Larson’s had early success in bowling

EASLEY — Some people will never think of bowling as a sport. It’s just how it is.

Michael Larson has treated it like a big-time sport and the pins have been flying ever since. The 16-year-old Larson has piled up 11 perfect games of 300 (six of those were sanctioned in competitive play). In fact, his first 300 game was at just 13 years old.

“I always get in debates with my friends if bowling is a sport or not,” said Larson, a junior at Easley High School. “It’s hard to be a really good bowler. I just love watching the pins fall.”

His next goal is to get a sanctioned 800 series.

Larson has had even more success in the classroom, with a 4.0 grade point average (5.2 weighted GPA). His dad, Buddy Tate, used to take him bowling with his sister and it was “something to do” when it was raining outside.

But his bowling really took off when the support of his grandpa (Harold Corn) came into play.

“One day after school I asked my grandpa if we could go bowling,” said Larson. “Then, it kind of became a routine. I finally decided to get serious with it and get my own equipment.”

Continued Larson, “My grandpa has been a huge part of my life, taking me places and giving me an opportunity to do these things. He’s helped me to learn basic things and to juggle my schoolwork. I’ve always been hard on myself academic wise.”

Larson, at 5-foot-7 and 145 pounds, currently plays in a youth league with a couple of friends from school, along with bowling for the state’s all-star team. “We just got back from a tournament in Georgia,” he said.

The next year or two, though, the question will keep coming up if he wants to bowl in college. He’ll have a tough decision to make.

“I’m really open to bowling in college, but I want to go to college more for the academics than anything,” Larson said. “I know I can get into a good college with how my grades are right now. I’m focused more on academics in college, but I’m keeping bowling in mind because I would love to do it.”