Motivated teen works on old and new challenges

Eric received a $49 scholarship and singles championship certificate at the New Jersey State awards banquet last season.

Sixteen-year-old Eric Vaccaro of Hackettstown, N.J., wants to improve, and he's working to make it happen.

The Newton High School bowling team member joined his first certified youth league back in 2003 when he was 13 and finished his first season with a 108 average.

Almost four years later, his average now varies from 136 to 164 in the four 2007-08 leagues he has competed in. Some of those were conducted on challenging Sport Bowling lane conditions, where oil patterns are less forgiving and accuracy is vital.

Over the last year and a half, Eric has been working with a coach who has helped him make the transition from beginning bowler to serious competitor. One of the first steps was to trade Eric's old plastic ball for more versatile equipment that's been measured and drilled with a fingertip grip.

"He got this new ball the night before the New Jersey State Championship Tournament (last year) and went out and won the singles division title in his division," exclaimed Eric's proud coach, Jeffrey Frye.

"He also has either won or placed very high in a number of other tournaments this past year," Frye added.

Variety is another factor that has helped Eric improve. This season he's faced weekly competition in three different bowling centers, plus he's bowled in two Junior Gold travel leagues. He's learning not to take anything for granted, to notice varying lane conditions and differences in play on wood and synthetic lanes.

That's a big step for Eric, who has autism, a bio-neurological developmental disability that afflicts 1 of every 150 kids in the U.S. Since autism affects sensory processing, verbal and non-verbal communication, interaction with others and behavior, Eric's progress in bowling shows progress in managing his autism, too.

His latest game improvements include a change in bowling style. He no longer throws a back-up ball and practices at home five to ten minutes each night, working on his body position, arm swing and balance at release.

He also earned his USBC Coaching Level I certification, which benefits his own game and gives him confidence in working with other kids who want to improve.

Tournaments provide more opportunities for Eric to challenge himself. In Special Olympics competition, he won a bronze medal in the singles event of a local qualifier and a silver medal in singles at the regional level. His most recent accomplishment was winning the boys classified division title and a $75 scholarship award in a Teen Masters qualifier May 6th.

This season on regular house conditions, Eric averaged 157 and rolled his 256 high game, had five games of 200 or better, seven series of 500 or better and three series exceeding 550.

On Sport Bowling lane conditions this season Eric has rolled 13 games of 175 or better, a benchmark for this young athlete who wants to one day qualify to join USBC's Junior Gold program. He bowled his 205 high Sport game a few weeks ago during a PBA Experience travel league, where he is averaging 152.