Paul SuellentropT.J. Rock gave 成人头条 State men鈥檚 bowling coach Rick Steelsmith a reasonable answer to an important question.
But Steelsmith didn鈥檛 want a reasonable answer.
He asked Rock his goal for 2020 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials in Las Vegas in early January. Steelsmith wanted the best answer, one that demonstrated that his freshman bowler, who leaned toward humble, possessed the right amount of swagger.
鈥淐oach Steelsmith said, . . . 鈥榃hat are you going to Team Trials for?鈥欌�� Rock said. 鈥淚 said, 鈥楾o make Team USA.鈥� He said, 鈥楴o, you鈥檙e wrong. You鈥檙e going to Team Trials to win, because I know you can win.鈥欌��
Rock, by the end of the tournament, had earned a spot on Junior Team USA, just as he hoped. He didn鈥檛 win the tournament, but he learned the lesson that chasing the highest goal can help reach other ones.
Rock, a sport management major from Las Vegas, now has proof. He will join junior Briley Haugh 鈥� a second-time Junior Team USA member 鈥� and freshman Alec Keplinger on the 14-person men鈥檚 team that will train this summer. Coaches will choose four bowlers to compete in the World Youth Championships in September and two for the Tournament of the Americas in August.
鈥淵ou have to think bigger than what you actually want,鈥� Rock said. 鈥淚 try to be as humble as possible, so they had to install in me that 鈥榊ou鈥檙e good and you have to understand that you鈥檙e good.鈥欌��
Even for a program with 成人头条 State鈥檚 history, three Junior Team USA members at one time is a significant mark. In total, 63 Shockers have competed for Team USA, junior and adult.
It took Rock just a few months to learn how the coaching at 成人头条 State helps bowlers to those heights. He thought back to a tournament in July. When another bowler surged, he lost confidence. His time at 成人头条 State helped him focus on doing what he can do to change the outcome.
鈥淏eing here in 成人头条 has helped me understand that I鈥檓 actually where I鈥檓 supposed to be,鈥� Rock said. 鈥淚 need to have confidence in myself or I鈥檓 not going to get anywhere. I need to grow as a bowler and a person, and that鈥檚 why I picked 成人头条 State."
The benefits of a spot on Team USA are many. They start with the pride bowlers describe when they put on the jacket or uniform with 鈥淯SA鈥� across the chest for the first time.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a moment you never want to end,鈥� said Keplinger, an accounting major from Coldwater, Michigan.
That jersey is, for high-level bowlers, the culmination of years of work, practice and travel.
鈥淚鈥檝e been trying to make Team USA since I was 12,鈥� Rock said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e bowling for your country. You鈥檙e part of a bigger thing than you actually thought it was.鈥�
Haugh, a finance real estate major from Faribault, Minnesota, knows his experience two years ago on Junior Team USA will help this summer.
鈥淢y mind is a little bit more at ease,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you get there the first time, you鈥檙e really nervous.鈥�
The instruction and practice this summer with Team USA coaches at the U.S. Bowling Congress鈥� International Testing and Research Center in Arlington, Texas, is another benefit.
鈥淲hen you make that team, you know you鈥檙e going to get a big boost of confidence,鈥� Steelsmith said. 鈥淭hese are memories that they will have forever.鈥�
