Virginia’s Tim Tisler named 2026 David Dahms Coach of the Year
March 12, 2026
ARLINGTON, Texas – Tim Tisler of Burke, Virginia, has been selected as the 2026 United States Bowling Congress David Dahms Coach of the Year.
The award is named in honor of David Dahms, who was an instrumental leader in the creation of USBC’s Junior Gold program. The award recognizes a coach who has been actively involved in a USBC Youth program and has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to coaching, sportsmanship and knowledge of USBC rules for the last seven or more years.
Tisler has served as a coach at Bowl America Burke for eight years, and he’s been helping build the center’s youth program through those efforts for the last six.
His passion for coaching goes back to watching his youngest son, Jack, take part in the program and a desire to help others enjoy the sport in the same way.
“Way back when, our youngest son ended up in a bowling league,” Tisler said. “The experience he had was just so good, and I was invited to do some coaching on the side.
“Our son had such a positive experience, and I wanted to give that to other kids. I wanted them to be able to enjoy bowling as much as we did through the league and get them ready for tournaments – the whole nine yards. My philosophy along the way has been exactly that – teach the kids what they want to learn. Some kids just want to throw the ball down the lane every day, and that’s fine, but others want lessons and want to practice twice a week and get better. So, we have set it up to do both.”
Tisler took over the center’s Saturday youth league shortly after the establishment reopened from the COVID-19 pandemic, and he and his wife, Jennifer, now run two additional leagues at Bowl America Burke. One is a Sport league for youth athletes which serves as a qualifier for the Junior Gold Championships, while the other is a youth/adult league.
There’s also a pair of open practice sessions each week for those looking to refine their skills.
While the growth of the Saturday league has been impressive – going from a dozen bowlers to nearly 40 – Tisler notes the retention from year to year as a highlight, too.
“One of the things that makes me really proud of the program is that we have so many kids coming back season after season after season,” Tisler said. “There’s a natural churn in these kinds of programs, especially in the D.C. area when there’s so much vying for their time with other sports. Maybe 80% of the kids return every season, and that makes me proud of them, too. They stick to it and enjoy it enough to come back. It’s the kind of thing that makes for lifelong bowlers, too.”
Tisler’s own involvement in the sport has grown during this time as well, and he’s earned a Bronze certification through USBC’s Coaching program.
“We were casual bowlers growing up,” Tisler said. “We went bowling at least once a year with the whole family. When my kids were younger, the bowling alley had a summer program where you could get free games with good grades. Our kids got really good grades, so they were at the bowling alley all the time. When my youngest son joined the league, during the next session we found out they also had a Family Feud league (youth/adult). We said we were definitely doing that one, and now we’ve been bowling every week since.
“The more I started teaching the kids, the more I really enjoyed it and wanted to do more. That’s when I found out about USBC’s Coaching program.”
Many of the nominations for Tisler noted his passion to work with the young athletes, his support of their achievements each week, the encouragement of mentorship among the bowlers and a willingness to travel and help prepare for local tournaments.
He took it a step beyond in 2025, using some of his vacation time to travel to Wisconsin in support of the five bowlers from his program that qualified for the Junior Gold Championships. He’s already planning his trip for the 2026 event in Minneapolis.
“It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed watching and helping the kids bowl,” Tisler said. “Five bowlers went to Green Bay, and we have nine this year that have already qualified.”
The parents that nominated Tisler for the David Dahms Coach of the Year may have kept the news as a surprise, but it was easy to comprehend their appreciation for his efforts in helping their children find the right path in the sport.
“It was definitely a surprise,” Tisler said. “When it started to sink in, it really made me feel proud that all these kids and parents think so highly of you that they would go out of their way to make a nomination. It’s awesome. I’m looking forward to going in April and taking the whole thing in and enjoying it.”
Tisler will be recognized during the 2026 USBC Convention and Annual Meeting from April 27-30 at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada. To see a list of past recipients for the David Dahms Coach of the Year, click here.
