Ten Pin Technician

We chat to Kevin McRae, a Bowling Technician with AMF Bowling. He takes us behind the scenes and we see what happens to the bowling pins when they dissappear. He chats about what's involved in the maintenance, modification and fixing of parts in the bowling alley. He gives us a bit of insight into how a passion for a sport can turn into a career!

About Kevin:

Kevin was brought up with bowling very much part of his family’s activities, both his parents bowled and he was inspired by his grandma who still loves to bowl.

He was in bowling leagues by the age of 10, he bowled very successfully in the junior leagues and started proper competition in 2006 when he was 16.

He has won several cash prizes during his short career. He won the Junior Masters in 2007, the ACT Junior Masters in 2008 and from here was given free entry into the Junior Nationals last month. He won the “All Events” category and on the championship side the team event: The Shield.

He is the captain of his team the Southland NSW Boys and overall his team placed 2nd out of 10 team competing. In this competition, Kevin bowled an unheard of and record breaking back to back score of 300 followed by a 266.

He now holds the junior record for boys open single and his name has been recorded in the Tenpin Bowling Australia record books.

Kevin started with AMF Blacktown in February of this year. He wanted to work in a place where his favourite sport was being played daily to give him an insight into the technical side behind ten pin. He is now a technician, fixing all the equipment front and back of house, doing general maintenance including shop fitting and painting / decorating.

Kevin and the team at AMF approach the maintenance with a prevention rather than cure philosophy, taking a pair of lanes out a day to maintain the machinery.

He greases the chains and gears, replaces damaged parts and removes the dusty that builds up daily from the constant activity of the machinery. Kevin loves working at AMF and really gets an insight into the science of bowling through his work there.