National Champs
Father and son duo

BY ART PARKER
Editor The Sports Desk

Ethan Meeks and his dad, Wayne, won the Parent/Youth National Bowling Championship in Dallas, Texas, in early August.  The championship is part of the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA) International Gamily Tournament.  The Meeks live in Elmore County and Ethan is a third grade student at Robinson Springs School in Millbrook.

Several months ago, Ethan and his mother, Joan, entered the local competition at Bama Lanes attempting to qualify for the state championship and earn the privilege of competing at the national tournament.  Joan became ill on the day of local qualifying and Wayne stepped in as the parent part of the team.  The Meek's won the local round which forced Wayne to become his son's partner throughout the balance of competition.  Father and son went on to capture the state event and Ethan took his first plane ride when the family went to Dallas to face 32 other Parent/youth teams in National competition.

Things began a little slow at Nationals.  Ethan was hot and Wayne was cold in the first few games in Dallas.  "Dad didn't bowl good the first few games.  I had to carry him," little Ethan mentioned as he needled his Dad.  The team kept getting warmer and managed to make it into the top eight qualifiers at the end of the first round.  Had the Meeks' finished ninth they would have been out of the tournament.  The next day they moved up to seventh and earned a shot at the final round, which was single elimination match play know as the "Baker Format."

 Father and son fought and scraped their way into the final three.  The Meeks defeated one team and then took the national championship by defeating thee final pairing.  After 17 games in Dallas, the Meeks were champs and Ethan was awarded a $3,000 scholarship.  They also gained celebrity status with the win.  The Father/Son duo will be featured on the Games and Sports show on Nickelodeon on September 10.

The eight year old Ethan is the star of the family show.  An exceptionally good bowler, Ethan popped the competition with a 177 in one game in Dallas.  The youngster also enjoys baseball, karate and soccer.  Ethan started when he was five years old and won the City Championship five months later and once rolled five strikes in a row.  Ethan loves to compete and when asked what he likes best about bowling, the young fellow said, "Winning."  Ethan had some excellent advice for other bowlers when asked for his top bowling tip.  "Hit the head pin," Ethan Declared.