Proudly Filipino   
 

GO TO THE BOWLER APPAREL SITE


WORLD CLASS ATHLETE TO ENTREPRENEUR

BONG COO is the first bowler enshrined in the most exclusive bowling fraternities on earth -The World Bowling Writers International Bowling Hall of Fame (1993) at the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

For a woman who got married at the tender age of 17, was separated barely four years and two sons later, and yet overcame the early disaster in life to become world-famous, multi-titled bowling star who by 1979, started to establish world records and thus became the first ever Filipino athlete to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records.

She pursued Liberal Arts education in St. Scholastica’s College and Philippine Women’s University and attended several management training programs here and abroad. She passed the civil service eligibility for professionals in 1981 and served as an Associate Sports Director for the Philippine National Bank from 1981 to 1985. She was also sports consultant to Shoemart Inc., SM Prime Holdings Inc. and SM Bowling Centers from 1988 to 1999 along with numerous private corporations and government institutions like the Office of the Vice Mayor of Quezon City  in 1991.  Now a  certified coach and instructor recognized by the American Junior Bowling Congress, US National Bowling Academy and a certified USA Coach affiliated with the American Olympic Committee, she is always on call by the Philippines Sports Commission for grassroots development. 

She currently teaches Sport Bowling for the Department of Human Kinetics at the University of the Philippines and Collegio de San Juan de Letran.

Fully retired from active competition, she heads a company that manufactures bowling and sports apparel under the label of "The BowlerTM", and supplies bowling enthusiasts worldwide particularly the Philippines Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW's). 

Bong Coo Sports and "The Bowler" have outfitted the best of the Philippines to the Bowling World Cup since 1978.

Bong Coo Sports also became an exclusive distributor of bowling and billiards equipment for a fortune 500 company and the oldest recreational company in the U.S. Through her company’s innovations they were able to introduce the sport to a greater number of youth or casual bowlers who would rather prefer the video arcade or other high tech game. Bong Coo Sports introduced the first commercial synthetic lanes in the country in 1995 and five years later garnered 60% market share with over 250 lane beds and more than 100 billiard tables installed nationwide that led to her principal’s Founder’s Award of Excellence for Outstanding Sales. Providing fun, vibrant, comfortable environment designed by professionals matched with state of the art equipment and well-trained sports and recreation managers set the pace in today's industry. Today, over 85% of bowling equipment nationwide is equipped with synthetic lanes.

The bowling and billiards industry in the Philippines obtained a big boost in 1998 with the accelerated reduction of the tariff and duties of bowling and billiards equipment.  Bong Coo Sports was part of this measure when President Fidel V. Ramos signed Executive Order No. 439, modifying the nomenclature for a separate tariff line for bowling and billiards requisites of all kinds and as result was a continued development of the sport bowling in the Philippines with the decrease in the cost of putting up a bowling sport facility despite the dollar market condition.  Thereafter, the bowling lane bed population in the Philippines more than doubled.

Bong Coo Sports is a Philippine pioneer in the Pro Shop business and became the first Philippine member of the International Bowling Pro Shops and Instructors Association in 1991.  The company opened 10 pro shops in commercial establishments from 1988 to 2001 and introduced in the country the industry standard Drill-Mill system in 1993 matched with U.S. trained pro shop professionals.  Bong Coo Sports regularly invited professionals from the U.S. to train other Pro Shop professionals and athletes thereafter.

In 2001, Brunswick launched a PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) registered "MVP Bong Coo" bowling ball.

To help ensure greater participation in the sport bowling, Bong Coo, a lifetime member of the Philippine Bowling Congress, has helped set up a number of bowling associations over the entire archipelago that is now affiliated with the national sports association.  She is currently President of the 3rd oldest bowling organization in the Philippines, the Magallanes Bowling Association and also serves as a Director of the Philippine Bowling Congress. 

Based on a lifetime of hard work, discipline, dedication and concern, Bong Coo Sports strives to provide nothing but the best in bowling equipment and servicing. Because for Bong Coo Sports quality is a way of life and the way bowling should be - WORLD CLASS.

 

PERSONAL DETAILS

Name

     Olivia "Bong" Garcia Coo

 

Email

imbc@thebowler.com.ph

 

 

Civil Status: Separated, 2 sons

    Edward James F. Coo

    Edilbert Joseph F. Coo

 

 

Office TelFax No

(632) 816-1624 & 729-0995

 

Mobile Phone No

(63919) 622-6626

 

 Achievements | Publication | The Bowler Apparel Line | Corporate and In-School Programs | Links

 

 © 2005 The Bowler. All rights reserved.