By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
When the Kentucky High School Athletic Association made bowling a sanctioned sport in 2012, Paul Vickers was a happy parent. He had been taking his two sons bowling since they were in kindergarten and both of them developed a talent for the game.
Last week, Ryan and Zach Vickers became the first brothers to compete in the championship finals of the Region 6 singles tournament and their dad had a front row seat for the historic match. He’s coach of the Boone County High School boys’ team.
“I was just sitting back and kind of thinking, ‘Wow, what a moment,’” Vickers said. “I didn’t even coach them in the match. I just sat back and all the other high school coaches were coming up and saying congratulations. It just felt good.”
Zach, a 15-year-old freshman, took an early lead in the championship match against his older brother. But Ryan, a 17-year-old junior, finished with seven consecutive strikes to come away with a 237-181 victory.
“It was fun,” Ryan said of competing against his younger brother. “I just wanted to beat him because I wanted first place.”
A lot of the other bowlers in the singles tournament stayed around to watch the duel between the Vickers brothers. But the crowd gathered behind the lanes didn’t affect either of them.
“It was just like a normal game to me,” Zach said. “We’ve been bowling together all of our life.”
As regional finalists, Ryan and Zach both advance to the state singles tournament on Feb. 12 at Collins Eastland Lanes in Lexington. A field of 32 bowlers will bowl three games in the first round and the top eight scorers will move on to the second round. The top four scorers in the second round will earn berths in the championship bracket and compete in one-on-one matches to decide the state champion.
In the first three years that bowling has been a state sanctioned sport, a Northern Kentucky regional qualifier has never made it to the finals in either the boys’ or girls’ state singles tournament. This will be the first time for Ryan or Zach to take part in the state competition.
“If they concentrate and stay focused I think they can make it pretty far,” said their father. “If you start to let the pressure get to you mentally it affects you on the lanes. Once you take yourself out mentally you’re done in this sport.”
Paul Vickers, who carries a 200 average in adult bowling leagues at Super Bowl in Erlanger, has been emphasizing the mental part of the game to his sons since they first stepped on the lanes. He also taught them the technical skills to get high scores. In fact, he takes video of every bowler on the Boone County team and offers instructions on their approach, release and finish.
“Each person is different,” Paul said. “You just have to watch them throw a few and make adjustments from there. Basically, taking it from how they finish and working your way backwards is the easiest way to do it.”
Neither of Paul’s sons throws a sweeping hook like their father. They both aim for the same mark and look for the same line into the pocket of pins. How they adjust to lane conditions is also important. The oil patterns on each lane are different and will usually change during the course of a game.
“You’ve got to watch where your ball goes and watch the break point and how the ball actually enters into the pocket,” Paul said. “Depending on lane conditions, you can get away with being four or five boards off (your mark), but sometimes if you’re just a hair off you’re in trouble.”
In addition to practicing one day a week with their Boone County team, Ryan and Zach often bowl two or three times a week on their own. Extra time on the lanes paid off of both of them in the regional singles tournament. In the two qualifying rounds, Ryan had a five-game total of 1072 for a 214 average that earned him the No. 1 seed in the championship bracket. Zach got the No. 4 seed with a 993 total for a 198 average.
As the No. 1 seed, Ryan automatically advanced to the championship final. Zach got there by winning one-game matches against No. 3 seed Zac Trenkamp of Holy Cross and No. 2 seed Kevin Jones. Zach got off to a good start in the title match, but an open frame on a missed spare opened the door for his brother’s successful comeback.
“That’s how I lost to Ryan. I missed the 10 pin (for a spare) and got down on myself and then just kept throwing bad balls after that,” Zach said.
To face off again in the state singles tournament, both brothers would have to bowl well enough to make it through two qualifying rounds and earn berths in the championship bracket. But that’s not the main thing on their minds.
“It’s our first time so we just want to place really high,” Zach said.
LOCAL QUALIFIERS FOR STATE SINGLES BOWLING TOURNAMENTS
(Thursday, Feb. 12 at Collins Eastland Lanes in Lexington)
Region 6 boys – Ryan Vickers (Boone County), Zach Vickers (Boone County), Kevin Jones (Dixie Heights), Zac Trenkamp (Holy Cross).
Region 6 girls – Taylor Evans (Boone County), Sierra Brandt (Cooper), Kayla Hightchew (Boone County), Katherine Truitt (Beechwood).
Region 5 boys – Austin Hitt (Campbell County), Jonathan Cummins (Simon Kenton), Andy Campbell (Highlands), Brian Fecher (Simon Kenton).
Region 5 girls – Elizabeth Masminster (Dayton), Becca Nienaber (Scott), Katlyn Hoeh (Newport), Mirena Combs (Newport).
LOCAL QUALIFIERS FOR STATE TEAM BOWLING TOURNAMENTS
(Friday, Feb. 13 at Collins Eastland Lanes in Lexington)
Region 6 boys – Cooper, Boone County .
Region 6 girls – Boone County, Beechwood.
Region 5 boys – Simon Kenton, Campbell County.
Region 5 girls – Highlands, Simon Kenton.
Terry Boehmker, NKyTribune sports writer, is former sportswriter and editor for The Kentucky Post. He is an award-winning writer with extensive background in both print and digital. Reach him at terryboe@yahoo.com.