SJ Prep assistant principal bowled over by support
Joe Nawn, who will compete in the USBC Masters tournament, is grateful for all the help he got along the way.
LIFE IS GOOD for Joe Nawn.
Today is his 46th birthday, which he'll celebrate with his wife, Mary, and five wonderful children. And, in just 11 days he'll compete in one of professional bowling's majors, the USBC Masters at the Brunswick (N.J.) Zone Carolier Lanes.
Nawn, the assistant principal for instruction and learning at St. Joseph's Prep, who grew up in Upper Darby and attended Monsignor Bonner, said he got a lot of help along the way.
"I started bowling when I was 5 with my grandmother [Jeanette Locilento] in the old senior-citizen leagues," Nawn said yesterday. "I was so little that I had to hold the ball with two hands and roll it between my legs."
He has come a long way since then.
Nawn, who bowls out of Facenda-Whitaker Lanes in East Norriton, has a 228 average and has rolled 20 300-games.
Not bad for a guy who has only been competing since he was 20.
"I'm embarrassed to tell you I was cut from the bowling team for 3 straight years [at Bonner] and then as a senior the coach said, 'You're a really nice guy, but I don't take senior walk-ons.' I never bowled one game in the Catholic League ever. As a high school kid it broke my heart."
Now, he's competing with the big boys.
This won't be the first time that Nawn, an assistant to head bowling coach Bill Betoni at the Prep, has rolled in the USBC Masters.
"Truth be told, I snuck away very quietly and played last year," he said. "I finished about 250th out of 468."
This time, everyone knows, and they're pulling for him.
"Anthony Taormina [who manages Facenda-Whitaker Lanes] set up the pro [oil] pattern for me and has let me quietly practice. And then, he has the lanes reconditioned for his league,'' said Nawn. "He did that as a personal favor to me.
"And I can't thank the Prep and our principal, Jason Zazyczny, enough for all their support. I couldn't have done it without them."