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Born to Bowl S01E03
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00:13You may be asking yourself, what is the history of the bowling ball?
00:23Okay, maybe you weren't.
00:26But we're going to tell you anyway.
00:31Throughout history, bowling balls have taken many forms.
00:35The first balls were made of wood.
00:37Then, in the early 1900s, came rubber.
00:40And by the 1970s, plastic balls were adopted by the PBA.
00:45Because plastic balls didn't have enough friction,
00:47they often went skidding down the lane.
00:50In the 1980s, urethane bowling balls emerged,
00:55drastically changing the game,
00:56allowing more friction, which translated to more control.
01:01But it wasn't until the early 90s that resin helped revolutionize the, well, revolution of the bowl.
01:08Like Earth, every bowling ball has a core.
01:11Those cores vary, with different weights and shapes,
01:15all affecting the hook and speed of a roll.
01:18The outer core, it's for texture and looking cool.
01:21So yeah, professional bowlers need lots of balls, which they put in ball sacks.
01:28And that's what they call them.
01:42The day has come.
01:44It's the U.S. Open Championship Finals.
01:48For Symo, this is a chance to win $100,000, etch his name in bowling history,
01:54and start living his best life.
01:57If you win, will there be any celebrating at all?
02:00Maybe, I don't know.
02:01Maybe I'll run to like Cheesecake Factory and grab a slice of cheesecake before I hit the road.
02:06But to get that cheesecake, he'll have to beat four other bowlers,
02:10including E.J. Tackett, the reigning player of the year.
02:14This building's obviously been very historic to me.
02:17I weren't in here after my mom passed away.
02:19I weren't in here after my dad passed away.
02:21In three, two, one.
02:28It's title time here in Indy as we get set to crown the champion of the 83rd U.S. Open.
02:41Simonson, he opens up with back-to-back strikes.
02:48Hey, three in a row for Symo!
02:51I was ahead, feeling pretty good.
02:53I knew there was a commercial break coming up.
02:56And I'm slowly trying to decompress, bring the heart rate back down.
02:59I, like, turn to set my rag down, and I look back over,
03:02and then they were giving me the we're going symbol, and I'm like,
03:06oh, fuck.
03:07Because for most TV shows, there's a commercial break slotted for five and a half frames.
03:13It just completely caught me off guard and kind of just set into panic mode.
03:18I'm not thinking about bowling at all.
03:19I've got to try to get myself prepared to make a shot in 25 seconds.
03:24Or I might forfeit the frame.
03:28Simonson to close out the sixth.
03:31Not the 7-10!
03:39And all of a sudden, just like that, things have fallen off for Simonson.
03:43I was still a little fucked up from not having the commercial break previously.
03:51So I ultimately finished fifth.
03:54That was kind of, uh, rough.
03:56I've been on TV a decade, and that's the first time that's ever happened, so...
04:00I'm sure I could complain, but then people would just say I'm bitching for no reason, right?
04:05God damn it, Anthony!
04:08Simo's dream of victory cheesecake may have gone sour,
04:12but one of his rivals is still chasing the sweetness of victory.
04:24E.J. Tackett has won the PBA Bowler of the Year Award the last two years.
04:29And there's no place he'd rather kick off his campaign for a third straight than right here.
04:36A short hundred miles from the U.S. Open, you'll find E.J.'s hometown of Bluffton, Indiana,
04:43where he owns two trucks and lives on three acres of land with his wife and his one-year-old.
04:49Oh, and they recently purchased a bowling center his parents had owned ever since he was a kid.
04:59In 98, my parents took over a bowling center in Huntington, where I grew up.
05:05Meet five-year-old E.J. Tackett. He's been bowling for three years and already carries a 115 average.
05:11His high game is a whopping 179.
05:14I'm just, like, trying to want to throw the ball really, really hard as I can.
05:21Yeah, that's what I do all the time.
05:23So since I was five, I've basically lived inside of a bowling center.
05:28Also since age five, he's been strictly following doctor's orders.
05:33I drink a lot of Dr. Pepper.
05:34With the Dr. Pepper difference.
05:37That's where I get my caffeine from.
05:39Charge! Get going again!
05:41Dr. Pepper. Dr. Pepper.
05:43You only put these Dr. Peppers away.
05:45You always want more, more, more!
05:48Yes, there is Dr. Pepper available.
