He’s only nine years old, but Cody Jacobs appears to get better on the lanes with age.
The Grade 5 student at J.J. Curling Elementary in Corner Brook will be Newfoundland and Labrador’s representative in bantam boys singles at the 2017 national Youth Bowling Canada (YBC) Championships being staged in May in Regina.
Jacobs, who was introduced to the lanes when he was five years old, won the provincial YBC bantam boys singles crown with a five-game total of 1,027 at the provincial YBC singles roll-offs last week at the Corner Brook Centre Bowl.
He received an early Christmas gift that may have been his good luck charm. His nan and pop had a set of bowling balls purchased for a Christmas gift, but decided to give them to Cody to use at the provincials.
“I was really happy and excited,” the soft-spoken kegler said earlier this week.
He had a gold medal to show off to his friends after all the presentations were over, and then his nan and pop Delaney took him to McDonald’s to celebrate his big win.
It was a big day for the young fella. He was hoping to win his first medal in his third provincial YBC singles event after placing seventh in his first year and fifth last season.
He’s happy when he’s on the lanes. He plays baseball in the summer, but he gave bowling a try when he was younger and it quickly became his favourite sport.
He appreciated having his coach, Chris Rumboldt, help him get his game on track, and was also thankful for his fellow bowlers who supported him when he was going for gold last week.
He has a few months to work on his game to take to another level for the nationals, but he’s just going to enjoy the moment and wait for his chance to show the country what he can do on the lanes.
He’s a little nervous about being in a large spotlight, but he figures he will be fine once it starts.
He’s only worried about the fact it will be his first time on an airplane. He’s never been off the island, so it’s a special trip for him.
It may be the road trip of a lifetime. He’s just going to throw strikes and see where he ends up.
He’s proud to say he will represent his province. He smiles when it’s mentioned that he’s a provincial champion with potential to be the best in the country.
Maybe there’s more gold at the end of the rainbow.
Cody’s road to gold
Game 1 — 249
Game 2 — 178
Game 3 — 241
Game 4 — 164
Game 5 — 195
Five-game total — 1,027
