About Mark Baker
Career:
Mark Baker has been active in the sport of bowling for more than 30 years, many of those as a top-level competitor. Since his professional bowling career came to an end, Mark has dedicated himself to the coaching and education side of the sport and is considered as, arguably, one of the top instructors in the United States. A Southern California (Orange County) native, Mark was an avid athlete, excelling in baseball, and earning national recognition and accolades as an outstanding high school basketball player. He also excelled on the bowling lanes as one of the top junior bowlers in Southern California before joining the PBA tour in 1982. As a PBA touring professional, Mark enjoyed a very successful career, earning 4 National Tour Titles, along with a number of “top-five” telecasts, establishing himself as one of the premier players on the PBA National Tour. His dedication and hard work not only earned him a spot as one of the tour’s best, but also rewarded him with one of the PBA’s most prestigious honors – the “George Young High Average Award” for the 1985 Season. Mark’s career blossomed at home as well, compiling numerous victories in local organizations such as the Professional Coast Bowlers (PCB) and the PBA Regional program. His impressive resume earned him several Southern California Bowling Writers’ “Bowler of the Year” awards, and early inductions into both the Orange County, and Southern California Bowling Halls of Fame. Respected as a fierce competitor and fearless opponent, Mark’s professional bowling career was shortened, due to a serious back injury and the subsequent surgery which followed. Continuing to bowl and staying connected to people in the bowling industry led Mark along a new path. He realized that he had a natural knack for helping bowlers, and he began giving lessons. Through his reputation as a having a solid work ethic, Mark was offered a position with Track Inc., one of the country’s top high-performance bowling ball manufacturers, in 2003 as their Western Sales Representative. Using his talents as a coach, and his new understanding of bowling ball dynamics, Mark began to hone his coaching skills, working with some of the PBA Tour’s top players, achieving great results. Today, as the Southern California Sales Manager for Cal Bowling Supply, one of the largest consumer bowling products distributors in the western United States, Mark has taken his coaching abilities to new levels, giving private lessons to bowlers of all skill levels in his spare time, still working with some of the world’s top professionals, and developing “Camp Bakes” – a very successful bowling camp, employing some of the most talented and knowledgeable bowlers in the world as instructors. For his achievements in coaching, Mark has been named one of the “Top 100 Coaches in the United States” by Bowlers Journal International magazine on 3 separate occasions – 2005, 2006, and again in 2008. As a dedicated teacher AND student of the sport of bowling, Mark’s passion for coaching and his dedication to bowlers and the sport of bowling will keep him in the game for years to come as one of its top instructors. |