Continuously practicing has been the main ingredient in the recipe of success in the young career of Mililani bowler Wayne Miyashiro. The current Oahu Interscholastic Association champion says he has been putting in extra practice time the last two weeks to prepare for the upcoming Hawaii High School Athletic Association state championships which start Thursday, October 29.

The state tournament will be held at Schofield Bowling Center. The format will feature nine games over a two-day period.

Miyashiro was victorious earlier this month in capturing the OIA boys individual bowling title and says he is looking forward to playing in the state tourney. “I’m hoping to ride the momentum of my (OIA) win,” said Miyashiro, who won the league crown with a six-game score of 1,219 pins. "I know this will be a tough tournament to win."  Miyashiro added, “As long as I put in practice time then I know I will have a good chance to bowl well. And listen to my coaches so I can get an understanding of what I need to do in order to win.”

The 15-year sophomore says he has gain lots of experience since when he first started bowling for the Trojans. Besides bowling for Mililani, Miyashiro stated he regularly bowls against other amateur bowlers around the island in the off-season.  “I’ve played in a lot of different tournaments this year, so I know what to expect when I get to the lanes. I know I will have to pick up my spares because at the end they really count,” Miyashiro said.

Miyashiro won the OIA title behind excellent performances in the middle games then managed to hold off his competition from that point on. He bowled a 157 in game one, and then excelled in the second with a score of 269, the highest pin total at the event.

“My first game wasn’t all that great,” Miyashiro said. “But I believe I could win after hitting strikes in my first eight frames (of the game two).”

Teammate Kyle Ortiz finished second in the OIA tourney with 1,173 pins. The pair helped Mililani win the team title (5,429 total pins) beating Pearl City (5,193).

Miyashiro credits his family with giving him the drive to improve on his skills. He says he realizes he’s close to the top yet believes he still needs to practice so he can continue to get better.

“My grandfather would take me bowling with him every week. And each time we went I got better and better. As I got better I started enjoying the sport a lot more. But I’m at the stage now where I must keep practicing if I want to continue to bowl well,” Miyashiro said.