Happy National Learn to Bowl Month! For some of us, bowling involves trying to not use the bumpers and perhaps knocking down a couple of pins. I know I’d call that a proud moment. However, proud moments for Marshall Kent, a 21-year-old Yakima resident and bowling champion, look vastly different. Kent has been known to bowl one of the hardest trick shots called The Flying Eagle–a move involving perfectly aimed shots across two bowling lanes…yikes! We spoke to Kent about, well, bowling and what it means to him. We even discovered a few interesting tidbits in the process: e.g. during a local competition, Kent ripped his bowling pants and just kept on going since he had several frames left to bowl.

“Now that I graduated college, I have much more free time to do [other activities besides bowling], which is very nice!” Kent told us. Besides bowling, he enjoys golfing, fishing, and hunting. He says he loves to be outdoors any chance he gets. If only bowling were an outdoor sport.

Seattle Magazine: How did you get into bowling?
Marshall Kent: My parents owned Nob Hill bowling center in Yakima before I was born, so I was born into the sport. Since there isn’t much else to do in Yakima, I spent most of my time every day at the bowling center.

SM: Where do you like to bowl in Seattle? Outside of Seattle?
MK: I have always enjoyed bowling at West Seattle Bowl and Hiline Lanes. I seem to [always] bowl very well…at both centers and they are nice facilities.

SM: Do you have a special/lucky bowling ball?
MK: I have a few select bowling balls that I always take with me to every tournament. They are my “go-to” balls if I’m ever struggling. One is the Storm Hyroad and the other is the Storm IQ Tour Solid.

SM: What’s your best advice for novice bowlers…like me? 
MK: For new bowlers, one good tip that I always recommend is to take small steps. You aren’t going to become a professional bowler overnight. Setting small goals and progressing towards them is the best way to go. It takes time to become sucessful.

SM: Marshall, you are wise beyond your years! What great advice! Have you ever gotten bad advice?
MK: The worst advice I’ve ever heard is “grip it an’ rip it.” This sport isn’t about power, but rather finesse and accuracy. Learning the proper way to “hook” the ball takes time, and players will find out soon enough that when trying to hook the ball, less is more. Less effort, more hook.

SM: Describe your proudest bowling moment in your own words.
MK: Winning the Junior Gold National Championships. It is the biggest tournament in the world for bowlers under the age of 20, with nearly 2,000 competitors every year. It was the first time I felt that all of my hard work had finally paid off. That win earned me my first of three years on Junior Team USA.
SM: Congratulations, that’s quite an achievement.

SM: What’s your usual bowling attire?
MK: Well when I don’t have a hole in my pants, I normally wear my custom made bowling jersey, and a nice pair of dress pants. Looking professional is important to me. Plus, my motto is “if I don’t bowl well, at least I look good doing it!”

SM: We hear bowling has taken you around the world. Where all have you traveled?
MK: I have traveled to almost every single state in the US and have bowled in 12 different countries, including Thailand and Russia. My favorite place so far has been Dubai, UAE. The amount of money in that country is astronomical!

SM: Are you part of a league? If so, what’s the hardest part about playing on a team?
MK: I do not currently bowl in a league, but I was a part of the Robert Morris University bowling team where we won the 2013 National Championship, and I earned College Player of the Year honors twice. [I’m also] a current member of Team USA. The hardest part about team bowling is getting each individual’s style and mindset to match that of the team’s. There are so many different ways to throw a bowling ball and so many different personalities, that it can be tough to get players’ personalities to match up and work together as a team. The best part is when you succeed as a team. It is always nice to win individually, but it’s even sweeter as a team because you get to share that experience with other people that contributed toward the same goal that you had as well.

SM: Who taught you how to bowl?
MK: My dad has always been my coach. I have had other coaches as well throughout my career (Mike Jasnau, DJ Hayes, William Clark, and Harry Mickelson), but my dad is the one I always come back to when I need to figure things out.

SM: Are you doing anything special this October for “National Learn to Bowl Month”?
MK: I made an appearance at a youth league last weekend in the Tri-Cities at Sparetime Lanes. My goal for this month is to help as many people as I can with the sport, whether it’s in person, through social media, or other means of communication. I have always enjoyed helping people improve their game, so this month I am trying even harder to reach out to people that want to [play better]. [I also want to] convince some of my friends that don’t bowl to try to learn.

SM: How can our readers learn more about bowling this month?
MK: If you want to find more information about bowling in general, you can visit gobowling.com to find a bowling center. You can join a league, get tips on how to learn, or even improve your bowling. Grab a friend, find a center, and go learn how to bowl!