THUNDER BAY – It came down to the final frames but Haley Stolz is headed to nationals.
The 19-year-old rebounded from an early deficit to win the Northern Ontario provincial senior girls’ title at Mario’s Bowl on Sunday, booking a spot at the Canadian Tenpin Federation national competition.
She saved her best game for last, throwing a category-high 217 in the eighth and final round to outpace Shaune Pine of Sault Ste. Marie.
“I knew it was close but I didn’t know how close it was until the last four frames and then I heard people talking behind and then it got stressful,” Stolz said.
“I take each ball at a time. If I get too far ahead I usually mess myself up or I psych myself out.”
She was one of three Thunder Bay bowlers to win provincial titles, as Aaron Craig took the senior boys’ crown and Mason Lagrange was victorious in the junior boys’ division.
Craig had a much more relaxed path to his win, as he pretty well had first place locked up heading into the final game.
The 18-year-old finished with a 220 average and a high game of 258, which was the top score of the day.
While he is no stranger to winning banners, it is his first time winning the provincials in back-to-back years.
“I’ve been to six nationals before but I had never won this two years in a row so it feels really good,” he said.
“It went exactly as planned. I’ve been practicing all year for this.”
Craig bowls four times a week to prepare for the competitive events and said that will increase as nationals approach.
For Stolz, the upcoming nationals will be her sixth appearance. As she approaches the end of her youth eligibility she hopes to challenge for gold.
Lagrange completed the trio of local wins, ending with a 204.5 average that gave him a comfortable win in his category.
In all, nine local bowlers captured medals on Sunday.
