Pretoria teen takes home gold at Tenpin bowling nationals
Thomas Müller (15) snagged a win in the Silver category at the Tenpin Bowling Association of South Africa (TBASA) SA Singles championship at Koko’s Bowling Centre in Brakpan.
Pretoria Thomas Müller is one of the youngest bowlers to win a major tenpin bowling event in South Africa.
The 15-year-old Cornwall Hill College Grade 10 learner started taking bowling seriously a year ago when he discovered there were various competitive and social leagues in Pretoria.
Müller bowled an outstanding 170 average in the round robin final to win the gold at the Tenpin Bowling Association of South Africa (TBASA) SA singles championship at Koko’s Bowling Centre in Brakpan.
Ninety-six bowlers from across South Africa battled it out in four divisions of the championships from May 3 to May 5.
Müller told Rekord he was so “laser focused”, that when he realised he had beaten the next opponent, he was speechless.
“I was absolutely speechless, I did not know how to feel or what to say that is how shook I was.”
Müller, who usually plays in the Monday league at Fun Company, Menlyn, competed in the silver or handicap category.
“I was having so much fun with my dad at the Monday league and I was just getting better and better at the game, so he and I decided that we are going to keep on playing the game and see where we go from there.”
On Sunday, May 5, he made it through to finals, after ending the previous day in third place.
“When I got to the tournament I did not know if I was more excited or more stressed out, but as I started playing my confidence started to kick in,” he said.
As he adjusted his game for the lanes, he found his line and stuck to it.
“I moved more towards the gutter and almost throwing the ball directly into the gutter, but luckily I had confidence my ball would turn towards the middle pin, and that is how I knew I found the perfect line.
“When finals came, by trusting myself and in God’s plan, I just saw strike after strike after strike but it did not look like I reacted at all because I was laser focused on throwing the next ball.
“Then it hit me, I have just beaten my second place opponent with 100 pins, and I was absolutely speechless.”
Müller said he hoped that more young people would pick up the sport.
“You do not have to be the biggest, strongest or toughest kid on the block or belong to the ‘in crowd’,” he said.
“Ten Pin bowling is an amazing sport that teaches you mental strength because you need a lot of it when things are not going the way you expect them to.
“The feeling that you get when your ball turns exactly the amount you want it to and you get that perfect strike 3-5 times in a row is just absolutely amazing.
“This game teaches you to have confidence and trust in yourself, which helps a lot in the real world.”
TBASA president Kiley Cassel described Müller as dedicated and passionate.
“It is definitely encouraging for our sport and for Gauteng North Tenpin Bowling for Thomas to have achieved the silver division win,” she said.
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@rekordpretoria Pretoria teen takes home gold at Tenpin bowling nationals | RekordNewspaper
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