As fall comes to an end, so do all the fall sports! Bowling is one sport that many Special Olympics teams participate in all around the world. On Saturday, November 2nd a tournament was held at Leda Lanes in Nashua, New Hampshire for area teams. Beginning at 12 p.m., the tournament ran through 4 p.m. offering an opportunity for a whole lot of competitive bowling.

There are two different styles of bowling for the Special Olympics athletes; candlepin and ten pin. The only real difference between the two are the size of the balls. The local team for Goffstown, known as Team Uncanoonuc, uses the candlepin balls. These sized balls are much lighter for the athletes, and they have all commented they feel they bowl the best with these.

Team Uncanoonuc geared up for the tournament with many afternoon practices. For the past two months, they’ve spent every Tuesday from three to five at King’s Bowling Lanes in Pinardville practicing their skills. These practices were joined by many of the athletes, volunteers, and parents. Additionally, the three coaches were there to cheer on each practice and to help students strengthen their bowling skills. After many hours of practice, the athletes were very excited about attending the tournament.

The tournament was a great success for team Uncanoonuc. The group had twenty-two athletes who participated in bowling, and they even had seven participants finish in first place. All of the volunteers were so proud of the athletes for working so hard in the practices to do so well in the competition. One of the athletes, Hayden Meattey, commented that he “…loves this team,” and he wanted to congratulate all his friends on the “great job” they all did. Hayden showed his team his appreciation. Another comment was made by one of the coaches, Deb Nikas, who said she thought that “…everybody did awesome!”