Well we all start somewhere at some point in our bowling career. Whether you started with bumpers or maybe really didn't begin your bowling quest until high school bowling. Whatever the case may be high school bowling was one of the best times I had in school. The competition was always intense and that definitely goes for the parents as well. So what are going to be some of the changes or differences going from bowling in high school bowling to college bowling?

The competition sure does get a lot stronger! Look at it this way. If 5-10 of the top bowlers from each state go to college to bowl you are looking at 200-500 kids looking to make the next step in their bowling career. Personally I thought I was really good after winning high school state singles, but soon realized the competition had improved drastically when I couldn't even crack the top 50 in my first few events. In my opinion that just shows that our nation has some of the most elite players in the game of bowling.

Another thing you will notice while bowling in college will be the shots on the lanes. Most all of high school events are held on a house shot, but what you will see in college events are sport shots. You may have practiced in high school on sports shots but it is very different during matches or events. What is the main difference from a house shot to a sport shot? The room for error is much smaller on sport shots. Your game needs to be much more consistent with speed, revolutions, and targeting. Think of a house shot in bowling like a strike zone in baseball. You have this decent size window to hit for a strike to be called. However the sport shot takes that decent sized window down to the size of the catchers glove and that is now your window. bowling and excelling on a sport shot can propel your game to the next level as in Team USA tryouts or maybe professional.

A tip on how to make bowling in college a greater possibility can be found at Junior Gold. Junior Gold in my eyes is the biggest event you can go to as a junior bowler. The best young athletes from around the states compete at this tournament. As long as you are under the age of 20 and have qualified for Junior Gold at a local tournament Team USA is right around the corner. I have had some close moments on making the team, worst finish was 69th and the best finish I had was 9th (did not get picked for Team USA). This does help prepare you while you are in high school to transition to college. Tough shots along with tough competition. Did I forget to mention that you can also win scholarship money? There is a minimum of $250,000 in scholarship money for the 2012 Junior Gold event!

In conclusion, take time to develop your game along the different stages of bowling. It doesn't matter where you started. bowling will always be a challenge. Hopefully I have given you a little insight into what it looks like to transition from high school bowling to college bowling. Whether you bowl for the pure enjoyment of the game or are looking to be the next Sean Rash or Jason Belmonte practice on your game all the time and enjoy the game of bowling!