
not to stay in bowling, you'reactually helping them get the
skills for their next job.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Oh, we have a world of first-time job holders,
especially in our circus worlds,our family entertainment center
.
We got a lot.
I mean, picture yourself asyou're now the general manager
and on Saturdays you've got 16teenagers working over there.
They all have their cell phonesand they want to talk on their
(15:10):
cell phones and you don't wantthem to talk on their cell
phones.
You want them to do their job.
Fortunately, crystal Moore, whoruns, has been with me since
2001.
She has a criteria.
Over there You're going to work.
You know no one should ever seeyou.
(15:31):
No customer should ever see youon a cell phone.
That's a great question and youmust show up and you must do
your job, and if you don't showup, if you have something, come
up, you're supposed to callsomebody else to fill your job,
and if you don't, you're fired.
Okay, so, and she sticks to itand she's had a lot of those
(15:56):
people start out as a15-year-old party host and now
is working full-time as doingsomething either in a snack bar,
the bar or the bowling counter.
Been with us for 10 years ormore yeah, well, because they're
growing.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
They're still growing , and that's why a lot of people
leave a position is becausethey're not getting closer to
their goal, or they don't feellike they're moving up, or they
don't.
They don't feel like they'regaining skills, and so kudos to
you and your team for growingpeople through their employment.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Well, we're trying.
We don't grow them all, somejust don't work out.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Well, that's just part of it.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
I think that speaks to dad's leadership and his
management team, from the frontoffice to the managers,
mechanics a lot of long lastingpeople have been there 20 plus
years that stick with them, goabove and beyond.
We just opened a new center inlouisville that a handful of
managers and a handful ofmechanics were all driving there
(16:58):
on their time, taking time awayfrom their family, and helping
us get that center open.
Yeah, so it just they bend overbackwards to him because he
treats them well and he's beentoward a lot of them.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
The one motto I have is don't ask your employer to do
anything that you wouldn't do.
Sure, when I was with thesounds, I told them I'll do
everything you do.
When I became 50 or so, I didsay I'm'm gonna put one
exception in there.
I'm not pulling the tarp anymorebecause I'm not physically able
(17:30):
to keep up with you, young guys, when you start running with
that tarp.
So and I tell our managersdon't, don't, don't tell
somebody go clean up a messyrestroom.
You go clean it up, then thenext time you can do that.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
But you've done it too.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
That's right, that's right and lead by example, and
I'll talk about one job that hedidn't take that I kind of wish
he had.
As you might know, being avandy fan, it's not always the
easiest, especially footballseason, but something I just
learned a few years ago is hewas offered the georgia head
baseball job.
And tell him what happened onthe way back why you didn't take
(18:09):
that job.
I could have been a Georgia fanmy whole life.
And they've done pretty well infootball.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I think that would have been easier.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Well, that's a long time ago.
But they had a great tennisprogram and I asked them about
lights and they said, well, atennis program will have to come
first.
So driving back, even before Igot Chad there, I said, man,
I've been playing second fiddleto football and basketball all
these years.
Dang, if I'm going to beplaying second fiddle to a
(18:37):
tennis program.
So I said that job's not for me.
It worked out great.
Yeah, I wouldn't have done thesounds if I, if I'd done that,
sure well, everything happensthe way it's supposed to happen
yeah that doesn't mean we can becomplacent or just sit back but
, um, that's well and I get itit.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
We're always looking for clues as to whether we're
supposed to do something or notsupposed to do something, and
that one said no yeah that'sgood steve.
I like that.
Um, how big, how big a uh parthas maintaining your health been
through throughout this?
Speaker 2 (19:13):
well, I've been fortunate.
I guess I got good genes.
My, my dad, lived to be to be93 and he had a.
He's a disabled veteran had ahole in his lung.
I've always tried to watch myweight.
I've tried to stay active.
I've heard of so many peoplethat was active and quit being
active and they're dead within ayear.
(19:36):
And so I've never wanted tojust sit around and do nothing.
I used to play golf, but Idon't do it anymore.
I don't garden, I don itanymore.
I don't garden, I don't fish, Idon't hunt.
So my hobby is work and I don'teven regard that as work.
Uh, I back up to take mypaycheck.
(19:57):
So, uh, and you know, I justthink I think you gotta be
active, you gotta be, have areason to get up, and I've
always jokingly tell myemployees I don't want you to
work but a half a day and Idon't really care which 12 hours
you work.
