Recently coming in 3rd place at ASU’s Pepsi State, Sophomore Tayler Clark stunned us with her first-class bowling skills, making Sahuaro and Arizona as a whole immensely proud.

Following in her family’s footsteps, Tayler’s internal flame for bowling finally sparked after watching some high schoolers play at the local bowling alley. She walked up to the coach and expressed her interest in the sport, declaring, “This is what I want to do.” Her love for bowling not only stems from the exhilarating sport itself, but also from the endless support she gets doing it alongside friends and family. “I definitely see myself pursuing bowling in the future. I hope to go to college on a bowling scholarship and afterwards join the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA),” Tayler told us when asked about her anticipated bowling career.

Other exciting aspects about bowling are the competitions and travel. “My favorite part about competing is being able to push myself to do better each time I bowl and striving to do the best I can at each tournament,” Tayler said, which she definitely proved at the 2021 Pepsi State Tournament. “It was really good and exciting to compete, but unfortunately I didn’t win. I came 3rd in the state.” Everyone take that in. 3rd in the entire state of Arizona. Tayler is humble but we certainly are not; that’s extremely impressive.

The biggest feat in her bowling journey thus far is crossing the country to Indianapolis where she participated in the National Junior Gold Championship, which she plans to partake in again this upcoming summer. Traveling all over the U.S. has given Tayler some unforgettable memories, like meeting and getting to bowl with her idol Shannon O’Keefe.

While having a perfect sized ball and slick shoes are very important, Tayler’s prized advice is fairly simple: “The secret is to talk to your coach.” That and also visualizing how the ball will roll down the lane depending on how you throw it.

Tayler aspires to take bowling with her throughout her whole life, the sport inevitably becoming a lifeline. And we’re all going to be cheering her on at the Championship in July. Meanwhile, next time I go to Lucky Strike on Speedway, I’m calling Tayler so she can show me how to master the art of throwing anything but gutterballs.