KEGLER'S CORNER Kawachi named Junior Star of the Week

Junior Star of the Week:

Kristen Kawachi

Gymnast extraordinaire Kristen Kawachi scored a perfect 10 in her latest bowling performance in the junior league at Orchard Lanes. This mighty mite is an outstanding bowler. Finishing up 80 pins over her average, Kawachi led all the kids last week. She’s only been at it for a few years now, but her textbook form on the lanes is unequaled.

When your approach, footwork and arm swing are smooth like Kawachi’s, big scores come easy. Although she works hard, some of her talent comes naturally from mom and dad (Janet and Stuart Kawachi), who are both outstanding bowlers. For being the junior star of the week, Kristen wins a sub sandwich courtesy of the heights Sub Shop #15.

Bowler of the Week:

Dana Branson

Branson was 127 pins over her average two weeks ago, after racking up a 526 series in the Tuesday afternoon Pin Queens league. Her scores were presented to me a little late so I believe she deserves to get the current Bowler of the Week honors. Branson is an avid bowler who is getting better with every game, so don’t be surprised if you see some big scores from her soon. For earning the bowler of the week, Dana wins a free sandwich from the heights Sub Shop #15.

Team of the Week:

Pat Olson 716

Casey Barker 705

AJ Sutton 665

Bryan Mason 658

Flip Yasui 656

The lane conditions remain very difficult. In bowling talk, it appears we are bowling on a reverse block. This simply means that there is a higher concentration of oil on the outside part of the lane and much less in the middle. This has always been a difficult condition, which can easily result in scores 35 pins per game lower than the opposite lane condition, which is when a greater concentration of oil lays in the middle of the lane.

Lets analyze our team of the week players and try to understand how they overcame the adverse condition:

Leading off is Pat Olson, who is one of the area’s best all-around bowlers. I watched him out-bowl everybody else in the Wednesday night Fraternal league by moving more to the center of the lane while still keeping his normal down-and-in trajectory.

Next is Casey Barker, who nearly notched his second career perfect game in the Monday night Industrial league.

On his last and most important ball of a game, a single pin stood in defiance, giving Barker a 299 game and a 705 series. Even with a few good breaks, bowling can be a cruel game.

AJ Sutton made the third spot, with a 665 series in the Fraternal league. Simply put, Sutton can overpower any condition. He can fire the ball with great speed, while at the same imparting so many revolutions on the ball that it has no problem grabbing the lane. As a result, his ball hooks sharply and carries a lot of strikes.

In the clean up spot on the list, we have former bowler of the year, Bryan Mason, who racked up a steady 658 series in the Fraternal league. Mason is a big, strong guy who generally plays the lanes outside the second arrow with a down-and-in trajectory.

Flip Yasui gets the Team of the Week anchor spot. Yasui has been fighting some injuries this season, which delayed his start. But he’s bowling well now, as evident by the 656 series he shot in his last league outing. He keeps the ball in play and is very accurate because he doesn’t put a lot of spin on it.