Bowling With The Fef!

Pod #6/Ep. 188: ROY24 (with Nate Purches)

Did Nate Purches just have his best week EVER?
Maybe for now...but, if his current trajectory in bowling continues into 2025 and beyond, he will probably top it soon!
Purches, of Fond du Lac, WI, combined a runner-up finish at the PBA Regional Players Invitational in Reno, NV on Sunday (Dec. 15, 2024) with receiving the 2024 Harry Golden PBA Rookie of the Year award a few days prior.
And Purches is also exempt for the 2025 PBA Tour season because of his fourth-place finish at the PBA Tour Trials in August.
What does this guy do for an encore? We'll have to wait to find that out, but the newly-crowned ROY shares his thoughts on a memorable 2024 in Ep. 188!
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Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes.  jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com (715) 559-1822

FLASHBACK - Ep. 20: Shimmy Shimmy Ya (with Nate Purches and Shawn Wochner)

Nate Purches of Fond du Lac, WI had a rookie season on the PBA Tour in 2024 that was outstanding. 
Before all that, he was a talented junior bowler who got a taste of the bright lights of TV during the PBA Junior Finals in March 2021.
At the time, he was 17-years-old and a few months away from starting college at UW-Whitewater.
He discussed that on the show along with Shawn Wochner in this flashback episode: Shimmy Shimmy Ya.
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What’s YOUR bowling story all about?
 
Tell us!
 
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Bowling With The Fef! is brought to you by:
 
Chip Magnet salsa - Raise your snack standards! https://www.chipmagnetsalsa.com/ #salsatakeover
 
Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes.  https://jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com/ (715) 559-1822

Pod #5/Ep.187: The Air Up There (with Alex Bandli)

For the first time in several years, UW-Eau Claire's club bowling program has both mens and womens teams.
Our guest is the coach who guides them all toward success!
In October, the club announced that Alex Bandli would be at the helm of both teams.
The Blugolds have had some great teams dating back to the early and mid 1990s and are working toward creating more magic in the 2024-25 season.
Bandli is originally from the Madison area and, when he's not with the Blugolds, competing on the lanes, or at his day job, he's often launching a drone and capturing spectacular views as an aerial videographer and photographer (flightfirstphoto.com). 
This is where we get to know Coach Bandli and his bowling story!
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What’s YOUR bowling story all about? Tell us!
 
SUBSCRIBE (on YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/c/bowlingwiththefef?sub_confirmation=1
 
Email BowlingWithTheFef@yahoo.com and YOU could be on the show!
 
Bowling With The Fef! podcast: https://bowlingwiththefef.podbean.com/
 
Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/855152748614347
 
Bowling With The Fef! on X: https://x.com/BWTFef
 
Bowling With The Fef! is brought to you by:
 
Chip Magnet salsa - Raise your snack standards! https://www.chipmagnetsalsa.com/ #salsatakeover
 
Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes.  jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com (715) 559-1822

Pod #4/Ep. 186: Help for Heroes (with Jessica Abel)

In July of this year, a new Executive Director came on board to lead one of the most well-known charitable organizations in the bowling community.
Jessica Abel of Broadalbin, NY started in the role at Bowlers to Veterans Link (https://bvl.org/) after two years of work at the International Bowling Campus and a successful run as a competitor at Wichita State University that included a national championship.
"She taught me how to turn my computer on, she'll tell you that!" Luis Benavides said while challenging Abel to appear on the show in Ep. 180.
Abel accepted that challenge soon after, and we will get into her role at BVL along with her bowling story!
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What’s YOUR bowling story all about? Tell us!
 
SUBSCRIBE (on YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/c/bowlingwiththefef?sub_confirmation=1
 
Email BowlingWithTheFef@yahoo.com and YOU could be on the show!
 
