February 13, 2020 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
©
Shelton Mason County Journal. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 28 (28 of 48 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
February 13, 2020 |
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader ![]() |
Page 8—4 Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020
WIAA 3A STATE BOWLING CHAMPIONSHIP
Dream Merriman, She/ton School sen/or bowler
Bowl: Two league titles, three state tournamentberths
continued from page 8-1
performance, but I just had an off day.
I couldn’t change anything but my at-
titude, and that’s OK.”
Shelton finished the two—day tour-
nament, which spanned a six-game se-
ries Friday and a 14-game Baker series
Saturday, with a team score of 6,631.
Merriman finished Friday with a
score of 1030 to place 19th among in-
dividuals.
“The tournament pushes you to the
limits and makes you work and be de-
termined,” Shelton senior Alyssia Paz
said. “It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been
a fun and wild ride over the years.”
This was Shelton’s third consecutive
appearance at the 3A tournament, and
its seniors have been the driving force
behind that success. They shared the
South Sound Conference’s regular sea-
son title with Capital as sophomores
before winning the conference’s post-
season tournament and finishing fifth
at the state championships.
A year later, as juniors, they won
the league title outright and eventu—
ally finished sixth at the 3A champion—
ships.
“Going to state means the absolute
world to me,” senior Abby Slone said. “I
have worked so hard and have dedicat-
ed most of my life to this sport. Noth-
ing really matters at the end of the day
besides knowing that I gave it my all
for the sport I love.” i
Shelton’s seniors — Merriman, Paz,
Slone and Morgan Holling — have
crafted a legacy of excellence dur-_
ing their careers, one that the quar-
tet hopes inspires future Highclimber
bowlers to continue' to build upon.
“I hope that the future teams can
stay positive and just love bowling as
much as our team always has,” Merri-
man said. “I hope they can always im-
prove like We did. It’s been so amazing
to make such great friends in bowling,
and I wouldn’t have wanted it any oth-
er way.”
The state competition format is a la-
bor of love for participants.
A set of three games followed, by a
short, late afternoon lunch break and a
second set of three games means most
bowlers have to roll more than 100
times in just a few short hours during
the first day of action.
As individuals, Shelton’s bowlers
felt they could have each performed
better, but were grateful for the op-
portunity to compete side-by—side with
their teammates.
“This year at state wasn’t my best,
but I did what I could,” Paz said.
“Struggling sometimes just happens
and as bowlers we learn from our mis-
takes. I’m glad I made it with my team
and we all did our very best.”
, Shelton coach Dann Gagnon said
he was pleased with the team’s finish
against ..the competition, which includ-
ed two-time defending champion Wil-
son High School and this year’s winner
Evergreen High School of Seattle.
“The last six years have been re-
warding for me after seeing (the girls)
improving each year,” Gagnon said. “I
reminded the girls to remember the
journey as they finish their senior year.
I will miss my seniors who have always
been competitive and supportive with
their teammates. Parents have also
been supportive and encouraging, and
that has been greatly appreciated.
Without parent support, it would be
difficult to have a successful bowling
season.”
' Shelton finished this year with a
14-4 overall record (11-3 South Sound
Conference), to take second in the SSC
and third at the 3A West Central Dis-
trict championships.
Paz led the SSC with a bowling
average of 190.6, an improvement of
nearly 40 pins over her junior season.
She had nine games of more than 200
and three series of more than 400, in-
cluding a league-high 440.
Merriman bowled a league-high
game of 248 and had seven games of
more than 200. Both Paz and Mer-
riman were named First Team‘ All-
League, while Slone earned Second ‘
Team honors.
The Climbers’ roster also includes
three other seniors: Bethany Com-
stock, who was an alternate bowler
at the state championship, Annaliese
Tholl and Realee Wiles.
Holling said this season was the
best experience of her career, crediting
both her teammates and Coach Ga-
gnon for her improvement and growth.
Holling said she has improved from an
average of 115 to 131, a gain of 16 pins
per game. .
“This year, after every good or bad
ball, my team was there with cheers,
laughs, hugs and words of Wisdom
for me,” Holling said. “That feeling is
something that can’t be replaced and
I’ll miss it for years to come.”