42 | OCTOBER 12 • 2023 J
N

SPORTS

H

oward Waxer wants to grow the 
International B’nai B’rith Bowling 
Association. Seven dollars at a time.
Waxer, a Farmington Hills resident, is 
the newly elected president and a longtime 
board member of the IBBBA, which is cele-
brating the 85th season.
There were as many as 20,000 B’nai B’rith 
bowlers in leagues affiliated with the IBBBA 
throughout the U.S. and Canada during 
the organization’s heyday in the 1960s and 
1970s, and 414 bowlers in IBBBA-affiliated 
leagues last season.
That drop mirrors the loss of B’nai B’rith 
bowlers and leagues in recent years.
As an incentive for leagues to join the 
IBBBA, the $7 registration fee per bowler 
in those leagues has been waived for this 
season. Jewish bowlers not in a B’nai B’rith 
league also can join the IBBBA for $7. 
Those are Waxer’s ideas.
Joining the IBBBA means bowlers are eli-
gible for awards for accomplishments such 
as high scores in different average categories 
and to receive a gold watch and plaque for a 
perfect 300 game.
“Who wouldn’t want to participate in 
our awards program for nothing?” Waxer 
said. “More importantly, I want to create 
camaraderie among Jewish bowlers around 
the world and build a larger Jewish bowling 

organization.
“I want to expand the world of Jewish 
bowlers and create pride among Jewish 
bowlers, whether they’re bowling here (in 
Detroit) or in Montana.
”
In addition to the waiving of the IBBBA 
registration fee, Waxer is trying to grow the 
IBBBA through his bowling friends across 
the globe.
Many of those friendships were forged 
when Waxer was a U.S. team bowler at the 
Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2001 and 
2005 and the Pan American Maccabiah 
Games in Chile in 2003. IBBBA bylaws do 
not preclude leagues from outside the U.S. 
and Canada joining the IBBBA.
The low fees for bowlers to participate in 
IBBBA tournaments, which are held simul-
taneously with league play, will remain in 
place, Waxer said.
It costs $25 per bowler to participate in 
the IBBBA
’s sectional tournament, which 
has been held nearly every year since the 
IBBBA was founded in 1939 — World War 
II and the COVID-19 pandemic caused 
cancellations — and has large cash payouts.
The sectional formerly was held in cities 
across the U.S. and Canada. Detroit, Las 
Vegas, Chicago, New Orleans, Minneapolis, 
Kansas City, Denver and Toronto were 
some of the sectional sites.
The sectional may return to a live format 
this season after the pandemic forced it to 
be held virtually.
Waxer said Detroit would be logical site 
for the 2024 sectional.
“We have the infrastructure and key play-
ers in place here,
” he said.
Detroit also has the largest B’nai B’rith 
bowling league in the country. 
The Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson 
league bowls weekly at Country Lanes in 
Farmington Hills. It has 24 teams and more 
than 100 bowlers this season, which is four 
weeks old.
Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson league sec-

retary Gary Klinger said each league bowler 
is an IBBBA member.
Probably the second-largest B’nai B’rith 
bowling league is the Iz Harris League in 
Columbus, Ohio, which had 16 teams two 
seasons ago.
Former Detroiter Mark Sperling, who 
bowled in the now-defunct Tucker-Grant 
and Zager-Stone B’nai B’rith leagues when 
he lived here, has been the executive secre-
tary of the IBBBA for at least 35 years.
Now living in Crown Point, Ind., Sperling 
is the dean of the School of Education at 
Indiana University-Northwest in Gary. 
His son bowls in a B’nai B’rith league in 
Hammond, Ind.
Sperling is a big fan of the IBBBA sec-
tional tournament, which had 46 teams 
participate last year. Sperling especially 
loved the sectional when it moved from city 
to city. 
“You’
d see people at the tournament on 
teams from leagues from coast to coast,
” 
he said. “It was great renewing friendships 
every year.
”
Leagues and bowlers interested in joining 
the IBBBA can contact the organization 
through its Facebook page or send an email 
to Sperling at mark373@aol.com. 

Send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

To celebrate its 85th season, the International B’nai B’rith 
Bowling Association offers an incentive to join. 
Bowling for Dollars

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

Mark Sperling is executive 
secretary of the IBBBA.

Howard Waxer is 
president of the 
International B’nai 
B’rith Bowling 
Association.

HOWARD WAXER

