Better grip leads to Higher Education Bowling Tournament title

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

For many young bowlers making the switch from conventional to finger-tip grip, things tend to get worse before they get better.

“It took awhile before I got used to it,” said Jordan Wulff, who started bowling in earnest last year. “Before, I just threw a straight ball. And then when I went to finger-tip, I was throwing a spinner.

“When I started making it curve, that’s when things got better.”

For the Charles City freshman, who also bowled on the Comets boys junior varsity team this past season, improvement came in fits and starts. But on March 12 at Comet Bowl during the Charles City Youth Bowling League’s Higher Education Tournament, it all came together for Wulff, who rolled a 752 series with handicap to take first place in the Boys 12-18 division.

Wulff finished well ahead of the competition, which included several top rollers from Charles City’s Sub-state champion boys varsity team.

“I didn’t think I had much of a chance against the guys I was going up against,” said Wulff of a field that included Tyler Brockney (680, 2nd), Brady Girkin (673, 3rd), Griffin Franksain (669, 4th), Hunter Koebrick (666, 5th), and Mason White and Drew Mitchell, who tied for sixth with 658 scores.

The Higher Education Tournament is more than a decade old. Through Citizens Bank and contributions by local businesses, the tourney awards top place winners scholarship prizes to be used toward furthering their education.

Other scholarship winners included, from the Girls 12-18 division, Macy Ross (714, 1st), Falyn Knecht (697, 2nd), Sarah Mitchell (629, 3rd), Claire Girkin (617, 4th) and Chelsea Lumley (613, 5th); and from the Boys 11-and-Under division, Keaton Ross (648, 1st), Ezra Johnson (641, 2nd), Cole Sonne (640, 3rd) and Joey Robel (638, 4th).

Scholarship winners were honored during the CC Youth Bowling League banquet March 26 at Comet Bowl. Also honored were Brockney, Koebrick and Mitchell, who were awarded “700” towels for rolling sanctioned 700s during league play.

“This is for my second sanctioned 700,” Brockney said of the 725 he rolled; Koebrick attained his third sanctioned 700, “but we’ve bowled many more in practice.”

Both Brockney and Koebrick, who are graduating seniors from the aforementioned Sub-state champion team, are still looking for their first sanctioned 300 game.

“I’ve had some close calls,” Koebrick said.

Aside from reaching game perfection, the next step up is a sanctioned 800 series.

“I’m hoping I could do it … I definitely know I can,” Brockney said. “It just takes a lot more practice than I get in right now.

“But even though an 800 series may be harder to get, bowling a 300 game still is considered the pinnacle score of bowling. People are more familiar with what bowling a 300 means.”

Like most adult leagues, CC Youth Bowling starts in September.

“We bowl on Monday afternoons and Saturday mornings,” CC Youth Bowling president Kimberly Usher said.

There is no CC Youth Bowling during the summer.

“But we’re working on that,” Usher said.