Since the age of 5, LeAnn Militscher has been a bowler, and for as long as she can remember she was spending time at a bowling alley.
At 16, the Weeki Wachee High senior has already risen to a 204 average and recently added a state championship to her resume. Militscher finished first in the U20 Girls division in the Florida Pepsi Youth Championships at Cypress Lanes in Winter Haven.
Bowling on April 29, the second-to-last day of the tournament which began March 25, Militscher shot a 1,394 scratch over six games. That qualified her for the Junior Gold Championships July 15-22 in Cleveland.
“It felt pretty amazing because I felt everything I worked for was finally paying off,” Militscher said. “It takes a lot of practice and dedication.
“This year I was taking it a little more serious. I practiced a lot more and had a lot more equipment. I had just practiced a lot more. I improved my mental game a lot. I didn’t let people affect me.”
Militscher has participated in the Pepsi event since around 8-9-years-old, finishing as high as third two years ago and fifth in 2016. However, this was her first time in the U20 division, which ranges from 16-20.
“I was really nervous. There were some really good bowlers next to me and on the same pair (of lanes) as me,” Militscher said. “It was kind of difficult at first. I was letting myself get down because I thought other girls were bowling better. But I started sticking to my own game, I stopped worrying about what the other girls were bowling and I started to bowl higher 200s.”
After starting off with a 202 and 221, Militscher blew up over the next three games with a 266-235-269. She finished up with a 201. The final total was a healthy 41 pins ahead of the second-place finisher.
“You either feel like you’re on your game or you’re not,” Militscher said. “That day I woke up and felt really motivated to do well. I felt I was in slump, so I wanted to do well. I was in a really good mood, too.”
Having bowled at Spring Hill Lanes up until this past season, Militscher has steadily raised her average. She has a high game of 279 and high series of 732, and she’s coming off her finest season bowling in the Uptown Rollers at Strike City.
She also surpassed her father, Tom Militscher, in average, a significant benchmark considering it was hanging around while he bowled that got her into the sport in the first place.
“I find it’s enjoyable and fun because even when you’re not bowling and taking it seriously, it’s still a sport I love and I can do it with my friends and family,” Militscher said.
On July 8, there will be a fundraiser at Strike City from 1-3 p.m. Bowling will cost $10 for three games, shoes included, with a portion of those proceeds as well as a bowling ball raffle going toward paying for Militscher’s trip to Junior Gold.
This will be her second time taking part in the national tournament, as she qualified two years ago. She hopes to improve upon that showing this time around.
“I’ve just been preparing for it a lot. I’ve been bowling almost every day,” Militscher said. “I hope to win, but I have realistic goals. I want to do as good as I can.
“A lot of bowling is the mental game, so my goal whenever I go to Junior Gold is play my game. Even if I don’t do as well as I’d like to, I need to not allow other girls to get in my head and bowl the game I bowl.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.