Gracie Lawson qualifies for state tourney
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Fairfield junior Gracie Lawson described her reaction to qualifying for the 2019 OHSAA Division II State Bowling Tournament in one word — “shocked.” Lawson reached the state tournament for the first time by just one pin over her next competitor at the district level, but now she’s reaping the rewards of that one pin and preparing for state.
Lawson was fourth place in the district and the highest-place finisher of bowlers not on first-place Hillsboro. Lawson had individual game scores of 182, 136 and 201, giving her a total of 519, which was one pin better than the fifth-place finisher at 518.
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“I was actually really shocked because I only won by one pin, and I was really shocked I had made it to state by one pin,” Lawson said. “All spares count and everything, but that was something really surprising to me that happened.”
Lawson then spoke about her start in bowling and how she grew into the sport.
“Our school started the bowling team, and everybody was wanting to start one, so I was like why not, I’ll give it a try,” she said. “Well, then my dad had started getting into bowling, and I think that’s what pushed me more, to do bowling more than just a fun thing. It’s more of a sport, and I love it now.”
Lawson was a member of the fourth-place sectional Lady Lions team that qualified for districts, and in the sectional event she scored a 391. She was also a member of the 2018-19 Southern Hills Athletic Conference champion Fairfield team. In that event, Lawson scored a 487.
“We actually have done really well this season. We’ve done a lot better than last season and have improved a lot as a team and individually,” she said. “We’ve beaten teams we never thought we’d even get close to, but we really did very well this year.
“It was a really good season because we made the districts, and that’s a first for our team. We’re the first bowling team [from FHS] to ever make it to districts, and then for me to qualify for state was really good. I’m really glad that we actually did go to districts. That was a really big thing for us. It was very nerve-wracking because we knew it was very close when we were bowling with other teams, and I’m very glad we did get to go to districts. I think that was a very good highlight of our year.”
Getting the abilities and skill to make state isn’t easy, as Lawson spoke about the work it takes to improve at bowling and how lots of practice is key to improving in the sport.
“I feel like my game has improved a ton. My scores are higher, and I’m really happy that we have all improved,” she said. “I think the area I’ve most improved is getting my spares and then getting more strikes than I did last year.
“We practice as a team at least two or three times a week, and then individually some of us would get together and bowl on days we don’t have practices or matches.”
Fairfield bowling coach Dennis Mosny talked about the season Lawson has built this year.
“I think her season has progressively gotten better. This is her second year in our program. I think attitude is probably one of the bigger things, the willingness and wanting to be here, and I think that separates a lot of the good bowlers from others,” he said. “You want to be there, and a lot of the kids who hang out here at bowling alleys are exceptional bowlers. I think as far as we started, at the start of the season to where we ended up, it exceeded our expectations.”
Coach Mosny also praised the leadership abilities of Lawson, as the Lady Lions had no seniors on their roster the season. He also talked about what his expectations for Lawson are this weekend.
“As far as the juniors are concerned, I would say the reason why they’re leaders is because the success we have as far as their scoring and obviously they’re upperclassmen,” he said. “I just want her to have fun and relax. It can be overwhelming, and in this sport, it can be brutal. I’m happy that she’s representing the school, I’m happy that she’s in the tournament, and I wish her all the best.”
Qualifying for state was the ultimate goal for Lawson, and now she wants to enjoy the experience, while also being humble and thanking those who have supported her along the way.
“I’m looking forward to having fun and having a new experience. I think it’ll be very fun to go up there and bowl against new people, and hopefully I score very well,” Lawson said. “I’d like to thank my coach and then the people who support me – my team, my mom, my sister has supported me really because she’s encouraged me to do a lot more, my grandparents encouraged me a lot. They always told me ‘you can do it, and you can always do what you think you can do best.’ A lot of other teams we bowled against, we always encouraged each other, and they’re a really big help to us.”
Lawson was fourth place in the district and the highest-place finisher of bowlers not on first-place Hillsboro. Lawson had individual game scores of 182, 136 and 201, giving her a total of 519, which was one pin better than the fifth-place finisher at 518.
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“I was actually really shocked because I only won by one pin, and I was really shocked I had made it to state by one pin,” Lawson said. “All spares count and everything, but that was something really surprising to me that happened.”
Lawson then spoke about her start in bowling and how she grew into the sport.
“Our school started the bowling team, and everybody was wanting to start one, so I was like why not, I’ll give it a try,” she said. “Well, then my dad had started getting into bowling, and I think that’s what pushed me more, to do bowling more than just a fun thing. It’s more of a sport, and I love it now.”
Lawson was a member of the fourth-place sectional Lady Lions team that qualified for districts, and in the sectional event she scored a 391. She was also a member of the 2018-19 Southern Hills Athletic Conference champion Fairfield team. In that event, Lawson scored a 487.
“We actually have done really well this season. We’ve done a lot better than last season and have improved a lot as a team and individually,” she said. “We’ve beaten teams we never thought we’d even get close to, but we really did very well this year.
“It was a really good season because we made the districts, and that’s a first for our team. We’re the first bowling team [from FHS] to ever make it to districts, and then for me to qualify for state was really good. I’m really glad that we actually did go to districts. That was a really big thing for us. It was very nerve-wracking because we knew it was very close when we were bowling with other teams, and I’m very glad we did get to go to districts. I think that was a very good highlight of our year.”
Getting the abilities and skill to make state isn’t easy, as Lawson spoke about the work it takes to improve at bowling and how lots of practice is key to improving in the sport.
“I feel like my game has improved a ton. My scores are higher, and I’m really happy that we have all improved,” she said. “I think the area I’ve most improved is getting my spares and then getting more strikes than I did last year.
“We practice as a team at least two or three times a week, and then individually some of us would get together and bowl on days we don’t have practices or matches.”
Fairfield bowling coach Dennis Mosny talked about the season Lawson has built this year.
“I think her season has progressively gotten better. This is her second year in our program. I think attitude is probably one of the bigger things, the willingness and wanting to be here, and I think that separates a lot of the good bowlers from others,” he said. “You want to be there, and a lot of the kids who hang out here at bowling alleys are exceptional bowlers. I think as far as we started, at the start of the season to where we ended up, it exceeded our expectations.”
Coach Mosny also praised the leadership abilities of Lawson, as the Lady Lions had no seniors on their roster the season. He also talked about what his expectations for Lawson are this weekend.
“As far as the juniors are concerned, I would say the reason why they’re leaders is because the success we have as far as their scoring and obviously they’re upperclassmen,” he said. “I just want her to have fun and relax. It can be overwhelming, and in this sport, it can be brutal. I’m happy that she’s representing the school, I’m happy that she’s in the tournament, and I wish her all the best.”
Qualifying for state was the ultimate goal for Lawson, and now she wants to enjoy the experience, while also being humble and thanking those who have supported her along the way.
“I’m looking forward to having fun and having a new experience. I think it’ll be very fun to go up there and bowl against new people, and hopefully I score very well,” Lawson said. “I’d like to thank my coach and then the people who support me – my team, my mom, my sister has supported me really because she’s encouraged me to do a lot more, my grandparents encouraged me a lot. They always told me ‘you can do it, and you can always do what you think you can do best.’ A lot of other teams we bowled against, we always encouraged each other, and they’re a really big help to us.”