Sariah Tuanau off to national junior and youth tenpin bowling championships

Sariah Tuanau, 15, from Maketū is heading to the NZ junior and youth tenpin nationals in September.

Maketū teen Sariah Tuanau has spent less than a year playing tenpin bowls - but will compete in her first national championships next month.

The Tenpin Bowling New Zealand Junior and Youth Tenpin Nationals will take place in Kapiti at the end of September.

Being keen to try as many sports as she can, Sariah took up tenpin bowling in October last year when her mum's boyfriend started working at Tenpin Tauranga.

There was an opportunity to get some tuition that Sariah took, and she then began playing in a team.

''I just like trying new things,'' Sariah says.

She has also played basketball, touch, rugby and volleyball.

''She was bowling quite well so they asked her if she wanted to join a team,'' says dad Patuara Biel.

Starting to play in a league meant getting her own bowling ball. The coaching she is getting means she is getting better and better at the hook technique of bowling that allows the ball to have a curved trajectory.

Patuara says he has also learned about tenpin bowling from watching Sariah being coached.

Sariah says she is looking forward to the tournament which will be first tournament of any description she has entered. She admits, though, to being a little nervous about how she will measure up to the standard of the other players.

While she has had plenty of scores in the 200s, Sariah has yet to achieve a perfect game.

Patuara says there are plenty of rules to get familiar with.

''You wouldn't know them if you only play socially, but you can get yellow and red carded for taking too long and they can take points off you.''

Sariah will play in the singles, doubles and teams competitions and could be playing up to 20 games a day at the tournament.

The family is having a fundraising hangi this weekend and is also selling chocolate to help Sariah make the trip.