Connor Anderson

This is what Connor had to say about Bill:

The best thing about working with Bill is his extensive bowling knowledge, experience, and patience and how he uses it to improve performance. I first started working with Bill six years ago, at the time I was a one-handed bowler with an 88 average and just trying to understand the game of bowling. Bill has taught me the importance of patience, to not get frustrated after a few bad shots, how different releases can affect my ball motion, and the need for me to have a consistent release.

Another reason I think Bill is the best bowling coach, is his use of video recordings to compare your game to guys like Jason Belmonte and Kyle Troup and works with you to make the necessary adjustments. Bill has taught me how to read oil patterns and knowing what ball to throw and when to throw it and that has really helped me succeed on tougher sport conditions.

As a result of Bill’s coaching, I have more confidence and strive to challenge myself by participating in more competitive tournaments. When I bowl in these tournaments, it’s Bill’s encouragement and lessons that have helped me perform at my best. And I’ve had some success shooting 1-300 game; 1-800 series; won an Elite Youth Tour event; 1st place in Wisconsin High School District 3A State Championship; and a 5th place finish in a Storm Youth Championship event.


What Bill had to say about Connor:

Connor has been quietly working hard to became a bowler to contend with. He first came to me around 6 years ago when his brother RJ was taking lessons from me. He was very new to bowling, and he started as a one-hander and developed some form very quickly. I could tell he had talent and potential, but his release needed a lot of work. I thought that switching to two-handed would help with his release because throwing it two-handed it’s almost automatic to have a strong release.

He looked good throwing two-handed so for the past 6 years Connor has worked hard on developing his two-handed style. He is a smooth stroking player with a strong ball and his ball roll has everything it takes to strike from multiple angles. He’s developed a very good touch and he has a high level of shot making repeatability.

Connor is very easy to work with and has an open mind. As he has progressed we have worked on reading lane patterns on how he should play them. He is learning how to read lane graphs and interpret them to decide how he should lineup to play a pattern based on it’s graph and which balls to use. All of this is very critical to scoring well in high level events.

A few of the physical things we continually work on are his swing and slide. His swing at times gets stuck behind him which makes the dispersion of his shots wide. He is not a slider so we work on keeping his knee flexed on his last step so his foot lands flat instead of his knee straightening out and planting his foot heel-toe. This is not an easy fix, but Connor understands that it will take time for it to become automatic to him, but he knows by doing this it will expand his shot making versatility.

Connor is a senior in high school and then off to college next year, and I feel the best is yet to come for him.




Brooklyn Gagnon

This is what Brooklyn had to say about Bill:

The best thing about having Bill as a coach is the tremendous amount of bowling knowledge and experience he has. I started working with Bill about three years ago and have already learned so much from him – correct body position at each step, how the height of your backswing can affect everything else, what a good release should feel like, how to get more revs the right way, and much, much more.

Bill likes to focus on the little things that really go a long way in the game of bowling. He's not one to make dramatic changes to your game, but to make what's already good, even better. The biggest thing I take away from every lesson is how important it is to have a good feel of the ball. After each shot he would ask me how the ball felt coming off my hand. Did I grab it at the top because I needed more tape in the thumb hole? or was I just not focused? I very quickly learned how to feel each ball I threw so I could repeat a good release multiple times. I believe feeling the ball and listening to what it is telling you has become one of the most important things in my game, all thanks to Bill.

He is also very patient. He doesn't expect you to get it right away, but he will continue to work with you until you do. He knows what each bowler needs and where they are trying to go. This makes me, as a student, feel special and like he wants the best for me. I know that I am being taught what I need to be taught and not something that is generalized to everyone else. I really appreciate this about Bill.

Over the years, I have learned to trust his coaching process. Because of this, I have been more confident, successful, and willing to try new things. I am very grateful to have Bill as my coach and I can't wait to see where he can take me in my bowling career. Thank you Coach!!

What Bill had to say about Brooklyn:

I've had the pleasure of working with Brooklyn for the last 4 years which started with her taking virtual lessons. And it wasn't until around a year later that we had an in-person face-to-face lesson. She has worked hard on making the significant changes I thought she should make to her game.

She went from a 4-step approach with her push-away a full step late, a stiff legged plant last step and a short swing, to an advanced timing 5-step approach that she needed for the higher, freer swing she developed. She now has a slide with very good knee flex and a rock-solid finishing position. Not an easy change to make, but she was able to achieve it because of her strong determination and great work ethic.

