Last weekend a trio of local bowlers participated in a wildcard round of competition to move on to the regional championships Jared Parker tells us about the next step for these bowlers
Lexington Tanaka is one of three local bowlers whose high score qualified for the regional championships that will lead to the state championship
Tanaka says it feels good for a sport that flies under the radar to get recognition
“My sport is honestly overlooked so it feels great getting some recognition. I’m feeling really good advancing to the next level of competition so it’s a big deal.”
Tanaka took home first place in the boys category followed by Somerset Area’s Anthony Knecht
In January we told you about Melia Mitskavitch of Dubois Central Catholic who boasts the highest bowling average in the nation
Mitskavich who happens to be friends with Tanaka was the sole girl to make the regional championships
Mitskavich who will bowl at Jacksonville State and Tanaka who will bowl at Saint Vincent acknowledge the mental toughness bowling has given them
“It’s all on you pretty much you really don’t have a team behind you if you make a mistake.”
“It builds really strong character. A lot of it’s really mental.”
Tanaka says he wasn’t satisfied with his performance last year so he’s happy he got another chance and now has a chance to move even further in competition
“I went last year I didn’t do as well as I hoped I’d do. But this year I really brought my A game and I stuck to my game plan and here I am.”
Bowling has taken Tanaka many places but he says this qualification is special
“This win right now is probably one of my big ones. I’ve traveled across the country I’ve went to Indianapolis, I’ve been to Detroit, I’ve been to some major competitions, Virginia, I’ve been all over so traveling is nothing new. But when you go to those big tournaments and there’s ten thousand people there you feel like you’ve really made it. You have to qualify for those, and I do my best to win something and I’m always playing for myself.”