Bowling With The Fef! podcast: https://bowlingwiththefef.podbean.com/
 
Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/855152748614347
 
Bowling With The Fef! on X: https://x.com/BWTFef
 
Bowling With The Fef! is brought to you by:
 
Chip Magnet salsa - Raise your snack standards! https://www.chipmagnetsalsa.com/ #salsatakeover
 
Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes.  https://jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com/ (715) 559-1822

FLASHBACK - Ep. 78: No Coaster Left Behind (with SerbskE$ Club)

Every year around this time of November, people in the bowling community and beyond ask 'What’s up with this “Feftacular?”'
 
Well, to truly know what The Feftacular is all about, you have to know about SerbskE$ Club.
 
It was during this episode of Bowling With The Fef! in June 2022 that the team asked if I would sub with them.
 
Because I typically bowl on Thursday nights, and they bowl on Wednesdays, we decided that the night before Thanksgiving is the perfect night for it.
 
So, in November 2022, The Feftacular was born.
 
It’s a night of league with plenty of bells and whistles.
 
Feftacular III (Nov. 27, 2024) has a "Red Carpet Meet and Greet Pregame" before bowling at Village Bowl in Menomonee Falls, WI. It is the center known to most as The Country Club of Bowling."
 
There is also a postgame party afterwards with music, food and fun.
 
But the bowling itself is an experience, one that is preceded by nearly 30 years of SerbskE$ Club history.
 
You’ll hear several voices on this episode, mostly Mark Ignatowski, Pete Serbiak and Jeff Ehrhardt.
 
Through the episode, you’ll learn all the nicknames, the significance of things like the Halfway There Choir, the Super Milty and, why, in the SerbskE$ Club, there is No Coaster Left Behind.
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What’s YOUR bowling story all about?
 
Tell us!
 
SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/bowlingwiththefef?sub_confirmation=1
 
Email BowlingWithTheFef@yahoo.com and YOU could be on the show!
 
Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/855152748614347
 
Bowling With The Fef! on X: https://x.com/BWTFef
 
Bowling With The Fef! is brought to you by:
 
Chip Magnet salsa - Raise your snack standards! https://www.chipmagnetsalsa.com/ #salsatakeover
 
Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes.  https://jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com/ (715) 559-1822

Pod #3/Ep. 185: The Way We Were (with Joe Firpo)

In each of the past two years, the PBA has stopped at FireLake Lanes in Shawnee, OK. One was a national tour stop in 2023. The other, a Southwest Region event this past May.
But the rosters for these events had something in common: both included PBA Tour champion Joe Firpo.
It was June 1987 when Firpo and doubles partner Del Warren took the title at the Showboat Doubles Classic. He appeared on televised PBA Tour finals many times after that in the late 80s and 90s.
Firpo bowled around the Atlanta area after leaving the tour. Now he lives in Oklahoma City, and recently mentioned how an episode of the show brought back some great memories of his days on the tour. Ah, the way we were...
We're examining some of his favorite times on tour, many of which were not in the bowling center!
-----------------------------------------
What’s YOUR bowling story all about? Tell us!
 
SUBSCRIBE (on YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/c/bowlingwiththefef?sub_confirmation=1
 
Email BowlingWithTheFef@yahoo.com and YOU could be on the show!
 
Bowling With The Fef! podcast: https://bowlingwiththefef.podbean.com/
 
Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/855152748614347
 
Bowling With The Fef! on X: https://x.com/BWTFef
 
Bowling With The Fef! is brought to you by:
 
Chip Magnet salsa - Raise your snack standards! https://www.chipmagnetsalsa.com/ #salsatakeover
 
Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes.  https://jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com/ (715) 559-1822

FLASHBACK - Ep. 46: Life Lessons (with Del Warren)

