Kenston Bombers bowler Trevor Stretch decided the time was right to dedicate himself to an intense off-season of training, and that dedication and commitment toward improving has paid off immensely.
Kenston Bombers bowler Trevor Stretch decided the time was right to dedicate himself to an intense off-season of training, and that dedication and commitment toward improving has paid off immensely.
The junior has become one of the top bowlers in the regional, as he has the highest average in the Northeast Ohio High School Bowling League this season. On Feb. 2, he also won the Northeast Ohio High School League boys individual tournament title at Wickliffe Lanes.
“I’ve made a lot of changes during the off-season,” Stretch said. “From last season, I was averaging like 179, but then I did a lot of work during the off-season.”
“I applied those changes and they definitely worked out. At the beginning of the season, I started shooting plenty of 200s. It’s gone down a little bit, but I have stayed confident and made sure to fix the couple quirks that have come up.”
Stretch believes working on his mental game was probably one of the most important things he focused on improving during the off season. He has since improved his ability to stay process focused and not let adversity on the lanes effect his performance.
“There have been times when I might not be bowling too well, but I try to keep my head up, stay confident, and just focus on one shot after the next,” Stretch said. “And then don’t worry about the shots that weren’t good: they have already happened, you can’t change them now. And I just always try to look at the bright side of things and keep working hard and focusing on what I am trying to accomplish.”
Stretch started the tournament slow, but did not panic or get frustrated.
Before the second game of the tournament, he made some necessary adjustments that he said really helped him. Specifically, he changed to a different bowling ball and moved his starting spot on the lane to a different board.
As a result, after bowling a 175 in game one, Stretch bowled a 258 in his second, then a 239 in his third.
In winning the title, Stretch averaged 224 over the three-game block.
Clearly a thirst for bowling success, and skill, runs in the family. Stretch’s sister, Jenna, a Kenston alum, recently won a silver medal at the 2024 IBF Youth World Cup of Bowling as a member of Junior Team USA.
NDCL and Berkshire bowling teams also had individual bowlers place in the Northeast Ohio League Tournament.
NDCL’s Kody McPadden (4th) and Berkshire’s Mario Romagni (5th) placed in the boys league, and in the girls league were Angelena DePalma (4th) and Rachel O’Hair (5th) from NDCL and Mac Conrad (7th) from Berkshire.
OHSAA sectionals begin the week of Feb. 11 after one final week of regular season bowling.
