This is an exclusive interview with Maria Jose Rodriguez at the WSOB XI.

“Hello there, my name is Maria Jose Rodriguez and I’m from Colombia. I have been bowling since I was 9 years old. I bowl for the Colombian National Team and Motiv Bowling at the PBA and PWBA Tour. I pretty much bowl for life, I do it every single day of my life.

I have 2 titles: The USBC Queens in 2014 and the 2018 PWBA Tour Champion. These titles mean the world to me. This is what we work and live for. We do everything to win, we dream, we practice and work for it. We do everything to be successful nationwide and worldwide.”

What does Bowling mean to you?

“Bowling is a sport. Bowling is Life. Bowling is my life and my world. It means everything to me, everything I have, and everything I have done. I mean Bowling has given me everything that I have and everything that I have done.

I came to the U.S. because of bowling, I have a Masters because of Bowling, I met my husband because of bowling, and I have traveled the world because of bowling.”

Why Bowling and not something else?

“I found a different passion, a different love with Bowling when I was little. I practiced a lot of sports, I did everything and I just ultimately decided to stay with Bowling. I was never tired of practicing. I was never tired of showing up.

Being at the bowling center working hard for me, like constantly working on my game. It was just never tiring, it was all satisfaction. Every time I step on the approach, I just love it, it is amazing.”

Do you think that Bowling is a sport?

“Of course I do, Bowling is a sport. It is just like another sport. We do it for living, we compete around the world like any professional athlete. Sometimes we stay at the Bowling alley for 12 hours at the time in a lot of tournaments.”

Do you consider yourself an Athlete? Why?

“Yes, I do. I think I am an athlete. I am considered an athlete by my family, by the bowlers I compete with at the Professional Tour, by the Motiv team, by going to practice and workout everyday, by traveling the world doing a sport, and by much more.”

What does it take to be an Elite Bowler?

“It takes a while. Some people think you just show up and sign up and pay $300 to become a professional bowler and that’s it. But, I think it takes a lot of practice, a lot of failure, a lot of success.

We practice so much, we change our game so much, and work out pretty much every day. I have to watch what I eat and keep myself healthy. I have to move my schedule a lot every year to figure out when I’m gonna be practicing, when I’m gonna be at a tournament, and when I am gonna be resting.

I do want to keep bowling until I am very old.”

If someone tells you that Bowling is not a sport and what you do is a joke, what would you say to that person?

“I don’t know. I’d probably just be quiet and leave. I mean a lot of people obviously don’t know what we go through and how hard we work to do what we do. So, I don’t know I just feel like I’d be wasting my time trying to explain to a person that I’m an athlete. So, yeah I think I’d probably just walk away and avoid any conflict.”

What would you do to let the world know that Bowling should be in the Olympics?

“I think we are doing a lot of things to make progress. It is up to the athletes anymore. I think that the people above us, like the PBA and Bowling organizations have to put their efforts together and work together as a team.”

What do you think about the WSOB and why is it so special?

“It is special because I bowled it first in 2014 as my first tournament as a PBA member and I was able to compete against the guys. Like, it was the craziest learning experience of my life. Realizing how hard it is to compete at this level and how good I was and how better I needed to become to compete at this level.

I enjoyed bowling it this time, I didn’t enjoy it as much the first time because it was so hard. But, this time was really fun even though it was difficult. I realized that I have a lot of things to work on. I’m looking forward to going back home and working on the things I need to improve in my game and come back next year.”

How tough is it to win at the World Series of Bowling?

“You have got to be really lucky. You have to be really precise and make the right call. Everything has to come your way. Every strike has to fall. You have to make the right decision every single time. 

And then the brackets, I mean it’s such a lottery. If you make the right call and the right strategy you can make it till the end no matter what you start at. 

This is all just really hard. Even the World Championships where you have so many games to bowl and it just becomes game after game after game. You have to communicate with your Tour Rep. Keep in mind the scouting pairs, and the people telling you what to do.”