Ebonite

Jan 03, 2013

PBA50 Member Don Sylvia admits that even though he’s lived all over the country, his move to The Villages in Florida has been a bit of an adjustment.

“With anything, you have to get used to new surroundings,” said the native New Englander, who moved to Florida in April. “It took me a minute to figure it all out.”

It also took a minute for Sylvia to get used to the lane conditions at the two bowling centers located in the Central Florida retirement community. But the 60-year-old right-hander drilled an Ebonite Challenge high-performance ball, and posted one of the highest series of his career, an 836 series.

Bowling in the Bruce Coffey Memorial Senior Men’s League at Fiesta Bowl, Sylvia posted games of 300, 258 and 278. He says the Ebonite Challenge gave him a different look on the lane conditions he bowls on.

“The conditions down here a little more wet/dry than I’ve seen in a while,” said Sylvia. “Before I drilled the Challenge, I was forced to play the strip between the oil and dry area, and I wasn’t scoring like I wanted.”

A call to Ebonite International Tour Rep and PBA Hall of Famer Jason Couch made a big difference for Sylvia.
“I asked Jason about some ball recommendations, and one of them was the Challenge,” he said. “The ball allowed me to be five boards deeper in the heads where I didn’t have to play the wet/dry area.”

The Challenge pairs Ebonite’s all new AXS core with the new Reaction Control System cover for a strong and continuous mid-lane reaction.

“I like arcing equipment, and with my game, the Challenge reads the mid-lane and keeps on rolling,” Sylvia said. “It doesn’t get to the backend and die. Some of the new stuff on the market will roll out if you don’t have high ball speed. Or it will give you a skid/flip motion. I call those ‘Schizo’ balls.”

Sylvia owns a total of 38 perfect games to go along with 15 series of 800 or better. So he knows that feeling when he’s going to have a good day.

“I just concentrated on getting out of my own way,” he said of his 836 score. “Series like that don’t come across very often.”

He should know about rolling a big series. His highest series was an 838 score that he rolled on the American Bowling Congress Tournament lanes in Billings, MT.

“When you shoot a series like that, you throw a couple that shouldn’t be strikes,” he said. “But I always say that if you throw a good one after that, you deserve it.”

Sylvia was the PBA Senior Rookie of the Year in 2003, and has three titles on the newly christened PBA50 Tour. He says now is the time for him to win again.

“I know I’m running out of time,” he said. “But I know I can win again.”

When the PBA50 Tour commences in April, Sylvia will have a home-lane advantage of sorts. The opening stop of the tournament series begins at The Villages.

“You always want to start a swing on a good note, and I’ll have some built-in comforts that week.”

Until then, Sylvia will enjoy life at The Villages with his new wife Ginny, and spending time with his family.

“We wanted to be closer to our families, and The Villages is centrally located for us,” he said. “The weather is great in the winter, but we get paid back during the summer months.”

He hopes the 836 series is a sign of things to come.

“I think this is the buildup to a great season,” Sylvia said. “The Ebonite equipment will give me a new sense of confidence. I still feel like I can win at age 60. With Ebonite, I Bowl to Win!”

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