Photos provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Junior bowler Micaela Barbolt is happy to be at Saratoga Central Catholic for her second year in a row. She feels that she excels better there, academically and athletically.
“Academically, my grades have improved at Spa Catholic. I’ve been more focused and into school than I was at Saratoga. It’s more of a family and community here. You get to know the teachers better and they help you a lot more. Socially, I used to be very shy but now I’m very outgoing. I’ve made a lot of good friends through Spa Catholic,” Barbolt explained.
She began bowling around age 12 after starting in a league. As her skills improved, she wanted to progress. She played in Juniors Gold in Indianapolis last year through the Capital District Youth Scholarship Tour (CDYST) and has done other leagues outside of school. She is the only bowler in her family and does not play any other sports. Her best game was a 290 last year.
“It was the highest scoring and the best I’ve scored technique wise. I was really focused and had started learning how to bowl better and I just got really into it then,” Barbolt said.
It’s her competitive nature though, that keeps her going and she strives to do better every time.
“[Coach Lambert] is a really good coach. He’s taught me a lot about bowling - and myself. He’s taught me how to improve and keep focused. He really motivates everyone and helps me strive to be the best,” she said. “Bowling is a big mind game though, so, if you’re doing bad you tend to do worse because you keep thinking about it,” she explained.
She intends to bowl in college and may investigate professional bowling as a path if college bowling goes well.
“The team is really good, they’re all fun to be around and they all like bowling as much as I do if not more,” Barbolt complimented.
To find out when the Spa Catholic team bowls, visit our Sports at a Glance page.
