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Greensboro boy spares no one in bowling competition

4 min read
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Courtesy of Samantha Karam

Matthew Parker, 7, of Greensboro shows off one of his many bowling awards. The second-grader recently earned first place in the U.S. Open Pro Amateur Youth Division in Mooresville, N.C.

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Courtesy of Samantha Karam

Matthew Parker poses with his bowling awards. In his most recent win, he received a $500 college scholarship.

Matthew Parker, 7, of Greensboro recently won the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) US Open Pro-Amateur Youth Division at Victory Lanes in Mooresville, N.C. He also placed second in all age divisions, according to results from the Oct. 23 competition.

Robin Reese, front desk manager for Victory Lanes, said the competition is a chance for young bowlers to practice with players from the PBA men’s league a week prior to the professional competition.

“The kids get to bowl with (at least) three pros for three games,” Reese said. “We had a great turnout.”

There are three divisions in the competition: youth, open and senior, which is for those 50 and over. Matthew entered in the youth division and bowled against 46 others under the age of 18, said his father, Bill. The amateurs have handicaps based on their averages.

In total, Matthew got to bowl with six professionals, including Hall of Famer Chris Barnes. He also met the No. 1 ranked bowler in the world: Jason Belmonte from Australia.

“I had a little fun,” Matthew said.

Per competition rules, each amateur’s score is combined with the pro’s score for three games, which equates to a final score. For three games, Parker bowled a total of 794, with his handicap, and the pros bowled 758. Together, that equates to 1,552, which earned him first place in his division. That was also the second highest score in all divisions. Bill said his son won a trophy and a $500 scholarship to the college of his choice.

Matthew’s father noted that the PBA creates an account for anyone who wins cash prizes at tournaments and funds accumulate with each win. All players must do is notify the league when they are preparing to start college or trade school and PBA will send the funds to their school of choice.

Looking back on the experience makes him “pretty happy,” Matthew said with a smile. “I have a lot of trophies.”

Matthew has been bowling in a youth league at Suburban Lanes in Morgantown, W.Va., for two years and has won several awards, including Most Improved Average, First Place Team and recognition for bowling a 100-point game.

The league runs from late August to May, with competitions on Saturdays. Matthew also practices once a week on his own. He said his goal this year was to average over 90 per game. Last year, his average was 70, and this year, it is 101.

Matthew started bowling when he was 4, with his father, who was an avid bowler in high school.

Bill recalls working and playing at Triangle Lanes in Waynesburg during the ’60s. He said he had to stop bowling when he was drafted in the military but picked the sport back up after his son was born. Bill competed in the 2019 PBA U.S. Open Pro-Amateur competition in Syracuse, N.Y.

“You always want to have something that you share,” Bob said. “It ends up being him-and-I time.”

Bill said his son’s participation in the PBA U.S. Open Pro-Amateur was “on a whim.”

The two had been bowling the Friday before the competition and, while having dinner at Eat’n Park, they decided to call Victory Lanes and see if there were still any slots open. That night they planned their trip.

The tournament is open to members of United States Bowling Congress, which is a 10-pin bowling sports membership organization. Bill said since Matthew competes in his youth league, he qualified.

“You have to apply and see if you get a spot (based on your average),” Bill said.

Matthew is a second-grader at Bobtown Elementary School. When he isn’t bowling, he plays soccer, baseball and basketball.

“That’s mostly what I do all the time,” he said of sports.

Looking ahead, Matthew is excited to compete in the Pepsi Youth Tournament at Greenbrier Bowling & Recreation Center (Lewisburg, W.Va.) in March. Though not sure what career he wants to pursue, he knows he wants to attend West Virginia University when the time comes.

For more information on the Professional Bowling Association, visit pba.com.

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