Bowling match win secures scholarship for OLV

By Maria LeDoux
Associate editor, The Catholic Free Press

“Celebrity roll off” was the phrase used for a special edition of Bowling for Scholars, a candlepin bowling show produced by ABMI TV in Bellingham and created by Pete Royce, 75, a native of Worcester.
Mr. Royce later called it the match of the “holy rollers,” which took place on Oct. 17 at Sparetime Recreation in Whitinsville between Father Nicholas Desimone, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Uxbridge, and Father David Mullen, pastor of St. Brendan Parish, Bellingham, in the Archdiocese of Boston.
Father Desimone triumphed with a score of 224 to 202. The victory came with a $500 scholarship prize that will go into the Father Dennis J. O’Brien scholarship fund at Our Lady of the Valley School in Uxbridge.
When asked why he participated in the “holy rollers” bowling match, Father Desimone responded, “I don’t particularly enjoy bowling but there is nothing I wouldn’t do for Our Lady of the Valley School. … Our school is a treasure.”
Mr. Royce said that the supporters of Father Desimone came with pom-poms. “It was unbelievable,” he said. “And, Father Mullen had a great time, too.”
Mr. Royce, a parishioner at St. Brendan Parish, asked his pastor Father Mullen that if he lost, would he “cut the homilies down by 10 minutes.” Father Mullen “refused,” said Mr. Royce laughing.
There was “something about the appeal of two men in collars,” competing for the scholarship, that it brought about the largest award to date, said Mr. Royce.
Mr. Royce created the show for two reasons, he said. The first was to “bring back the nostalgia of candlepin bowling.” The second was to award scholarships to students in need of financial assistance at private schools.
When Mr. Royce was younger there were 10 places for candlepin bowling in Worcester, now there are none, he says, though there is “one on the horizon.” He remembers watching candlepin bowling on television when he was young, stating that it was “more popular” than the Celtics, Bruins, and other major league sports teams.
Candlepin bowling was invented in Worcester in the late 19th-century.
The reason for awarding these scholarships to private schools is because these types of schools do not get taxpayer assistance and public schools cannot accept scholarships, as they are already free, he said.
The show has grown from being aired on two public access channels to 10 in the six months since its start in April. The show is played back numerous times in each city and town, said Mr. Royce. Currently, it airs in Bellingham, Douglas, Grafton, Mendon, Milford, North Attleborough, Shrewsbury, Upton, Uxbridge, and Worcester.
So far, more than $3,000 has been awarded in scholarships. Money is raised by local organizations who contribute to the fund. There is “no overhead” said Mr. Royce as he is a volunteer, ABMI Inc. contributes, and Mark Moon, the proprietor of Sparetime Recreation, donates his lanes and resources for the show.
He has been “wonderfully generous in hosting the show and making his resources available to us at no charge,” said Mr. Royce.
“Every penny that comes in, goes out,” he continued.
Funders of the scholarships can vary. But the scholarships that go out help students receive an education they might not otherwise be able to afford, said Mr. Royce.
 Bowling for Scholars gives Mr. Royce the chance to do what he enjoys – sports announcing. He even brings a new generation to the sport he enjoys so much; his 4-year-old grandson will play as he announces the show. He also announces sports in Bellingham, Franklin, and at the College of the Holy Cross.

- To have Bowling for Scholars aired on your public access television network contact ABMI, Inc. at 508-966-3234.