Special to National Post
EARTH DAY 2021
© Provided by National Post Canadian bowler François Lavoie competes during the PBA Tours Super Slam at Bowlero Lanes in Annandale, Va. on Sunday, April 18, 2021. Lavoie has won the Guaranteed Rate PBA Super Slam. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-PBA Tour-Reinhold Matay *MANDATORY CREDIT* ORG XMIT: CPT650
By Ceilidh Young
Canadian bowler François Lavoie won the Guaranteed Rate PBA Super Slam last weekend in Annandale, VA, earning him US$100,000. The 28-year-old from Québec City was seeded fourth going into the tournament, where he beat the No. 1 seed Chris Via in the semi-final and advanced to the final, winning 247-202 over Kyle Troup.
Lavoie, who now makes his home in Wichita, KA, is a two-time U.S. Open Champion, and will now be headed to the PBA playoffs beginning April 24. Lavoie told the National Post he has never been feeling more confident and shared other insights about his game.
The interview was edited for clarity and length.
Q: What do you plan on doing with the prize money that you won?
A: I think most of it is going to go towards a house. I bought a house just last year, so a good chunk of it is gonna help pay that off.
Q: Oh, that’s great, as you probably know the housing market here in Canada is crazy.
A: I know, yeah. I’ve been looking because I’ve been trying to, eventually, maybe sometime in the future, try to move back to Canada.
Q: How did you get into bowling?
A: My dad was the one who got me in. He bowled a little, but he was never competitive or anything like that. But instead of trying to scramble to find babysitters all the time, they would take me to the bowling centre when he was bowling. They would turn on a lane next to them, and I would just throw some shots there and stuff like that. I honestly don’t remember any of it, but that’s the story my parents tell me.
Q: You continued to pursue bowling instead of another sport or hobby. Why bowling?
A: I get that question a lot, because it’s obviously not a popular sport like some of the other ones. I played a little bit of hockey, and tennis in the summer when I was younger as well, but bowling was what I did first, and it was something that I was good at from an early age. I started competing in junior tournaments around Québec City, and eventually around the province, and when you’re young and you’re doing something that you’re good at, its super-gratifying and it gives you some self-confidence. So that’s how it started with me, performing well and me winning tournaments at a young age — and I just kept doing it.
By Ceilidh Young
Canadian bowler François Lavoie won the Guaranteed Rate PBA Super Slam last weekend in Annandale, VA, earning him US$100,000. The 28-year-old from Québec City was seeded fourth going into the tournament, where he beat the No. 1 seed Chris Via in the semi-final and advanced to the final, winning 247-202 over Kyle Troup.
Lavoie, who now makes his home in Wichita, KA, is a two-time U.S. Open Champion, and will now be headed to the PBA playoffs beginning April 24. Lavoie told the National Post he has never been feeling more confident and shared other insights about his game.
The interview was edited for clarity and length.
Q: What do you plan on doing with the prize money that you won?
A: I think most of it is going to go towards a house. I bought a house just last year, so a good chunk of it is gonna help pay that off.
Q: Oh, that’s great, as you probably know the housing market here in Canada is crazy.
A: I know, yeah. I’ve been looking because I’ve been trying to, eventually, maybe sometime in the future, try to move back to Canada.
Q: How did you get into bowling?
A: My dad was the one who got me in. He bowled a little, but he was never competitive or anything like that. But instead of trying to scramble to find babysitters all the time, they would take me to the bowling centre when he was bowling. They would turn on a lane next to them, and I would just throw some shots there and stuff like that. I honestly don’t remember any of it, but that’s the story my parents tell me.
Q: You continued to pursue bowling instead of another sport or hobby. Why bowling?
A: I get that question a lot, because it’s obviously not a popular sport like some of the other ones. I played a little bit of hockey, and tennis in the summer when I was younger as well, but bowling was what I did first, and it was something that I was good at from an early age. I started competing in junior tournaments around Québec City, and eventually around the province, and when you’re young and you’re doing something that you’re good at, its super-gratifying and it gives you some self-confidence. So that’s how it started with me, performing well and me winning tournaments at a young age — and I just kept doing it.
Q: So, your parents are the ones who got you bowling, what do they think about your career now?
A: They’re really happy for me, they have always been really supportive. My dad was the one who got me into it, and he was the one I spent all my time with in bowling centres around Québec City, around the province and eventually around the country. So, he’s always been really supportive, and he’s always wanted the best for me. He was actually kind of demanding, he had high expectations for me, and I think that translates to me having high expectations for myself. My mom, she’s seen me bowl like a handful times in my whole life. She’s not a bowler herself, so she didn’t follow throughout my career, but she follows me now.
Q: Can you pinpoint a moment when you thought, wow I’m good at this, I can do this.
A: Yeah, I think that would have been in 2009, when I was 15 or 16, when I qualified for the under 21 Team Canada for the first time. 2010 was my first international competition representing Canada, and that tournament was probably the start of it all. That was the World Youth Championship in Finland, and I ended up getting a bronze medal. The atmosphere of the tournament, the travelling, everything surrounding it, the lifestyle, all that stuff — that’s when it opened my eyes to what competitive bowling was like, and that’s when I really set my sights on pursuing a career in that sport.
Q: Do you have another job right now or is it bowling full time?
A: Right now, I’m only bowling. I would say the top 30-40 players on the PBA tour are probably making their living through bowling.
Q: You’ve said that this has been your best season yet. What made this season so different for you than the others?
A: It’s a really strategic sport, it’s a precision sport, it’s a repetition sport, so all those things come into play. I would say that my strategies have been better this year. I have been working with a few different people, a few different coaches, and we’ve been able to strategize better. My accuracy has always been my strong suit.
Q: How long would you like to continue in the sport of bowling?
A: I would want to continue for as long as possible, and in our sport that’s a little bit longer than in some of the more physical sports. There are some players on the tour right now who are in their late thirties, early forties, who are still competitive. There are a few things that kind of suck about bowling, like we don’t make as much money as some of the other pro athletes, but we’re able to do it for a longer period of time. So, I could see myself doing this for another 20 years or so.
Q: Do you think that bowling is a game or a sport?
A: To me, it doesn’t really make sense to try to debate if bowling is a game or a sport because I think both are valid and both have their place. There are definitely some people who are going to go bowling once a year, have some fun with friends, and that will be it. What I do is a sport and what the general public does when they go to a bowling centre is a game, and that’s OK.
Q: Do you think that bowling should be considered for the Olympics?
A: I think so, we were on the shortlist for Tokyo 2020. We’ve been trying for a few years, we’re a part of the Pan Am games and the World Games, so the next step would be to be included in the Olympic games. I think we’re going to keep trying, and hopefully it happens one day, because that would be pretty special to participate in the Olympics.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to any young athlete, what would it be?
A: Have fun, be a kid and enjoy what you’re doing
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