STEPPING onto the oak-coloured floor with his fingers placed in a 15-pound bowling ball, Zavier Trajanovski skillfully launches his sphere down the lane hoping for a strike.
The 14-year-old has been tenpin bowling since he was eight, and now has a national title under his belt after taking first place on the podium at the 2024 Australian Junior National Championships Under 14 Masters.
"I have a passion for it. I enjoy it every time I do it," he said.
Demonstrating his skill under pressure starting just 28 pins behind the leading qualifier, Zavier scored a run of 236, 226, and 258, in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th game, propelling him to victory with a total of 2961 points.
The Teralba teen says he knew he was serious about pursuing the lanes when he signed up for a Bowl Patrol program in Mayfield one day after school.
He finished that program with top honours as NSW patroller of the year in 2018.
"I just love it so much. I do it as a hobby but I do it for a sport as well."
His mum, Corinne Johnston, said she tried multiple sports with him as a young kid but nothing quite stuck like it did in the bowling alley.
"He honestly eats, sleeps, breathes bowling," she said.
He spends almost every day perfecting his throws out of Terrace Strikezone, in Raymond Terrace, under the guidance of his coaches James Shewring and Geoff Sara.
"His attention to detail and his willingness to learn as someone who is very young is incredible," Shewring said.
Zavier said tenpin bowling was as much a mental game as it was a physical one.
"You can't get angry with yourself if you throw a bad shot you just kind of let it go. Some people like to get hyped up before a competition, but I just like to sit on my own and get in the zone," he said.
Shewring said they worked on the psychology of the game, coming up with strategies as well as technique, and he had high hopes for his bowling prodigy.
"Zavier bowls as much as he can, I 100 per cent can see him representing the country," the coach said.
Zavier said his goal was to represent Australia and he planned to try out for the national team early next year.
"I would love to [represent Australia], that'd be my ultimate dream," he said.