So I don't work 12 hoursanymore, but I enjoy what I do.
(20:26):
If I weren't doing that, Iwould be doing something else
that I enjoy, whether it be agreeter at Walmart or something
that I enjoyed that I was aroundpeople.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Well, and I hear stories about you all the time,
and in fact we were, we were ata meeting yesterday and, uh,
they were talking about, uh, youguys talking at the old timers,
uh, baseball banquet, and thatspurred all kinds of stories,
and so I've heard I've heardsome good ones that other people
have of you.
But, uh, what is it?
(21:00):
What is maybe one of the mostfun things that you ever did, or
maybe a story that you like totell?
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Oh, I don't have enough time to tell all my
favorite stories, but yeah, youknow, some of my most fun days
was when I was coaching summerball and having great teams and
going to World Series notgetting many money for that, but
just enjoying watching somesuper athletes developed into
(21:31):
professional athletes or collegeathletes.
And my favorite game atVanderbilt was I always wanted
to beat ut and if I was goingagainst ut I was charged up.
My players were charged up andthey beat me real bad.
The first year I first year Iwas there.
(21:53):
I went there in february anddidn't have any scholarship guys
.
So I always said I'll get youback.
And a couple years later I gotthem back.
I beat them about 13 or 14 runs,but they had a good team and we
had a good team.
And so our first 1973, they gotus whipped 8-4.
(22:17):
And they take their startingpitcher out and the ninth inning
comes up and we get a couple ofguys on base.
Then we get a couple more guyson base, we get one run in and
then a little non-scholarshipplayer at Vanderbilt comes to
bat named Tom Powell and hits agrand slam up on top of the gym
(22:39):
that we win nine to eight andparcells even wrote a poem to
put in the vanderbilt newspaperabout that.
And then we played tennesseethree more times that year and
they were still feeling theeffects of that.
We swept them.
That's probably my mostfavorite game.
Yeah, that that we had were thesounds.
(23:02):
I like to tell this story abouthow things must change.
I used to give a lot ofspeeches and I tell them my
favorite hero is ted giannullis.
Do you know who he?
is I don't never heard of him,huh no well you should.
You know him.
Ted giannullis lived in SanDiego and he was working for a
(23:24):
radio station and a new ownercame in and wanted a mascot, so
they advertised for the mascot.
Ted Giannullis got the jobbecause he fit the uniform and
he became the chicken.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Yep San Diego chicken .
Speaker 2 (23:38):
So Ted Giannullis became the famous san diego
chicken and he was a greatentertainer.
Uh, he always wanted to comeout at the top of bottom of the
second in a golf cart waving aflag.
So we're playing a and it'snothing to nothing, and Ted is
(23:58):
down at the gate to come in theleft field gate and all of a
sudden not all of a sudden, buta little bit later we're behind
12 to nothing.
He hadn't come out yet.
So he comes out and he changeshis whole routine to fit in.
Y'all done, lost this game.
Now I'm here to entertaineverybody.
(24:21):
So I used to tell my audienceted genotas makes over three
million dollars a year being achicken, and if you can be a
chicken and make three milliondollars a year, there's
absolutely nothing you can't doI love.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
I love that so well, so I will tell you and I think
I'm right when I say 1982.
Um, and maybe that was aroundthat time, I don't know, but I'm
I'm almost certain that myfirst recollection of baseball
was watching the sounds and theSan Diego chip, and the next
(24:59):
year I wanted to play T-ball.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I booked that little bird 92 times with all the
different teams.
I had major league.
He also did hockey, so we owneda hockey team for a little
while and so, uh, he's justentertainer.
I think he's still doing some.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Yeah, I think he had 92 different assistants.
He was tough to work for.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
He was very demanding .
Speaker 2 (25:23):
I believe it.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Because he was a pro Sure so he wanted to always make
sure he put on a great showyeah.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Well, he's risking his reputation every time.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
You know, just the other day.
Well, yesterday I got a messagefrom Innsworth, the private
school, and they want me to comeout for their banquet and
that'll be.
I agreed to do that one, justto come out there, because my
favorite teacher, the one thatinspired me to become a leader
and all those things is the deanthere, and I think that's the
(25:57):
only unpaid event that I'veagreed to in probably 15 years.
And it's because I risk myreputation every time and, knock
on wood, I've never missed ashot live.
