He hates to see winter past knowing a hot summer takes him away from what brings out the fire in him.
More importantly, he has shown the country he deserves all the accolades he’s received since he threw his first strike at the age of five at the local bowling alley.
Blake, who is nearing his 48th birthday, is the latest inductee to the Newfoundland and Labrador 5 Pin Bowling Association Hall of Fame.
Blake’s impressive resume includes the distinction of being the only male bowler in Canada to win three national men’s singles titles — accomplishing the feat by claiming gold on the national scene in 1992, 1995 and 2001.
He also won a gold medal at the Youth Bowling Canada nationals in Calgary in 1988 in the senior boys division as a teenager.
He also spends a lot of time helping out in a volunteer capacity, from doing up statistics to serving as an executive member.
Bowling has been a big part of his life since he got started in the sport, a natural fit for him it would appear at the time as he accompanied his dad, Martin Blake, to the Columbus Club so many years ago.
A lot has changed in 40-plus years, but the one constant for Blake is that he still loves to compete against the best and has no plans to give up a sport that has provided him with so many fond memories from the various road trips and the many friends he met along the way.
“I’m still at it just as much as ever and I’ll be at it until it decreases and I don’t feel like I can still do it competitively, and then I’ll probably give it up, but I still enjoy it as much as ever,” he said.
Another season is winding down, so he’s not his usual animated self, but he’s used to downtime and just waits patiently for the time to roll around again and dust off the shoes.
“Even though it’s been a hard old winter, I don’t like to see it finish, but it finishes and as fast as time goes it won’t be long and we’ll be started again,” he said.
Life on the lanes has been a great ride and he appreciates all the support he had along the journey.
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Twitter: @WS_SportsDesk
