KEVIN STENT/Stuff
Ben Pettit was first crowned as the New Zealand men’s ten-pin bowling champion at the age of just 13.
Porirua’s Ben Pettit isn’t your average teenage ten-pin bowler.
Ben doesn’t turn 16 until July, but he’s already a double New Zealand champion (he’s going for his third title in succession this weekend), competes in leagues on Wednesdays and Sundays and spends and additional 15-20 hours practising each week. “And that’s on the lanes,” Ben tells Stuff. “Then I do a ton off the lanes, whether it’s playing with stuff with my bowling balls, or doing research.”
Ten-pin bowling, therefore, is a serious business for Ben, who won the Hutt Valley Sports Awards young sportsman of the year award last year. In fact, it could take him all the way into professional ranks in the United States, where the sport is a big deal, and even to an Olympics in Brisbane in 2032 due to the popularity of the sport across the ditch.
Ben took Stuff into his world of dedication, occasional injuries, and competing against the Aussies, who have the world’s best bowler.
How does a teenager from New Zealand break into the ten-pin big time?
“Dad [Paul] and I head to the States on July 4. We’re only going to one university [Wichita State University], but it’s the one I’ve been looking at for quite a while. I went to a world champs in Sweden last year and met some of the bowlers that go there. But, we’re finally meeting some coaches over there, which will be really cool. And the moment, it seems like college bowling is the way to go to make it professional. They have really good coaches and I’d also be getting an education so that if all else fails, I’ve got a degree.”
The competition for scholarships must be intense
“I’m fortunate to have gotten my name out there at tournaments. We’re going to a camp at the university. This professional bowler, her name’s Jillian Martin, we met her when we were in Sweden, and she’d been going to the camps at this university since she was 11 years old. It’s just doing anything you can to get your name out there.”
Brady Dyer
Ben Pettit was named Young Sportsman of the Year at the Hutt Valley Sports Awards last year.
We’re no experts but the action of bowling must take a toll on the body. Do bowlers get injuries?
“With releasing the ball tons and tons of times each time I’m bowling, I ripped the skin off my finger. It got to the point where I was at a tournament about three or four weekends ago, and I had to rip my skin off. It was bleeding so badly. It just looked horrible. I’m fortunate not to have anything other than that. But for most bowlers, knee injuries are common. There was a study done on a professional bowler that puts nine times his body weight into his knee every single shot.”
What’s the sport like in Australia?
“It’s a lot bigger. They have so many more bowlers around the whole country. And the best bowler in the world is from Australia as well – Jason Belmonte. That must help them a lot, because you see him and you realise he’s from your country, it really makes it seem that it’s very possible to get there.”
So, that means the trans-Tasman rivalry is pretty intense?
“It’s pretty friendly. A lot of my best mates from Australia. There’s a lot of banter. We might take the piss out of them sometimes, but some of my best mates that I stay in contact with every single day are from Australia, so it’s pretty cool.”
