Phil sent me this.  Thought I would post it here.

http://www.selbytimes.co.uk/sport/bowled_over_by_life_across_the_pond_1_4155465

Bowled over by life across the pond!

Tenpin bowling ace Ross MacGregor is very upbeat about his time in America, where he is continuing his studies towards a degree in finance while at the same time touring the country playing the sport for which he won a scholarship to Lindenwood University in Missouri.

Now 21, Ross was back home in Brayton for the Christmas break and is now in his third year at the college where he has gained what he sees as a very broad overall education.

Ranked No 1 in England at U19 level before setting out for the other side of the pond, the former Brayton High School pupil now represents the top-ranked college team in the United States and won a tournament just before returning for the festive holidays.

A career in the sport which commands prizes of up to $250,000 is an option, but he is seriously considering becoming a financial adviser which, in a time of recession, is obviously much in demand.

And he is clearly in the right place for this as Lindenwood shares the honour with Harvard of being the only two American universities not in debt!

Its an exciting place to be as they splash cash at everything and, even with a student population of 15,000, the teachers know you on a personal basis as youre never in a class with more than 30 people.

As far as his sport is concerned, he said they spend a lot of money trying to find the right players who include two other Englishmen along with Puerto Ricans and Columbians.

But its a very tough and strict regime with practice, twice-weekly gym sessions and matches having to be juggled around lectures.

Any prize money won goes to the college as the students are committed to maintaining an amateur status while there, though there is a big debate about this.

Buses take them to regular fixtures as far away as Texas which involves a lot of travelling and, even if they only arrive back in the early hours of Monday morning, they are expected to turn up at 8am sharp for lectures.

He misses home, though he returns twice a year, but he does now have a close group of friends over there including steady girlfriend Jillian, 22, who is from Georgia (an eight-hour drive away) and also a bowler pursuing a similar degree. Shes in the girls team and is a very good bowler.

He will of course be torn as to where he spends his future. Its where I can get a job, especially in todays climate.

But he has clearly taken to the American culture and its people. Its a four-year course, but he may stay on to do a masters degree. He praises the well-rounded education provided. Though he started out studying business administration, it incorporated general knowledge and even included chemistry and philosophy in the early stages.

The students come from 90 different countries and the campus is in the town of St Giles, not far from the beautiful city of St Louis, set on the Mississippi River, which is on the state line between Missouri and Illinois.

His sport has been hit by the recession, with sponsors pulling out, but top players can still make a good living out of it.

It will be brilliant to be a professional and get paid for doing what you enjoy, but its a risky business, like golf, depending on winnings and not on a contract. Im not 100 per cent sure whether I want to go for it or not.

Im tending towards being a financial adviser, but Im just enjoying being at university at the moment, and it will be good for my CV.

Ross injured his ankle playing football a year ago suffering a stress fracture and three torn ligaments and, though it took him many months to fully recover, he is now back to bowling daily.

He enjoys the extensive travel as a way of seeing the country, cheered President Obama when he came to the area on a visit and is getting used to the weather, which is an experience in itself. It lurches between extremes of heat and cold, can be very humid and he has witnessed a very scary tornado which ripped the airport apart. He has also seen ice storms (which left a two-inch covering of ice) followed the next day by 13 inches of snow.

Ross also has a very talented younger sister, Kirsten, who represented England at the sport before deciding to study chiropractic at Bournemouth after being introduced to the profession when she went for treatment for an injured hand.