By J1 Reporter Maelee Smith

Ted Baer, a professional bowler, has generously donated his time and money to support Marian’s bowling team. With his help coaching this year, the team won their district and qualified for the state tournament. 

“I like giving back to the game that has given me so much in my life,” Baer said. 

Baer has been bowling since he was 8 years old. “One of the kids I went to school with had a bowling party for his birthday and that was one of the first times I ever bowled. I just fell in love with it and have been bowling ever since,” he said.

Baer grew up practicing his bowling skills at West Lanes, located at 151 N 72nd St, and then, at the age of 15, he bowled in his first professional tournament. He enjoyed learning from watching and playing with some of the best bowlers. Now, almost 50 years later, he continues to bowl in three different leagues. Usually, he will bowl three to four times a week at Mockingbird Lanes, located at 4870 S 96th St. 

Throughout his career, Baer has had lots of success. “Officially, I have had 65 sanctioned 300’s,” he said. This means that he has gotten a perfect game, which is all strikes, 65 times, not including the perfect games he has gotten in practice. 

To make his success possible, Baer has had a shockingly large number of bowling balls. Currently, he has 30 different bowling balls that he uses. “You have different bowling balls for different lane conditions,” he said. He brings between eight and 10 bowling balls to each tournament. According to Baer, the lane conditions change throughout the day because the oils move down the lane and so it is best to have multiple bowling balls for different situations.

Though Baer is now retired, he was a successful small business owner. He owned the Omaha Lancers hockey team, Southroads Tech Park, Brandeis Catering, and a few local bowling alleys, to name a few. His career success has helped to fund his bowling and now helps to fund Marian’s bowling.

To help them become better bowlers, Baer has generously given girls on the Marian bowling team their own bowling balls, bowling bags and bowling shoes. He helps the team improve their bowling skills through his expert coaching.

 Sophomore Margaret Arbataitis has been on the Marian bowling team for two years. “Ted provides so much support for our team. His generosity allows us to access high quality equipment without putting a financial burden on players or their families,” Arbataitis said.

Baer’s connection to Marian is through his wife, Kathy. She went to Marian and graduated in 1976. Although his wife doesn’t bowl, Baer still shows his support for her high school by helping coach the Marian bowling team. 

Marian’s other bowling coach, Chris Dziadus, said he is grateful for Baer’s help this year. “I coached the first four seasons of Marian bowling on my own, and I can say without a doubt that this last season, with Ted on staff, has been the best season we have had and the most fun we have had,” Dziadus said.

Baer is excited for the next Marian bowling season. “I’m looking forward to it. It was a lot of fun,” he said. 

Baer encourages Marian girls to try out for the bowling team. “Bowling is something you can do for your whole life,” he said. Baer has been bowling for about 57 years and still enjoys it today.