Pictured Above Are: Katie And Annie Hurley Of Peoria, Arizona.
Sisters Annie And Katie Hurley of Peoria, Take Their Bowling Talents To UAB.
After A Stellar Junior Bowling Career, Siblings Hope To Make Huge Impact In College Bowling.
By Michael 'Chip' Begg - Managing Editor thetenpinexpress.com - Director Mesa Metro Association.
Peoria - - - When Annie and Katie Hurley of Peoria begin their Junior and Freshman years at the University of Alabama/Birmingham on August 27th, their father, David, and mother, Karen will be two proud parents. That's because they got to where they are today by earning a chance to bowl for the Blazers in the classroom and on the bowling lanes.
"Sometimes, we pinch ourselves that our daughters are both part of a nationally ranked Division 1 bowling program through athletic scholarships. We are unbelievably proud of them since they both worked so hard in school, in the community and on the lanes to get where they are today," said their father, David, during a recent interview at AMF Peoria Lanes. "The Arizona bowling community is pretty tight knit, so it’s great to have so much support behind them."
Annie is majoring in Healthcare Management and Katie will be majoring in Psychology at UAB. Annie served as a co-captain on the Blazers last year along with Taylor Russell. The 2017 season marked the first time in school history that the Blazers qualified for the Intercollegiate Team Championships. UAB was one of 16 teams to compete in Lincoln, Nebraska in April. The 2018 season will be a big one as the bowling team will join the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for a chance to compete in a conference championship with hopes of grabbing one of six automatic bids for the NCAA national championship in March 2019.
"UAB had a great year last year!" said Annie, of her sophomore season. "We were not ranked as high as we would like to be in terms of NCAA rankings (UAB was ranked in the top 20 in the NTCA poll), but we made it to USBC Nationals. That was such a great event and a program first, so now that we have a bit of experience under our belts, I'm positive we will have an even better showing next year."
UAB practicies at Vestavia Bowl during the course of the season. During the week, the Blazers work on spare drills. Making improvements to their physical game. And practicing on patterns they will bowl on with the help of the Kegel Torch System.
Annie was recruited to go to UAB by their coaches at the College Combine at the ITRC in Dallas in 2016. Katie this past year.
"It was such a great opportunity to let me shine and show the coaches my prior knowledge and ability to adapt without anyone helping from behind," she said, of the experience. "Katie will be following in my footsteps, and I cannot wait to see what path she creates for herself."
And as one could imagine, Katie is looking forward to bowling alongside her sister at UAB.
"I am very excited to become a UAB Blazer with my sister. She has been my best friend since Day 1 and has helped guide me in the right direction to success. Seeing her grow on the team and becoming Co-Captain at UAB, has really inspired me to set high goals for myself," she said of her sister. "Many siblings don't get opportunities like this. We are very lucky to have a close bond with one another and to share something we both love is truly special and unique. UAB was a fun team to watch for the 2017-18 season. I would even have the live streams going during my classes, and watch the team dominate throughout the year."
The sisters knew at an early age that bowling would be their path to success.
The girls started bowling in junior leagues at Brunswick Zone Glendale when they were eight years old and moved to AMF Peoria about four years later. Mike Lantz is currently the main coach at AMF Peoria. And it didn't take long for them to get hooked on the game of bowling. For Annie, one of her first accomplishments, was taking the high average award in the Saturday Youth League there. She feels her shining moment in her young career, came when she won the Arizona Tournament of Champions in 2016. Katie started bowling at age eight also. She feels her first accomplishment was when the very first team she bowled on, took first-place in her Saturday morning league.
"I think Annie and I got hooked when we first started learning the process and techniques at a deeper level. That's when we realized we could actually have a future in this unique sport," said Katie, of how she and her sister got hooked in bowling. "I knew bowling was going to be my sport when I started winning tournaments and receiving praise for how well I was doing. It became my thing. The activity I was best at, and I wanted to keep going with it for a long time."
Annie has a high book average of 205 and her highest sanctioned series is a 730. Her high game is a 288. While Katie's highest book average is 204 with a high series of 729 and high game of 289. The sisters have had a lot of success bowling in the Pepsi events as well as state and city USBC events. They both have multiple singles, doubles, team and all-events titles. The girls both racked up some plaques and scholarship money at the 2018 Arizona state youth tourney as Annie took first place in the girl’s scratch division for singles and second in all events; Katie took first place in all events (shooting an impressive 2,000 for nine games), 2nd place in singles and 2nd in doubles. On a side note, Annie won the T O C in 2016. And Katie led her team to a scratch team victory in the T O C in 2017.
"I would consider Pepsi to be one of my most successful annual tournaments. Within the past two years, I have qualified to go to national tournaments, as well as winning the state U20 Girls' 2018 Pepsi tournament that qualified me for Junior Gold," said Katie, of her junior bowling career. "In 2016, my Pepsi tourney results qualified me to attend the National Youth Open Championships, in Indianapolis, where I placed 3rd in doubles and 4th in singles in the girls' U20 division. JBT events are great because they provide a different challenge. They play with your mental game and force you to be at your best. I took second place in one event and have gained a nice chunk of scholarship money over the years of participation."
However, there was one main person who played a huge role in their bowling success.
