Aiming beyond the pins

Ten-year-old Davin Bowse already knows who he wants to beat on the bowling lanes.  

I want to be better than my mom,” Davin said. 

Davin, a fifth grader at White Sands Elementary School, got interested in the sport through his mother, Marissa Bowse, who has been bowling since she was a teenager. Now he is developing a game of his own through the Las Cruces United States Bowling Congress Youth Scholarship Bowling League. 

The friendly family rivalry is part of a program that gives bowlers ages 4 to 18 a chance to compete while earning scholarship money that can eventually help pay for postsecondary education. For Davin, much of the appeal is simply being at the lanes. One of his favorite memories came during a tournament when he rolled a turkey — three consecutive strikes. 

Marissa has watched that interest grow from a sport she introduced to her son, into something he can pursue on his own. She started bowling around age 14 while living at White Sands Missile Range. A friend invited her to watch, and before long, Marissa had joined a league herself. At 41, she still competes and has traveled to tournaments in cities including Las Vegas and Reno. 

That experience has given her a close look at what bowling can offer younger competitors. 

“Every child has their own different techniques,” Marissa said. “You have to accommodate to each child as far as their approach of how they bowl.” 

Learning where to stand, how to hit a mark and how to adjust a shot are only part of the process, she said. Competition forces young bowlers to concentrate and adapt while giving them something tangible to work toward. 

“They really have to focus on what they’re doing,” Marissa said. 

The local youth league also participates in SMART, the United States Bowling Congress scholarship management program. Scholarship awards are placed into accounts for youth bowlers and can be used after high school graduation for qualifying educational expenses. 

Locally, a portion of league payments goes into a scholarship fund that is distributed based on team standings at the end of the season, according to information provided by the Las Cruces USBC. The organization reported distributing $1,594 in scholarship money last season. LCUSBC also pointed to a former youth bowler who accumulated nearly $4,500 in scholarship money before attending New Mexico State University. 

For Marissa, that long-term benefit adds another dimension to something young bowlers can already enjoy in the moment. As they improve and enter more competitions, she said, the money they earn can eventually provide some help when they move on to college. 

But Davin is not thinking about years down the road every time he picks up a ball. Right now, there are pins to knock down, tournaments to bowl and, eventually, a mother to beat. 

His advice to another kid considering the sport is just as uncomplicated. 

“Keep going,” Davin said. 

The Las Cruces USBC youth season is underway at Roadrunner Lanes in Las Cruces. A league at Starmax Lanes in Deming is scheduled to begin Oct. 13. More information is available at lcusbc.com.