So every time I've been infront of a live crowd.
whatever it was I was trying todo, I made it happen, but I get
(26:18):
that to some degree Now.
I try not to be difficult towork with.
Happen, but I get that to somedegree now.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
I try not to be difficult to work with, but I
definitely turn some things down.
I think Ensworth might be ableto afford to pay you, but that's
good of you to do it.
That's a beautiful campus.
Oh, it's nice for most colleges.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Oh, it is.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
I mean, the first time I walked onto that campus I
was just blown away.
I didn't got an ex-majorleaguer coaching their baseball
team.
I think he's athletic directornow, maxwell I think so.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
And then y'all just missed, do y'all know, virgil
herring?
Oh yeah, so virgil was herejust right before y'all got here
, he can play.
Yeah, yeah, so he used to bethe uh, the golf coach.
Okay, who's the dean?
Speaker 3 (26:54):
uh, kate mcglasson.
Okay, yeah, I know ricky bowerskind of got them going when
they started the high school.
Yep, that's a legendary coacharound here.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Well, just the way that that whole thing came
together, you know they did alot of research before they
broke ground to make sure thatit was set up for success and to
be a world-class facility.
But yeah, a lot of collegeplaces wish they had that kind
of campus.
But yeah, a lot of collegeplaces wish they had that kind
of campus.
So one of the things that we dothat's a little bit of fun, can
(27:30):
be a little controversial isthings we think but do not say.
And so for me a lot of timesit's keeping score and how we've
kind of watered downgenerations by giving everybody
a participation trophy.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
What's something you can think of that you think just
needs to be said that's beenone of my faults.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Usually if I think it I just say it, so you know.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
everybody knows where I stand and.
I respect their belief.
I agree with you that an?
Emphasis should be placed onexcellence.
Not everybody can be excellent.
It's all right to be good.
It's all right to be bad atthings.
Nobody's good, great good orexcellent at everything that's
right, uh, my, my big pet peeveis the phoniness of certain
(28:18):
people.
I just uh.
I don't usually say that guy'sa phony, I just ignore he exists
or she exists.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Yeah, I mean you just don't have time for that person
.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
No.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Yeah, uh, I do think as I get older, and I think I
think a lot of people uh do this, but I think the more gray hair
I get, the less likely I am toput up with BS.
Yeah, that's a good motto.
Some people could say I'mgetting grumpier, but it's just.
(28:50):
If somebody's not authentic, ifsomebody knows that they're not
telling the truth, there's noreason for me to waste any more
time with them.
There's too many good people inthe world to spend time with
with them.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
There's too many good people in the world to spend
time with.
Um.
I think one of dad's favoritesayings which probably drives my
older brother, ron, that runsthe company with dad, and then
Phillip Cox who does everythingfor us is if it's not broke,
don't fix it.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Yeah, yeah, um and we , and we didn't tee this up
before Um, so I don't know howdeep we want to go with it.
Tee this up before um, so Idon't know how deep we want to
go with it.
But how big a deal iscommunication with your?
I mean, I've had a team of 500.
I know how uh strenuous thatcan be.
Um, you predominantly share itwith the leaders, the gms, and
then it's up to them tobroadcast the message, or how
(29:34):
are you doing that currently?
Speaker 2 (29:37):
well, it is communication, but ours are a
little different than maybe acompany that is all the same.
I know bolero has bought allthese centers, 350 centers, and
won't ever center to run exactlythe same.
A center in california to runthe same as for center in
clarksville t Tennessee, that'simpossible.
(29:59):
Our centers are different too.
The ones up north are totallydifferent than the one in the
south, like our center rightbelow Cincinnati.
That's the beer drinkingestgroup I've ever seen in the
(30:22):
world at erlanger and, uh, theyhave tremendous leagues.
Their leagues are totallydifferent than 90 of our leagues
in tennessee okay they'reserious, a little bit more
serious than a good time league,but it's not life or death,
(30:43):
right, and the questions you getasked is about beer, not the
shot.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
And so some of your listeners may not know what
we're talking about.
We're talking about a shot.
All is placed on those lanesand there's a certain criteria
that the united states bowlingcongress puts out to make it a
legal shot or a tough shot.
Most league bowlers I tell mymechanics, it's not what you
(31:15):
want, it's what the majority ofthe league bowlers want, it's
not what one bowler wants, themajority.
