Jay Stout receives check for $1600 from Paula Dozier, TNBA Eastern Region Director.
Down to the final frame of The National Bowlers Association’s annual Bill Rhodman Roll-Off, Jay Stout felt he had two options.
Losing wasn’t one of them.
With one frame left to go, he could either earn a strike or a spare and the title would be his. Stout responded by rolling the ball down the lane, watching as it struck solidly into the pins and celebrating when the frame came to a close, as it was he who emerged victorious over former Professional Bowler Association member and three-time PBA champion Ted Hannahs in the Roll-off, which took place May 22 in Louisville, Ky.
It was a moment of glory and validation for the 57-year-old Hopewell resident.
“My goal when I left New Jersey was to win the title,” Stout said. “Going up against Ted Hannahs in the final was a definite challenge, because I knew about his national exposure. Beating him in the final frame meant that I still have what it takes to be competitive with the better bowlers.”
It wasn’t the first time that Stout had crossed paths with Hannahs. The two competed against one another back in the 1980s, when Stout was a member of the PBA.
But the win was a height that Stout hadn’t reached before with Hannahs, 55. It was also yet another notch in the belt of Stout’s long bowling career, which spans four and a half decades and includes inductions into the Lower Bucks County and Pennsylvania Bowling Hall of Fames.
When he got started, Stout was just a boy supporting his dad, who bowled in a league. One day in 1969, his father underwent back surgery that ended his season, leaving the elder Stout’s team a man short.
They knew who should fill the gap.
“Since I used to go watch him bowl, the guys asked if I would fill in for my father the last six weeks of the league,” Stout said.
The next year, Stout joined the Junior League at Bristol Pikes Lane in Bristol, Pa., and a love for the sport began to flourish every Saturday with each roll down the lane. His enchantment with the alleys continued on through high school and led Stout to join a couple of men’s leagues and eventually the PBA. He traveled for two seasons on the PBA national tour, playing as a full-time member in 1983 and 1984.
Each step up in competition followed with success and was just another intoxicating ascension for Stout.
“I like the head-to-head competition and the thrill of victory,” Stout said. “There’s more down than ups, believe me, but when you do win it’s exciting.”
The lanes opened Stout’s eyes to more than just the joys of strikes though. While playing in a league at Curtis Lanes in Ewing in 1979, Stout sat down to have a drink with the woman who would later become his wife, Suzanne.
“I bowled in the early league, and she was bowling in the late league,” Stout said. “I bought her a drink at the bar after, and the rest is history.”
Fittingly, the couple has shared a lot of great memories since that day in alleys all over the country with competitions taking the Stouts to 42 different states, Kentucky being the latest. The couple has two daughters, Samantha, 25, and Danielle, 20, both of whom were three-sport athletes at Hopewell Valley Central High School.
After coming out on top in March at the Eastern Regional Bill Rhodman Senior Division at Carolier Lanes on U.S. 1 in New Brunswick, Stout qualified himself for the national spotlight. The achievement allowed Stout to take on the victors of the Central, Southern and Western Regions and set up the 214-193 win over Hannahs. He won $1,600 for both the regional and the national victory.
When Stout is not bowling, he works for Pet-Chem Equipment Corporation in Flourtown, Pa., selling and servicing automated fuel systems. Although he doesn’t bowl as often as he used to, he takes part in a league at Curtis Lanes on Fridays and subs in for leagues at Slocum’s in Ewing occasionally on Mondays and Wednesdays. He also bowls in regional tournaments on weekends, as well as an occasional national tournament.
The victory in Louisville gave Stout a confidence boost.
“I beat a former PBA champion,” he said. “I’ve never won a PBA title, [but] it just proves to me that I can still go out there and compete.”
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