Bowling in the Netherlands
U.F. teens return from Youth Friendship Games
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer

Corinne Winters, 12, and her sister, Brianna, 15, of Upper Freehold, and (center) Heather Farrell, 13, of Manalapan, recently attended the People to People's Youth Friendship Games in Holland.

UPPER FREEHOLD — Bowling: it's a game with international fame.

Upper Freehold's Brianna Winters, 15, and her sister Corinne, 12, discovered just how popular their favorite sport is around the world when they went to Holland for the People to People's Youth Friendship Games.

Created by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, People to People aims to foster an understanding and appreciation of culture around the world through various adult and youth programs. The organization's Youth Friendship Games feature competitions in soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, swimming, wrestling, tennis and bowling.

The Winters sisters, who bowl at Brunswick Country Lanes in Manalapan under the direction of Professional Bowling Association member and certified coach Tony Norcia, were two of the 240 bowlers chosen to represent America in the games. Approximately 2,000 youths from around the world participated in the event, with 1,200 total representing the United States.

The games began with a Friendship Ceremony comparable to the opening ceremony of the Olympics, including a torch lighting.

"It was huge and on this enormous field," Marissa Winters, the girls' mother, said.T

he games take place in a Friendship Village, which is just like an Olympic Village. The Winters bowled a series of 10 games with youths from Belgium, Denmark, England and the United States.

"It was fun and competitive at the same time," Brianna said, adding that the bowlers were grouped in teams of five that competed, while an individual competition was also going on.

"Because we were on teams, we weren't really competing with each other," Brianna said.

The most appealing aspect of the trip was not the competition, but that professional coaches would be on hand to help the bowlers practice and improve their games, according to the girls' father, Bret.

Both girls bowled in the 135-152 group because that's where their bowling averages fall. There were 65 bowlers in their division. In the individual competition, Brianna came in 10th and Corinne came in 22nd. However, as a result of Corinne's determination and skill in one of the last games, her team made it to the finals and ultimately placed in the top 10.

"In the last game, I had a 200," Corinne said. "Out of 54 teams, 18 crossed up into the finals and my team ended up in ninth place."

Besides bowling, the girls participated in various excursions on the trip, including a bike ride that led to both a wooden shoe and a cheese factory.

Marissa said she was impressed to see the girls make friends from around the world and to see Brianna and a girl from Denmark become so close that they exchanged shirts. She said she also enjoyed watching her daughters cheer all of the other bowlers on.

"The more exposure they have to different people in different cultures, the more they will be aware of the things that link us all," Marissa said. "We all must appreciate other ways of life."

Participation in the games may also benefit the girls academically, since they may be eligible for gym credit for their attendance.

Although the girls have traveled out of the country to Canada and both participated in the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C., before, they said this trip was like no other for learning about other areas and people of the world.

Brianna said Holland is cleaner and greener than the United States. Both girls also said they were surprised to see raw fish on the breakfast buffets in that country.

Bret said he

learned that Amsterdam has more canals than Venice, and Brianna added that's because Amsterdam is "far below the sea level."

The family could also not get over how few cars and how many bikes there are in Holland. They said instead of parking lots and decks for cars, Holland has lots and decks filled with thousands of bikes.

The family also noted that the sun didn't set until 10 p.m. in Holland and that most architecture there dates back to the 1600s.

When asked if they would recommend the Friendship Youth Games experience to other kids, Brianna said, "They have to go. It's mind-boggling."

Corinne said, "It's a great experience. You meet new people and learn a lot about a different country."

Approximately nine months ago, the Winters were asked by their bowling youth group manager if they were interested in participating in the international event. Their family attended a seminar at Monmouth University in Long Branch and decided to pursue participation in the games. To do so, they were required to fill out applications, go through an interview process, get teacher and coach recommendations, and complete various writing assignments, as well as pay for their trip.