Sure, I've had disputes come upand when I do, I get some of
the best bowlers, some of theworst bowlers, the middle
bowlers, to come in and we putshot after shot after shot down
(31:36):
and say whenever you all come upwith a majority, that's it,
yeah at the shot down and say,whenever y'all come up with a
majority, that's it, yeah.
And so most bowlers want a shotthat's just barely legal, that
they can score the highest.
Some other people will say Iwant a tough shot, so we can
sometimes put in the pro shot.
(31:56):
And when we first put inHendersonvilleville I noticed a
young man.
He's a lawyer.
He was getting out of hismercedes that night and I said,
uh, how you doing that pro shot,lee?
Oh, it's good, but I'm notgonna do it again.
Why is that?
He said I'm averaging 190.
I said it's very good yeah hesaid I'd rather bowl 220.
(32:20):
So you know he wasn't just soserious that he wanted to go on
a pro tour.
Sure, uh?
And so you know it's, it's,it's the communication one.
I used to do this myself.
I'd go into every center atleast once a week during league
bowling.
I can't do it anymore becauseof my wife's health and mine too
(32:42):
.
Ronnie how old is is in thosedoing mine.
I still go once a month or onceevery two weeks to communicate
with the general manager and theother people that's there.
Talk to them, maybe not as agroup, but just say hey, steve,
you're doing a good job.
(33:02):
You know, like that smile yougot, you know.
Hey, uh, mr mechanic, we reallyappreciate the work you put in
that's right, uh, so it's aagain going back to team element
that you, as an executive, thatyou go in and translate to
whoever.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Right and all your centers are within.
What about five, six?
Speaker 2 (33:26):
hours.
Our farthest one away isCincinnati, which is four and a
half five hours.
Okay, gotcha, I've tried to gethim on the beach, but he keeps
turning it down.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
I said I'll be happy to relocate, that's right and
keep an eye on it, but for somethe beach.
But he keeps turning it down.
I said I'll be happy torelocate, that's right and
keeping on it, but some reasonhe just he thinks I just drink
coffee and don't spend any money.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
he's worried the sand will get on the line.
Yeah, that's something to do,that's right.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Um, and you said 500 plus employees, right, yeah,
some of those are temporary orpart-time, but they're still
very important, especiallyweekend people.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Yeah, how big a focus is youth bowling for your
centers?
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Probably not as much as it used to be.
Our leagues are.
When I first got into it, you'dhave a youth league that's
bowling 24, 25 weeks.
Kids not going to do that, nomore.
Yeah, so we have the youthleagues we, but most of them are
(34:32):
10 or 12 weeks.
If you like it, take two weeksoff and come back again, so
we'll put them.
We put a tremendous emphasis onhigh school bowling.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
Okay, I love that.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
We've got every high school bowling in the city
pretty much bowls at our centers, and so a lot of our managers
whether it be Mark Hubbard atHermitage or Tracy or Chris Law,
are coaching some of those highschool.
(35:02):
And then we also are employingsome of those high school
bowlers to work part-time, beinga lane attendant or whatever.
So we're very, very involved inhigh school bowling, which is a
fast-growing sport throughoutthe United States.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
It is, and you know a lot of people are new to it or
don't know that their schoolmight even have one.
And then a lot of people don'trealize how many different types
of jobs there are in bowling,whether it's at the center
itself or whether the marketingfor a center, the business
aspect of a center, theinventory management of a center
, the food and beverage, thehospitality side or, you know,
(35:45):
in manufacturing itself.
You know there's marketing jobs, there's design jobs.
You know there's a lot of that.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
Well, we also.
You know we're not known forthat, but we have 15 restaurants
, yeah, we have 15 bars, yep.
So you got to know food costs.
You got to know how we're notknown for that, but we have 15
restaurants, we have 15 bars.
So you've got to know foodcosts.
You've got to know how to cookor how to serve a drink and the
(36:13):
bars are not a big part but youneed bars.
But you know, people have triedit without alcohol.
I understand the people thatthe church people say you
shouldn't serve alcohol, youdon't have to drink it.
That's right.
We don't push it, we don't havespecials, but we have a bar.
If you want a beer, you get abeer.
That's on a mixed drink, youget a mixed drink.
If you want to watch footballgame, we got, I think it.
(36:33):
I think it's a good idea.
For instance, we've got like 40TVs.
You know you've got toentertain, yeah, and you've got
to have some rules andregulations.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
I'd love to know not that it's because of us, but how
many high schoolers have comethrough our centers that have
gone on to Bowling College andwhat they've been able to do
with that.
Even if they didn't use it,they have that money that's in
their smart account.
That's right.
I wish they had bowling 30something years ago when I was
in high school.
Not that I'm a good bowler, buthopefully I could at least been
(37:07):
a fifth man on the team.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
It would have brought more interest, and you know one
of the things.
Well, let me ask this Do youthink that, if there was, do you
think funding is an issue inyouth bowling, or is it interest
, or is it the majority of theplaces get?
Their leagues are too long.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
What do you think it is?
I think it's a total timeelement.
You hear, you know why areleagues, full-time leagues,
declining?
Used to as over 10 millionregistered league bowlers, now
there's a little over a million.
You know, some people say theowners chased them off.
Well, or it got too expensivetime, chased them off.
(37:48):
you know it's more things forpeople to do there's a lot more
competition instead of sayingI'm going to tie up 32
consecutive thursdays, that'sright to go.
I want to do other things.
You know I love bowling, somost of your leagues that you
start now are 12, 14, 16-weekleagues.
(38:10):
Take a couple weeks off atChristmas If you really love it.
We have another 14-team league.
So if you start a new leagueleague, say we got a new league
and we're gonna bowl 35 weeks,you'll have like two teams yeah,
you're not gonna get new bowlsyeah, uh, well, I'll tell you at
(38:32):
, specifically at hendersonville.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
Um, uh, john and megan henderson, I've bowled
with them a couple times.
They bowled on Sunday nightsand they love bowling there and,
uh, I've subbed with them acouple of times and the other
night, uh, megan decided tothrow a ball backwards.
She got a strike.
Uh, she did fantastic.
But, uh, you know, um, I dothink that people get passionate
(38:56):
about their center and and thepeople that, uh, that are
employed there and and and serve, serve the drink or serve.
You know, uh, get the laneready or, you know, it becomes
more like family.
And so thank you for forbuilding places and maintaining
places.
It obviously would be easy tojust sell out to Bolero, uh, and
there'd be, they'd be trying tocookie-cutter the next 17, 18
(39:24):
locations.
But I appreciate you being whoyou are and the integrity that
you bring to the business and,obviously, taking care of your
employees.
And you know, I can't believe,it's been 25 years already.
Speaker 2 (39:35):
Well, we appreciate the bowlers, we appreciate the
people like you are dedicated toit.
I tell anybody.
If you have an idea, acomplaint, my cell number is
615-294-8500.
You can call me between 8 and1030 at night.
I'll listen to your complaint.
If we did something wrong,we'll make it good.
(39:57):
If we didn't do something wrong, I'm going to tell you.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
Yeah, this is a rule for everybody, not just you,
that's right, that's right andand really a lot of people need
that, that, that reality check.
A lot of people get kind ofcaught up in themselves and
really it's.
You know, you've said this.
You know probably 10 differentways since we started talking,
but it's about other people.
Yeah, yeah, it just is and it'skind of corny.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
I mean, bowling brings a lot of different people
together.
I mean I'm I don't even want tosay what my average was we're
bowling league, but you knowfrom your scratch bowler, I was
working in tuscaloosa a couplenights and these two brothers
kept coming in.
I'm like y'all need to join aleague yeah they didn't, they
only joined the league.
they ended up working for us andone of them runs our Donaldson
Center now.
So it's just such a greatactivity.
(40:41):
Me and my two brothers bowled aleague Sunday night at
Tuscaloosa.
Ron was way more competitivethan me and Brother Mike and
he'd get mad at us for walkingaround socializing too much and
not winning.
Everybody's giving us 200 pinsevery time we bowl because we're
so bad.
But it's great, it'shandicapped and it's you know.
You can bowl against somebodylike yourself and get all those
(41:05):
and it's just competitive,brings out competitive juices in
you.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
So it's just a great game.
And I will give one last thingbefore we close this, to the
people that say bowling is not asport come out and try it.
That's right, and I'll put youwith a league bowler and if you
think it's really easy to bowl200, we'll see how long it takes
you yeah, that's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
Um, well, the last.
I got two last things for you,so this one's fun.
So if you were to put togethera celebrity bowling challenge
and we're going to raise somemoney for a particular charity
out there, who would be on yourteam?
