PBA Tour bowler helps his dad build Monticello’s high school bowling program

Brian Meyer had his hands full.

When Monticello High School added bowling in 2017, Meyer, a USBC Silver Coach, was solely responsible for working with the “30 to 40 players” who had joined the team, many of whom had little to no experience with the sport.

“I had high school seniors that had never bowled before that decided they were going to come out for a varsity sport,” Meyer said. “Between JV boys, JV girls, varsity boys, varsity girls … I was trying to cover all of them. It was a madhouse.”

So, three years in, he added an assistant coach. That individual just happened to be a professional bowler … and his son, Jace.

“Jace has helped the last couple of years,” Meyer said. “He’s on the PBA Tour, so he can help the higher-level people and I do most of the developmental things.”

Jace bowled at Mount Mercy University from 2015-2018. He received his PBA Tour card in March and participated in the World Series of Bowling in Wauwatosa, Wis.

Jace has had success going up against PBA-caliber competition early in his career. In November of 2021, he finished second in the PBA’s Plaza Bowl Midwest RPI Open, defeating PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber, 202-197, in the semifinal round.

“The PBA is really tough, and my success has been very up and down,” Jace said. “However, I am still very new and just trying to learn what works for me out there. I’m definitely just enjoying the opportunity to compete with the best.”

“I don’t have a lot of ‘street cred’ I guess, whereas my son does,” Brian said. “I think that’s a huge benefit, basically having a two-level coaching staff. I develop and he just takes them to the next level.”

A prime example of development within the Monticello program this year is senior Zach Reuter, who has upped his average from 136 pins per game in 2021-2022 to 204 this season.

“He worked all summer with Jace and I ....” Meyer said. “I think he’s got a chance to make it to state as an individual.”

Developing skills and growing interest in the sport, particularly at a young age, is an important part of what the Meyers are trying to build at Monticello.

“We started a middle school program three years ago, so I have a lot of kids coming up that I think are going to turn the corner,” Brian said. “The middle school program has kind of helped become that feeder program that we haven’t had previously.”

Brian Meyer, the owner of Legacy Lanes in Monticello, gives his players unlimited access to bowling. He’s also installed new technology on the lanes to help players.

“We’ve got some video systems that most high school programs don’t have, which has been a benefit,” Brian said. “It basically traces their lines so you can see the ball path every time. So, you can see how consistently you are throwing it. A lot of colleges have it. We were just lucky to be able to install it.

“They can get a lot of games in if they want. That’s why we can develop talent so quickly. If they commit to it, they can do it. We have the technology and the coaching skills to help.”

Those coaching skills differ between father and son.

“I’m definitely a lot stricter than my dad,” Jace said. “I really have the mindset that if we’re going to practice something we need to do it the right way or otherwise too many bad habits will start developing.

“My dad definitely is a lot softer on the kids than I am but that just makes it so that we work better together.”

As for this year’s Panthers, the boys currently sit at 3-1 with wins over Marion, Bellevue and West Delaware. Reuter leads the way, with Brendan Pasker, Baylor Holub, Cole Nietert, Malcom Clark and Kyle Arduser all averaging more than 160 per game.

On the girls’ side, Monticello is 2-2.

Last season, Emma Hynick became the first girl in school history to make the state tournament. With Hynick graduated, the Panthers have had several players step up.

Marisa Grant, Cadence Olson, Emma Schwendinger, Nora Sperfslage and Maddie Parmenter all average more than 137 pins per game.

Brian Meyer is encouraged by what he’s seen from both teams this season. And he’s looking forward to what the future holds for Monticello bowling.

“I think we’re going to continue to be a developmental program,” he said. “We’ve had success and that’s helping to grow in the community.

“In our five-year program, we’ve had teams at state two times, and last year we had three individuals. We’ve seen success and I think we’ll see more in the future.”