By Andrew Hackmack
Just ask 13-year-old Christopher Schroeder, who recently took a trip abroad to face some of the best young bowlers in the world. When he returned, he donned a silver medal.
Schroeder, who will be an eighth grader at Valley Stream South High School in the fall, said he noticed one major difference between the alleys here and overseas. While the lanes in the United States are typically very oily and the approach is dry, it was just the opposite in Austria, where he participated in the People to People Sports Ambassador Youth Friendship Games.
Joining Schroeder on his trip to Austria were his two balls - Tropical Storm and Avalanche, named simply after the brands. His parents, Wally and Carole, did not make the trip but were able to follow their son's progress. The Sports Ambassador Web site was constantly updated with photos throughout the competition.
Players are invited to the Youth Friendship Games by invitation only but the Schroeder family is stumped as to how Christopher got the call. "I don't know who put his name in and we can't seem to find out," Wally said.
Their guess is either someone from Christopher's junior varsity bowling team or maybe someone from a local bowling alley. His games for school are in Rockville Centre, but he also bowls on leagues with his father in Baldwin and Malverne, and they will soon start play in Garden City.
The youth games were held from June 29 through July 6. Christopher arrived in Austria after a seven-hour flight, then took a bus ride to the Olympic village. Dinner the first night was at a German restaurant, followed by some shopping the next afternoon.
On his third day, Christopher participated in the opening ceremony for the games and even got to hold the banner for bowling. After three days of practice, with the help of experienced coaches, it was time for competition. Christopher bowled six games and placed 8th out of 28 participants in the 11-14 age division.
His silver medal would be earned in the team competition, in which he was paired with another kid from the United States, as well as teammates from Austria and Hungary. Wally said the intention of the games is to allow the kids to make friends from all over the world. "They try to mix the different countries together," he said. "They want to have it where everybody intermingles."
Christopher and his teammates intermingled well. After 18 games -- six a day for three days -- they captured second place. "I really liked them," he said of his bowling partners. "They were good players."
He said the highest score he bowled during the competition was a 175, which he reached in both the individual and team competition. Overall, Christopher said the highest score he has ever achieved in eight years of bowling is a 215. He plans to continue on the bowling team throughout high school and said he would like to become a professional bowler. His ultimate goal is a perfect 300 game.
"I just like bowling," he said, adding that it is hard but he likes the challenge.
Throughout the competition, Christopher said he never was nervous. "I'm used to people watching me," he said. "And I made new friends so I would talk to them."
A highlight of his trip was definitely the awards ceremony when a games official put the silver medal around his neck -- just like the treatment an Olympic athlete would get. Before concluding his 10-day trip, he got to visit a concentration camp in Austria and called the experience "very powerful."
Christopher said he hopes to go back in future years and would also like to participate in the Brazilian Futebol (soccer) youth games. He played on the junior high team this past year. Youth Friendship Games are also played in Holland.
The People to People program was started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 as a way to promote world peace. His granddaughter Mary Eisenhower is the current chief executive officer of the program.