Could be anybody throughouthistory, whether you knew them,
didn't know them alive orotherwise.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
I've got a four-person team.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
You and four others.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
Well, I'd have to bring in my boyhood idol, mickey
Mantle.
Well, I'd have to bring in myboyhood idol, mickey Mantle.
I'd have to bring in my oldbuddy, bill Parcells, where he
could chew them all out.
My other bowler would have tobe Jerry Reed.
(42:26):
Other bowler would have to becherry read.
Well, yeah, that would be agood one here, conway.
And my most important bowlerwill be bringing in would be my
wife of 65 years, shirley smitho, who can't bowl a lick, but she
has her own ball.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (42:42):
And she's going to be fun.
That's right, she just retiredlast year, so the work ethic's
in the genes a little bit.
Speaker 1 (42:49):
Yeah, absolutely Absolutely.
Now does she enjoy bowling?
Speaker 2 (42:53):
With the grandkids.
Yes, my wife is.
You know anything I've everdone, she'd been a hundred
percent for me.
When I told her I was going toget into bowling, she kind of
turned her nose up to it,because she grew up in a time
like I did that bowling was aplace where old white guys hung
out smoking cigars, tellingnasty jokes and drinking beer.
(43:17):
That is true to some extent,but really not anymore, right.
So once she learned whatbowling was really like, she
just jumped right back in to beinvolved.
She was involved in baseball.
She's involved in every team Iever coached, so she's always
been involved.
(43:37):
Yeah, always been supportive.
She's your partner, yep.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
That's fantastic.
Well, big shout out to MissShirley out there and thank you
for being a part of bowling,even by proxy, by letting him
follow his dreams.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
Well, we planned on being in it a long time.
Speaker 1 (43:54):
I love that Last thing.
Have you put any thought intohow you want to be remembered?
Speaker 2 (44:02):
Yeah, I just want to.
I would like to be rememberedas a guy was a decent guy that
treated people right and alwayskept his words and didn't let
things get him down.
He just got knocked down, hejust got back up, he just got
(44:22):
back up.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
Yeah, I love that.
Well, larry Steve.
Thank you guys for coming in.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
My pleasure.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
It's been a fantastic time hanging out with you guys
and again, larry, you know a lotof people did not like the way
that I bowled.
A lot of people turned theirnose up at that and you would
not have been wrong for beingany other way than they were,
but you took an opportunity tobe nice to me and it really
(44:54):
helped me along the way, so Iappreciate that Well
congratulations on all yoursuccess.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
You're the chicken of bowling, main money out of
bowling.
Speaker 3 (45:03):
so, uh, maybe it didn't get the same rights fee
that the old chicken got, butwe're proud for your success he
probably owes you some royaltiesbecause he's gotten a lot of
mileage out of that story likethat whenever we travel in all
the different bowling worlds.
He's got a lot of mileage outof, out of your story so well,
it's fun for you it.
Speaker 1 (45:22):
you know, I appreciate it.
One of the uh I when I used toget periodically kicked out of a
place.
Um, I was bowling with a friendof mine.
We were in south haven,mississippi, and we had been at
tunica and he was losing moneytoo fast and I said we'll go
bowling like let's, let's goaway from the casino for a
little bit.
And I had been used to that.
(45:43):
Look when, when the manager washeaded over to usher me out of
there and this guy comes overand, uh, he in a stern voice,
you, jim Cripps, yes, sir, comewith me.
And you know, I don't know ifhe's walking me out of there or
what and I was, like you know,told my buddy, I said grab my
bag, if you know I'm out of here.
(46:04):
And he walks me back to theoffice and he pulls my picture
off the wall and he goes.
you mind signing that, and Ithought you know hadn't been
hadn't been treated like thatsince, uh, since Larry put me on
TV, so, but I tell a lot ofpeople that story and uh, in
fact, um, um, rudy and I weretalking about that just last
(46:25):
year.
So, um, again, I appreciate allthat you did with Kimball.
I did not, okay, um.
So when I was on Jimmy Kimmel,uh, I bowled against his aunt.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
Okay, he makes fun with her all the time, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (46:41):
And she just about lost it.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
I was surprised they didn't have to beat some words
out, because they actually it'sthe only time I have thrown a
game forward and it's becausethey did not want her to know
who I was.
They said look, you've got toblend in.
I said I don't bowl forward,and they go.
We've hired these four actorsto act like they're your best
friends.
