Published: April 11, 2008 10:09 am            

Success means striking out

PRINCETON — Devin Haynes doesn’t mind striking out. In fact, the Princeton Senior High School sophomore would prefer it that way.

Instead of the baseball diamond, a spring afternoon this week found the 15-year-old inside Mountaineer Lanes in Bluefield, honing his bowling skills and cheering on family members competing in a league at the Bluefield alley.

“I was just practically raised in it,” Devin said, guessing his grandparents introduced him to his favorite sport around the age of 5. “All my family bowls.”

In his 10 years knocking down pins, Devin has gotten pretty good, scoring a personal best of 277, just 23 shy of a perfect game.

That’s a goal Devin is keeping a close eye on as he practices often and competes in a Saturday-morning youth league at Mountaineer and alongside his PSHS bowling teammates.

His parents, Kim and Bobby Haynes, are positive the accomplishment is right around the corner.

“One of these days, he’ll bowl a 300,” Bobby Haynes said this week during a brief break in the action on the lanes.

“It won’t be long,” Kim confirmed.

Though Devin admits he’d love to make a career of the pastime he loves, bowling started out as a family-friendly outing for the Haynes clan — one all the members credited grandparents Bonnie and Al Warner with instilling in their children and grandchildren.

“It’s just something my husband and I did,” Bonnie said Tuesday. “It’s a good sport because you’re inside all the time, and you don’t have to worry about the weather. It’s just a lot of fun.”

Because they loved the sport so much, the Warners made sure to get their children, including Kim, involved, and they all passed a need to knock over pins on to Devin and his two brothers.

Devin said one of the best parts of bowling is that nearly everyone can play, regardless of age and physical condition.

“You don’t really have to be in great shape to bowl, and it’s really fun,” he said.

But, he still faces challenges when the pins don’t fall just the way he plans.

“The hardest thing is knowing that if the ball’s coming in too high, it’s actually my fault, not the ball’s,” he said.

Still, he’s learning to roll with the lane conditions and let visits to the gutter go.

He knows bowling his way into professional ranks won’t be easy.

“You really have to be top notch and win a lot of tournaments,” he said.

Devin’s already entering every competition he can find and qualify for, and he’s finished 14th in the state for his age group. Positive he’s headed in the right direction, he’s also determined to pick up any practice and performance tips he can find.

“It’s just fun watching other people bowl. Sometimes you can find what’ll help you,” he said.

And, Devin encouraged anyone interested in taking up his favorite hobby to rent a pair of shoes, borrow a bowling ball and give it a try.

“Just remember when you start out, you’re not going to be as great as you can be. Just take your time, and have fun,” he said

        

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