Prince George bowlers no strangers to Nationals

Doing an interview with the four girls who make up the senior bowling team representing B.C at the Nationals in Oshawa, Ont. is like interviewing a single person.

A question thrown out to Paige Meise, Lezzyl Aquino, Kassidy Johnson and Megan Reimer is usually answered by all four at the same time. Coach Chito Tecson says that singularity of purpose makes his job a bit easier.

Paige Meise, back left, coach Chito Tecson, Lezzyl Aquino, Kassidy Johnson and Megan Reimer will be representing B.C. in the Senior Girls division at the National Youth Bowling Championships, while Jadyn Arnett, front, will be the province’s representative in the Girls Bantam singles event. Allan WISHART/Free Press

“They know each other’s styles so well,” he said during a recent practice at Black Diamond Lanes, the home lane for the team and Jadyn Arnett, who will be bowling this year as a Bantam single at the nationals.

“If one of them sees one of the others having a problem,” Tecson said, “they know what to look for.”

It should be no surprise the four know each other’s styles so well. After all, this is the same team which claimed the first Nationals banner for Black Diamond, two years ago as a Junior team in Abbotsford.

“They’re not going to be nervous about the Nationals,” Tecson says with a laugh.

Meise says they were confident about getting back to the Nationals partway through the Provincials in Vancouver at the end of February.

“We qualified for the Zone team as individuals,” she says, “but we knew we were going to make it. Then we won the Zones in Prince George at our home lane.

“At the Provincials, we knew we could do it, especially after we built up a bit of a lead.”

Tecson agrees.

“They got the lead and they held on.”

They all agree this year’s competition will be a but different than the 2013 finals in Abbootsford.

“Back then,” Tecson says, “we were the home team, so the fans were behind us. That will be different this year.”

The quartet couldn’t be a team last year, as two of them were still Juniors while the other two had become Seniors.

For Arnett, the Nationals are also not a new experience.

“I competed last year with the Bantam team in Winnipeg,” says the 11-year-old Arnett. “We didn’t do too well, but I know what it will be like this year.”

Arnett has been a bowler for seven years, and says it was a family thing.

“My dad started bowling, then my brother and then my sister. I saw they were having fun, so I wanted to do it too.

“I was pretty good from when I started.”

The group leaves for Oshawa next Thursday, with the bowling starting on May 2. Tecson says getting to know the lanes will be a key.

“It makes a difference if the lanes are wood or acrylic. The ball bends differently on wood and acrylic. It would be nice if the lanes are acrylic.”