onefrombills
07-22-2009, 06:40 AM
INDIANAPOLIS - The 30 youth bowlers representing Poelking Lanes of Dayton, Ohio, finally saw their months of hard work pay off as they hit the tournament lanes at the 2009 USBC Youth Open Championships, sponsored by Pepsi.
The group, with bowlers ranging in age from seven to 18, began to organize fundraisers in January to raise money so they could participate in the event. The youth bowlers ran two moonlight bowling events, sold pizzas and subs, and held a bowling ball raffle. By the time they finished, more than $8,500 was raised to help cover bowling and travel expenses as well as team shirts.
Candace Sawmiller, a youth coach at Poelking who helped organize the group, took two teams to the 2008 event in Detroit, and word quickly spread throughout the youth leagues in the area.
"After we got back from Detroit, word just got around," Sawmiller said. "We came up with the idea of the fundraisers, and looked for kids with good attitudes, the desire to bowl and the willingness to give their time to the fundraisers."
Besides the fundraisers, the bowlers also started practicing for the event in April, giving up every Friday night leading up to the event. Along with sharpening their games, the regular sessions allowed everyone the chance to interact and develop a bond as they worked toward their goal of bowling the Youth Open Championships at Expo Bowl.
"We really have an incredible group of kids here," Sawmiller said. "They were so dedicated and focused on making this happen. They know that bowling is a privilege and they worked hard for it."
Doug Moss, 18, and Kaila Ryan, 15, were eager to hit the lanes to compete on the challenging lane conditions and attempt to take home a title in their initial Youth Open Championships appearance.
Both also appreciated the effort put in to make this appearance possible.
"This tournament sounded like a lot a fun, and we are ready to compete," Moss said. "There was a lot of work but we knew it was for us, so we didn't mind helping."
"I'm going to do the best I can to win," Ryan said. "We had some fun working to get here, especially at the moonlight bowl."
Both Moss and Ryan took pride in being able to represent their city on a national stage as well.
"We have some of the best bowlers in America here in Dayton, but we don't get out to as many tournaments as other bowlers," Moss said. "We are going to try our best to showcase the city of Dayton. We wouldn't have been able to do this without the help of our parents, as well as everyone who made this possible."
The Youth Open Championships, which runs through July 25, is broken into four average divisions (129 and below, 130-159, 160-189 and 190 and above) and is based on actual pinfall. Teams consist of four players.
The group, with bowlers ranging in age from seven to 18, began to organize fundraisers in January to raise money so they could participate in the event. The youth bowlers ran two moonlight bowling events, sold pizzas and subs, and held a bowling ball raffle. By the time they finished, more than $8,500 was raised to help cover bowling and travel expenses as well as team shirts.
Candace Sawmiller, a youth coach at Poelking who helped organize the group, took two teams to the 2008 event in Detroit, and word quickly spread throughout the youth leagues in the area.
"After we got back from Detroit, word just got around," Sawmiller said. "We came up with the idea of the fundraisers, and looked for kids with good attitudes, the desire to bowl and the willingness to give their time to the fundraisers."
Besides the fundraisers, the bowlers also started practicing for the event in April, giving up every Friday night leading up to the event. Along with sharpening their games, the regular sessions allowed everyone the chance to interact and develop a bond as they worked toward their goal of bowling the Youth Open Championships at Expo Bowl.
"We really have an incredible group of kids here," Sawmiller said. "They were so dedicated and focused on making this happen. They know that bowling is a privilege and they worked hard for it."
Doug Moss, 18, and Kaila Ryan, 15, were eager to hit the lanes to compete on the challenging lane conditions and attempt to take home a title in their initial Youth Open Championships appearance.
Both also appreciated the effort put in to make this appearance possible.
"This tournament sounded like a lot a fun, and we are ready to compete," Moss said. "There was a lot of work but we knew it was for us, so we didn't mind helping."
"I'm going to do the best I can to win," Ryan said. "We had some fun working to get here, especially at the moonlight bowl."
Both Moss and Ryan took pride in being able to represent their city on a national stage as well.
"We have some of the best bowlers in America here in Dayton, but we don't get out to as many tournaments as other bowlers," Moss said. "We are going to try our best to showcase the city of Dayton. We wouldn't have been able to do this without the help of our parents, as well as everyone who made this possible."
The Youth Open Championships, which runs through July 25, is broken into four average divisions (129 and below, 130-159, 160-189 and 190 and above) and is based on actual pinfall. Teams consist of four players.