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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Thursday, June 12, 2008 11:12 PM CDT
Charleston graduate bowls way to nationals

By BRIAN NIELSEN, Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com

CHARLESTON -- At age 3 Derek Winnett began bowling.

Since then he has also been exposed to the auto racing and soccer bug but he never has really escaped the bowling bug.

In fact, times in the alley maybe have never been better now that the 2008 Charleston High School graduate has landed a spot in the United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold nationals set for July 5-11 at Detroit.

An alternate after the qualifying tournament a year ago, Winnett recently learned he is set to fill a vacated spot in the nationals.

He might be more ready than ever as he bids for a spot on the USA Gold team.

“All I’ve got to say is if you want to bowl go for it even if you don’t start out very good,” Winnett said. “My average went from last year to a 170 something to this year a 196.”

He credits adjustments and hard work to that recent jump and that average he carries bowling in a league at the Eastern Illinois University Lanes with a high game of 278 and a series of 696.

This has come while he also played soccer for Charleston High School and currently is coming for the Charleston Football Club 18-and-under soccer team while spending time driving in the Hornet class at Charleston Speedway.

So what’s his favorite sport?

“It’s kind of a mixture of all three,” Winnett said. “I love racing and I love soccer. Bowling I’ve been really successful in. Racing it’s just an adrenalin rush. It’s basically I’ll race but bowling and soccer will come before racing. It’s up to what is more important.”

Bowling has provided scholarship money through the USBC youth leagues.

With that Winnett plans to attend Eastern Illinois as he looks for a career in computer information technology.

He also plans to at least play intramural soccer if not try to land a spot as a walk-on for EIU.

“Soccer is kind of a long shot,” Winnett said. “Bowling and racing I know I can keep up with it. If it really came down to it I’d probably have to take bowling and racing. Bowling and racing you can basically do it as long as you’re living. Soccer you can only do it a limited amount of time.”

Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.

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