Pictured Is: Hunter Mayes, Of Gold Canyon, AZ.
Hunter Mayes, Wins PBA Jr. Regional At Bowlero Christown.
He Now Will Move On. For A Shot At A $7,500 Scholarship.
By Michael 'Chip' Begg
Managing Editor - thetenpinexpress.com.
Director Mesa Metro Association.
Mesa - Ever since Hunter Mayes of Gold Canyon, AZ., was introduced to the game of bowling at age six by his father Michael. He has always dreamed of bowling on television in a PBA tournament. Thanks to winning the PBA Jr. regional at Bowlero Christown in Phoenix on September 5. His dream will become a reality sometime in the near future at a PBA event to be determined.
Mayes, 17, out lasted Zach Greim of Poway, CA., by 87 pins. 2,982-2895 to claim the boys' title. Katelyn Abigania, of San Diego, CA. Defeated Emily Cheesman of Hemet, CA. 2649-2,388 to capture the girls' crown. Five regionals were held across the country this particular weekend, The top 20 junior bowlers qualified to advance to the finals. The winner of each division won a $2,000 first-place prize, and the funds were deposited into their SMART account.
"It was quite an experience," said Mayes, of winning the PBA Jr. regional on September 5. "After the practice session was over, I knew that I had a chance to win the event. My equipment of choice was a Purple Hammer and a Clear Storm Polyestor. Anytime I get to throw urethane up the gutter, it is a good sign. My A game, is throwing the ball fast up the boards."
The pattern that the field bowled on at Christown was the Mike Aulby. There were two qualifying squads for the event. One on Friday, that drew 20 boys. And one on Saturday, that attracted 60. Otherwise aka squad A, and squad B. If you have never bowled on a pattern, it can give you problems. Just ask Hunter. So,we did.
"The biggest change in my game the last couple of years, is that I have matured for sure," he says, of not getting flustered when something doesn't work well on the lanes. "I had rolled two games during during the qualifying round of 190 and 170. They were not the best games that I rolled, and they have very easily could have been in the 150s. I would say I had the worst ball reaction in the house at the time. For me to be able to grind out the games, that I did was huge."
If there was one thing that he feels he needs to work on, after the PBA Jr. regional it is this:
"I probably wish my spare shooting was better," he said, of his overall performance. "I was making my make able spares. Again, there is room for improvement in this area of my game. The 190 and 170 could have easily been 230's as well."
He said he didn't make a special trip to Bowlero Christown to practice before the Jr. Regional, because it would take him an hour to get there from the east valley, and depending on how heavy traffic is, in Phoenix. He was at + 151 after six games. Having only 20 bowlers on his squad to compete with, also presented another interesting challenge for him.
"When I started bowling on my squad. I was not going up against the higher quality of bowlers, so I could keep pace with the field," he said, of bowling on a small squad. "There was no field to keep pace with."
Being the only left-handed bowler on a pair, also has its advantages.
"It doesn't take much for me to figure out what I am bowling on where ever I go," he said, of the shot that is put down at a tournament site. "The left side for the Mike Aulby had a lot of volume on the surface. I was the only bowler on the pair to be a lefty. Sometimes when the scores are low on a pair, you want another lefty on the pair to help you line up on the pair better."
Once the regional winners arrive at the National Championship, they will have a chance to compete for a $7,500 SMART Scholarship. And again, the National Championship will be held in conjunction with a PBA National Tour stop,TBA (per PBA.com).
The PBA is committed to advancing the sport of bowling at every level. And the PBA Jr. National Championship is one of many opportunities for youth bowlers to enjoy, when they join PBA Jr. A new club exclusively for ages 17 and under, and it is set to launch in mid-September (per PBA.Com).
"Ever since I started to watch the PBA on TV, it is cool to see the sport get as big as it is right now. Being able to bowl on television, will definitely be the turning point of my career," he said, of his future appearance on TV. "I am just hoping that some of the college recruiters will be there watching, so that they can see I have potential. This is also a huge opportunity for me in getting my name out there. I think I will do better than most bowling on television, because I have been in multiple high stakes situations in my career. Although, I will definitely be nervous, that's for sure."
He, like the rest of us, lost valuable practice time on the lanes. When bowling was shut down in Arizona by Covid-19 on March 16, instead of dwelling on the fact that bowling was shut down. It ended up being a blessing for him.
