Year-Round Bowling
Sophomore Louis Shontz bowls year round.
During an individual game against Marion, Louis Shontz (10) makes his approach.
April 6, 2022
“I have been bowling since I was able to walk,” varsity bowler Louis Shontz (10) said.
Shontz practices at Lightning Lanes nearly every day all year round. He works with multiple coaches including high school head coach Bob Morris, John Chapman, and his dad.
Although Shontz has been bowling for years, he’s only been competing for three years. The first tournament he competed in was the RCSST in Camanche, where he shot 1,088 through five games and placed tenth overall. As a result, Shontz qualified for the 2021 U.S. Junior Gold Championship, which was held from July 12-17 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“When my family and I arrived, we were required to quarantine in our hotel room for five days prior to the tournament,” Shontz said. “It was super boring, so not one bit was fun about it.”
At Junior Gold, Shontz battled through a knee problem. Shontz shot 2,653 through 16 qualifying games, which put him in a tie for 321st out of 631 bowlers.
Shontz believes his hard work over the offseason, which included his first perfect game, led to his stellar sophomore season where he held both the team high game (278) and high average (208). Prior to the season, Shontz was named team captain by head coach Bob Morris.
Shontz has big goals for himself, which include winning a state championship and breaking 2012 West Delaware graduate A.J. Chapman’s average record of 241 by his senior year.
In order to break Chapman’s average record, Shontz understands he needs to work very hard.
The end goal for Shontz is to make it to the Professional Bowlers Association.
“Making it to the PBA is one of the things I’ve been working toward my whole life,” Shontz said. “By making it to the PBA, I get to do what I love as a sport.”
This upcoming summer, Shontz will again be competing in the U.S. Junior Gold Championship, held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 15-23.
