Denis St-Onge and 5 pin bowling were a winning combination from his earliest days and his involvement continued as an adult bowler, volunteer and coach.

Denis began his Youth Bowling Council (YBC) participation at Alladin Lanes in Ottawa. Denis ultimately became a coach at Alladin, recognizing the need for youth coaches at the centre.

Using his willingness to become involved, Denis used his first experience as a participant in the Ottawa Valley roll-off for the provincial championships to see his local association in action. Wanting to assist, Denis, in 1981, at the young age of 21, followed Marcel Quenville as the President of the Ottawa Valley 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association.

In that same year, Denis literally married the girl next door, and luckily Ginette was ready to assist the new president. Together, they travelled throughout the large zone that extended north to Deep River, and west and south to the Bay of Quinte line.

It was a rebuilding program as the association needed new volunteers, members and, of course, finances. At the same time, Denis’ leadership skills were obvious and he was trained as a course conductor to teach the new coaching courses in both Ontario and Quebec. Denis was fully bilingual and, from 1981 to 1999, he certified over 900 coaches in both Ontario and Quebec.

His talents were further used as Denis, from 1984 to 1999, became a master Course Conductor and, in this role, he trained many coaches to deliver local courses in both English and French. Be assured, this ability to teach in both languages became invaluable to the success of the coaching program in the eyes of the Federal Government, and especially in regard to funding.

When the Orleans Bowling Centre chose to decentralize under the leadership of Ken Barter, his first call was to Denis to assist in the process. He responded and, in the provincial incentive program, Denis was Strike It Rich chairperson in 1993, and was selected as provincial Executive of the Year in 1995.

Increasing his involvement, in 1993, Denis joined the Board of Directors of the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association (O5PBA). His presence was welcomed as the association was going through a period of re-organization. Denis rose to First Vice President, and this move allowed Denis to become part of the Ontario representation at the national level. At the Canadian 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association, Denis was elected and served three years as Second Vice President. He was also selected for the technical committee as the coaching program was being revised and expanded across Canada.

While his association work was extensive, Denis also enjoyed success on the lanes as well. In a 35-year period from 1980-81 to 2013-14, Denis bowled in four provincial Opens and coached 11 times for his Ottawa Valley Zone. He qualified for the mixed team in 1983 and 2001 and men’s team in 1993 and 1998. In addition, he joined the Master Bowlers’ Association of Ontario for the 1980-81 season. Denis participated for seven years and this experience was highlighted with his qualifying for the Ontario teaching team. This team bowled nationally in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and Denis enjoyed the first Masters visit to Canada’s easternmost province.

In this working career, Denis used some early driving experience, to join OC Transpo (the Ottawa transit system) in 1987. With this company, Denis was flagged for leadership and promotion. Ultimately, by 2001, Denis was so involved at OCT that participation in the bowling world became impossible. Denis continued at OCT till his retirement in 2018.

Denis and his wife Ginette are a great team. Not only were they both immersed in all bowling activities, but also raised two children, a daughter, Daniele, and a son, Charles. In addition, they have three grandchildren.

In the last 20 years, Denis has rediscovered his golf game, and Denis and Ginette have taken 33 cruises with more scheduled for the future.