More than 30 years of dedication to bowling have earned Chris Monroy ’93 a Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) card, a PBA regional title, induction into the New England Bowlers Association (NEBA) Hall of Fame and enough accolades to fill a trophy room at the Worcester home he shares with his wife and two young sons. But the lesson Monroy wants his sons, and others, to take away is that he didn’t do it alone — his two coaches instilled the confidence and mental discipline he needed to succeed, he says.
This training has also transferred to the courtroom and his work as a Worcester criminal defense attorney, a career he was drawn to by his love of the Constitution and desire to serve the underrepresented. Throughout his studies at Boston College Law School and while juggling a demanding career, Monroy has remained committed to bowling. In the early years, he used vacations to train or compete. Now, every day after work, he can be found at Bowlero Worcester, practicing the sport he loves and looking for chances to pay forward the mentorship that changed his life.
Here's what's in his bag:
1. NEBA Hall of Fame Superior Performance plaque (2025). Only 58 NEBA bowlers out of thousands have received this honor since 1963. I’m also in the halls of fame for Worcester County (2014) and Massachusetts (2016), but the NEBA means the most because it’s based on a points system. There’s no subjectivity. For a guy who can only give half-time to bowling, qualifying for the NEBA Hall of Fame was pretty special.
2. Coach Rocky Lopes. When I got my PBA card in 1994, I was not very good — that’s being polite. Rocky owned a bowling center in Sharon Springs, New York, and he instilled discipline in me. He was not just a coach, but a second father and helped me out of many personal issues. I knew I could trust him because he was real.
3. Coach Mark Roth. Mark became my coach after Rocky passed away in 1997. He was a friend of Rocky’s, and when he said he’d coach me, my jaw hit the floor. I grew up idolizing Mark. He was a superstar, voted the fifth-best bowler in PBA history. Mark passed in 2021, and I took both his and Rocky’s deaths very hard. They were life mentors for me. My second son’s middle name is Roth.
4. Hammer Bubble Gum Vibes (15 lbs.). Bowling balls are like golf clubs — each one serves a purpose. These are like a golf iron. They’re weaker and go farther down the lane. I use them when a lot of the lane oil has been depleted.
5. Mark Roth’s Brunswick Sage Tour Quantum (16 lbs.). Mark threw this on his 1998 PBA Peoria Open telecast and then gifted it to me.
6. Prototype Brunswick Blue Rhino Pro. Rocky gave me this ball after our first meeting. I brought it when I gave his eulogy because he was ‘once in a blue moon.’
7. Hammer Black Widow 3.0 Dynasty (15 lbs.). These are among the more aggressive pieces of equipment by Hammer, which sponsors me. I picked purple for Holy Cross. The white thumb slugs help me judge the deflection of the ball going through the pins.
8. Columbia 300 Yellow Dot. On the first anniversary of Mark’s passing, I was able to get a couple Columbia Yellow Dot plastic balls for shooting spares, just like Mark had. They were manufactured 50-plus years ago and are hard to find.
9. Mueller knee brace. I use this on my left knee, which is my sliding leg.
10. Brunswick 1" textured tape. As you bowl, fluid drains from your fingers, so the tape helps tighten up the thumb hole.
11. FootJoy men’s golf glove. Winter weather can make my hands very dry and this helps me keep a good feel on the ball.
12./13. Hammer shammy/ siaair pads. I use the shammy to dry my bowling ball, and the pads are basically sandpaper — they adjust the ball’s surface so the ball matches the lane play zone I want.
14./15. Hammer Diesel shoes/ interchangeable slide pads. If it’s humid and the approaches are sticky, I’ll switch to heels that give more slide. If it’s very cold or dry, the approaches can be slippery, so I’ll use a heel that helps me stick.
16. Robby’s Revs 2 brace. This keeps my hand in a strong position. After several injuries, I chose a brace over surgery. I still compete at the senior level. I want to show my kids what it means to fully commit. My family is the apple of my eye.
