A Thank You to Columbia 300

My name is Eric Martinez, and I am the head of product testing for Bowling This Month. Every month, my team and I review new bowling balls introduced to the market. With the Columbia 300 brand recently announced for retirement, this is my first article for BTM outside of my standard ball review template, and it is a thank you to Columbia 300 for its service to the bowling industry over the last seven decades.

I was recently inducted into the Greater San Antonio Bowling Hall of Fame, and in preparing my induction speech, I found myself revisiting memories that are much fresher now than they normally would be. What follows is a personal reflection on a brand that played a meaningful role in my bowling life. My story as a bowler and pro shop operator cannot be told without Columbia 300.

My parents used to record PBA bowling for me and my younger brother on the VCR. Younger readers will probably need to ask AI what a VCR is. I still remember watching Marshall Holman throw a Wine U-Dot, and guys like Amleto Monacelli, Marc McDowell, and Robert Lawrence hooking the lane with a Black U-Dot.

My first “real bowling ball” was a charcoal grey Columbia 300 White Dot with a conventional grip. I was mostly self-taught growing up, but I had a very big-name coach who was willing to help, Mr. Joe Vito Buenrostro. He pulled some strings and got me my White Dot through one of his learn-to-bowl camps. From there, it was time for my first fingertip grip, and Joe’s suggestion was the Black Shadow. Bowlers who were around then will remember that the Black Shadow was a reskin of the Black U-Dot. This is the ball that really taught me to become a bowler.

I did research in the early days of the internet and figured it was time for a next-generation reactive resin bowling ball. I had two family members who were members of the San Antonio Fire Department, and as ...