Before the first day of bowling practice in the fall, Head Bowling Coach Jim Viets received a text from his star bowler, Vinny Doran.
The incoming senior told his coach he wasn't planning on playing. Vinny wanted to work his part-time job and save up some money. Viets was shocked.
The coach and kegler talked for a long time about the decision. In the end, Viets convinced Doran to stick with bowling for his senior season. Vinny could skip one team practice a week to work his part-time gig. As long as Vinny bowled with the team at practice once a week and on Saturday matches.
Nearly four months later, Doran has made history.
On Sunday, Vinny qualified for the Division I Bowling State Championships as an individual, thanks to a 627 series at the District Tournament at Roseland Lanes.
"At the start of the season, I didn't know if I wanted to bowl," Doran said. "At the end of the day, all of my friends who were bowling, the coaches, and my parents convinced me. I honestly didn't expect it at the start of the season. I kept on practicing and getting better. Eventually, I got good enough to make it to States.
"It feels pretty good."
Doran is just the second Wildcat all-time to qualify for the State Tournament. Chris Thom became the first to make it to Columbus in 2011.
Viets couldn't be more proud of Doran.
“It’s special to have your bowler get to States," Viets said. "It doesn’t happen often. I’ll have a chance to watch him compete at States at Wayne Webb’s lanes. Webb was a legendary pro bowler and is in the Hall of Fame. This is a once in a lifetime experience."
Competing against the best of Northeast Ohio, Doran knew he would need to bring his A-game to Districts on Sunday.
The senior started with his hair on fire, knocking down 7 strikes in a row. Adversity then struck in the eighth frame, as Doran confronted an open.
Doran responded by tallying two strikes in the final two frames. His composure allowed him to take advantage of a great start, to the tune of a 258 in game one. The 258 game proved to be the third-best bowled by any kegler all day.
“He could have tanked there and went 205," Viets said. "For him not to get frustrated or lose it was impressive. He stayed clean for the whole day. It was nice watching him not get frustrated."
As the oil pattern spread out, Doran did not tally as many strikes in the second frame. But Doran picked up nearly every spare – the mark of a great bowler, and a must for a kegler looking to advance to States.
Doran completed the second game with a 187, a solid result. Doran continued to take care of business in the third frame, doing great work to record strikes and spares. Doran remained calm, cool, and collected when necessary, including on a 5-pin spare late in the third game.
"You gotta have a lot of focus," Doran said. "You have to hit the mark every time. Just focusing when you're out there and relaxing when you're not is important."
At the end of the third game, Doran finished with a 182. His 3-game series totaled 627 pins in impressive fashion.
Bowling with the other individual qualifiers, Doran finished bowling around 2:30-2:45. He could not rest easy, though. Doran had to stick around to see the results of the team bowling to see if any individuals of non-qualifying teams beat him out for States.
On the counsel of his coaches, Doran felt confident in his score being good enough to earn a spot. But he still had to sweat it out until the official results proclaimed him a State qualifier and a member of the All-District team at about 4:45 pm. Doran finished fourth as an individual, making the cut by a mere 7 pins.
"I'm pretty excited, but nervous," Doran said. "I don't know what to expect. No one has made it since 2011. But I'm very excited."
Doran will bask in the glow of victory for a day or two, but he'll be back at the lanes this week to practice. Doran will head to Columbus late next week to practice at Wayne Webb's Columbus Bowl, the site of the tournament, to get a feel for the tournament oil pattern. The coaches will be informed of the tournament oil pattern early this week.
Doran will then take part in the tournament as an individual on Saturday, March 9. The full tournament schedule is online here.
Thom, the last Wildcat to bowl in the State Tournament, rolled a 179-202-216 (597 series). Chris finished 23rd overall in the tournament.
"I'm excited for him," Thom said. "My advice for him is that you'll be nervous the first couple rolls, but keep going at it. The first frame is the toughest. You'll get more comfortable as you go and the scores go up. You made it this far, you're a good bowler. Overall, I'm happy the team is doing well and they're keeping up the tradition. Good luck, and go get 'em, Vinny!"
Doran will look to follow Thom's advice and do well at the highest level. His coach definitely believes in him, both as a bowler and a person.
“All year, he was our anchor. I knew what I could get from him all season,” Viets said. “Vinny is a true student-athlete. He has a great GPA. If I looked at his grades today, I guarantee it’s 3.7 or higher. He keeps himself in great shape, he’s a great student-athlete. He works out at home on his own, too.
“I give a lot of credit to [Assistant] Coach Chris [Nagy],” Viets continued. “Chris is in Vinny’s ear a lot. Chris can see when Vinny is pulling a shot or if something is off. Chris is definitely in Vinny’s ear and does a great job of keeping him grounded.”
Whatever the result, Doran will never forget what has been a memorable 2018-19 campaign.
"The season was really fun," Doran said. "I won't forget the fun moments and the friends I've made, and the coaches, especially Coach Chris. He's taught me a lot about how to be a better bowler. He's a great coach. I want to say thank you to my team, my coaches, and my friends and family."