To learn more about awards for adult youth leaders and scholarship opportunities for youth bowlers, visit BOWL.com/ScholarshipsAwards.
The award is named in honor of David Dahms, who was an instrumental leader in the creation of USBC’s Junior Gold program. The award recognizes a coach who has been actively involved in a USBC Youth program and has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to coaching, sportsmanship and knowledge of USBC rules for the last seven or more years.
Tisler has served as a coach at Bowl America Burke for eight years, and he’s been helping build the center’s youth program through those efforts for the last six.
His passion for coaching goes back to watching his youngest son, Jack, take part in the program and a desire to help others enjoy the sport in the same way.
“Way back when, our youngest son ended up in a bowling league,” Tisler said. “The experience he had was just so good, and I was invited to do some coaching on the side.
“Our son had such a positive experience, and I wanted to give that to other kids. I wanted them to be able to enjoy bowling as much as we did through the league and get them ready for tournaments – the whole nine yards. My philosophy along the way has been exactly that – teach the kids what they want to learn. Some kids just want to throw the ball down the lane every day, and that’s fine, but others want lessons and want to practice twice a week and get better. So, we have set it up to do both.”
Tisler took over the center’s Saturday youth league shortly after the establishment reopened from the COVID-19 pandemic, and he and his wife, Jennifer, now run two additional leagues at Bowl America Burke. One is a Sport league for youth athletes which serves as a qualifier for the Junior Gold Championships, while the other is a youth/adult league.
There’s also a pair of open practice sessions each week for those looking to refine their skills.
While the growth of the Saturday league has been impressive – going from a dozen bowlers to nearly 40 – Tisler notes the retention from year to year as a highlight, too.
“One of the things that makes me really proud of the program is that we have so many kids coming back season after season after season,” Tisler said. “There’s a natural churn in these kinds of programs, especially in the D.C. area when there’s so much vying for their time with other sports. Maybe 80% of the kids return every season, and that makes me proud of them, too. They stick to it and enjoy it enough to come back. It’s the kind of thing that makes for lifelong bowlers, too.”
Tisler’s own involvement in the sport has grown during this time as well, and he’s earned a Bronze certification through USBC’s Coaching program.
“We were casual bowlers growing up,” Tisler said. “We went bowling at least once a year with the whole family. When my kids were younger, the bowling alley had a summer program where you could get free games with good grades. Our kids got really good grades, so they were at the bowling alley all the time. When my youngest son joined the league, during the next session we found out they also had a Family Feud league (youth/adult). We said we were definitely doing that one, and now we’ve been bowling every week since.
“The more I started teaching the kids, the more I really enjoyed it and wanted to do more. That’s when I found out about USBC’s Coaching program.”
Many of the nominations for Tisler noted his passion to work with the young athletes, his support of their achievements each week, the encouragement of mentorship among the bowlers and a willingness to travel and help prepare for local tournaments.
He took it a step beyond in 2025, using some of his vacation time to travel to Wisconsin in support of the five bowlers from his program that qualified for the Junior Gold Championships. He’s already planning his trip for the 2026 event in Minneapolis.
“It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed watching and helping the kids bowl,” Tisler said. “Five bowlers went to Green Bay, and we have nine this year that have already qualified.”
The parents that nominated Tisler for the David Dahms Coach of the Year may have kept the news as a surprise, but it was easy to comprehend their appreciation for his efforts in helping their children find the right path in the sport.
“It was definitely a surprise,” Tisler said. “When it started to sink in, it really made me feel proud that all these kids and parents think so highly of you that they would go out of their way to make a nomination. It’s awesome. I’m looking forward to going in April and taking the whole thing in and enjoying it.”
Tisler will be recognized during the 2026 USBC Convention and Annual Meeting from April 27-30 at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada. To see a list of past recipients for the David Dahms Coach of the Year, click here.
To learn more about awards for adult youth leaders and scholarship opportunities for youth bowlers, visit BOWL.com/ScholarshipsAwards.