NAME: Walter Ray Williams Jr.; HOMETOWN: Oxford, Florida; AGE: 55; CAREER EARNINGS: $4,491,201.65; WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW: "Everyone asks why I kiss my ball before throwing, but I'm actually blowing air into the thumb hole, which creates moisture to benefit my grip. So, no, I 'm not kissing my ball. I'm not that in love with it."

NAME: Craig Nidiffer; HOMETOWN: Trenton, Michigan; AGE: 29; CAREER EARNINGS: $46,912.67; WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW: "All these other guys have these great youth careers, and I was flipping burgers at Wendy's. I was really bad at bowling for the longest time, but suddenly I got alright. The first time I bowled a 300, it was at Belmar Lanes in Michigan, and I won 50 bucks, which was big for me at the time."

NAME: Dick Allen; HOMETOWN: Columbia, South Carolina; AGE: 36; CAREER EARNINGS: $583,157.50; WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW: "I was a bowling alley brat. My family owned bowling alleys growing up, and I bowled my first 300 when I was 12 years old."

NAME: Parker Bohn III; HOMETOWN: Jackson, New Jersey; AGE: 51; CAREER EARNINGS: $2,913,949.63; WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW: When it comes to playing in a tournament as a team, versus bowling as an individual, "You have to focus on every single shot. One bad shot can not only falter you, but it can falter the guy behind you."

NAME: Josh Blanchard; HOMETOWN: Phoenix, Arizona; AGE: 27; CAREER EARNINGS: $94,157.42; WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW: After scoring a strike, "I'm pretty animated, I fist bump, I'll yell at the crowd. The crowd is what brings the excitement to me."

NAME: John Szczerbinski; HOMETOWN: Tonawanda, New York; AGE: 27; CAREER EARNINGS: $85,825; WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW: "With bowling there's a lot of forward thinking. I'm trying to understand what's going to happen three shots ahead of what's happening right now, while also maintaining full focus."

NAME: Sean Rash; HOMETOWN: Montgomery, Illinois; AGE: 32; CAREER EARNINGS: $1,000,291; WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW: "When I bowl, I wear my heart on my sleeve, I'm pure emotion."

NAME: Jason Belmonte; HOMETOWN: Orange, Australia; AGE: 31; CAREER EARNINGS: $800,698.59; WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW: "I think bowling is the hardest sport in the world. We play on an invisible playing field. The oil we bowl on, we can't see that oil, and it's designed to create certain patterns (which can affect how the bowling ball moves along the lane). So unlike a golfer, who can see the hole, course shape, feel the wind, we are literally bowling blind against our environment. I don't know any other sport that requires you to throw something with your eyes closed."

NAME: Jason Sterner; HOMETOWN: Atlanta, Georgia; AGE: 31; CAREER EARNINGS: $236,837.71; WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW: Not many people realize how frequently professional bowlers can be on the road touring, and Sterner said he's spent roughly one week home over the past three months. "It's been life-changing. The travel is one of the perks."