THOUGH NOT WELL DEMONSTRATED BY MANY WHEN considering such things as their jobs, education, politics, religion, etc., motivation is heavily involved with all of them. So, what is motivation, exactly? Webster says it is a stimulus to action. It implies an emotion or desire operating on the will and causing it to act. This definition has expansive repercussions because motivation plays such an important role in our lives. Simply put, motivation raises the question of why people behave as they do. This as opposed to how they do it, which is usually a question about a person's knowledge, skill and performance.

Motivation is a prime reason why different people behave differently in similar situations. For example, on leaving the 7-10 "railroad," some bowlers may display a temper tantrum while others do not. It is this variability of behavior -- both between individuals and within the same person on different occasions -- that educators seek to understand to help us make sense out of this behavior. However, motivation is not the only explanation for our behavior. Take the concept of learning, for example, which we use to account for variability in behavior. Bob is a good bowler and Bill is a poor one because Bob has taken lessons and Bill has not. Or, let's not fail to consider heredity... Bob is stronger and more agile than Bill.

Unquestionably, learning and heredity are two major concepts used to understand why people's behavior varies, but these two concepts cannot account for all the difference. Motivational principles serve to fill in many of the remaining gaps in our understanding. Our interest here is the importance of motivation specifically as it applies to bowling.

Many people take part in some form of activity apart from their daily work, even those with little leisure time. That's because their compensation from these activities satisfies deep-seated psychological needs beyond mere enjoyment.

The majority of people do not know how to play. They limit their recreational hours to simply being passive observers of the activity of others. This despite much scientific evidence that the healthy individual is one who not only plays, but who takes his play seriously. There is also evidence that the inability and unwillingness to play reveals insecurity.

Unquestionably, good mental health is directly related to the ability and motivation of an individual to participate in some form of recreation. You would normally be doing yourself a

great favor by planning time for play and taking it seriously.

While sitting in the grandstand or watching a game on television, keep in mind that you might be inordinately surrendering yourself to the deadly malady of being a mere couch potato. Understandably, watching an event from time to time may serve one well with regard to entertainment and diversion, but too often we allow watching sports to serve as our total association with athletics, thus missing out on the joy and benefit that comes from playing the game itself. People who quit physical activity early in their adult life to concentrate exclusively on their jobs are overemphasizing economics and underemphasizing the great benefits of play, perhaps even at the risk of endangering their lives. After high school, collegiate and professional competition, the responsible individual should choose a lifelong sport that will continue to enhance his or her well being. I can think of no better sport than bowling. In this regard, the media should motivate the public by providing a better balance of coverage between lifelong sports and the sensational professional games. It is a responsibility they should share for the general health of the public.

On the other hand, what most people don't understand is that motivation is a subjective trait and an overused hype expressed by many coaches and parents. How many times do we hear people say, 'He or she is talented and would be so good at bowling if they took up the sport.' Wrong, because talent is incomplete without application. "Potential" is not talent.

The wise teacher understands the adage, 'You can lead a horse to water, but getting him to drink is another story.' You can't motivate people to really "want" something. If they don't aspire to give it their all in order to realize their potential, no threat or reward will help achieve it. A truly talented person is self-motivated. Not only does he not need to be encouraged (though some outside urging pays some dividends), he cannot be held back. A truly committed bowler will continue to practice incessantly, working on the fundamentals and experimenting with various techniques despite the many frustrations and disappointments that must necessarily be overcome. With successful athletes, motivation is inspired within oneself and not so much from an external source. My advice to coaches and parents alike is, "If he or she shows potential and doesn't want to practice, let it go. True talent can only take root in the soil of persistence and passion."

Many years ago, I walked into a large California bowling center in the middle of July. Of the many lanes available, only one was in use, and I recognized its sole player as a friend. He was in shorts and sweating profusely. After a few friendly words, he went back to his bowling and I proceeded to conduct my business with management. As I started out the door an hour later, I noticed that he was still bowling. Oh, by the way... that bowler's name? Walter Ray Williams.