We still work on these key points and other parts of her physical game but are now working on developing her mental game.

Brooklyn is a coach's dream – I can tell her to do something, and she does it. This type of mind over matter, so to speak, is rare. Brooklyn is a very good athlete and as a 12-year old she was the top softball pitcher in the state of South Dakota. To the chagrin of her softball coaches, she decided to focus on bowling – definitely a big gain for bowling. And her focus has won her many awards, for both her on and off the lane accomplishments:

  • 2021 National USBC Female Youth Ambassador of the Year Award and 2019 South Dakota Youth Ambassador of the Year
  • 2021 Dexter High School All-American Team
  • 2021 South Dakota Star of Tomorrow
  • 2020 & 2021 South Dakota Girls High Average
  • 2020 & 2021 South Dakota State Champion
  • 2020 & 2021 Captain of the South Dakota State All-Tournament Team
  • 2020 Bowl4Life Davey Rosen Scholarship
  • Math National Honors Society, National Society of High School Seniors
  • 2019 Argus Leader "I AM Sport" Award
  • In 2018 founded BVG (Bowling Volunteer Group) where she reaches out to businesses to find opportunities for her group of youth bowlers to volunteer as a group.

This month she's off to Wichita State University where she will be a great addition to an already very strong program. Her future is bright – I fully expect her to achieve whatever she attempts – on and off the lanes.




Bobby Habetler

This is what Bobby had to say about Bill:

I first met Bill six years ago and have been working with him ever since. I really love what Bill has done with my game because he works on the small parts, which makes my margin for error much larger. Bill knows my strengths and has worked with me on identifying my weaknesses. He always tells me, "This is a long-term solution." I love that because it makes me realize that nothing can be fixed immediately. Bill helped me prepare for the 2021 PBA Jr. Regional Tournament in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin by working on some different hand positions that I ended up using bowling in the tournament. I ended up finishing in 5th place in the star-studded field. I firmly believe I have an advantage over my competition because Bill is my coach.

What Bill had to say about Bobby:

Competitive bowling is in Bobby's DNA as his great-grandfather Rudy Habetler won the 1953 ABC Masters. Bobby is mature beyond his years – very calm, intelligent, and level-headed. These attributes are evident whether he is bowling as an individual or with a team. As you can see in the video, he has the same pre-shot preparation – never rushing his shots and always is set mentally before he starts his approach.


Bobby is slight in stature but has a big game. He's a two-handed stroker and his medium speed and rev rate match up perfectly. He has the ability to play anywhere on the lane and uses his equipment wisely. He handles high scores with composure and doesn't get rattled with a bad score. If he's struggling, he's very good at staying in the present and working to figure out a solution. If he's bowling good, his attention is just as focused.

He is a pleasure to work with, as he is very inquisitive and is always looking for answers and ways to improve – many things we work on are pretty advanced and way beyond someone his age. I'm looking forward to helping him achieve his bowling goals.




Owen Jones

This is what Owen had to say about Bill:

I first started working with Bill four years ago when I was a freshman in high school because I decided that I wanted to bowl more competitively, and I knew that Bill was the coach to work with to elevate my game to the next level. Some of things I like about taking lessons with Bill is that when I'm working with him, I get a great view of my physical game and feedback with the videos he takes and shows me during the lesson, so I have immediate feedback. It helps me connect what he is explaining to what I am seeing and then I'm able to make the correction from there on the lanes. I can also go back and review the videos after the lesson which has helped me continue to apply what we discussed when I am practicing independently. I also enjoy being able to build and create a new feel in my equipment. Bill has been around the game for so long that he is great with making adjustments to my equipment and now he is teaching me how to make those changes when I need to in competition based off what is happening with my hand, in particular my thumb, which is invaluable for my game. And lastly, I enjoy that when I don't know the answer to a question that he asks, he makes sure that when he explains it that I understand what he is explaining and I'm able to then apply to my game on the lanes. Bill has been a great mentor and coach and I look forward to our time together working on this game that I enjoy so much.

What Bill had to say about Owen:

I've had the pleasure of working with Owen throughout his high school career. He is a very good athlete, and he split his athletic time in high school between bowling and baseball. Baseball and bowling both require a lot of commitment to play at a high level and Owen was able to balance out the two sports and play both at a high level. Fortunately for bowling, he has decided to bowl in college at Mount Mercy University under Andy Diercks, a fellow Assistant Team USA Coach who has done a great job developing a very strong program there.

