Biography
Kim Adler
climbs steep sandstone cliffs. She rides a mountain bike on twisty
desert trails. She glides on her snowboard through deep Colorado
powder.
But Adler
is not in the X Games — she's a successful player on the
Professional Women's Bowling Tour.
For Adler,
the 1991 tour rookie of the year and 15th on the all-time money
list with $500,000 in winnings, adventure sports are very compatible
with big-league bowling.
''Cross-training
clears my mind and sharpens my mental focus,'' she says. ''It
keeps me fresh.''
Staying fresh
is important on the 23-tournament women's pro tour, where bowling
is intensely physical.
Attacking
the pins
At 5-6 and
125 pounds, Adler must lift and accurately launch her 16-pound
ball — equal to more than 12% of her body weight — hundreds
of times every competition.
Her attack
on the pins begins with a classic straight, smooth arm swing,
her wiry body's center of gravity close to the laminated boards.
Once the ball is released, she's classified as a ''tweener'' —
her ball takes a path that doesn't hook but isn't necessarily
straight, either. Her unique follow-through leaves her right hand
behind her head on every shot.
''It takes
a long time to get good at this sport,'' says Adler, who recently
turned 31. ''Many pro bowlers' careers don't peak until their
late 30s. To last that long, to take the pounding, you have to
be an athlete.''
To that end,
Adler and her husband, Tommy, have chosen an extreme approach.
Gear
and groceries
They cruise
the tour in an RV loaded down with mountain bikes, surfboards,
snowboards, climbing gear and lots of healthy foods.
''I've always
played different sports,'' Adler says. ''I was good at softball
and a very aggressive basketball player. Tommy is a surfer, and
he got me interested in trying new things, outside things.''
One of the
new things she tackled was mountain biking. The couple likes to
ride the rugged single-track trails of Nevada's Red Rock Canyon,
a short drive from their Las Vegas home.
''Mountain
bike riding is harder than it looks,'' Adler says. ''Climbing
hills and clearing obstacles uses a lot of different muscles and
requires that your thinking remain constantly focused. You can't
think about anything else and survive.
''That's very
helpful for my bowling, where the obstacles — the ball, the
lanes, hand action, speed — are invisible.''
She has recently
been drawn to rock climbing, inching up sheer cliffs with just
her feet and fingertips: ''Reaching the top gives me a lot of
confidence in my body and strength.''
Adler is on
the right track, says professional personal trainer Jana Chandler
David.
''Mountain
biking and other so-called extreme sports are great cross-training
for bowlers because they are exciting, crazy and unpredictable,''
she says. ''They're an antidote for the stress and repetition
of bowling.''
David has
several clients who are extreme athletes. For them, she prescribes
cross-training with a mellow activity such as hiking or yoga.
''Bowling
and biking do have a lot in common,'' the Los Angeles trainer
says. ''Mountain biking could do a lot to improve a bowler's balance.''
Adler says
her balance — the mental kind — has thrived under her
adventurous routine.
A
different path
''The tournament
schedule is so hard,'' she says. ''We have to spend so much time
indoors in the bowling centers. It is important for me to get
away from there when I'm not bowling. That's why we live in the
RV instead of the hotels that most players stay in.
''Most of
the ladies (on the tour) don't respond to what I'm doing. Tommy
and I try to do things separately from them. It's easier for me
to compete by not being close to them.''
In the RV,
Tommy whips up nutritious meals that include lots of vegetables
and lean meats. During matches, she munches on energy bars and
sips bottled water.
With just
one event left on the 1998 tour — the Nov. 14-21 Sam's Town
Invitational in Las Vegas — her less-traveled path has led
to success.
She has won
two tournaments and is third in the tour's overall rankings, fourth
in average (213.2) and fourth in earnings ($97,810).
Would Adler
consider going extreme full time as a mountain bike racer?
''I've thought
about it,'' she says with a laugh.
''Bowling
is my primary focus. But it could be interesting."
Copyright
USAToday
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