Letscher third in USBC national tournament
By KEVIN CONNELLY
NILES
Andrew Letscher took to bowling early. And he was so good at it that he routinely drew a crowd when he stepped up to the lane.
“People used to stand around and just watch him because he was just that good — he had a natural talent for it,” said his mother, Sarah.
That’s when she knew Andrew had a future in bowling and he wasn’t even out of elementary school.
Now, 15, Andrew is one of the best youth bowlers in the nation and is fresh off the most impressive tournament result of his young career. In the USBC North Pointe Junior Gold Championships last week in Detroit, Letscher finished third out of 311 bowlers in the U15 division.
He compared the caliber of the tournament to the likes of one of golf’s majors — just at an amateur level.
“Doing well in this tournament is what every youth bowler dreams about,” Letscher said.
It wasn’t the first time he had performed well in youth bowling’s “major.” Last year he finished 28th, and the year before that he was forced to compete in the U20 division as a 13-year-old because that’s all that was available. The seven-year age gap didn’t matter, as Letscher still finished in the top third of all competitors.
None of Andrew’s success has surprised his parents, Marty and Sarah. In fact, both his parents have bowling backgrounds and are the owners of McKinley Lanes in Niles. His father even spent 30 years touring as a professional bowler, but said his son’s talent wasn’t because of him.
“You know, I gave him a few words of advice, but he pretty much taught himself,” Marty said. “He just loves it.”
His mother remembers how he’d come in for hours and bowl.
“He’d come in ready to work after school and just bowl,” Sarah said. “I couldn’t believe the level of maturity that he’s at already.”
Like anything, with practice comes experience and with experience comes comfort. It’s safe to say Andrew is comfortable competing at the highest level.
He won his first tournament in 2008 at the age of 10. He was the youngest bowler to make the finals in the Warren Junior Masters at age 11. As a freshman at Canfield High School last year, he helped his team win the state title by throwing the winning ball in the championship game.
Although he still has three more years of high school and amateur bowling, Andrew says he’s already on the radar of some elite college bowling programs. But Letscher and parents have other priorities.
“Our first thing is education,” Sarah said. “He has to go to a school where he can get the kind of degree that he wants.”
Letscher hopes to be able to follow in his father’s footsteps as a pro bowler some day.
“I definitely want to find a career that gives me the availability to do both,” Andrew said.
With plenty of time to figure that out, and $13,000 in scholarship money already earned, the Letschers just want their son to enjoy the experiences.
It’s safe to say they all are.