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Highlands Today

Rolling Into The Future

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By CHRIS HOFFMAN

Highlands Today

Published: July 27, 2008

SEBRING - A summer scene of youngsters sweating it out on a hot baseball diamond or football gridiron is as common as afternoon showers in Florida.

Most of the kids have the desire to propel their game to the next level and hopefully one day get the chance to earn a college education playing the sport they love.

Bowling is usually never in the equation when kids - and parents, for that matter - think about the sports that could lead to a college campus.

Kimmi Robision believes that that notion should change, especially here in Highlands County.

"Sebring is a unique place for kids who want to take up bowling," Robision said. "Most towns that have bowling centers have a youth program, but at Kegel Bowling Center, we offer more than that."

Robision is the director of the Kegel Junior Academy, where kids of all ages and skill levels are taught the finer points of the game.

Just Ask Tyler

Fourteen-year-old Tyler Shingle grew up with a baseball bat in his hand and playing the sport that most kids play, while dreaming of one day using his talent to propel him to a college education.

But a birthday party for his brother Cameron at Kegel, Tyler replaced that baseball bat with a 14-pound bowling ball and a dream that's been rolling along since.

"I had bowled a few times but not on a regular basis," Shingle said. "I played pretty much every sport like baseball and basketball and really liked those sports, but after my brother's birthday party, I was hooked on bowling."

The 14-year old Shingle had a heart-to-heart talk with his father Rodney and told him that he wanted to pursue his passion for bowling, which meant enrolling his son in the Kegel Junior Academy so that he could learn the sport the right way.

"I've watched Tyler play all different sports, and with bowling, I see a very relaxed kid who genuinely loves the game," said Rodney Shingle. "The competitive atmosphere is completely different than any other sport in my opinion, and Tyler has really taken to it."

Taking to the sport is putting things mildly when talking about the younger Shingle, who placed first out of 865 kids in his age group in his first tournament and then went on to place 20th at the 2008 Pepsi USBC Youth Bowling Championships in Sterling Heights, Mich. earlier this month.

Changing Styles

Tyler's coach, Joe Stacy, remembers Tyler as a kid who threw the ball with two hands unlike most bowlers, but there was a hint of natural ability that he knew he could work with.

"Tyler is a unique individual in that he's a student of the game," Stacy said. "He always wants to know more about the game and obtain any knowledge that'll help him improve."

Stacy, a former professional bowler on the PBA tour, is a United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Silver Certified instructor and the in-house professional at Kegel, where he holds a class with about 80 kids that range in ages from five to 21 years old.

"It's amazing to watch the kids progress after some instruction," Stacy said. "I've seen kids come in who knew little to nothing about bowling, but after a season in the academy, they're holding their own against some of the big kids."

Stacy saw the determination in Shingle and before going off to the Pepsi Championships, he did a complete overhaul of the youngster's game by teaching him to bowl one-handed style.

"Joe gave me game," Tyler Shingle said. "I saw amazing results almost immediately in my game, but it was tough to learn.

"It's like teaching a right-handed pitcher to throw left-handed and ask him to go close out the World Series. I was nervous when I went up to Michigan for the tournament, but the results were amazing."

Shingle, who had averaged 130 to 200 bowling two-handed, bowled his best game ever - 206 - at the Pepsi Championships and averaged a 175 for the tournament.

Rodney Shingle said he loves the game for his sons, because it's all about them.

"It's an individual sport that doesn't have any of the politics that you see in some of the team sports," Shingle said. "Every kid here bowls at every tournament and there are no all star teams where only certain kids make it. It's a very comfortable environment for both the child and the parents here at Kegel."

Up For The Challenge

Bowling is as challenging as any sport, with no two lanes exactly alike due to many factors, which are taught to the kids of the academy.

"The kids learn everything from board count, length of the lanes and oil patterns to help them become a better bowler," Robision said. "Every bowler has to have those tools to be able to adjust their game to their environments.

"We're more than a bowling center, but an education center."

And the education doesn't stop at Kegel, but could help kids earn their way to a top university if the desire and dedication is there.

"The scholarship potential is almost unlimited for a youth bowler if he wants to put the time in," Stacy said. "Kids compete in tournaments across the state and the nation and have the chance to earn scholarship money towards future education.

"The good thing is that they don't have to wait until they're in high school to start working toward college."

Bowling For A Bachelor's Degree

Scholarships for tournament wins range from $500 to $5,000 and more, with all the money held in a scholarship account by the USBC - the governing body for the sport. The funds can only be used for college or higher learning with all the money sent directly to the college or school upon enrolling.

In 2008, $50,000 was the amount of available scholarship money in the Orange Belt.

"That's one thing that appealed to me when Tyler took up bowling and became serious about it," said Rodney Shingle. "He doesn't have to worry about where the scholarship money is. He doesn't even see the check or do anything with that, as the USBC takes care of that and we can keep track over the years online."

Tyler's has become an unofficial ambassador for the junior academy, and his meteoric tournament successes are the stuff of legend. But the Sebring youngster is just happy to have an Ebonite bowling ball in his hands.

One day, Tyler would love to be bowling at Webber International University, who has recently become a bowling college with newly created teams in cooperation with the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, and then test his wares on the professional circuit.

But for now, Tyler is happy telling everyone about his sport.

"I think every kid should at least try bowling," he said. "It's a phenomenal sport that will surprise many kids with how much of a family we are. I've met kids from all across the world at the Pepsi Championships, and we're like a big family.

Registration for the next junior academy session is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Kegel Bowling Center.

For more information on the Kegel Junior Academy, call Kimmi Robision or Joe Stacy at 863-382-2643.

KEGEL JUNIOR ACADEMY

Next registration is Saturday, Sept. 6

For more information, call 863-382-2643

Chris Hoffman can be reached at 863-386-5827 or at choffman@highlandstoday.com.

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