She’s on a serious roll: VT’s Brown in nationals
SOUTH CENTRE TWP. — Vo-Tech bowler Winter Brown got on a roll at the right time for the Rams.
On Saturday, Brown became the first Ram to qualify for the national tournament. In fact, the senior was the first to qualify for the state tournament held in Pittsburgh, where she finished 12th.
Her growth as a bowler didn’t happen overnight, but her mentality seemingly did. With COVID-19 creating a number of questions surrounding the season, Brown made it her goal to savor whatever time bowling she could get.
“I wasn’t very (optimistic there would be a season)... It was a struggle because everything was closed and we couldn’t practice,” Brown said. “... I wanted the season to happen and since I got one, I tried to take advantage of that and played my heart out.”
She did just that — especially as the matches got bigger.
En route to qualifying for the state tournament, Brown held an average score of 230 to become the second girl to score at least 900 points at regional qualifiers. She followed suit by finishing runner-up at regionals to advance to states.
“This year, with the pandemic, the number of qualifiers were cut in half, making her success even more impressive because it was tougher to qualify,” coach Brian Ebersole said. “The way she performed this year was incredible. I coached her for four years, and I could sit here and cry just talking about it.
“She said she wanted to go to nationals, and I told her ‘well, get to work.’ She did just that.”
It’s all in the swing
Ebersole had a front-row seat to watching Brown’s growth as a person and bowler, serving as her personal coach for three years before taking over the Vo-Tech program this season.
The biggest change he’s seen in Brown as a bowler has been in her mechanics, particularly in her arm swing.
“(The arm swing) hurt her down in states, but it’s been that way for four years,” he said. “There are days she can’t miss and hits strikes like the best of them. There were probably some nerves at states. She missed three easy spares that if she got, could have probably had her place eighth — it was that close of a competition.”
Brown admittedly was “nervous at first, but once I got the feel for the lanes, I calmed down. It was a mix of nerves and excitement.”
Practice makes perfect
Ebersole and Brown have worked long hours at perfecting her arm swing, even finding creative ways to practice when Gov. Tom Wolf shut down all competitive and recreational sports for the holiday season to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“I told her to just roll the ball in the yard to keep her arm fresh,” Ebersole said. “The muscle memory and focus, especially this year, had to remain. I sent her videos of me doing exactly what I was asking of her.”
Ebersole also noted that just like a basketball player at the free-throw line or a softball player taking their practice swing, it’s important for bowlers to “remember what it feels like because you can lose your touch real quick.”
Brown is undeclared at the moment but wants to continue bowling while majoring in nursing. Her high school career is far from over, however, as she qualified for the national tournament in Dayton, Ohio, June 21-22. She will be the first to tell you there is work to be done before the competition.
“I’ll be practicing more on being more consistent with my speed,” she said.
Roll with the best of them
It’s a good thing she has the outlet, spending most of her free time and weekends at the lanes and getting a competitive atmosphere with tournaments and leagues.
Ebersole has no doubts that Brown can bowl to her potential and have an even better finish at nationals than what she did at states.
“She’s naturally gifted at this sport, but is also a great student of the sport,” he said. “She has a strong work ethic and can be seen at the bowling alley every day.
“... Even though she finished 12th in the state, she is very capable of finishing the best in the country. She is very competitive and was a little disgusted because she thought she could bowl better. It’ll hit her one day when she sees how big the state is and remembers she is the 12th best in the state.
Vo-Tech has plans on honoring the senior in some fashion when she returns to classes today.
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