Talking about oil patterns, rev rates and hooks might seem like a foreign language to many, but for 15-year-old Natasha Goggin from Paraparaumu, the language of tenpin bowling has become her everyday language.
Taking up tenpin bowing when her mother got a job at Kāpiti Tenpin, Natasha has quickly becomea rising star on the New Zealand tenpin bowling scene and has recently been selected to compete in Australia as part of the New Zealand junior and youth Katipō teams.
"There was a junior league down at Kāpiti Tenpin which myself and my brother joined and we just started to love the sport and got really involved," Natasha said.
Natasha Goggin with medals and All Star trophy from the National Youth Championship. Photo / Rosalie Willis
"I enjoy it because it's all year round – we don't have big long breaks, and I like all the bowling families that we get to meet and know."
The sport is highly technical with Natasha currently working on getting the ball higher when she pulls it back and working on her revs - the way the ball rotates which affects her hook.
Natasha is competing as part of the NZ Katipō18 (junior) team in the President's Shield competition and the NZ Katipō21 (youth) team, competing in the Walter Rachuig Trophy at the Australian National Championship.
"I put my name down for the under 18 team and got picked for that, and then they asked me if I would like to be in the under 21s as well because I was ranked high enough."
With her all-time high score being 258 until this weekend when she bowled 278, Natasha's goal is to make it into the top five despite being the youngest girl on both teams, and the only girl competing in both the junior and youth competitions.
Natasha Goggin with coach Rob Pollock.
The junior competition is being held first from July 25-27 with the youth competing from August 1-4.
"I'd really like to place in the top five, but I would be extremely happy if I made it into the top three.
"I'm just really excited to compete."
Coached by Rob Pollock since she started, Natasha said, "Coach Rob has been there for me ever since I started bowling and I'm really thankful for him.
"Chris and Ally Haynes from North City Tenpin have also been supporting me."
Still competing in more competitions in New Zealand before she heads to Australia, Natasha is hoping to hold her position as the highest-ranked junior and improve on her third position in youth before she goes.
Coach Pollock said, "Natasha has been bowling since she was 9 years old and has really blossomed in the past couple of years.
"She is the current North City youth champion and also the current Wellington Open youth champion.
"At the 2021 National Youth Teams Championships Natasha was the only junior to make the youth All Stars, named as one of the top five girls in the country."
On Sunday Natasha bowled a new personal best of 278 which is nine strikes followed by a 9-spare-9, close to a perfect game.
At the same time Natasha also bowled a personal best three-game series of 653, a 217 average.
