Top Performer: Katie Paris

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Bowling is rarely thought of as a kind of competitive sport that, say football or baseball is.

But a recent Rapid City Central graduate is proving that wrong and now she’s ready to take her talents to the next level.

Katie Paris starting bowling when she was just eight years old.

But she really got serious about the sport just three years ago.

“I just did it for fun and then when I was a sophomore in high school, I won a tournament,” said Katie Paris. “I was like hey this is kind of fun. I want to do more of this. Then I met a bowling coach that is a pro and he introduced me to all the aspects of bowling. How you can do it competitively. How its not just coming to the bowling alley once a year to pick up a house ball and have fun. It can be a competitive sport that can be very challenging.”

Over the past several years, Paris has become a student of the game.

“There’s a lot that you don’t see,” Paris added. “Like you don’t see the oil pattern. You don’t see how the lanes break down. Every shot is different. There’s a lot of fundamentals. It’s a very complex and difficult sport.” 

Paris loves competing in bowling.

In fact, she’s placed in over 15 tournaments around the state and was named the 2019 and 2020 Rapid City Youth Bowler of the Year.

“It was very exciting,” Paris said. “It was a huge honor. The president that gave it to me, Howard Sharkey, I looked up to him for many years. To have him give it to me and recognize me was a huge accomplishment. I’m very very proud of it.”

Paris also competed in softball during her high school career and was named to the All-State team three times.

But eventually, she decided to compete in bowling at the collegiate level.

“So when it came down, I had to decide between my passion for softball and my passion for bowling,” Paris said. “I ended up choosing bowling because of the bowling community. They supported me. They helped me reach what I wanted to do. Helped me be successful. So I really liked that. I’m not saying softball didn’t. But it was a different level of support that I just loved and thrived in.”

Later this month, Paris leaves for Pulaski, Tennessee where she will compete in bowling for Martin Methodist College.

“The two coaches are both really amazing professional bowlers,” Paris said. “They’re both in the hall of fame. They’ve made their step in the world. They’ve made their name known. So they’re two of the best in the business and I can’t believe I get to go bowl with them every single day.”

Congratulations to Katie Paris for being named a News Center 1 Top Performer.

This month’s Top Performer was brought to you by Denny Menholt Auto Group, offering the right cars, the right price, the right experience. Denny Menholt Auto Group takes pride in supporting local athletes in their endeavor to reach higher levels of success and believes in the power of youth sports to change young people’s lives and enable them to have a brighter future.
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