The St. Albert Bowling & Rec Centre is sending four medal contenders to nationals as provincial champions.
Kayle Mak and Kory Larabie are throwing strikes in singles while Rebecca Hahn and Mikaylie Wallace are paired together in doubles at the 53rd annual Youth Bowl Canada fivepin nationals, May 6 to 8 in Gatineau, Quebec.
Mak, 14, is competing in her third nationals after qualifying in the four-person junior female team format last year in Calgary and 2014 in Winnipeg.
“It helps that I’ve been to nationals because you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. You know exactly the atmosphere and you know how competitive everyone is,” said the Grade 9 Sir George Simpson student.
Larabie, who turns 14 on Tuesday, bowled on the bronze-medal winning male bantam St. Albert team in Winnipeg.
“I know what to expect now,” said the Grade 8 Elizabeth Finch School student. “It’s loud, really loud with all the cheering and the clapping.”
Hahn was a peewee-age bowler on the 2015 St. Albert bantam female team that finished sixth at nationals in Oshawa, Ont.
“This year I’m actually a bantam, which is nice, and it’s a doubles team,” said the Grade 4 Keenoshayo School student. “I’m expecting a lot of cheering. It’s going to be really loud.”
Her partner, Wallace, is a national newbie.
“I’m really, really, really, really, really excited,” said the Grade 5 Ecole Father Jan School student. ”It will be pretty fun.”
Wallace and Hahn, who are coached by Derek Mapstone, combined to win provincials last month in Calgary in their first season together.
Wallace, 10, sports a 134 average and at provincials her best game was 243.
Hahn’s average is 141 and her top score at provincials was 197.
“We have really good teamwork skills,” said the nine-year-old Hahn, who was last year’s provincial bantam female runner-up with a different partner.
“We’re bowling friends, like really good bowling friends,” Wallace added. “We have a little high-five thing that we do after every frame. We high-five and go.”
Larabie raised his game to new heights at provincials while averaging 245 after going 209 in league and between 230 and 240 in tournament action.
“I’m really, really proud. I can’t explain it in words,” said Larabie, who recorded scores ranging from 194 to 330 at provincials. “I beat this one kid from Bonnie Doon that I never beat and he’s really hard to beat.”
Staying positive is the name of the game for Larabie.
“There is this one parent that always talks to me when I get mad when I bowl bad and she says play the game on the lane and not in your head and that’s what makes me bowl better.”
The fourth-year St. Albert Centre bowler returns to nationals in his 11th year of knocking down pins.
“I just want to bowl my best so I don’t have to worry about anything around me,” said Larabie, who is coached by Martinho Marciano.
Mak has high hopes of a podium finish in singles after placing fifth at last year’s nationals in Calgary on the junior team that included Rebecca’s sister, Alexandra, and in 2014.
“I really want to medal,” said Mak, who thrives on the pressure of singles. “You don’t have other people to rely on so it’s all you. There is no one else to actually pick up what you’re bowling but yourself.”
Mak was a consistent scorer at provincials, between 265 and 319, and her highest total came in the clutch in the last game at provincials, highlighted by five strikes in a row.
“It was kind of hard because I was losing and I had to bowl big on my last game to win, which is what I did and that is why I’m going to nationals,” said Mak, who needed to surpass 265 in her bid to overtake the leader. “I was like, no I’m not going to go down without a fight so what I did is I blocked out everyone else and just kind of went for it.”
Wearing the Alberta colours at nationals is another pressure cooker.
“You’re not just representing yourself, your family, your coaches or your friends but the province so it’s really pressuring that you don’t know what is going to happen. You can mess up and then you feel bad if you don’t do as well as you want,” said Mak, who is coached by Ernie McLellan. “You just have to know that you have it in you because you beat out everyone in the province to get there.”
