Nelson Tellames of Richmond Hill has been named as the 2024 United States Bowling Congress David Dahms Coach of the Year by the International Bowling Campus Youth Committee.
The award presented to Tellames is named in the honor of David Dahms, who was one of the instrumental leaders in the creation of USBC’s Junior Gold program. The award is in recognition of a coach that has been involved in a USBC Youth program and demonstrates an outstanding commitment to coaching, sportsmanship and knowledge of the rules of USBC for seven or more years.
“I have been in coaching for about 20 years now,”Tellames said. “I started bowling nearly 50 years ago, so the sport means a great deal to me.
“There are a lot of opportunities out there for young athletes. Many people just think of the major sports as a way to get athletic scholarships, but bowling is a growing sport and a great way to earn scholarships to the next level.”
Tellames is someone that benefitted from bowling in college himself, playing for Georgia Tech in 1987-1988.
“I first moved to Georgia in the 80’s,” Tellames said. “I come from a military family and Georgia is where we landed and I have been here ever since. I’ve been a resident of Richmond Hill for the last seven years.”
Tellames currently serves as vice president of the Georgia State USBC, president of both the Fort Stewart and Greater Savannah USBC and Georgia Director for the Southeast Bowling Association where he is also a member of the Legislative Committee.
“I am the Director of Youth Bowling for the state of Georgia,” Tellames said. “I coach all ages in the area, including both Fort Stewart and Savannah as well. I am the head coach of the 18u boys all-star travel team. We travel through both North and South Carolina to play.
“We awarded nearly $100,000 in scholarships in the state in the last year and in the Savannah-area alone, we were able to award $20,000 in aid. The sport is growing in the state and the area.”
Tellames hopes to continue to grow the sport and assist more athletes with getting to the next level.