Bowling One-On-One with Emalee King: Greatness Within
Young athletes are all about challenging themselves and learning new things every day. They want to participate in the same sports and activities that their friends and family do. Over time and through trial and error their true passions begin to surface and their talents begin to flourish.
Emalee King is a senior at Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa, CA. and since discovering her passion for the sport of bowling she has been lighting up the scoreboards and having the time of her life enjoying the game she loves. There’s no telling how far she can take her journey. I caught up with Emalee and I asked her about her bowling journey.
You’ve been on a successful run lately, competing at a very high level and enjoying the game that you love so much. Please talk about how your journey began. How did bowling become such a passion you?
“I started bowling because I tried every sport when I was younger, and it just was not working out for me until Curtis Woods suggested I try bowling. I ended up really liking it and stuck with it all these years. I have been bowling for 10 years now and started when I was only 7 years old. Bowling has now become a big part of my life.”
Fast forward to today, you’ve been on quite the run lately competing in tournaments in California and also in Kansas. Earlier this year in April, you won the 2024 Diamond Division Championship at Earl Anthony Bowl in Dublin, CA. How did this tournament unfold for you and how did you ultimately close it out and win the championship?
“I went (-21) for qualifying in that tournament and ended up squeezing into 6th place heading into Match play. I just kept on telling myself to not look at the scores and to keep on bowling! When we were on the last game of Match Play for placement, I didn’t even realize that I was bowling to get into step-ladder. I ended up winning that game and made it into step-ladder and was bowling to reach the finals match. I made the 7,4,10 for the win!”
“In the finals I was trying to keep it cool and to keep on throwing it well. When I was in my tenth frame, I told myself that it was the last frame and whatever happens, happens. When I won it didn’t even hit me until the next day, it was absolutely an amazing experience!!! It was my first YBT win in the seven years I have been Bowling YBT.”
In September, you did it again at Earl Anthony Bowl and finished in first place in the Diamond Division of the Youth Bowling Tour (YBT). You earned the third seed in match play in this tournament. From there, you fought your way through to first place. Share your thoughts about this tournament, any challenges that came up and earning the win.
“This is an incredible tournament that I get to do almost every month at different bowling alleys across Northern California. This particular one was located at the same bowling alley as my first YBT win. For qualifying I went (-25) for five games, which put me in third place going into match play. Going into match play I was quite happy with how I did in qualifying, and I was very excited that I advanced as the #3 seed.”
“Some challenges that I faced were how the lanes were breaking down after each game. In match play itself I only had two games that were under 200 which I was not very happy about. I knew if I could win the following matches then I would make up for the pins I lost. Out of the six games I only lost one of them. I was very pleased since it could have been much worse. It felt absolutely amazing to have won this tournament again and hope to continue the pattern!”
Recently, just weeks ago at Bowlero Northrock in Witchita, KS., you added another championship victory in the U18 Girls Division, your first ever tournament in the Youth Scratch Master Tour (YSMT). This win qualifies you for the Tournament of Champions. What were your expectations going into this tournament out of state considering the unfamiliar lanes and new environment?
“My expectations going into this tournament was to just go bowl the best that I could. This being my first ever Youth Scratch Masters Tour that I have participated in meant that no one knew who I was. Some challenges that I faced was the fact that I did not know these lanes which meant that I also did not know how they broke down either. Another challenge was that during the championship match in my 8th frame the power decided to go out as I was about to go onto the approach. Luckily, they got the power on very quickly and I was able to continue with my game and ended up winning my division. It felt amazing to have won this tournament, especially since this was far away from home, and I cannot wait to do more tournaments like this in the future.”
You have bowled (3) sanctioned 300 games in your young career. That’s an amazing accomplishment so early on in your career but given your total dedication and passion for the game, I’m not too surprised. Share a little bit about these scoring accomplishments and achieving perfection.
“All of my 300 games hold a special place in my heart! My first two 300’s were within only one week apart from one another and I was only 14 years old which was so incredible. My most recent one was last year just 3 days after I bowled a 290 game at the Pepsi Youth Tournament. It was so fulfilling! I have to thank my Coach Curtis Woods for helping me throughout my bowling career and helping me become better while I’m on the lanes.”
Emalee is an extremely bright, talented, dedicated and kind person. She puts other people before herself and wants to see others achieve their goals and dreams and is always there for others when they need a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on. When it comes to bowling, Emalee continues to meet the goals she has set for herself and is constantly trying to reach greater accomplishments. She is the kind of teammate every coach wants and the type of teenager every parent dreams of having, I couldn’t be prouder to call her my daughter!
– Jordan Atkinson (Mother)
This year you were recognized as the Top Female Bowler in Sonoma County, CA., an area that is full of very talented bowlers. With your extraordinary determination and desire to succeed you have so many opportunities ahead of you in the sport, and actually in anything that you put your mind too. What does Emalee’s immediate future look like as you see it today, in terms of your dreams and aspirations ahead?
“It was one of my bowling goals this year to become the top female bowler in Sonoma County for the 2024-2025 season which I can happily say I’ve accomplished. As a senior at Maria Carrillo High School my goal is to go straight to a four-year college. I also plan to bowl in college as it has been one of my goals for many, many years! One of my other goals is to also make it to the Pepsi Championship Tournament this year and to score high while I am there.”
With the success you’re having, you must be putting in some solid work to be the best you can be. Share some of your practice rituals that you feel is helping you advance your game. Also, what advice would you give to young bowlers around the world who are trying to improve their game?
“I usually practice 3-4 times a week to train for upcoming tournaments or just to work on basic things in my routine. I try to stretch for 10-15 minutes to warm up and to get ready to bowl. For practice, I usually start off with practicing my spares and corner pins and then move onto how I am throwing the ball with speed, drift, and foot work into play. Then I move onto getting myself set up for strikes using different bowling balls that I usually don’t use during tournaments.”
“Some advice I would give to younger bowlers is to not give up when things get hard and to keep on striving to improve your bowling game. Get your name out in the bowling community and participate in all the tournaments you can that you think will help your bowling future.”
When you’re not on the lanes perfecting your game, what other hobbies and other interests might you have?
“When I’m not bowling, I like taking walks and going to football games with my friends. I really enjoy being out and surrounded by nature as it gives me a sense of peace. I especially love going to the beach and collecting sand dollars. The sounds of the ocean really calm my mind, and my favorite beach is Doran Beach out in Bodega Bay, CA.”
Thank you, Emalee, for sharing your bowling journey, which of course is just beginning. You’re just seventeen years old, but you have an old soul about you that is many years beyond your age. Your dedication and focus is amazing and your talents and accomplishments so far are inspiring. I can tell that there is a greatness within you and really no limit to what you can accomplish. I can assure you the world-wide bowling community will be keeping tabs on you. I wish you the very best with your journey and in all your future endeavors.
“Thank you so much Tim for letting me share my bowling story. I would also like to thank all my family, coaches and everyone who has been supporting me from the get-go and continuing to do so. I could not have done this without all your support and encouragement along the way! I am looking forward to participating in as many tournaments as I can over these next few months and having an opportunity to participate in collegiate bowling next year.”
(Images Credits: Kimberly Power-DeFer, YBT and Emalee King)
