Makayla Pressley, Olivia Eller, Ava Grace Childers, Gabriel Hammonds, and Noah Vess all qualified for the annual tournament after clinching a spot through a qualifying tournament earlier this year. This is the first time that bowlers from the Pin Station youth bowling league in Newton have qualified for the Junior Gold Championships. The league, which was started in 2012, has grown from six kids in the first year to 54 in the winter league. "Some of these kids started when they were 5 years old, and they have improved to this point," said Paulette Houston, the manager of the league. Pressley, 13, started bowling because of her friends and was invited by Eller to join the local league. From that point, Pressley started taking lessons, practicing, and competing in tournaments. In only her first year with the league, she will have the opportunity to compete at the national tournament. "(I liked) the idea of being able to make new friends, getting out there, making something of yourself and just the whole prospect of traveling," she said. Eller has been bowling since she was 6, finding a passion for the game from the first time her parents ever took her to a bowling alley. Now 12, Eller said her favorite thing about bowling is the mental aspect of it. "It's not like basketball," she said. "It's a mental and physical game." Childers, 10, is the youngest qualifier from the Newton league, and Houston said she has always been talented. This year, Childers won first place in her division at a tournament in Greenville, South Carolina, and then qualified for the Junior Gold tournament through the North Carolina State Pepsi Youth Championships. Hammonds, 15, and Vess, 13, said they were surprised to find out they qualified for the national competition. Hammonds started bowling at 5 years old, but he said he only returned to the sport about two years ago. "It felt like it was something I could do," he said. "Like football, I'm just not the kind of guy to do that." Vess said his entire family loves bowling, so growing up around the sport encouraged him to get involved with the league. Now, he enjoys the competition at tournaments and making new friends through a sport that has always been a part of his life. "It's a habitual thing," Houston said. "You have to be here at the bowling alley two to three to four days a week to get yourself to that point. It's not something you can do once a week and be good at it. There has to be dedication, and you have to be willing to put in the work." I hope this is what you were looking for. Let me know if you have any other questions.