05:51Among E.J.'s biggest bowling goals, there'd be no greater honor than being sponsored by the doctor.
05:59More, more, more!
06:02When I'm not bowling on tour, I'm in here.
06:05Typically, eight, ten, twelve hours a day.
06:08Watch out.
06:10Coming for you.
06:11When I'm not fixing a toilet, I can just go bowling.
06:15Dollar!
06:17This is E.J.'s dad, who is also his coach.
06:21I have worked with my dad and only my dad my entire career, and I've never sought help from anyone
06:28else.
06:28You know, he just chased me, did what I did, and got a little better at it.
06:36We bought Easy Bowl from my in-laws, July of 2024.
06:41We painted about every wall in this building ourselves.
06:45We got a quote for it, for the interior and the exterior, and we thought,
06:50we'll handle the inside, but we'll hire some money for the outside.
06:53Yeah.
06:54I would say it takes not a super sane person to get into a bowling business.
07:00We're fresh into it.
07:02And right now, we don't pay ourselves anything out of it.
07:08But you have to keep looking ahead and believe that things will just work out.
07:14Bowling and the Tackett name, they're one and the same.
07:20I'm married to a bowler.
07:22My brother actually bowls on tour as well.
07:25Bowling is the story of my family.
07:29This sport created everything in our life.
07:34And it's taken us to heights that I don't know if any of us dreamed of.
07:42Not even dad.
07:46The one I'm proudest of, it's gonna be U.S. Open, for sure.
07:52In 2022, I had led the U.S. Open by 500 pins.
07:57At Woodland Bowl in the state of Indiana, just close to home.
08:02And a bunch of friends and family there.
08:05And it's one of those things in my career I always wanted to win in the state of Indiana.
08:14And I eventually lost to Anthony Simonson in the title match.
08:19Woo!
08:20Dad, I love you. I miss you.
08:23That was one of the hardest moments of my career.
08:27It was, uh, it was devastating.
08:32And to be able to come back in 2023, lead the field at the U.S. Open once again,
08:37at Woodland Bowl, have another opportunity to win a U.S. Open.
08:45It was a great honor to win a U.S. Open!
08:54Yes!
08:54Yes!
08:58Yes!
08:58Yes!
09:00Yes!
09:01Yes!
09:01Yes!
09:01Yes!
09:01Yes!
09:02Yes!
09:10The wings are big.
09:17And this one, like, I'm never going to clean it
09:21because this, it was so emotional, right?
09:24So I'm holding it. I'm all crying, you know, stuff.
09:27There's actually a tear still on,
09:30like it dripped from my face onto the trophy.
09:33So, that one's going to stay there forever.
09:42Uh-oh. There goes the foot.
09:46There goes the foot.
09:51Rawr. Rawr.
09:53Let's leave the foot on the trophy, buddy.
09:57There are now just two matches left in the US Open.
10:01EJ, baby.
10:02How long have you guys been waiting out here?
10:04About two minutes.
10:06Okay.
10:07And some of the wildest fans in bowling
10:10have come out in full force.
10:16To see if EJ, the local favorite,
10:19can become just the eighth bowler ever
10:22to win multiple US Open championships.
10:26This building has so much history in it,
10:28which is why I love bowling here so much.
10:30It just so happens to be in a great state I live in,
10:32in Indiana.
10:33And, uh, these fans here are the best.
10:36EJ's four-day pin-knocking success
10:39might have gotten him to the finals.
10:41But his climb into the second position
10:43is that much more impressive
10:44if you knew just how bad he was doing days before.
10:49EJ Tackett was in 78th place.
10:52And I mean way off the cut line.
11:02EJ Tackett, perfect.
11:05And, oh, Tackett needs another jacket.
11:09I pulled a great game,
11:10and I didn't really have to do much
11:11but get ready for that dogfight in the title match.
11:14Welcome to the championship round
11:16here at the US Open.
11:20Back-to-back, solid nines.
11:23This is interesting.
11:26Oh, God.
11:28Oh, buddy.
11:30That wasn't great.
11:31I'm sitting here thinking,
11:32I have an opportunity.
11:35My opponent made a mistake.
11:37I have to capitalize on that mistake.
11:40EJ Tackett steps up,
11:41foot on throat,
11:43ready to come in for the kill.
11:48I have to capitalize on that mistake.
11:55One more away from the title.
12:05Welcome home.
12:06Yeah!