"I lost two-and-a-half to three months of practice time on the lanes, and my job as well due to Covid-19," he said, of his position as an associate for Virtue Bowling Supply at Mesa East Bowl. "Pre Covid, I had a bad fit on a ball that was drilled, and I developed calluses on my finger. I am glad I was able to take this break. The callus on my finger has healed, and I am feeling the best I have ever been. After taking the time off because of Covid-19."
The summer of 2020 has also been kind to him. He won his second JBT Desert Open on August 23, at Glenfair Lanes in Glendale. He defeated Josh Molloy 212-173 to claim the title. He followed that up with a win at the recent JBT Flagstaff Open at Starlite Lanes in Flagstaff on Sept 12-13. His first Desert Open was won also at Glenfair Lanes on August 12, 2018. He has also won the JBT's 'Best In The West' titles back-to-back in Tucson.
"I have eight JBT titles under my belt. There have only been two JBT's this season, and I have won both of those tournaments," he said, of his success on the JBT tour. "I am the only bowler to have two Desert Open titles. Out of the eight, four of them are JBT Major titles. They have nicknamed me as 'Major Mayes'".
He has bowled in the Junior Gold event for three straight years from 2017-19. His best year was a 41st place finish at Junior Gold in DFW in 2018. The 2020 Junior Gold was cancelled, because of Covid-19.
"Bowling at Junior Gold is a great experience, that every young bowler should experience at least once," he said, of bowling in Junior Gold. "If you were looking to make money there, I would suggest bowling in another tournament. It is quite hard for youth bowlers to get noticed this day and age. Because of how demanding the field is at an event. And the fact that it is very expensive to travel for bowling."
Mayes, who will turn 18 in October, comes from an accomplished bowling family. His father, Michael, and brother Chris. Have at least one 300 game between them. One seven hundred series between them. And have consistently averaged 200 or better in league play at Mesa East Bowl.
"My father has never experienced bowling on the PBA tour, and what he has accomplished in bowling. He accomplished when he was younger. He has helped me a lot in bowling," he said, of the assistance and coaching he gets through his father. His father was also a manager at Bowlero Gilbert when he got into the sport. "And with everything I have been able to accomplish in the game thus far. He is the main reason for me getting into bowling."
Another thing he has learned from his dad. Is to not take it personally when it comes to being criticized for the little things he needs to improve upon, on the lanes.
"Unlike most parents, he never really pushes me. He just sits back as an interested spectator," he says, of what kind of criticism he may get from his dad. "If I am experiencing something in my game that needs to be fixed. He will then push me into the right direction to get the issue resolved.
"I definitely listen to him a lot more off of the lanes than on," he added. "That goes for everybody. After we get home from the bowling center, and talk about it more. It helps keep the strive in bowling for me going. If I don't do well at an event, he's always there watching me and supporting me."
He gets additional support from his brother Chris.
"We always did some amazing things when bowling in Arizona State Youth tournaments," he said, of his brother. "He is the best bowler on the JBT, with out a JBT title. Chris and I have won various city and state doubles tournaments."
In 2019 at the Arizona State Youth Tournament at Bowlero Mesa in Mesa. He and his doubles partner, Madison Holman, set a new state scoring record in the doubles event, by rolling a 1,534 team series. Hunter led the way with an 834, and Madison countered with a 700 series. Their names are now in the USBC record books, because of the accomplishment.
"That was just a compliment to how good I was feeling about my game at the time. It was the most complete tournament that I had bowled in, in a while," he said, of the 1,534 doubles score. He also took first-place in All events scratch. His team also took first-place in the scratch team event, too."I would rather Madison, and I do it together, rather than me doing it by myself. It was cool for both of us to do it together."
Looking back at his beginning in bowling. He only averaged 146-99 games in the All-Stars Jr. program at Bowlero Gilbert (during the 2010-11 season). In 2019-20, he averaged 198 for 45 games. In the Jr./Adult Sport league at Mesa East Bowl (an average adjustment of 227). He has one 300 game. It was bowled on 2/15/20 at Mesa East. And two 800 series. One on 2/15/20, (813) at MEB. And one on May 5, 2019 at Bowlero Mesa (834)
"The junior program at MEB, is one of the best in the valley for sure. They help out a lot with entry fees for USBC tournaments, and offer a lot of experience for new bowlers," he said, of bowling in junior programs at MEB. "Working at Virtue, has been the best thing that has happened to me and my career in bowling. Everyone at Virtue strives to do what's best for their employees and customers. I definitely would not be where I am today, without them."
State Of Arizona Bowling News - September 17, 2020.