Pearl City Bowlers Prepare For The State Championships
By Jack Danilewicz
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Pearl City boys bowling coach James Hayashi knows he never has to worry about his team when it comes to day-to-day preparation. To the man, the Chargers have a built-in desire to perform.
“They just enjoy the sport,” said Hayashi. “Their attitude is great, and they have a love for the game. They’re really excited to compete in tournaments.”
With that in mind, few are bigger than Thursday’s Oahu Interscholastic Association Individual and Team Championships at Leeward Bowl. The top 30 bowlers will earn berths at the upcoming Billy Tees 2007 State Bowling Championships, and, with seven Chargers likely to make the grade, Pearl City would then position itself to battle for a team state title. The Chargers’ last state championship came in 2001 under Shirley Kato.
Pearl City enters the postseason coming off a stellar regular one that saw them finish second in the West to Mililani. Although they defeated Mililani in head-to-head competition, winning two of three games, the Trojans had a better overall record at 28-2. The Chargers are currently 26-4, and hopes for an OIA Team title are understandably high this week.
They also have one of the state’s top individual bowlers going for them in senior James Pirtle. The individual runner-up in both the OIA and state tourneys last year, he carries a 210 average into the 2007 postseason. He was the OIA’s individual champion as a sophomore in 2005.
“His dad (John Pirtle) was a professional bowler, so he’s followed in his footsteps,” Hayashi said of James, who is a team co-captain. “He’s a good bowler - he’s had a lot of training from the right people - and he just works hard at the game and at understanding the game.”
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Fellow senior and co-captain Brandon Oshiro has also had a solid season with a 194 average.
“He’s a leader - he’s good with people,” Hayashi said. “He helps the team instead of just coming out to bowl. We’ve seen him grow a lot through the four years he’s been here.”
Senior Jared Omiya also is averaging 192, no small feat in that he is a relative newcomer to the sport.“He’s only been bowling for a year and a half, but he bowls maybe 20 to 30 games a week now,” Hayashi said. “He had a simple style when he came to us, so I knew he had potential. I told him at the end of last season to bowl as much as he could. Within three or four months, he bowled a 300. He’s improved a lot.”
The Chargers are also expecting Dayton Martin (178), Jordan Ono (180), Derek Suefuji (188) and Evan Hayashi (181) to have an impact at this week’s OIA Championships. If all goes according to plan, Hayashi expects all four to make the final 30 from the league. A strong performance at the OIA finals would also give the Chargers momentum heading into the state tournament.
“There’s always room for improvement - there’s always someone better than you,” said Hayashi, who is in his fifth season at Pearl City and his 35th overall involved with the sport. “We have to pump them up to help them bring out their best. Attitude is very important. You have your up-and-down days in bowling, and you have to be able to control your mind game.
“We’ll have strong competition in the West and the East, especially with Kalani,” he added. “They’re a very talented and experienced team that knows how to adjust to every alley.”
In Hayashi’s view, the key to a championship-level performance is “picking up spares and being able to play the alley right according to your style of bowling.”
Pearl City also won state championships in 1997, ‘82 and ‘83. The Chargers’ last OIA title came in 1997 when they won their second in a row.
The Billy Tees 2007 State Bowling Championships take place Nov. 1-2 in Hilo.
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