Former Comet bowling star Kaleb Ross competes in Team USA Trials

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — Those planning a trip to Las Vegas should know that the house always wins.

And those planning to bowl in Vegas should know that the house sometimes changes the rules.

Or rather the conditions.

“We bowled there five days, and every day they had a different pro oil pattern out there,” said Kaleb Ross of the United State Bowling Congress Team USA Trials, held Jan. 3-7 at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino bowling lanes.

“One pattern was called ‘London’ … another was called ‘Athens’, which was the toughest for me,” Ross said. “They heavily oiled the lanes 36 feet down, and if you miss your mark by just a board or two, your ball will either hook too much or not at all.”

The tournament/trials determined the Team USA roster for the upcoming 2019 World Cup. This year’s event was the first one Ross, a former Charles City Comet southpaw standout, competed in.

“It was also the first time I’ve been to Las Vegas,” said Ross, whose entourage arrived on New Year’s Day just ahead of the trials.

“It was amazing seeing how the city lit up for New Year’s,” Ross said. “I also got to experience the Stratosphere (Hotel) thrill rides, which were amazing. Other than bowling, that was my favorite part of the trip.”

Going up against some of the best bowlers in the nation, including USBC Hall of Famer John Janawicz who won the event, Ross finished 138th out of a field of 170.

“I was hoping to finish a little higher, but I learned a lot down there,” Ross said. “I got to meet as well as bowl against some of the pros you see on TV.

“I wanted to see what I could do against that type of competition. Now I’m motivated to practice harder for the next team trials.”

During his junior season with Charles City’s boys team, Ross became the first Comet to record a two-game 500 series — a feat he repeated the following week. Ross finished the season with a team-leading 215 average, then helped the Comets place second at the Class 1A State Bowling Championships while finishing third as an individual his senior season.

“I didn’t have any 500 series my senior year, but I had a lot more fun bowling,” Ross said. “I was more in it for the team than just for me.”

Like several of his teammates before him, Ross considered bowling in college.

“But if I go to school, I want to make sure it’s for something I really want to do,” said Ross, who works at Comet Bowl and now serves as an assistant coach for the Charles City bowling program.

“I like to go pro someday, but I don’t think I have to bowl in college to get there.”

Ross is grateful to Comet Bowl owners Mark Barry and Peggy Sweet for allowing him time off from work to compete at the Team USA Trials; local businessmen Jay Jung of Farm Bureau Financial Services and Steve Robel of Quality Auto for sponsoring the venture; and Clark Freezemann, owner of Freeze Frame Bowl in Greene.

“Clark allowed me to bowl on his lanes, and put out patterns that I would see down there,” Ross said. “He also gave me some tips about bowling in a big tournament like that.”

Though he mainly serves as a sub in men’s league play at Comet Bowl, Ross is frequently among the weekly listed high-game and high-series rollers.

“I’m throwing faster and getting more revolutions on the ball than I was in high school,” Ross said. “As a left-hander, the pin I leave the most is the 7-pin. But now I’m carrying it more.”