PBA Tour champ Joe Firpo reached out to me recently about a Bowling With The Fef episode he watched.
He said that there is nothing funnier that the stories from a couple of those guests.
Of course, I had to ask him if he would come on the show. He will on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 live on the YouTube channel and shortly after here on the podcast.
Firpo’s win on the national tour was a doubles title in 1987 with Del Warren.
Del was a guest on the show for episode 46: Life Lessons.
Recorded in October 2021, this was, of course, before the Webber International mens team's most recent Intercollegiate Team Championship in the spring of 2024.
But there were plenty of magical moments for him to talk about, including the doubles championship that would be Firpo’s lone national tour title.
-----------------------------------------What’s YOUR bowling story all about? 
Tell us!
SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/bowlingwiththefef?sub_confirmation=1
Email BowlingWithTheFef@yahoo.com and YOU could be on the show!
Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/855152748614347
Bowling With The Fef! on X: https://x.com/BWTFef
Bowling With The Fef! is brought to you by: 
Chip Magnet salsa - Raise your snack standards! https://www.chipmagnetsalsa.com/ #salsatakeover
Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes.  https://jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com/ (715) 559-1822

Pod #2/Ep. 184: It's Not for Someone Like Me to Bowl (with Christine Rebstock)

When we last heard from Christine Rebstock of Middletown, CT on the show more than three years ago, she was looking forward to improving on the lanes and winning another New England Bowlers Association tournament.
Times have changed, and so have some of Christine's priorities. "...my eyes have been opened about gender ideology..." Christine said in a message exchange last month.
She's taken some steps toward bringing that ideology to bowling, including in the "It" in the title of this episode.
We're catching up with Christine about her journey to regain the wave of success she had when she competed years before, and her effort to bring what she describes as "common sense" to the highest levels of competition in the sport.
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What’s YOUR bowling story all about? Tell us!
SUBSCRIBE(on YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/c/bowlingwith...
Email BowlingWithTheFef@yahoo.com and YOU could be on the show!
Join our Facebook group here:   / 855152748614347  
Bowling With The Fef on X: https://x.com/BWTFef
Bowling With The Fef is brought to you by:
Chip Magnet salsa - Raise your snack standards! https://www.chipmagnetsalsa.com/ #salsatakeover
Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes. https://jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com/ (715) 559-1822

FLASHBACK - Ep. 30: What's in a name? (with Christine Rebstock)

Christine Rebstock is returning to the show this week in an episode called It’s not for someone like me to bowl.
We’ll get to the “it” on Wednesday November 13 2024 at 8 p.m. central live on the Bowling With The Fef YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/live/IrNKsAQ4RyQ) and soon after on this podcast.
For now, a flashback to Ep. 30 on the show: What’s in a name, from June of 2021. That's when Christine had publicly identified as...Christine for less than a year and was looking forward to improvement on the lanes.
-----------------------------------------
What’s YOUR bowling story all about? Tell us!
SUBSCRIBE(on YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/c/bowlingwith...
Email BowlingWithTheFef@yahoo.com and YOU could be on the show!
Join our Facebook group here:   / 855152748614347  
Bowling With The Fef on X: https://x.com/BWTFef
Bowling With The Fef is brought to you by:
Chip Magnet salsa - Raise your snack standards! https://www.chipmagnetsalsa.com/ #salsatakeover
Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes. https://jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com/ (715) 559-1822

BONUS BALLS: Ambassadors, strings and a memorable tournament at Elsie's (with Katey Haflund)

Along with the premiere Bowling With The Fef podcast All She Knows So Far, Katey Haflund and I recorded another, shorter, conversation.
We talked about bringing non-bowlers into the sport and taking on the role of an ambassador, string pins, and a day back in the early 1990s in Minneapolis that I will never forget.
"Bonus Balls" is a podcast exclusive and will not appear on the YouTube channel in video form.
-----------------------------------------
What’s YOUR bowling story all about? Tell us!
SUBSCRIBE(on YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/c/bowlingwith...
Email BowlingWithTheFef@yahoo.com and YOU could be on the show!
Join our Facebook group here:   / 855152748614347  
Bowling With The Fef on X: https://x.com/BWTFef
Bowling With The Fef is brought to you by:
Chip Magnet salsa - Raise your snack standards! https://www.chipmagnetsalsa.com/ #salsatakeover
Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes. https://jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com/ (715) 559-1822