The great thing about Owen is his open mindedness to try anything and be able to give feedback about what he felt and if he is comfortable about it. That makes it easier for me because I can have an open, honest dialogue with him about what we worked on or tried. He has excellent touch and understanding of the feelings of his shots. When we talk about increasing or decreasing his axis rotation to play the lanes the right way, he not only can do it, but understands the reason for doing it.

His appetite to learn and how fast he learns will carry him a long way. I'm looking forward to following his collegiate career and helping him reach his full bowling potential.




Ella Kastelic

This is what Ella had to say about Bill:

I am a Junior at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois and a member of the Jr. Varsity Bowling Team. Beginning in my freshman year I have been taking private lessons from Coach Spigner as I was brand new to the sport of bowling. Coach Bill has inspired and motivated me in many ways... he has taught me so many bowling skills, for example: proper positioning, body placement, and ball handling techniques. Also, he provided me with the knowledge of bowling balls and equipment that would be best suited for me. Coach Bill has always been positive and encouraging... even when it's a challenge. He would find ways to teach me that were tailored to my specific learning needs. In addition to being an excellent bowling coach, Mr. Spigner has inspired me personally in other ways. He taught me that I could do anything if I put my mind and effort into the task. He believed in me... and his kind and patient personality encouraged me to keep trying! I truly enjoy being around his positive and supportive demeanor! Coach Spigner helped me to see my own potential... and believe in myself. I can't wait to see what the future holds for me.

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What Bill had to say about Ella:

Ella is one of my special students who came to me as a freshman in high school after making the bowling team at New Trier High School. She was brand new to the sport.

Things don't come easy for Ella, but she has the three D's – determination, desire and dedication. She started out with a 3-step approach, a conventionally fit 12 lb. ball, and rolled a reverse curve. Because of her work ethic she has developed a solid 4-step approach with a good release using 14 lb. equipment.

This year she bowled her first 200 game – 202 – which happened during the CSL Conference Tournament which was a major breakthrough for her. Since then she has dedicated herself even more to the sport than she had before. Recently she was gifted a ball that I thought would be a good compliment to the 2 balls she had been using. I re-drilled the ball for her and the first 7 balls she rolled with it were 7 perfect strikes – her biggest string of strikes before that was 4. She bowled a 253 clean game – by far her highest game.

This past year as a junior she was on the JV team and got one start as a Varsity player. At the end of the season she received the most improved bowler award and her 923 series in the CSL Conference Tournament was the highest JV score in a match for the year. Her goal is to be a varsity starter her senior year, which she is well on her way to becoming.




Stephanie Zagar

This is what Stephanie had to say about Bill:

I first met Bill three years ago and I've been working with him the past year and a half. What I really like about Bill is that he helps make what I already do well with my game better and at the same time minimize my liabilities. Bill has shown me a side of bowling that I really never knew, and I always leave my lessons with something to work on to improve my game to make me the best version of me. I feel comfortable and relaxed around him and he makes sure I understand clearly what he wants me to work on at home. Bill has led me to not only one Wisconsin High School State Singles Championship but back-to-back Wisconsin High School Singles Championships in 2020 and 2021. I'm looking forward to what we'll work on next, and I can't say thank you enough for helping me reach my goals Bill!

What Bill had to say about Stephanie:

Stephanie is a delight to work with – she has a great swing, rock solid finish, wonderful lane sense, touch and a great work ethic.

She came to see me right before the Wisconsin State High School Championships the past two years and those sessions brought her some great results. This year she was struggling – she couldn't get her ball to roll and hook which affected her carry and her visual line-ups got off. I had her move up about 12" on the approach and coupled with that I told her to think about her back swing going no higher than waist high. Even with her feeling her swing was very low, it still was a ball width over her head--which was fine--the goal was to slow everything down on her back swing. Then we worked on opening up her target line so it was in line with her arm swing.

The final piece this year was an equipment adjustment. I knew the Wisconsin High School Championships were being played on a challenge condition which would require accuracy and controlling the lane front to back so I wanted her equipment to basically hook very early so her ball didn't blow through the break point. I used a 180 grit abralon pad and hand-sanded her solid asymmetric and pearl symmetrical bowling balls until they were very dull which I knew would hook early enough so she could line-up normal and control the lane.

What we worked on paid off – she won her second straight Wisconsin High School Girls' Singles Championship--the first two-peat in it's history.