An uncommon sport finds a star in Jackson State University student Laura Uzzell. The sophomore recently attended an international course in bowling that is sure to propel her into greater athletic successes.
The Bowling International Training and Research Center (ITRC) in Arlington, Texas, chose Uzzell to train there alongside only seven others from across the country.
"Though it is often viewed as merely a game or hobby, I see bowling as much more than that," she said in a press release, adding that harder and smarter training is crucial to competing in college.
"Getting the chance to work with world-class athletes who will constructively criticize my technique and form while sharing a great deal of knowledge is an opportunity of a lifetime," she said.
The event was part of The National Bowling Association's Youth Weekend. ITRC paired Uzzell with some of the best bowling coaches of today and taught her to utilize state-of-the-art equipment, such as biomechanical motion tracking, video analysis from robotic cameras and vision tracking.
TNBA was founded in Detroit in 1939 with the goal of encouraging African Americans to pursue the sport. In its fifth year of Youth Weekend, the club is pairing up young bowlers with the Team USA coaching staff.
Uzzell has been mastering the craft of bowling since she was 6 years old. The Newark, N.J. native and biology major is currently taking advantage of a bowling scholarship at JSU and has participated in two TNBA tournaments.
"Bowling is a multifaceted sport that demands more than just your physical body, but your brain as well," Uzzell said. "... My hope by attending the TNBA ITRC Youth Weekend was to gain a valuable experience that I can not only use myself, but be able to share with my team. ... Collegiate bowling is a team effort and it would be ... a waste if I kept what I learned this weekend to myself," she said.
TNBA membership and tournaments are open to everyone. For more information, visit the website. For more about bowling and Team USA, visit bowl.com.
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