Raymond Mitchell

Ray Mitchell began his bowling career in 1960 joining a recreational league at Olympic bowl.

Appointed National Coach of the CTF in 1973, Ray prepared and coached the National Men’s team for FIQ and American Zone Championships from 1976 to 1986. He also coached the National Women’s team and the CTF Junior teams at the international level.

Ray developed and conducted tenpin training programs for bowlers and coaches not only in Canada but in Japan, the Philippines, Mexico, Burmuda, Colombia and Argentina as well. He initiated and ran, for two years, a scratch traveling tournament program to develop top-level junior bowlers in the Metro Toronto Area.

Ray’s coaching capabilities resulted in many medals for Canada’s men and women bowlers at the international level.

Ray wrote a Tenpin Bowling column for the Globe and Mail for over six years and wrote and published articles for bowling an other sports in nine periodicals in Canada and the U.S. He has served as President of the American Zone World Bowling Writers and in 1980 was elected President of the World Bowling Writers Association.

Appointed Sports’ Director of the Masters Games held in Toronto, Ray toured Western Europe promoting bowling in Toronto.

Ray’s personal bowling achievements are well known. At league level, as well as in Local, Provincial and International Tournaments he was consistently in first place. He has to his credit some thirty-nine championships, winning twenty-one team events, eight doubles events and ten singles events, including the prestigious 700 Club Tournament. He was the World Singles Champion at the AMF Bowling World Cup in Germany in 1972-73. Ray has bowled two 300 games, has a high series of 787 and has had 21 consecutive strikes. He was a Bowler of the Year, and was a member of the All Star team six times.

Ray was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1974-75 and more recently in the CTF Hall of Fame.