12:08Get in the morning out, baby!
12:10Come on, get in the morning!
12:11A lot of emotion came out in that moment
12:14because I was so buried in the standings
12:18that it looked like I was gonna be watching
12:21this tournament from my couch.
12:23US Open!
12:25New US Open!
12:28And we spend a whole week putting ourselves
12:31and our bodies through all this torment
12:34for those moments is why we do what we do.
12:37Let's do it for you...
12:49Oh, there goes the foot.
13:00The PBA Tour isn't just made up of
13:03major tournaments with big paydays.
13:05it also includes smaller events with humbler payouts there are a lot of these events
13:14and a tour favorite is the tournament named after one of bowling's
13:18most controversial legends the pete weber classic in springfield missouri
13:24are you excited about today pete i never get excited until it's time to get excited you know
13:32pete weber is an icon pete weber is a legend five-time winner of the u.s open no one's
13:38ever won that tournament more than twice pete weber is the bad boy of bowling
13:47the most polarizing figure in the history of bowling he wanted it he loved to be the bad guy
13:54come on give it up come on let's go pete weber changed the game because of the shot hurt around
14:00the world strike to claim it one of the most iconic and confusing statements in sports history
14:20who do you think you are i am who do you think you are i am it's iconic that's right
14:30pete had some we call them antics
14:35i think he was trying to find something to piss him off because he pulled way better mad
14:43than he did when he was happy god do not flash the camera in my approach
14:49i'm telling you don't do it they loved him for crotch chopping
15:03and he did most of that under the influence of drugs and alcohol he's been suspended from the tour
15:09several times for conduct undercoming a professional it's no secret that you've had
15:13some encounters with rehab of some sorts over the years four trips are you an alcoholic do you have
15:18a problem with drinking well i guess uh yeah i am an alcoholic but i'm not gonna quit drinking
15:24because somebody else is telling me i have to i've had a few experiences with pete weber my father
15:30they tore up the bars and the lanes uh in the 80s while they were on tour
15:36there was a pretty good amount of guys that partied back in that day now if you want to go
15:42to uh
15:43the acid or the masculine um i'm the expert on that
15:49sometimes we talk about it do we think pete would have more or less titles if it was over
15:54we don't know he was so great i did but it took the way
16:02that was showing my emotions so be it i wouldn't change it for the world how about that for winning
16:09if you love me you hate me you're gonna watch it's all you can do
16:17it was kind of exciting for me to have this tournament named after me actually it was a big
16:23surprise when you have a tournament named after you you've hit the very top of of your career you
16:31can't go anywhere by the second day of the pete weber classic cam and simo are both out having
16:39struggled in earlier rounds and missed the cut also absent belmo following his disappointing loss in the
16:47u.s open belmo decided he needed a break so he flew back home to australia to recharge for the
16:53next major
16:56aussie style meanwhile with those guys mia that leaves kyle and ej in striking distance of making the show
17:07when i missed the cut at the us open by two it was tough the pba tour can definitely be
17:13a grind
17:13mentally you get a win or you get a show and then the next week and it's the cut it's
17:19a mental roll
17:19coaster
17:24but i was able to spend a little time at home i was able to actually relax
17:32and this was a family photo i would almost bet that's crown and water
17:38and there we are so that's 1998. my mom and dad uh they met through bowling they got married in
17:46a
17:46bowling alley actually yeah i know this was guppy's third wife and mom's third husband so worked out
17:53perfect third time's the charm i guess that's about the last time i think i've had a tie on
18:00three five years ago my mom was pregnant with me i was already in a bowling alley before i was
18:06even
18:06born sign from god sign for my parents that uh you're gonna grow up and be a bowler kid
18:13yeah this was definitely a little bit later in life this was when my mom was actually wearing a wig
18:19you know because she lost her hair due to her breast cancer and stuff so
18:25i do recall you know my father with all his gold you know he loved it but he did have
18:29to sell all his
18:30gold uh you know when my mother got cancer i lost her job uh you know financially times were a
18:36lot
18:36tougher then my father wasn't making as much money bowling but uh you know he he did whatever he needed
18:42to for the family and my mom and dad were married 29 years till my mom passed away 29 years
18:49married to a
18:50bowler that's that's a lot you know miss her dearly but i remember bowling on saturday mornings and
18:58you know if i beat mom i got five dollars
