Youngstown native Fran Miller has given over 20 years of her life of Ohio high school bowling.
Starting as the head girls bowling coach at Youngstown Chaney, Miller continued with the sport when the Ohio High School Athletic Association took over control during the 2006-07 season.
She has held positions are rules interpreter and sectional, district and state tounament assistant and director doing the OHSAA period.
Miller, now 62, decided to retire after last season. She leaves behind a legacy of sound judgement, open-mindedness and solid management behind. We sat down with Miller following last season to discuss her career and high school bowling in general.
Here is an edited version of that discussion.
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SOB: How many years have you been doing this?
MILLER: I’ve Been working with OHSAA the full 18 years and working with high school bowling a couple of years before that with sectionals and districts. Pretty much since its inception. I also was a coach at Youngstown Chaney for eight years. I was taking away from coaching by doing tournaments so I decided to leave that part of it behind..
SOB: Why did you decide to retire?
MILLER: Winter driving is not my thing anymore and I decided to be done with it.
SOB: What memories or other items stand out to you over the years you have been doing this?
MILLER: Aside from local teams who have won state titles, getting to know the kids and seeing them progress from a bowler to being an educator which got them in as a coach. So I get to see these kids progress. As long as you are civil with the parents, they are civil with you. You take time to answer their questions calmly and they are fine with it and they thank you for taking the time it makes the whole tournament worth it.
SOB: What are the most difficult things about this position over the years?
MILLER: Parents could be. Some of them are just …. It’s their way or the highway. But parents haven’t really have much of a problem. We have worked together so well with he tournament staff to make it a well-oiled machine that they all know what to expect. It’s made it easier every year. Before we went to on-line ticketing it was more difficult because you had to watch that cash and make sure everything balanced out. Doing the financial reports made it more tedious than the way it is now.
SOB: How many sectional events did you run?
MILLER: Technically, eight (four boys, four girls) and I also help with districts and with the coaches to do the all-tournament teams. I’ve been member of the coaching association since its inception. I also work with the Northeast Dstrict athletic board as bowling sports coordinator and my job there is too keep the communication lines open between the tournament managers and the board. So anything the board needs from tournament managers they get through me and vice versa and we get everything settled. Also I am a rules interpreter.
SOB: Any changes you would like to see to the sport?
MILLER: The biggest change that has been a big plus is going to the team and individual on a pair (Northeast sectionals and district, state tournaments). It’s much friendlier for the individual bowler because now they are not down at the other end of the lanes waiting even longer for results. And the teams take them in as one of their own. That’s one of the biggest changes we’ve made that’s been a complement to the sport. I don’t think there’s anything I’ve seen that has been a downfall. That is something we’ve worked with. OK, if it didn’t work this year, what can we do next year to improve it? It’s given us that pathway to make things better and easier for the schools and the spectators, and they have come to know more and more that it’s about the kids not them.
SOB: Has coaching from the stands become more difficult?
MILLER: I would say not. You may have one or two parents, but if you have a talk with them and let them know, it’s fine.
SOB: They are talking hypothetically about going to the three games and five Baker System games for state in the future during qualifying (it is three and three at this point). Is this designed to bring state more in line with the sectional and district play?
MILLER: We’re trying to get the coaches’ opinions on that (survey was done during 2024 state tournaments). Then, it still has to be presented to the OHSAA board of directors. It’s more because five Baker games equals more of a full game for the bowlers instead of just three.
SOB: What are you going to do in the future?
MILLER: I think I can do a pretty good job of getting away from it. I’ve got good people filling in my spots at sectionals. My daughter, Heather (Miller), has been working with me for probably 10 years and she sees everything that goes on. There’s also Jerry Hartong, who is a seasoned tournament manager. I had him shadow me this year and I will always be there in an advisory role.
SOB: Ray Stalnaker (Northeast District manager) also is not getting any younger. What’s the future of the district when he joins you in retirement?
MILLER: I don’t know yet. We’ll have to wait and see about that. Ray plans on continuing until he can’t do it anymore and he does an excellent job with it.
SOB: Any thoughts of returning to coaching?
MILLER: No. I coached girls for eight years and I’m good with that.
SOB: Who is going to handle your duties on the state level?
MILLER: Holly Calhoun. I’ve been working with her with what I do behind the scenes. I do the financial reports. She’s been doing he scoring which is a great help because she is so good with that Excel program. She sees I’m out on the floor. The coaches and kids need to see you’e there and the parents need to see you’re there. So that’s why I’m out on the floor so much, putting 15,000 steps a day out there in the bowling center. If they have a question they have no problem finding me.
SOB: What are you going to miss the most?
MILLER: Probably the kids. Seeing the kids. When you announce that top 15 at state. Even at sectionals when you see the faces of those kids going to districts. The all tournament teams and those top 15 kids… the look on their faces is priceless.
TOURNAMENT DATES ANNOUNCED FOR NORTHEAST
The Northeast District and tournament manager Ray Stalnaker have set the Division I and II postseason tournament dates for the 2024-25 high school bowling season.
The area Division I dates include:
- Summit Division I sectionals: boys—10 a.m., Feb. 14, Spins Bowl-Akron; girls—10 a.m., Feb. 17, Spins Bowl Akron
- Stark Division I sectionals: boys—10 a.m., Feb. 15, Eastbury Bowling Center, Canton; girls—10 a.m., Feb. 16, Eastbury Bowling Center, Canton
Division I district: boys—10 a.m. Feb. 23, Roseland Lanes, Oakwood; girls—10 a.m., Feb. 24, Roseland Lanes, Oakwood
Division II dates include:
- Tri-County sectional: boys—10 a.m., Feb. 7, Spins Bowl-Kent; girls—10 a.m., Feb. 10, Spins Bowl Kent
Division II district: boys, 10 a.m., Feb. 21, Roseland Lanes, Oakwood; girls—10 a.m., Feb. 22, Roseland Lanes, Oakwood.