By JOSEPH KELLARD
³I would see my father¹s trophies up in the attic and think, Œoh, maybe I should try bowling,¹² Hart said, recalling her year in fourth grade. Now a senior at OHS, Hart has been an all-county bowler since she was a freshman, has made states the past three years, and is the only OHS female to make states. Last season at the county matches, she came in second by a mere six pins behind a Bellmore girl, and qualified for states with six other girls from Nassau County. At the state¹s competition on Saturday, Hart, now the OHS captain, lead her team to second place in the tournament out of 10 teams.
Hart¹s consistency has clearly paid off. She bowls year round, as much as five times a week, whether at school or in various leagues, including youth and men¹s programs. Through the youth league last summer, she qualified for Team USA, a tournament of the Long Island Junior Bowling Association. She was unable to attend, however, due to her commitment to her only other pastime, the OHS marching band, for which she plays clarinet and acts as head conductor.
As a fourth-grader, Hart began bowling in a program offered in Oceanside¹s Department of Community Activities. ³She just took a love to the game right off from the DOCA program,² said Hart¹s dad, Chris, who had played for Syosset High School and got his love of the sport from his father.
That year, Chris enrolled himself and his daughter in a parent-child league, one they continue to bowl together in each Sunday at Baldwin Lanes on Grand Avenue. Four years later, while attending Oceanside Middle School, Hart made the high school¹s varsity team, was named co-captain and earned all-conference honors.
³A lot of people told my parents that I had the natural talent,² Hart said. ³No one had to coach me. It just came.²
Hart¹s dad takes her to the Pro Bowling Association (PBA) tournament when it comes to Long Island each year, usually in Syosset, where she meets with some of the professional bowlers. ³We¹ve done that for several years and she¹s gotten a lot of tips form them,² Chris said.
Hart¹s OHS coach, Claire Johnson, who has headed the school¹s program since its inception in 2000, said the main way she has assisted Hart is in calming her down before a big match. ³She¹s a very poised athlete now,² Johnson said. ³She¹s calm and cool under pressure, and comes through in the big spots.²
Between her school team and bowling leagues, Hart¹s average is up to about 180. Last winter in her youth league, she hit her highest score, 278, topping her pervious mark of 265. But the perfect 300 mark that her father has hit several times, including twice in high school in late 1970s and twice in one week last year, still eludes her.
Hart goes head to head with her dad in the men¹s league. And while 300 is always a goal each time she takes to the lanes, her more realistic objectives are simply to try her best each time and at least bowl 200. ³I like the competition and working for a different goal every time I go out there,² Hart said about her love of the game, noting that whether it¹s a different lane or competition, each match brings a new perspective and challenge.
Hart¹s career goal is to become a nurse, and she aims to attend one of the comparatively few regional colleges with bowling programs. She has her sights set on one such school, Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.
While no professional women¹s league exists ‹ the WPBA combined with the PBA about two years ago ‹ Hart can become a regional pro and possibly play with the men one day if she maintains a 181 average.
³It¹s not that big of a deal,² she said about competing against the men. ³You¹re basically throwing the same ball, but sometimes they have more strength and stamina.²
Hart¹s dad sees some light leading toward a possible professional career for his daughter. ³There is an opportunity to make something out of this,² Chris said. ³She¹s very determined and works really hard at everything she does. So I don¹t see why she can¹t make it.²
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
