Sammi's First PWBA Season

My Story

My name is Sammi and I’ve been bowling longer than I can remember. I started when I was four years old at the local bowling alley down the street from my house in Richland, Michigan. My older brother (who’s nearly a decade older than me) used to love watching bowling on TV and at some point in childhood pointed at the TV and said to my parents, “I want to do that!” So they enrolled him in the local bowling league. By the time I came along nine years later I had no choice but to spend every Saturday morning at the bowling alley. What wasn’t there to love about it as a kid? We got to eat junk food. We got to play games. We got to be competitive and joke around. The adults were coaching us. I couldn’t get enough of it.

I was five years old when I started in the bumper league, and I was too smart for my own good. I somehow understood geometry and physics, and I also understood exactly what it took to win. All I needed was a good dose of confidence and the right angle to the pocket to score... so I used the bumpers to bounce the ball back and forth and strike. Needless to say, I only lasted a few weeks in the bumper league before my parents said I needed to learn the hard way - by not throwing it in the gutters. And so my journey began.

I was always the youngest in my family by far and always felt that I had something to prove and needed to show that I deserved to be where I was. Every time my siblings moved up in a division, I requested to move up in a division. “You know that means you’ll be going against the big kids right? You can’t go back if you change your mind,” the league secretary told me as I peered over the edge of the front counter. “I know!” I stated with a cheeky grin. I knew I would beat them. I couldn’t get enough of proving that I would rise to a standard that I chose to put just out of my reach.

I didn’t know it then, but I was working for my future in ways that I couldn’t predict.

I’ve spent nearly every weekend since then in a bowling alley, either at league, or tournaments, or watching my friends and family bowl too. I don’t come from a family of bowlers – I didn’t grow up in a pro shop or have unlimited access to practice at centers or even have parents who could coach or fully understand what to do to help. They were supportive nonetheless and worked endlessly to provide every possible opportunity for me to compete in my youth career by finding coaches, paying for tournaments and hotels, driving hours and hours to watch, and have learned everything about the sport alongside me and continue to be a huge factor in my competitive life. I want them to be able to see me compete on tour.

Bowling has brought me college scholarships, opportunities for work, friendships that will last a lifetime, countless memories, and a community that I will always consider family. I love everything that it has to offer and will always feel overwhelmingly grateful for how my life has unfolded because of it and every person who has been involved in my journey. Bowling has also brought an incredible outlet for self-expression and a way to channel that into growth mentally, physically, and even emotionally. I truly would not be the person I am today without this sport and I couldn’t be more thankful that I now get the opportunity to compete at the level that I do, and to chase a dream I’ve had for so long that I didn’t think I would ever have the privilege to reach.

One day I hope I can be one of those women on TV that some little girl looks up at, points to, and says, “I want to do that too!” Without those people I wouldn't be who I am today.

If you want to read more about my journey or follow along in the process, feel free to check out my social media pages where I post regularly. My messages are also open if you have questions!

Instagram: @knightowl14

Facebook: facebook.com/samantha.c.knight

How You Can Help

Much like a lot of other sports, it is very expensive to compete at the highest level and to account for the season’s expenses this year I’m budgeting roughly $14,000. That budget includes entry fees, bowling equipment, jerseys, plane tickets, hotels, and car rental for this year’s 8 National Tour events and 12 Regional Tour stops.

The full schedule of events can be found at www.pwba.com/Tournaments/Schedule.

Entry fees range from $100 for a Regional event, $300 for a National event, and $500 for a Major event. The total fees to attend every event for this calendar year would be $4,200.

Jerseys start around $60 each and require some customization (logos, name, etc.)

Plane tickets vary but will be purchased for the following events: Stockton, Spokane, Las Vegas, Houston, Colorado, and Minnesota.

Hotels and rental cars are required for almost the entire month of May as there isn’t enough down time to fly back and forth between tournaments and home. I plan on driving to four out of the eight national events but will still need to pay for lodging during those weeks.

All information about the PWBA Tour can be found on www.pwba.com including expenses, prize funds, tournament formats, schedules, results, etc.

Thank You

On a very personal note, I want to say a MASSIVE thank you for any contribution you may have. I know that times are tough for so many of us right now and every little bit helps.

There are no words to say that can express what it means to me to have support in making my dream come true. I know it comes with a budget, but the impact really is priceless and I’ll forever be grateful for any amount of support I get, whether financially or otherwise. I'm only here today because of every kind word, phone call, donation, encouragement, hug, advice, etc. that I've gotten over the years and I couldn't do it without you. So thank you.

See you on the lanes!

-Sammi Knight

Instagram: @knightowl14

Facebook: facebook.com/samantha.c.knight