 "Photo:")
A UCF graduate student and world-class bowler is living her dream in places all over the world.
Stefanie Nation, who was named Player of the Year in 2006 by the United States Bowling Congress, left Orlando with 15 other bowlers as part of the first women's tour since the Professional Women's Bowling Association ended in 2003.
The tour is sponsored by the USBC and the Professional Bowlers Association is hoping it will develop into a series, similar to other tours.
The team will first head to Michigan and later will visit New York, Indiana and Maryland. Although this is not a nationwide tour, Nation has been looking forward to it her entire life and hopes it will lead to a larger tour later on.
The tour will last all through November, and will air on ESPN2 on Sundays.
Nation, 23, started bowling at the age of 6, but did not become serious about it until her high school years. She played other sports until she knew her passion rested with bowling, but once she became serious, she made it her life.
"Stefanie is not the athlete who can do every sport," said Pat Costello, Nation's coach of nine years. "But when it comes to bowling, she has formed herself into an elite athlete."
Costello is also the coach of the UCF bowling team.
Nation has bowled four perfect games, with her first 300-point game bowled at the age of 15. She currently has an average of 229.
Nation only applied to one college. She said that it was UCF's bowling team that lured her here.
"I knew that I wanted to bowl for college and take it to the next level," Nation said.
As part of Team USA, Nation was part of the team that placed second at the world championships. More than 30 countries competed in the world championships.
Despite not taking the win, Nation said that her team is closer to the gold than ever before.
Nation made Team USA because she won the Junior Amateur Championship three times in a row. Nation said she owes all of those wins to Costello.
Costello, on the other hand, said that the team was successful and has produced continued success because of Nation's hard work at the national championships for the UCF team, where UCF placed second. Nation took the team far beyond where they ever thought they could go.
Aside from the world championships, Nation placed in the top 10 at the U.S. Open for bowling and said she has placed in many other national tournaments.
For competition, the women's and men's national teams switch off on traveling due to lack of funding. Women travel on odd years and men on even. The women hope to expand their tours to more than the mini tour they are currently on.
Nation said the team would be particularly excited about traveling to Asia because bowling is as important there as football is here in the U.S.
Nation has bowled with Team USA in Germany, Guam and Mexico.
Nation knows how fortunate she is to be living her dream and she said that she has done a lot more than other people her age.
Currently, Nation is an event coordinator at Boardwalk Bowl. She is on staff with Brunswick, a ball manufacturer and Vise, which supplies accessories for bowlers. She is also an assistant coach to Costello along with her former undergraduate teammate Kayla Lehman.
"She's [Nation] an amazing person, very driven," Lehman said. "She gets what she wants by working hard and doesn't take anything for granted - definitely one of the best teammates I have ever had."
Lehman and Nation bowled together through four years of undergraduate school.
Nation is currently working on her master's degree in communications. She also works full time, competes, practices and occasionally finds time to have some fun.
Her life outside of bowling, Nation said, "is not as social as most college students."
She says that the team practices very hard but that members also realize the importance of having a well-balanced life.
Costello said that Nation is an ideal bowler.
"There's always that one special athlete that every coach wishes to have," Costello said, "not only because of their talent but also because of their positive attitude, and Stefanie was that one athlete for me. I've never had another like her."
Be the first to comment on this article!