BROOKINGS – The Brookings youth bowling team had an impressive showing at the state tournament at Mitchell mid-June, placing multiple bowlers, some even in the top five.

Most of the local success at the South Dakota State United States Bowling Congress Youth Tournament has to do with the bowling program set in place by the Nelson family.

Roxie and Les Nelson, owners of Prairie Lanes, are the driving force behind bowling in Brookings since 2002. They are also the coaches for the youth in the bowling program.

“We had a great showing this year, along with the past two years,” Roxie Nelson said. “When you have someone finish first or even make the trophies, that’s great. This year we had a lot of kids in the top five, and that’s huge.”

One of the stars for the youth program is sixth-grader Brooklyn Hieb. She finished first in Girls Singles, Girls All Events Handicap and Doubles categories in the state tournament. Hieb reached these heights with lots of practice, especially on her own time, Roxie Nelson said.

Lee Krueger placed fifth with a score of 502 in the Boys Average 159 & Below Optional Scratch bracket. Others who placed in the Low to Scholarship were Joey Williams, Aarick Dicke and Rocklyn Dauphinais. Logan Bren received first place at Boys 160 & Above with a score of 659, and Carter Hieb finished fifth at 609.  

Roxie Nelson said that she also credits the kids for coming in to bowl on days when there aren’t practices. The season begins in September and ends in April with practices from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

She noticed that the Hiebs are in the bowling alley every day working on their game. Brooklyn Hieb has an older brother, Carter, on the team who has had a huge influence on her. Carter along with Logan Bren and Dylan Cramer qualified for the Junior Gold Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, taking place on July 15-22. Carter and Brooklyn were the doubles team that finished first with a score of 1,503, which was the highest score in the tournament in doubles with the average of 250-299.

For many of the bowlers participating at state, their involvement in the sport began at a young age, and it is all about learning and getting used to the game. Kids will start off by playing two games of bumper bowling at each practice, which can take two years before they move on to a more advanced practice. The Nelsons said that they have had 3-year-olds start off on bumpers in the past.

“Depending on the level, when they are beginners we try to teach them the arm swing, how to step right and kind of work with them on how they are developing,” Les Nelson said. “With better kids you can teach them more advanced techniques.”

In the second year of bumper bowling, the Nelsons try to teach the kids how to keep the ball down the middle of the lane and not hit the bumpers.

“They need that comfort zone yet, that they are not going to get that gutter ball,” Roxie Nelson said.

By the third year the kids will move up to bantam. Bantam kids will still play two games with no bumpers then eventually advance into practicing three games.

Through different tournaments during the year, some bowlers are able to earn scholarships through Junior Scholarship Tournaments, Pepsi Tournaments and others. Les Nelson said that when they took kids down to Orlando to a training center, the coach there said there is a large demand for women bowlers.

“They are really hurting for women in college bowling, so if you have a desire to bowl and go to college, you could have all your college paid for,” said Roxie Nelson. “We really try to encourage the girls.”

The Nelsons said they coached a girl with a low average who was offered a full-ride scholarship to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Nelsons also offer help to girls who are looking for a school that has both a bowling program and an academic program in which they’re interested.

This summer Prairie Lanes is offering a kids bowl free special. Children who sign up online will receive two free games for the summer.

“The schools let us pass those out because they really like that and feel it gives the kids something to do,” Les Nelson said.

Anyone who joins the bowling team pays a $25 registration fee. The card allows the bowler a sanction card through the USBC, which is required if they wish to bowl in a state tournament or any sanctioned tournament in the state.

Roxie Nelson said that the money is also used for parties and awards throughout the season to offset the fees. Registrations start in August as practice will start the second or third week in September.