'Well deserved moment': 300 game shows Hoover High School bowler Connor Lab's potential
Connor Lab is an easy person to find when the Hoover High School boys bowling team steps out onto the lanes. The senior state qualifier usually can be found offering advice and encouragement to teammates or mentoring younger bowlers in the Viking program.
"He's a big part of our team," Hoover head coach Nichole Wells said. "He's one of three co-captains on the team and he is a calming mechanism for a lot of the kids on the team. He is always there for the younger players and is quick to pick everybody up."
That's why it was so gratifying for Wells to watch Lab achieve the greatest feat a bowler can obtain during a match. Just before the calendar turned to 2024, Lab rolled a 300 in a late December match against Carrollton.
"It was a well deserved moment for him," Wells said. "I was so happy for Connor when he rolled his 300. ... I saw he was perfect through the front seven and I did everything that I could to not put any extra pressure on him. It can be rough on a player when the nerves kick in. Being able to watch the final shot was awesome, though."
Lab felt good going into the match and knew it had the possibility of a good day. He just didn't know how special it would end up being.
"I got there super early for that match," Lab said. "I was relaxed. It just felt like it was going to be a good day before everything got started. I will say that it became very nerve wracking as I got closer and closer to 300."
Lab had hot starts before but had never finished off a 300 round. There would be no denying him this time.
"It starts to get tougher as you go along," Lab said. "I just tried to approach each shot as just another shot and tried not to think about it as much as I could. I had been able to get through eight or nine perfect frames in the past but something would always happen. Nothing happened this time. I think this is going to give me a lot of confidence being in that situation going forward."
It's the type of moment that could unlock Lab's full potential for Hoover down the stretch.
"I think getting that first one could really open the floodgates for him," Wells said. "He's really improved his speed and he's been rolling great all year. It was a moment you could kind of see coming. It was just a question of when it was going to happen."
Lab's attention remains focused on the team.
"My goals for the rest of the year are to find a way to help us win the Federal League," Lab said. "I'd also like to see us qualify for state as a team this year. We missed it by just two pins last year. I'd really like for us all to get to go to the state tournament this year."
Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @chickmanREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Hoover High School bowler Connor Lab talks 300 game, team goals
