This Catawba County 16-year-old won a national bowling title and qualified for US development team
Makayla Pressley, dressed in her Futures Team USA jacket, stands with her trophy from the Junior Gold National Bowling Tournament.
Makayla Pressley had been to the Junior Gold National Bowling Tournament in Minneapolis before and dreamed about one day winning it, but she didn't expect 2026 would be the year it happened.Â
"It's the biggest youth tournament in the world," she said. "It has always been a dream of mine to win it, not really a goal, but a dream."
Last summer was her fourth trip to the tournament. The first two times she went, she finished around 90th place and last year she finished 37th. This year, she said, everything clicked.Â
"It didn't feel real at first, it was kind of like shock," she said. "Then it sets in slowly, 'oh, it's actually happening. I have a chance here to do it.'"
But this year, Pressley did it. She won the U16 (under 16) division this July, beating out 325 other competitors.
She said when they finally handed her the trophy, it didn't feel like it was actually happening. Along with the trophy, Pressley won $9,000 in scholarship money. In total, she has won $19,000 in scholarship money so far in her career.
She also qualified to be a part of Futures Team USA.Â
"It's the developmental team for USA Bowling," she said. "I get to fly out to Texas next July before Junior Gold, and I get to work with some of the Team USA coaches and some of the other kids who have made Futures Team USA."
She qualified for the program by making the semifinals at the Junior Gold tournament.Â
Pressley lives in Vale, but bowls at Pin Station in Newton. She said she couldn't have done it without their support and the help of others in the community.
"I get games at a cheaper cost, and they help me a lot with being able to practice," she said. "There's a wait list, so I can get on that and practice."
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What does your training schedule look like to be able to compete at this level?
"I practice Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Fridays, I have youth league. Saturdays, I usually either have youth league or a tournament and I usually have a tournament on Sundays. I practice a lot on Mondays and Wednesdays, I practice spares because spares are really important and I also do a lot of drills."
How did you get started with bowling?
"When I was in about third grade, one of my friends I had at the time, she asked me to come bowl with her on Friday night in this fun league thing. I had a lot of fun, and I kept with it every Friday. Then she was talking about other stuff I could do, so I got into some smaller tournaments, and it just clicked."
What did you love about it at first? How has that changed?
"I liked getting to see my friends outside of school and the competition because I like being competitive. ... I still like the competitive part, probably even more now. And now that I've got more friends in the bowling community, I love getting to see them at tournaments and leagues."
Did it come natural at first or was it a slow process?
When I first started, I threw a backup ball, which is not the traditional way, so I had to take a lot of lessons for it to finally start piecing together.
Was that challenge part of the appeal?
"Yes, because when I first started tournaments, it was a really big struggle for me. So, I thought, I'm not going to quit. I want to get better."
What is your highest score?
"My highest score in a single game is 279, and my highest three-game score, sanctioned, it's 673, but I technically shot a 700 at Junior Gold."
Are you looking into playing in college?
"Not too long after I started, people were saying, 'Oh, I'm going to go to college here or there and they are signing.' I thought, 'oh wait, I can do this beyond just for fun.' ... Right now, I'm talking with Milligan in Johnson City, Tennessee, University of Pikeville and Savannah College of Arts and Design."
What are your long-term goals with bowling?
"I would like to go on the professional women's tour and maybe some of the men's, too, because women can do some of the men's events, too. I would like to win a major title and, you don't make a lot of money on tour, so I would like to be an architect, too."
What is your dream vacation?
My favorite place I have been to is probably either Nashville or Charleston. Or Savannah, I liked Savannah too. ... I really like the beach.
But I would really like to go to Italy or France or someplace like that in the world.
Since you are homeschooled, what is your favorite part of being homeschooled?
My favorite subject is history. I really like history. My favorite part of being homeschooled is I get to make my own schedule. So, I get to take my time on schoolwork, or if I want to do it later in the day, I can. There's no certain time of the day I have to do it.
What is your favorite book, movie and/or TV show?
My favorite movie is "Little Women" (2019); my favorite book is also "Little Women," the original. And my favorite TV show is probably "Anne with an E."
What is your favorite food?
Pasta with alfredo sauce.Â
If there's one thing I would want everybody to know about me, it would be ...Â
I really love animals. I have a bunch of pets. I have five dogs, three, technically four cats, and I have two bunnies.
Jason Koon is the Sports Editor for the Hickory Record and can be reached at jason.koon@lee.net.
