Youth bowler wins Crosswind

Louie Chuaquico is still too young to drive a car. But the 14-year-old wunderkind is now the owner of a brand-new Isuzu Crosswind XUVi, his prize for topping the sixth SM Bowling Cup semifinals at the SM Megamall lanes recently.

Louie, an only child, isn’t rushing to turn 16 when he can get a student’s license to drive. He’s happy giving the Crosswind to his father Remigio, an Allied Bank senior assistant manager. It will be the Chuaquicos’ second car after a Toyota Vios. The family expects the vehicle to be delivered before the year ends.

The road to the finals in the handicap competition wasn’t smooth sailing for Louie who carries a plus-19. Over 300 bowlers joined the sixth edition of the SM tournament last January. The cast was trimmed to 120 after the first eliminations then to 60, 24, eight, four and finally, two. Louie was a distant seventh at the start of the four-round series in the semifinals but battled back with a vengeance.

Louie faced 35-year-old veteran Jho Balanay, carrying a plus-42 handicap, in the best-of-three finals. He won, 402-324.

The last 24 survivors gained automatic tickets to play in the May SM finals where another Crosswind awaits the champion. A tournament will be held from January to April to qualify 24 other semifinalists for the May bowlfest.

"I’m grateful to SM for giving bowlers a chance to play for big prizes," said Louie. "The competition is tough and a lot of bowlers from all over participate. There are qualifiers from SM bowling centers in Cebu, Davao and Iloilo so we’re encouraged to play our best."

Last November, Louie tried out with 47 others for a slot in the 12-man, 21-and-under national youth pool. Each aspirant played 10 games a day for four days under coach Sharwyn Dy’s supervision. Louie said he was lucky to make the cutoff.

"I wasn’t the youngest to be taken because there was a 13-year-old who was also selected," said Louie. "It’s an honor to be part of the youth pool and I’m looking forward to play for our country in the Asian Youth championships in China in July."

Louie began bowling when he was 11 and took to the sport like fish to water. Although he also plays volleyball and shoots pool, Louie said he prefers bowling because it challenges him mentally.

This year, Louie said he began to make strides at the lanes. He rolled two perfect games, topped the SM Bowling Cup and made it to the national youth pool. The success was a result of hard work.

"I do a lot of exercises to keep fit and I lift 16-pound weights to strengthen my wrists," he said. "I talk to the experts and learn from them. My idol is Paeng Nepomuceno and he always gives me advice and encourages me. I also got advice from the American coach Tony Brown who told me to concentrate on my game and to slow down in my delivery and approach."

Louie said he was disappointed that the national team failed to deliver a single medal in the Doha Asian Games but he’s confident of a bounce back. "We can’t win all the time," he said. "In bowling, there are ups and downs. You can get lucky or unlucky and a lot depends on the lanes."

Louie is a sophomore high school student at St. Peter the Apostle School. He said he dedicated his win at the SM Bowling Cup to his classmates whom he promised a ride in the Crosswind. But his parents are his inspiration.

"I owe everything to my parents," said Louie. "My father and mother (Cynthia) give me all the support I need to compete. I’m blessed to have parents like them."

The SM Bowling Cup is the biggest bowling tournament in the country with more than P5 Million in prizes at stake. This year, SM paid out P1 Million for 10 perfect games at P100,000 each.

"We’re proud and excited to stage the country’s longest-running bowling tournament," said SM Leisure Center senior marketing manager Amy Paralisan. "And we’re looking forward to staging more tournaments in the future."

SM Leisure Center vice president Engineer Ric Camaligan promised bigger things to come during the sixth Bowling Cup awarding rites. The tournament was presented by Pepsi and supported by Accel, Isuzu and Boysen. The top four finishers in the sixth Bowling Cup were Louie, Balanay of SM Fairview, John Gasataya of SM Cebu and Kap Aguila of SM North EDSA.