Trista Rauma is the best lady bowler in the state

Did you know that we have a bowling state champion at our school? The state champion I am talking
about is Trista Rauma, a 16-year-old girl from Cambridge. She is currently a junior and is one of the
students that was selected to participate in the competition “Minnesota Girls State Inaugural Singles”.
She is also very talented with symphonic instruments which makes her an important part of the top
band of our school.
To Trista, bowling is more than just rolling bowling balls with the goal of knocking down a couple of
pins. Bowling is an entire lifestyle. Trista practices two to three times a week, with two hours per
practice, at a local bowling alley. Her main goal is to become a professional career bowler. Tho, she is
aware that she has to put in a lot of effort to accomplish this.
Like any other sport, you need the motivation to succeed. Due to Trista´s high ambitions, she is
pushing herself quite hard. However, this drives her to perform harder and better. Besides that, she has
something more that is motivating her. Her great grandmother was a successful and inspiring bowler
in the 1900s. Another big inspiration is Daria Pajak which is now the top one bowler in the world.
When Daria studied at college she went to one of the best bowling centers in the world which actually
is located in Florida. Trista had the opportunity to practice there for a four days lesson. And so she
did! She is very happy about it. She said that it was four rewarding lessons.
The highest in bowling is 300 points. Trista’s personal best is 268, and she averages 185. It is very
rare to have a completely flawless game, one shot might not hit like you expected to. That’s why you
need to master your craft, choose a tactic, learn exactly how you’re going to throw, etc. “There’s also
a lot of different bowling balls, not every ball is the same. They all drill different from each other.”
Trista said. Generally, professionals use bowling balls within the 13-15 pound range, to be able to
knock down the weight of the pins which weigh almost 3 pounds apiece. Trista mainly uses a 15
pound-ball, but that’s just one out of her nine bowling balls. Her personal favorite ball is the ’’Roto
Grip Idol Pearl’’. If you compare bowling to other sports, the expenses are huge. Bowling is
expensive considering that a ball can cost $200 or more.
However, the national competition, Minnesota Girls State Inaugural Singles, was a great push for
Trista’s career as a professional bowler. The nationals consisted of 368 competing bowlers. Trista had
told herself that she really had to try her best, the nervosity was at an all-time high. She managed to
get to the 68th place which she certainly is happy with. She knows to move on with her goals and
continue practicing.
Trista wants to compete for as much as possible. In July she competed in a competition that consisted
of 21 games in one week. Regular games are about 4-9 games. Her next “goal” is to participate in the
national tournament in Las Vegas next summer. To get into the competition you have to be qualified.
The spots are limited so Trista has to put a lot of effort to get qualified. If she is not competing on a
national level she usually participates in a tournament in Minnesota when she has time.
How do you become a good bowler then? Trista´s best advice is to not be hard on yourself and never
give up. If you have a problem just ask someone for help. Sometimes it is better to have a coach can
guide you in the right direction. She also says that consistency is key in bowling