Julie Orobko didn’t miss her second shot at gold to win the five-pin junior girls’ championship at the recent Youth Bowling Canada nationals at St. John’s, N.L.
The Alberta champion defeated Sara Thiemann of Saskatchewan by four points in a roll-off after losing to the Humboldt bowler by seven in the tournament’s last round-robin match to force the tiebreaker.
“When I lost I was actually pretty upset,” Orobko said. “I went outside to cool off. I was relaxing, taking deep breaths, just trying to calm myself down and then I went inside for the roll-off and I said, ‘This is my game.’ ”
Orobko got a huge confidence booster by rolling a strike with her first ball to start the gold-medal match.
“I was shaking because all these eyes were watching me. I was pretty terrified. I’ve never done a roll-off before. I turned ice cold,” said the St. Albert Bowling Centre member. “After that strike I knew I could do it. I just took it frame by frame, stayed calm and stared at the ground until she finished bowling and then I would go up. I didn’t want to see the score.”
The roll-off was too close to call going into the last frame.
“In the ninth frame she got a strike and in the 10th she got a strike and then a five spare. I had a strike in the ninth also and in the 10th frame I punched the head pin and that’s when I thought I lost it,” Orobko said.
After some reassurances from Alberta coach Caitlyn Shearer, Orobko closed out the frame but didn’t know she won until Thiemann started crying and hugging the Saskatchewan coach.
“That’s when I finally looked up at the score and I saw four pins,” Orobko said of the 255-251 result. “I just couldn’t believe it.”
Orobko struggled to keep her emotions in check during the awards ceremony.
“My mom [Kim] said I didn’t look excited but I actually was. I guess I wasn’t really showing it but I was shaking when I was up on stage.”
Orobko qualified for nationals in her first year in singles after competing in the team category.
“I wanted to try singles in my last year of juniors,” she said. “My goal was just to get a medal, so to win gold is great.”
Orobko finished 8-3 in the round robin with an average score of 223, compared to her 225 in league play and 262 at provincials.
“I was pretty consistent. I had some 250s and 260s but I had a couple of bad games too.”
Blisters on Orobko’s right throwing hand were a factor in her 229 score with gold on the line in the first match against Thiemann.
“My fingers were actually burning. It was pretty painful to bowl,” Orobko said. “I just fell apart that game. I was crunching lots and she was getting a lot of good breaks.”
The last time Orobko bowled at nationals was 2007 with the provincial bantam-winning team from St. Albert that won bronze in Winnipeg.
Previous medals at the team level at provincials included silver and bronze for Orobko.
“I kind of knew what I was expecting at nationals, but it was still different because it was singles. It wasn’t as loud as team. There was no cheering going on,” she said. “It was still pretty fun. I made friends with all the provinces. Very nice people.”
After returning home from nationals, Orobko’s junior high school, Sir John Thompson, honoured the national champion by letting her pose in the Grade 9 farewell picture wearing the Alberta uniform and gold medal.
Bowling is a family tradition for Orobko, who started knocking down pins at age three in St. Albert. Her mom, Kim, qualified for the national classified five-pin championships next weekend in Winnipeg, playing on the provincial championship team from St. Albert with Crystal Feltan, Sherry Auger, Michelle Switner and captain Laurel Castor.
“I like bowling. It’s a lot of fun,” Oborko said.
