Bowlers of the year yet again

Kingpins of their area bowling leagues, Skip Olson and Lyndsey Moran successfully defended their titles as Lewiston-Clarkston-Orofino Bowlers of the Year this season.

Olson won the men's award for a fourth straight year, and both bowlers led their nearest competitors by over 100 points in the final standings.

They recently sat down with the Lewiston Tribune for a brief Q&A at Orchard Lanes to discuss the secrets to their sustained success, and what beginning bowlers can do to put themselves on the right track.

Lewiston Tribune - Congratulations on your repeat titles. What's the best advice someone has given you about bowling, that might help someone just starting off?

Skip olson - It's been a long time since I had any lessons... Sometimes, somebody can spot something you're doing (wrong) if you ask them (to watch you)... The thing that I always tried to do was keep my approach as simple as possible and not have any extra motion -legs flying around or arms flying round... so you'll have fewer things that go wrong. That's probably the most important thing for me.

Lyndsey Moran - Same thing here... A lot of it is consistency; everyone has their own style, so it's really what works for them. You can tell someone to do something by the book, and it doesn't always work for them... I try not to overthink it. You start overthinking, you start stressing yourself out, and you just kind of do what's natural for you...

LT - What are other good things people should know about how to bowl?

SO - You have to be able to repeat shots. Most people seem like they hate to do anything that's repetitious, but to do this right, you have to do it exactly the same, every time, over and over. It's the way it is.

Lt - What are you aiming for when you bowl?

SO - Standing here (he says, standing in the middle of a lane) I try to shoot somewhere around seven board. Or if my ball's breaking too far, I'll move five boards to the right.

LT - I'm sorry. What does that mean? What are boards?

LM - Each one of these is a board. (Pointing to the floor, composed of long parallel lines of boards running down each lane). You put your shots off each of these little boards

LT - It's funny, when I've (once-in-a-blue-moon) bowled, I never looked at the boards like that. I've always just thought of it as the floor, but you are very intentional about the way you line up.

SO - I had a cousin that asked me for help one time, and I said, 'Which board are you shooting at?' And she said, 'I don't shoot at boards.' And I said, 'I can't help you.' If you're not shooting at the boards, forget it.

LM - A lot of people, they'll look at that head pin and get up there and just try to throw it as hard as they can.

SO - (Shaking head)

LM - It's true.

LT - That's what I do.

SO - (Still shaking head)

LM - And that's not what it's about. It's not about how hard or how fast you can throw it.

SO - It's a lot easier to hit that target up there at 15 feet, that's where the arrows are, than it is at 60 feet.

LT - So you're aiming where the initial arrows are, a third of the way down the lane?

SO - Yeah

LT - That's what helps you line it up?

LM - yeah

LT - Do all alleys have those?

LM - Yeah

LT - So are you guys even looking at the pins?

LM - Rarely. It doesn't help you to look at the pins.

SO - ... On a spare, I might look at the pin until I'm lined up, and then I don't look off my mark until my ball goes past it.

LT - I feel like most people who don't bowl, when they read this, aren't going to believe you, that you don't look at the pins.

LM - They have no idea (laughing). There's a lot more to it.

MEN

Top 30 - 1, Skip Olson, 708. 2, Jae Durham, 552. 3, Tony Barden, 512. 4, Kelly Crabb, 439. 5, David Dufvenberg, 424. 6, Joe Mingo, 354. 7, Michael Wendt, 344. 8, Ryan Dickenson, 330. 9, Shane Post, 209. 10, Darold Rogers, 306. 11, Brett Cunnington, 297. 12, Wayne Hirschel, 278. 13, Ryan Knieriem, 266. 14, Jon Stewart, 262. t15, Keith Wilponen and Robert Lashly, 243. 17, Rodney Bonner, 216. 18, Joe Wright, 214. 19, Herb Post, 206. 20, Don Profitt, 193. 21, Lance Rinard, 191. t22, Bruce Lang, Erik Walter and Joe Leitner, 189. 25, John Tomsick, 176. 26, Ed Jubert, 175. 27, Frank Rinard, 162. 18, Tom Glockner, 151. t29, Bob Grubb and Mike Miller, 149.

High average - Skip Olson, 227.8

WOMEN

Top 30 - 1, Lyndsey Moran, 569. 2, Teresa Crabb, 463. 3, Janevea Woollett, 369. 4, Lauren Grijalva, 263. 5, Debbie Harris, 207. 6, Patti Bangle, 178. 7, Pam Rinard, 138. 8, Lisa Ristau, 94. 9, Pam Ingram, 76. 10, Jody Zumwalt, 75. 11, Barb Wendt, 71. 12, Jacie Kincheloe, 57. 13, Mary Post, 50. 14, Missy Knieriem, 47. 15, Sheila Schmitz, 39. 16, Debbie Sholtys, 36. 17, Audra Stewart, 34. 18, Janice Elder, 30. 19, Pam Pearson, 29. 20, Jony Rynearson, 28. t21, Donna Roy, Jacci Woollett and Linda Simpson, 25. 24, Patsy Greber, 23. t25, Kolleen Torgerson and Rhonda Tritz, 21. 27, Marcella Stillman, 15. t28, Alisha Weaver, Aubrey Bly and Tammy Miller, 14.

High average - Lyndsey Moran, 211.

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Edelman may be contacted at bedelman@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2277.