The life of a man with many hats
Since the age of four, I had wanted to be a professional bowler, strange I know. Why not a Fireman or a police man?
My parents loved to bowl, and when they went bowling on league night it was not uncommonfor hem to bring me along, we are talking 1962 by the way. Sometimes I would curl up on the bench next to mom and fall asleep, other times I would watch the pins get knocked down and the ball return to the person who just through it. Never the less I was fasinated and wanted to do this.
My dad signed me up for the Junior league, and as they say the rest is history. By the time I was sixteen I was working in the bowling alley, and getting my games for free so I was allowed to practice. Hat # 1 Pinchaser, a person who fixes automatic pinsetters.
Hat # 2 Carpenter. As time went on my dad tried to get me into the famiy business of building houses. As much as I admired my father for being able to look at a pice of wood and visualize it as something like a kitchen cabinet, I was not blessed with this. I became bored and just wanted to bowl. So I kept working at the bowling center and perfecting my skills. I enetered many tournaments throughout my youth career, never winning any major events but I ruled the local area.
High School proved to be a time of trial and tribulation for me. I was basically a loner and continued to spend my free time at the bowling center. I did join the highschool bowling team however, and played football. mainly so I would not get bullied in school. I hated school and most of my classmates.This proved to be the longer four years of my life.
Hat # 3 Military. I joined the Army in 1977, this too was short lived because I had a bad back and was honorably discharged shortly after my training when I coud not perform one ofthe required physical requirements. So I came home, went back to the bowling center, and continued my persuit of bowling.
Hat # 4 Firefighter. Following in the family tradition I joined the local volunteer fire department. And along with my father, I got my EMT training and joined the rescue squad. You need to be pretty thick skinned for this. We once got a call fo a motor vehicle accident and when we arrived it was a Head on collision between a Mustang and a cadilac. The driver of the mustang and his passenger were both dead and also very close friends of my father and I. When we finished at the scene we returned home to finish dinner as if nothing happened. I continued as a votluteer for another three years, while still persuing my career as a professional bowler.
Hat #5 Roofer. Although I did not posess my father's keen eye for finish carpentry I did pick up on the roofing end of the trade and went out on my own as a roofer during the summers. This lasted 5 years until I realized it was making an old man of me very quick. So I pushed even harder to be a professional blowler. I even started learning to better myself under the guidence of a professional bowler / bowling center owner. After a year he said to me, " I'll tell you what, I see you have the potential to be a pro, but you need to prove yourself to me." "If you can take the ten pin and the 7 pin out of a full rack of pins and do this on all 20 lanes consecutively I will sponsor you." I gave him the ARE YOU CRAZY LOOK but then took him up on his challenge. it took me all summer bu finally I did what he wanted. He said to me NOW you are ready, because if you can accomplish what you just did, that means you will be an excellent spare shooter.
Hat # 6 Professional Bowler. I was absolutly beside myself to say the least to finally enter my first Pro tournament. What happened next was the worst day of my life.. I was a wreck, my feet were too fast, I over powered my ball. Everything I could do wrong I did, and more. It was a real eye openning experience. After 4 long, and grewsome years I finally decided that being a professional bowler was NOT the glamour I thought it would be. I had fun, made some money, but never really did a lot to say to the world HEY HERE I AM. So I stopped bowling professionally and moved on.
Hat # 7 Pressman. While in highschool one of the things I was good and was graphic arts. mainly running printing presses.I really enjoyed it so I got a job as a press operator at the local pennysaver. My main job was running a Heidleburgh windmill press andon Mindays we would print the Penny saver using a four drum Royal Zenith Web press.. I really loved this job, but my downfall was I also liked to party.Trust me coming o work with a hangover and listening to the presses banging was not fun.. My boss was not happy either, and he told me to either quit the partying (the owner of the place was an alcoholic) or find a new job. Needless to say I was not the sharpest tack on the board so I lost that job.
Hat # 8 Truck Driver. This was a challenging job because it really required me to stop drinking and focus. Yea right, That lasted one summer.
Hat # 9 Father. I got married in 1979 and we had a beaitiful baby boy. Then we moved to South Carolina and I started working ( you guessed it) back in a bowling alley on the Navy Base. The marriage lasted about a year as we just could not get along. we seperate filed for a divorce and I moved back to NY.
Hat #9 Carpenter. Hmmm we went is a circle, I got a job working on a condo project in Victor NY. Whenthe project endedso did my days as a carpenter. Back to the bowling alley.
I left New York to my current location of Cape Cod. Since moving here in 1983 I have had a few hats on my head. I was the lead grill cook at McDonalds, I was a truck driver and an indoor sales person for a lumber yard. Yes I was again a call firefighter ( 13 years) But most importantly I was a Husband and a father again. I found a wondwrful woman in 1984, while working at the local bowling alley (hmmm full circle again) We got married that July and had a daughter is May of 1985. My wife also had an 8 year old son from a previous marriage, I adored the hell out of him and raied as if he were my biologoical son
My final Hat is one that I have worn for the last 24 years. I am a foreman with the Department of public works.. My job is making the street signs and painting the lines and markings you see as you drive the highways.
Let me say this. My life as been full of ups and downs a lot of bad time, mostly self inflicted, but I survived. One word of advice I have to anyone who reads this is this.
It is ok to have a dream, and follow that dream to the very end, BUT stay in school get an education, learn a trade. Dont cut yourself short as I did and end up changing hats faster that most change their socks.
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