Bowling for nation
Grad. student bowls for Team USA
Kari Wilberg
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: News
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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.