Hall Of Fame Inductee
Jim Hoult
Inducted into: Builder Division in 2003
Inducted into: Player Division in 1991
Location: Richmond Hill
Deceased: 2009
- Builder
- Player
In some cases, participation in our sport encompasses many difference facets. Hall of Fame Player Jim Hoult of Richmond Hill used his abilities as a dominant bowler to also build the sport of 5 pin bowling at the zone, provincial and national levels.
Jim was a pinboy in his youth and began his bowling career at the Olympia Lanes at Logan and Queen Street in Toronto’s east end before moving to Acorn Central Lanes, located downtown in the same city. The pinboys of the day had their own league, and while Jim started his on-lane career with this group, he advanced his skills through his work league at McLean Hunter and participation in the Toronto City Major League.
When bowling began to expand in 1957, as a result of the invention of an automatic pinsetter, O’Connor Bowl scheduled a major tournament, open to all bowlers across Canada, that offered the largest prize in bowling to that date, namely $1,000. Jim won this first tournament and, with this victory, began a list of accomplishments that would shape our sport.
Initially, Jim was named as chief instructor for the Double Diamond Company, one of the two major pinsetting manufacturers of the day. Jim was joined by Volda Hefner and Hall of Famers Bert Garside, Lea McBeigh, Don Walker, Dot Peppin, and Rusty Starr. This group opened literally hundreds of bowling centres, and offered instructional clinics under the banner of the Double Diamond Advisory Staff. In addition, Jim, collaborating with Bert Garside, syndicated a thirty week instruction column that appeared in one hundred and ninety-two newspapers and later became the basis for the Master Bowlers Association of Canada instruction book.
As bowling continued to expand, Jimmy was an obvious selection for Hellewell’s All Stars, a group that toured Ontario and bowled every second week during the bowling season for three years. Overall, the barnstormers only lost two matches and Jimmy, who usually bowled second behind Hall of Famer Bert Garside, was an excellent showman on the lanes. His popularity also led to the formation of the Jimmy Hoult Fan Club and through the efforts of another Hall of Famer, Doug Miller, a Jimmy Hoult Bowling Game was distributed on the retail market and sales reached several thousand units.
Jimmy was a charter member of the Master Bowlers Association as this elite group was formed in 1964. He was the chief instructor for the MBA, a group that eventually would deliver the instruction and coaching program both in Ontario and across Canada.
While Jimmy was contributing to the growth of the instruction program, he also became tournament chairman for the Ontario Bowlers Congress. During a five year stint, Jim was in charge of tournament sanctioning and also the scheduling of OBC events. Jim also introduced a colleague, Al Richardson, to organized bowling at both the local and provincial level. Al introduced the High-Low Doubles, the most popular event on the bowling calendar to Canadian bowlers and, last year was inducted to the Hall of Fame as a Builder.
Jimmy’s accomplishments have been recognized on several occasions. In 1991, Jim received a Life Membership from the York Simcoe 5 Pin Bowlers Association and was also inducted to the Players Division of the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers Association Hall of Fame. Furthermore, in 2001, Jim was a charter inductee to the York Simcoe 5 Pin Bowling Hall of Fame as a bowler.
This dual induction now raises membership in this exclusive club to six, Jimmy joins Bert Garside, Mabel McDowell, Evelyn Wood, Walter Heeney and Ernie Roggie, who have been recognized previously.
Today, Jimmy continues to enjoy golf and good health as well. With his wife, Jean, their children Bob, Steve, and Sandy have four grandchildren and, who can be assured, that their grandfather raised the profile of 5 pin bowling as a Builder of our Industry.
The name "Hoult" has always been synonymous with excellence in 5 Pin Bowling and tonight we will induct Jim Hoult to the 5 Pin Bowling Hall of Fame. Jimmy’s brother Billy, a two-time Canadian singles champion, was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1986. Tonight we will recognize the achievements of Jimmy Hoult, Billy’s older brother and a champion in his own right.
Born in 1930, Jimmy was originally a pinsetter at the Olympia Lanes at Logan and Queen Streets before moving to Acorn Central, where he learned the fundamentals of the game from George Corbridge, one of the top bowlers and teachers of the game in his day.
As pinboys, both Jimmy and Billy were in the pinboys league and by 1947-48, they renewed a childhood acquaintance with Bert Garside, and this threesome would become lifelong friends.
Jim also joined MacLean Hunter in 1946 and immediately was a member of the company team in the Printers League, a league so large it bowled for two nights each week at Spadina Bowl. In 1950, Jim married Jean Stark, another MacLean employee and last year they celebrated their 40th anniversary.
That same year, Jim joined the City Major League, and over the years bowled on teams sponsored by Towne Tavern, Gross Machinery, Molson’s, Pasquales, Peoples Credit Jewelers and Hellewell’s All Starts.
In 1957, Jimmy became a bowling celebrity as he won the first O’Connor Open and the first prize of $1,000 an unheard of sum of prize money in those days. Prior to the Open, tournaments were of the "All-Events" variety, and the open was the first tournament that offered a first prize of over $200 for a singles event.
With the introduction of the automatic pinsetter in that same year, the bowling industry needed stars for promotion and the handsome Jimmy Hoult was a natural.
Jimmy was named the chief instructor for the pinsetting from Double Diamond, and along with Bert Garside, Volda Heffner, Lea McBeigh, Don Walker, Dot Peppin and Rusty Starr, opened all their new centres as members of the Double Diamond Advisory Staff. As instructors, Jimmy and his staff conducted clinics for more than 10,000 bowlers, and one of today’s top bowlers, Ian Cameron of London, is a Jimmy Hoult protegee. More notoriety followed as Jimmy along with Bert Garside syndicated a 30-week instruction column throughout Canada in 192 newspapers. These columns were the basis of the original Master Bowlers Instruction Book.
Hellewell’s All Stars added more fame as this team toured the province with great success. The team was unbeatable as Jimmy, Bert, Billy Hoult, Red McQuaker, Hugh Connely, Holly Leet and coach Jake Hellewell barnstormed from Sudbury to St. Catharines to Brockville to Windsor. They lost only 2 matches in a two-and-a-half year period.
In fact, Jimmy became so popular that along with another of tonight’s honorees, Doug Miller, the offical "Jimmy Hoult Fan Club" was started and a Jimmy Hoult bowling game was distributed throughout the retail market.
With the beginning of the Master Bowlers Association in 1964, Jimmy was a charter member and he won two events, the Holiday Sweepstakes, in 1966 and the Northern Classics in 1967. The Masters National Championship introduced teams in 1973 and Jim won a gold medal on the 1974 team that bowled in St. Catharines.
Jimmy also qualified for the Open ten times as a bowler and also coached twice. The 1970 men’s team from York Simcoe won the provincial championship but missed participation at the national level as the East-West split cancelled the national championships.
On the administrative level, Jimmy was tournament chairman for the OBC for five years and as such was in charge of tournament sanctioning and coordination of OBC provincial events. In addition, he was responsible for introducing Al Richardson to organized bowling, and Al ultimately became the treasurer of the Ontario Bowlers Congress.
Just last month, the York Simcoe 5 Pin Bowlers Association awarded Jimmy Hoult a life membership as part of their 25th anniversary celebration, a tribute to Jimmy’s contribution to bowling at the local level.
Jimmy and his wife, Jean are both enjoying their retirement and their children Bob, Steve and Sandy have three grandchildren.