Perseverance, Passion, Pride
SEATTLE - 12/27/2006

Story provided by the PBA

Perseverance, passion, pride: three words that make up Billy Oatman's personal dictionary. Three words that helped Oatman get to where he is now. Three words that played a key role in the addition of the first African-American Denny's PBA Tour exempt bowler.

Even though Oatman has reached the level of bowling that he strived for, the three words will not be eliminated from his personal dictionary.

Oatman's plans are not finished yet. Just getting there was half the battle. Now the first-ever African-American PBA exempt bowler has his sights set on adding to his bowling resume.

"I plan on being competitive and successful," said Oatman. "I do have goals of winning. I do want titles. It's not all about everything else, I still plan on winning. I'm happy to be out here (on the Denny's PBA Tour), but just making it here is not enough."

Perseverance
The route Oatman took to gain an exemption on the Denny's PBA Tour could have easily discouraged many lesser men, but Oatman refused to give up. When trials and tribulations set foot in the young Chicago native's path, he persevered every step of the way.

"Perseverance is a big word in my personal dictionary," added Oatman. "I persevered quite a bit as far as amateur ranks. Even though I'm not known, a lot of the bowlers out here knew me before today and before my PBA experience."

Oatman took every opportunity he had to make money from bowling, including driving around the country and challenging the best bowler in each town to cash games. When the cash flow began to run dry, a choice had to be made.

"I never said I was done because I could always make money bowling, but I did put it on the back-burner for about 10 years when I was working," remarked Oatman.

Oatman's perseverance reached a new level after just missing an exemption when he finished 11th in the Denny's PBA Tour Trials.

"I told him to pray," said Oatman's mother, Joyce. "I told him that I would figure out a way to get him on the PBA Tour. I was ready to put my house up, but God took care of all of that for us."

After Ritchie Allen deferred his exemption for the 2006-07 season, an additional exempt spot opened up and Oatman was a renewed man.

Passion
The passion that Oatman brings to the sport of bowling cannot be easily measured. His passion for the game is connected with his perseverance, pushing him over the hill each time he seemed to slow down.

"He has a passion for bowling, he'd do it for free. He's done it for free. He's even paid people to let him bowl," said Joyce Oatman. "He had a passion for bowling and I had a passion for him.

"I took him all over for him to compete in bowling tournaments. We didn't spoil him though. The only thing that we spent lavishly on was his bowling equipment."

The dedication that Joyce Oatman showed for Billy quickly gave him a reason for the passion. The amount of extra time and money that Joyce put in for Billy gave him the extra motivation to succeed.

"My mom paid for bowling lessons for me. Not only did she pay for bowling lessons, she would take me to bowling centers for practice," added Billy Oatman. "When I was in elementary school, I would come home from school, do my homework, eat and go to sleep at about 6 p.m. She would wake me up about 10:30 to take me to go practice until midnight.

"She would take me to tournaments all over. She is the main reason that I am who I am today and where I am at today."

Pride
Billy Oatman's pride is going to influence a younger generation of African-Americans in underprivileged areas. The inner-pride he has after reaching the highest level of bowling won't allow anything different.

"I want to start the 'Billy Oatman Give Them a Chance' Foundation," said Oatman. "It's just an idea right now, I don't think it can really get off the ground unless Billy Oatman is a success. I want to be able to give back to my community and that's the best way I know besides going into the bowling centers and helping out the junior bowlers."

Had Oatman's idea been around, we may not even have heard of Billy Oatman at this point. Another African-American bowler may have come along before Oatman got his chance.

"If a program like this would have been around when I was younger, it would have helped greatly. If not me, it would have helped a lot of other guys who should have been out here," added Oatman. "There are a whole bunch of guys who need to be in the bowling centers and they just don't have the means to do it.

"There are a lot of African-American bowlers out there who are great bowlers and have a love for the game," continued Oatman. "They just don't have the funds to get where they should be. They are from a poverty stricken area and money is just not available. If given a chance, there are guys who can make it."

Perseverance, passion, pride: the three words that describe Billy Oatman's life to the fullest. All three words refuse to let Billy give up his dream and he echoes that in the following words:

"Don't let the position that you are in or the bad luck that you've had dampen your goals. Keep your eyes focused on the prize and something good will come about for you. You'll make it unless you give up that dream and let that fire go out."