19:05the pete webber classic isn't a major but its payouts are still a big step up from kyle's five
19:11dollar weekends and as he's closing in on making the show he can almost taste that thirty thousand
19:17dollar first place prize
19:24almost
19:26gets down to the 10th frame and leave a 5 10 split wow gotta make it unbelievable yep he's
19:36double checking the turn to timmy's yeah you gotta make it he says my goodness
19:42i don't think i've ever seen that in that moment from anybody how the
19:47how the do i even shoot it yeah i know that i'm trying to figure out how i'm gonna shoot
19:50it
19:54i gotta tell you kyle has to flare for the dramatic i think he's picking
20:00this crowd just went dead silent oh they're gonna go crazy when he picks this
20:04still trying to visualize how to make it i bet he hasn't shot a 5 10 but maybe once or
20:09twice in his
20:14lifetime
20:16for the tv show
20:25nope wow timmy tan makes the show
20:35i lost by one pin
20:39missed by single digits again in a different way but uh this time to miss the show
20:46our number one seed he was the number one seed through qualifying and remains that way into the
20:50show he's a 24-time champion on the pv tour from bluffton indiana please welcome ej tackett
21:06ah i don't even know how that happened still
21:25luckily i'm leading the tournament so that guarantees me on the show
21:29not really superstitious but i guess i'm maybe i am a little bit but i don't wear red on tv
21:34anymore
21:35every time i wore red i lost so i quit wearing that and started wearing blue and started winning so
21:39you know this one here is one that i always wear one that i always wear on tv
21:53we are here in springfield missouri
21:58and legendary pba hall of famer pete webber is set to throw off the ceremonial first ball
22:04and the event name for him pdw 37 time titles back on tv left lane pete goes for a strike
22:14brooklyn but it counts all the same
22:17so bowling is such a unique sport
22:28it's just a game of imperfections
22:35you're chasing to be perfect but it's never achievable or attainable
22:41it's just not possible to happen
22:49but it is really fun chasing it pete actually just said to dave and randy a little bit ago
22:55that he is in awe of you and all the things that you have done
22:59to have someone that's an icon of the sport say those words to you it's it doesn't get any better
23:06that never-ending battle of trying to conquer the game a lot of sauce on that shot
23:14is what makes all of us come back and go home and practice and show up to the next event
23:22that nine pins for number 25
23:35he has done it again 25 career titles
23:43thank you buddy all right love you love you too man
23:49i was very happy for ej he's putting on a hell of a year at this point um
23:56might as well give him player of the year i mean he's crushing us
24:01there are still three majors left in the season but tonight ej's quest for this year's player of the
24:08year award is momentarily interrupted so that he can accept last year's player of the year award
24:14it all begs a question though how do they get all these pro bowlers to show up for an award
24:20ceremony honoring one of their rivals
24:24free all-you-can-eat buffet works every time
24:28the winner of the 2024 chris shankle pba player of the year award e.j tackett
24:40it takes a whole career to figure out if you're going to be good or not how about great or
24:46not
24:46well that's for everyone else to decide not me all i can do is go bowl
24:54first off i want to say thank you to uh all of my fellow competitors that voted for me for
25:01this award
25:02the last couple years have been a crazy ride and i want to thank you guys for
25:11that was a tough moment there may be a certain level of jealousy
25:17i wanted to win obviously uh but yeah definitely sucked but you know all those thoughts and
25:26feelings i'm trying to just keep that in the back of my mind because at the end of the day
25:32it's about
25:32confidence if i feel like i'm at the top of my game then i don't believe anybody can beat me
25:37you know now that target is definitely on his back
25:56ej winning every tournament just gets on my nerves a little too much sometimes
26:00i need to beat him on tv off tv probably want to beat him too much
26:07back on the street ultimately my goal is to make money so i have to beat ej to make money
26:18he's the guy i'm trying to beat what he does is insane i love that like i eat it up
26:26that's gonna make me go harder i'm about to eat and y'all gonna be in trouble
26:37hearing a lot of people say someone else is the best in the world i like it i also started
26:43thinking bigger than the best in the world and look being number one is an incredible honor and
26:49achievement um but there have been a lot of number ones in the worlds but there's only one
26:55one greatest of all time and so now that's my goal
26:58great
27:01good
27:02good
27:03good
27:06good
27:07good
27:09good
27:39Transcription by CastingWords
27:47CastingWords
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