"My papa was and is still a part of my game. He brought me from the ground up. My last name has quite the reputation. I'm just hoping that I can live up to the standard of being a Hurley. The bowling community knows who Gene Hurley is since he was inducted into the Hall of Fame," Annie says, of her mentor. "My current college coaches have shaped me into the college bowler I am today. Unfortunately, I had to leave my papa in Arizona, but my UAB coach (Michelle Crews) did an excellent job of being another mom and mentor to me while being away. She has helped my mental game, lane play and so much more."
Katie echoed that sentiment.
"Our papa, Gene Hurley, has played a huge role in getting us to where we are today. He coached us from our first ball we've ever thrown to now, even as I enter college," said Katie, of her grandfather. "He's been the most patient coach and has seen my ups and downs. While I will have a coach at UAB, papa has taught me everything I need up until now and I owe my success to him."
Their grandfather was also inducted into the Metro Phoenix USBC HOF for bowling ability. He has one 300 and one 800 series, but has won a lot of: city, state, and ACBA events during his bowling career.
Their father, David, who works in the marketing field, tries to practice with his girls at least once a week. He says it is a very humbling experience for him when they do practice together.
"We try to practice together once a week," he says. "I travel a lot for work, so it limits my ability to practice. Once per week is probably enough, as they tend to beat me more often than not. Plus, they both get more power on the ball than I do, so it’s pretty humbling."
Katie was also one of 53 junior bowlers from Arizona, who participated in the annual Junior Gold event in Dallas, TX. The event was held from July 14-21 and was staged at eight different bowling centers in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.
"Junior Gold was quite an experience. Junior Gold combines the best of the best from across the world, and we all bowl united for one purpose," she said, of the experience. "The experience is second-to-none. You're thrown into a field of hard lane patterns, rigorous schedules and fun times. While I didn't bowl well, the experience is the most memorable part. The feeling of confidence and growth is the best part of the whole tournament, and I'm very proud to have been part of it."
She feels this experience in Dallas, will help set her up nicely when she joins her sister on the UAB bowling team later this fall.
"My support system has been strong since Day 1. We are fortunate to have a family that cares about our bowling and our progress, which is amazing in the long run," Katie said, of her support structure. "Junior Gold was another step on my way to college and setting me up for what I'm about to pursue. Like I said, it was a learning experience that will help me grow and potentially help me take another step to a higher level."
Learning to adapt to change, is the fun part about bowling.
Learning how to adapt to change is something we all had to go through in the game of bowling. Gone is the standard house shot that Annie and Katie grew up with at AMF Peoria on Saturday mornings. Now in college, they will be bowling on some sport patterns that they may have never heard of before.
"Bowling is one of the few sports that is ever changing and growing. As technology continues to advance, so does the equipment of bowling. Even the professionals continue learning and trying new things," Annie says, of adapting to change. "With success in bowling, comes a lot of time spent on the lanes. You truly do have to practice to succeed and get better. This is not the sport that you can learn overnight. College bowling really took me to the next level. I competed in high school bowling and was captain on one of the best teams in the Valley, but I had no idea what college bowling would be like. It opened my eyes to opportunities and the other girls are inspiring."
When she is in Arizona, Annie gets her equipment drilled at Revolutions Pro Shop at Brunswick Zone Glendale. While at school, its at Ryan's Pro Shop. Katie started out getting her equipment drilled by Dennis Klein at Your Strike Pro Shop, but has gotten the last few drilled at Revolutions Pro Shop also.
One of the perks of bowling in college, is that bowling programs usually have a product sponsorship deal in place with bowling ball manufacturers. UAB has a product sponsorship deal in place with Storm/Roto Grip.
"Before college bowling, I would (maybe) get one or two balls a year. Extensive research was done on the balls before the big purchase by my parents or grandparents," Annie says, on how liberal she was in getting new equipment before college. "Bowling balls were more of a luxury and sometimes I felt guilty knowing how much a bowling ball can cost. Now in college bowling, it is easier. Balls are more available based on my coach's decision and the team is sponsored by Storm/Roto Grip."
Sharing a famous last name.
The sisters both attended Sunrise Mountain High School in Phoenix. Annie graduated in 2016 and Katie in 2018. They were also very active in various activities on campus during their four years there. Their last name who they share it with, is ASU Head Basketball Coach Bobby Hurley. So, the tenpinexpress.com, had to ask them: are they related to Coach Hurley, and how much extra pressure would have been put on them, if they would have chosen to excel in basketball rather than bowling.
"I was born and raised to love ASU. Who wouldn't? However, we are no relation to Bobby Hurley and unfortunately, he has no idea who we are," Annie says, of how many times she gets asked about it. "Also, I am only 5 feet, 4 inches tall. Even with the same last name, my vertical leap is still sub-par."
But, Katie did give basketball a try at an early age and is glad that bowling is what she chose to excel in.
"I tried out for basketball in eighth grade and because I am tall, I do get questions about playing basketball instead of being a bowler, but I would never give up bowling," she said, of giving it a try. "As faithful followers of all things ASU, it is exciting that there is an amazing coach representing the last name. While basketball would have been a fun endeavor, bowling is in the family blood and realistically the better option, considering I can't dunk to save my life."
And setting an example for the younger bowlers in the junior program at AMF Peoria, that if you put time and practice in the sport. You can achieve some really great things in the game of bowling, like Annie and Katie have.
Phoenix Bowling News August 8, 2018