When Steve Kloempken ’95, is at a bowling alley, he notices everything: from the size and feel of the balls, to the shine on the lanes, to the way the pins fall.
He should. He is technical director for the U.S. Bowling Congress, the national governing body of bowling.
While a lane being tilted by a hundredth of an inch may not matter for the recreational bowler, for those who make their living at the sport, it could mean the difference between earning prize money — or nothing at all.
In his job, which he began last summer, Kloempken is working with some new rules, such as dealing with the roughness of a ball’s exterior. Other specifications, such as the height of a pin (15 inches), and the length of a lane (60 feet), are set in stone and not to be tampered with.
WSU head bowling coach Gordon Vadakin ’00, who calls Kloempken one of the best bowlers in Shocker history, says he is “a great addition” to the USBC Kloempken, who grew up in Las Vegas, Nev., came to WSU to take part in the internationally recognized program run by Vadakin.
As a Shocker, Kloempken was on the 1992-95 teams, which won three consecutive national titles.
After graduation, he thought about turning professional, but even for a bowler of his caliber, it’s an extremely tough way to make a living. As an active amateur, he still slices those pins apart and had a particularly memorial game last April. His score? A perfect 300.
