Bowling Legend Visits State H.S. Tournament
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Welcome to a competition filled with drama. The Minnesota State High School Bowling Tournament gives participants the tingles.
"It's so exciting," said Derrick Prenot of the Winona bowling team. "We were kind of anxious after the first round because we weren't sure if we were gonna make it in or not. Then we heard our name and we were like, 'Whoa!' And then we kinda kicked butt in, not to brag or anything, we kinda kicked butt in the second round. Now we're here."
Here's a group of high school students who chose bowling for different reasons.
"All sorts of kids," according to Josh Hedney, the league's executive director. "The league accepts seventh to 12th graders, girls and boys both bowl in the league. You know, a lot of kids who … fell in love with bowling early, or perhaps they just didn't like the other sports," Hedney said. "They didn't want to be a football player or a cross-country running. They decided they wanted to be a bowler."
Pete Weber is a special guest. He is a professional bowler. His father, Dick Weber, is one the of the most famous of all -- which begged a question: What would Dad think of this day?
"He'd probably say this is one of the greatest things he's ever seen," Weber said. "When I grew up, we really didn't have high school bowling or anything like that. It's just started to become big now, and I think Dad would be really proud of what the high schools are doing with the kids."
These kids are finding out what sports teach. There's something special about being a part of a team, and something special about the competition.
"You start out nervous, but once you start throwing good, you feel better. But it's nervous throughout the whole entire thing," said Jordyn Alt of the Shakopee bowling team. "Every pin counts."
That's why it's unique, not just to be a bowler, but to be a state tournament bowler.
"We have a lot of fun doing this. It's the best experience I've ever had in any sport," Prenot said. "Even if you open or you aren't doing so hot, your team's there to pick you up. It's a really good feeling being part of a team."
The tournament was played this year in Mounds View.
