THUNDER BAY – For a time, it looked like five-pin bowling might be an Ontario Winter Games casualty.
The sport was initially pulled from the schedule, concerns about the cost of travel to Thunder Bay cited as the reason.
The athletes protested, telling the governing body for the sport they weren’t concerned about the cost, they just wanted to compete.
Some drove 14 hours to get to Thunder Bay, others spent money on flights.
For Thunder Bay bowlers, eager to compete against the best 12- to 18-year-olds, it means they’ve been able to welcome Ontario’s best to their home alley, Mario’s Bowl.
More importantly, for many of them, it’s a chance to improve on a disappointing finish at the 2023 Games.
“Gold or nothing,” said Alex Geravelis, competing on the Thunder Bay District’s men’s team.
“It’s something we learn, from a young age. You’ve got to block all that out and really just focus on yourself. With our team, specifically, we just need to put a game together, all of us.
“Our first three, it was either a couple people throwing a high game and the other two a little lower. We just need to put that together if we want to do what we came here to do.”
The men’s team won two of its first three games, with six games left to go.
The ladies’ team was one better, winning all three of its games heading into Saturday’s lunch break.
Jordyn Graham said the home-court advantage has been a difference maker, even more so for her, the event also happening at a venue that happens to be her workplace.
“Having other people from other provinces here is really awesome,” Graham said.
“My personal expectation is I want a minimum of silver with my team, because we got bronze last year, so I just want to improve on that. Seeing how we started off, I think we could do it. But there are still six more games, so we’ll find out.”
Keeping her own head in the game, while also keeping her teammates focused, will be key to making that happen.
“There’s a bit of attitudes clashing, sometimes, so it’s just keeping them positive, while trying to keep myself positive while keeping them positive,” Graham said.
Michaela Turner-Mayo, who coaches the Thunder Bay District team said so far, so good.
“Yeah, we’re going really great,” she said. “This morning we took six. Then we didn’t have a great second game and took two, and then we got six again. I think we’re sitting in second with our men’s team with the other Northern Ontario team, from Sudbury. And the other teams are doing great. We’ve got 15 Thunder Bay bowlers, one ladies’ team, one mixed team and one men’s team,” Turner-Mayo said.
Bowling wraps up on Sunday.
