PBA Rookie of Year acknowledges that he is gay - Bowling ...

Scott Norton, recently named Professional Bowlers Association Rookie of the Year, came out today as a gay professional athlete in a statement posted at pba.com. Here is the PBA press release:

COSTA MESA, Calif. (May 19, 2011)?? Phoenix Suns President and CEO Rick Welts? public acknowledgement that he is gay has encouraged Professional Bowlers Association Rookie of the Year Scott Norton to also take a public stand on behalf of gay athletes.

?Mr. Welts? public acknowledgement had a great personal impact on me because someone who is still actively involved in professional sports has come out,? Norton said in a statement posted Thursday on pba.com, the PBA?s official website. ?Many athletes wait until they retire to officially come out, and the fact is, (Welts) had the courage to do so while still actively involved with the NBA.

?It is extremely important for me to show other gay athletes, current and future, that it?s important to come out to send a message that being gay is only a small part of who we are.

?Being gay doesn?t define who I am as a person or as a professional athlete. I am a professional bowler, a lawyer, a caring, compassionate and strong individual, and many other things,? Norton said. ?It?s important to explain to people that being gay has nothing to do with one?s ability to do anything as a man, least of all compete at the highest level of sports.?

Norton, the son of United States Bowling Congress and Professional Women?s Bowling Hall of Famer Virginia Norton, grew up as one of the most successful youth bowlers in California history. He was a collegiate All-American at two schools ? Cal State-Fresno and Utah. He was 1999 Junior National Champion and 2000 United States Amateur Champion, earning berths on Junior Team USA 2000 and adult Team USA 2001. He decided to delay his dream of bowling professionally until he secured a backup career as a lawyer.

After passing the California bar exam, Norton entered and won the 2009 PBA Regional Players Invitational, which earned him an exemption to bowl full-time on the PBA Tour during the 2010-11 season. At age 29, he then won the third event of the 2010-11 PBA Tour season, the Chameleon Championship, for his first title. He went on to lead all PBA Tour rookies in earnings, average and competition points and was elected Rookie of the Year by his fellow competitors.

?I encountered a number of obstacles due to my sexuality as a younger man,? Norton said, ?but I had no wish then, nor any wish now, to cause turmoil within the sport. The issues that were in the past remain in the past. There were some serious impediments to my progression to becoming a professional bowler, but they only made me stronger and made me the person I am today.

?What I faced in the past only strengthened my belief that knowledge is vital in our path to acceptance,? he continued. ?I will say that my experience on the PBA Tour last season surpassed everything I could have hoped for in terms of acceptance. The vast majority of bowlers on Tour have been accepting and welcoming, as the entire PBA staff has been, and that acceptance touched me deeply.

?I?m very proud and happy with who I am and who I have become as a person,? Norton said. ?I would hope that the public acknowledgement of my sexuality will empower other gay athletes?? past, present, or future?? to come to terms with the truth about who they are and love themselves for who they are.

?For my part, I have always tried to conduct myself in a professional manner at all times and put forth a good reputation both for my community, my family and for the PBA and sport of bowling.?

In addition to his bowling activities and his work for his own law firm, Norton is working as an advisor with Compete Sports, a gay sports network involving publications, radio and television that will hopefully generate more exposure for bowling within the gay community, as well as more tolerance and acceptance within the sports community.

Source: http://blog.timesunion.com/bowling/pba-rookie-of-year-acknowledges-that-he-is-gay/1014/

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