We're drawing you randomly outof the crowd, and so I bowled a
(47:04):
whole game forward.
I shot 112.
Speaker 3 (47:11):
And then they randomly picked me and I shot
210 against her on TV.
You weren't nervous at all.
Speaker 1 (47:14):
Well, you know that one just worked out.
I was able to shake the nervesand, partly because you know
whether it was at your center oranywhere else, I drew a crowd
and you were either going to gettough skin or you were going to
get used to you know the stressand, um, you know, for a while,
usbc hired me to bowl with boblearn and, uh, carmen sorvino
(47:36):
and a few others to do trickshot shows, and, and that was a
whole new level of stress.
In fact, my pinnacle moment was2009 and, uh, we were doing a
trick shot show in between thefirst round and the or the last
round in the, the, the TV showfor the masters, uh, or the open
, and so everybody in bowlingwho earns their money bowling
(47:58):
was watching and they'rewatching me, you know you know
I'm who earns their money.
Bowling was watching and they'rewatching me.
You know, you know I'm.
I'm the guy that doesn't fit.
I don't have a pro card, yeah,um, but it.
It inspired me to go get my pbacard, because every kid that
got an autograph you want toknow you're pro.
You're pro no, so so 2011?
Speaker 2 (48:15):
uh, I got my pba card , yeah we brought parker boy in,
we opened Hillwood.
He sent one of our employees onthat barstool right in front of
the pens and threw threestraight strikes right through
the legs of that barstool.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
Oh, yeah, well, probably the biggest honor I
ever got was 2012, when theyopened the first Disney bowling
alley, johnny Petraglia and Iwere both hired to do all the TV
shows and so we were on 75channels just back to back to
back.
They just swapped them out andyou went as fast as you could
(48:49):
and of course every one of themwanted to strike Uh.
But we did a couple of trickshots and you know they loved it
.
Speaker 3 (48:54):
And uh, you know it's amazing where bowling's take,
or just on a whim you threw itbackwards and where it's taking
you from that.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
That's a great story, the relationships.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
I mean we wouldn't be sitting here, Honestly, I
wouldn't be here in this podcaststudio.
So the reason that I met NickHeider was when I shot 300,
randy Huth, who was the littleleague coach well, he used to
run the Pinnacle and so he's thereason that I was able to start
bowling.
Backwards and he called and hesaid look, you got to, you got
(49:28):
to do a hiders podcast.
So I jumped on the podcast withhim and then he found out about
all the business stuff that I'ddone and he goes well, you need
your own podcast.
So indirectly, bowling kind ofhas changed the direction of my
life.
Speaker 3 (49:42):
Yeah, sure Good.
Speaker 2 (49:44):
Well, speaking of bowling, if we're through, I've
got to go to work.
Yeah, he's getting anxious,he's getting anxious.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
That's good.
We go on two family reunionsevery year and you can just see
him crawling out of his skinsitting over there.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
Ready to get back to it.
Speaker 3 (49:56):
He likes his routine.
I love it.
He's pretty good at it.
Speaker 1 (50:01):
Well, I love it.
He's pretty good at it.
Well, larry and Steve, thanksso much for coming in.
Thank you To everybody watchingthe podcast today.
I just want to say thank you.
Thank you for checking this oneout.
Hopefully, some of the thingsthat you heard today whether it
be the integrity piece, whetherit be the mentors along the way,
the coaching, how you treatyour team members, how you treat
your customers all those manythings there's a lot to learn
(50:22):
from Mr Schmidto and what he hasdone, both in sports, for
Nashville and for bowling.
Until next time, I'm Jim Crippswith the Charge Forward Podcast.
Thanks so much to the team hereat HitLab Studios and our
partners at Sense CustomerDevelopment and Charge Forward
Solutions.
We'll see you later.
Team is Jim Cripps here withthe Charge Forward Podcast.
I just want to tell you I loveyou.
(50:47):
I appreciate you listening, Iappreciate you for subscribing
and sharing the Charge ForwardPodcast with people you know and
you love, because that's whatwe're here for.
We are here to share theamazing stories, the things that
people have been through, theways that they were able to
improve their life, so that youcan take little nuggets from
theirs and help improve yourstory and be better tomorrow
than you were today.
(51:08):
I hope that this is the toolyou needed at the right time and
that you find value in theamazing guests that we bring
each and every week.
Thanks so much and don't forgetnew episodes drop every
Thursday.
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