Shellharbour tenpin bowler Aleisha McGarry bowls over rivals

When she attended the party, McGarry discovered she had found her new passion, tenpin bowling. 

In the three years since, the 11-year-old has transitioned from a social bowler to a highly-competitive bowler who spends four to five nights a week at Shellharbour Tenpin Bowl. Her development in that time has been rapid, with McGarry achieving a number of impressive results throughout the summer.

McGarry took out the Wodonga Super Skins over the Australia Day long weekend before she delivered an impressive showing at last weekend’s NSW Championships.

There she finished third in her class in singles, second in mixed doubles and first in trios, results which saw her crowned overall winner in her class. 

By taking out her class, McGarry progressed through to Sunday’s masters event. After a hard-fought competition against older rivals, the Shellharbour bowler finished in fourth position.

Shellharbour Tenpin Bowl’s Janet Hunt said McGarry’s achievement are the direct result of the hardwork she puts in at training.

“It’s been knocking for a little while,” Hunt said. “She’s been bowling with us for a while at Shellharbour and been getting better and better. She practices a lot, so it’s nice to see it pay off. 

“She has natural talent, but her dedication to her training is the reason she’s doing so well.”

While Hunt still plays a role coaching McGarry, the youngster has started working with Australian coach Eric Jang on a weekly basis. 

With Jang possessing so much experience, Hunt believes his expertise will help McGarry reach her full potential in the coming years. 

“The sky’s the limit for Aleisha. She’ll have nationals at the end of the year and a few tournaments throughout the year coming up. 

“Eric has a wealth of knowledge, he’s coached internationally, he coaches Australian professional Sam Cooley, so he’ll definitely help Aleisha develop.”