Admitting to feeling a bit nervous, Rhett Collins is focused on the task at hand. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Rollin' with the punches

Watch: Prince Albert youth bowler prepares for Nationals

Feb 3, 2025 | 5:16 PM

Just moments before rolling a strike, the youthful smile on Rhett Collins’s face is replaced with one that clearly tells others he is his zone.

On Monday, the 10-year-old Prince Albert boy was warming up at Prince Albert’s Minto Bowl and Rec Centre and getting ready for his first Nationals event in May.

The qualifying tournament was held in Saskatoon last December and after five games, Collins had the best average in his Bantam division. He told paNOW how great it felt to finish first.

“It feels good because I’ve have had like second and third and fourth, and like all around it, so now I finally got it and I’m happy,” he said.

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As he was lacing up his shoes, Collins explained how he planned to work on his corner pins and just keeping the ball out in the middle. He was then asked what it is about this sport that he loves so much.

“I can learn from my mom and dad and it feels good to get like a strike or a turkey,” he said.

The passion for this sport runs deep in his family and at the age of three, he was already getting taken to the bowling alley by his parents, who are also accomplished rollers in their own right. Watching her son practice, Rhett’s mother Danielle commented how proud she was to see him finish first.

“It was wonderful and I cried a little bit,” she admitted. “I’m very proud of him because it’s something that I wanted to achieve as a child, but never got to, so he’s a definitely a better bowler than me now,”

The nationals competition runs from May 4 to 8 in Edmonton.

Saskatchewan will also send players for both the Junior and Senior divisions.

nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell