Perfection, athletes are always chasing it, but few achieve it.

One who did is Cotter 8th grader Chase Petschow when he rolled a perfect 300 game at Westgate Bowl on Saturday, October 2, 2021.  To score a 300, he had to throw 12 consecutive strikes.

“My 300 game was quite unexpected. It was my last of three games and the two previous games were not great. I switched the bowling ball I was using and just went with it and before I knew it I only needed three more strikes to get it. For the last frame and last three shots I was extremely nervous but just kept telling myself to stay calm. On my very last shot, my whole body was shaking, but I threw a good ball and got a 300 for the first time. I was beyond excited and felt like I was on top of the world,”  Petschow said.

Chase bowls on the high school varsity bowling team where he earned 1st team all-conference honors.  He also bowls in the Next Generation league at Westgate Bowl in Winona.  He currently has a 201 average.

Chase has been bowling for three years. He competes all over Minnesota and in this July he will be competing in the Junior Gold National Tournament in the 15U division in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He won the first tournament he competed in, and has recently won a tournament with some of the top players in the conference and won a state-wide tournament with them.

The team is composed of students from Cotter, Winona High, and Lewiston-Altura H.S.  They practice on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after school in the fall. They competed on weekends in Lake City, Wabasha, Preston, Rushford, Pine Island, and Winona. They placed first in the conference and eighth in the State level competition.

“This year has been very good because I have improved drastically by going to the weight room and getting better equipment. I like that in bowling it is almost unpredictable what will happen each game, but also it is just to have fun with my friends and enjoy the experiences with them wherever we go,”  Petschow said.

“Chase’s 300 game was so fun to watch, another friend on the team and I were running around and going crazy. It was also super crazy to see his parents cry in happiness,”  Chase’s classmate and teammate Cooper Christopherson said.

Christopherson has been bowling for 9 years. He likes bowling because it’s a team sport where you get to cheer on your team and have fun.

Braydn Patin is a third Cotter 8th grade who is a competitive bowler. He has been bowling for 11 years. This year Braydn’s  JV team had a seventh-grader, 3 eighth graders, a ninth-grader, and a senior.  He competed on a different team from Chase and Cooper. They competed in Winona, Rushford, Wabasha, Lake City, Preston, and Pine Island, as well as at the youth State tournament which was held in Bloomington.  His team finished with a winning record and took 5th place in the state.

“What I like about bowling is that it’s relaxed unlike other sports where you are running and sweating all the time, I also enjoy going all over and meeting and competing against new people,” Patin said.  When he and his teammates on the Cotter 8th grade basketball team took a day off practice to go bowling, he impressed his teammates by rolling a 239 game. Chase and Cooper were also members of the basketball team. Braydn’s career high game is a 245.

“I’m pretty sure we will all keep bowling,” Chase said referring himself, Braydn, and Cooper. “We have so much fun practicing and competing and hanging with our friends at the alley on Saturday mornings.”

One final note, due to the achievements of Chase, Cooper, and Braydn, Cotter will be officially recognized on the team’s jerseys next season.