In the last 30 years, Jim Head has been a dominant force in five pin bowling.  His participation and excellence, both on and off the lanes, has been extraordinary.  Jim is a product of the Youth Bowling Council (YBC) at Village Bowl which was operated by Vito Aggozino.  Following its closing in 1984, Jim finished his senior years at Park Royal Bowlerama in nearby Clarkson.  While at Village Bowl, Jim’s father, Pat, enrolled his son in the local men’s league and this exposure whetted Jim’s appetite for a higher level of competition.

Upon Jim’s return from university, he joined the Master Bowlers’ Association (MBA) for the 1991-92 season and has continued as a member to this day.  During this time, Jim has an outstanding record of 13 wins, with 11 in the tournament division and two in the senior division.  As well, Jim has qualified for ten national championships as conducted by the Master Bowlers’ Association of Canada.  This qualifying has produced nine medals with gold as a bowler in 2001, 2008, 2017, 2018 and, as a coach in 2019, silver in 2005 and 2007 and two bronze medals, including a men’s team in 2006 and as the provincial singles representative in 2009.  In addition, Jim set a record that still stands while bowling in Red Deer in 2005.  At that event, Jim won 18 of his 21 matches.  As an added bonus, Jim won the annual Mark Ten accuracy contest in 2007 and, as well, his overall average in the MBAO is 260.21, one of the highest on record.

In the Open, conducted by the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association, Jim has been equally impressive.  Overall, he has qualified 24 times, beginning in 1991, which includes ten times in the singles, 18 men’s teams and six mixed teams.  He has been a provincial champion eight times and these victories produced five national medals, two gold, two silver and a bronze.  In 2017 in Sudbury, Jim was selected as a national All Star with a 272.56 average and 14 single game victories.  As well, in 2004, Jim was on the men’s team that set four national records that stand to this day.

In open tournaments, Jim has done it all.  From 1998 to 2010, he completely dominated the Young Adult Bowlers’ Association (YABA). YABA offered a variety of tournaments, which Jim won seven YABA singles titles, 12 team events and one aggregate championship.  Jim also took his talent to other open events in both Ontario and across Canada.  He was a runner-up at the prestigious KG Tournament in 2001 in Saskatoon and victorious in Cornwall, Oshawa, St. Thomas, Elmira, and in Uxbridge he won a $10,000 first prize, a victory that Jim considers his greatest achievement.  Adding to this excellence is two appearances on TSN. Overall, his tournament winnings easily exceed $200,000, the highest by any bowler in our history.

As busy as Jim is on the lanes, he has been equally involved off the lanes. Inspired by his early coaches, that included his father, Art Irvine and Ted Woodhouse, Jim continues to coach in YBC at Hopedale Bowl, was part of the tournament committee for YABA, and has been a part of the bowling school staff for 25 years.  In addition, Jim was approached to replace the late Hall of Famer Henry Fehr on the MBAO tournament staff and continues in this role to this day.

Over the years Jim has received excellent family support.  His father, Pat, bowled into his eighties.   As a family, Jim along with his mother, Doris, his father, and Jim’s sister, Patricia, all bowled at Village Bowl, albeit on competing teams.  Jim has also overcome some serious health issues, including a broken foot as a youngster and an eye accident during a paintball outing that cost him some of his sight in his left eye.  Despite these setbacks, Jim has enjoyed success both on and off the lanes as well as maintaining his competitive juices.  Undoubtedly, more victories and volunteer opportunities await Jim Head.