BOWLING – Milan Kunst from Rolde has ten years of experience on the bowling alley, even though he is only 15 years old. All the hours of training paid off, he can go to Helsinki for the European Championship.
“I’m training almost every day,” says Milan, during his training in Assen. He doesn’t really have time for other things. Except for school, because that has to continue to go well, says his mother Jannita, who is present at the training.
Spares are on the program today. Milan: “This training lasts an hour and a half. And I also have training sessions that last 2 or 3 hours.” It is important to achieve a more relaxed swing. “Because I sometimes throw with too much force.”
Through his father Marcel, Milan was infected with the bowling virus when he was five, but he was actually only allowed onto the lanes when he was six. Once when he was watching, there was a piece of paper on the table that said ‘Come and play youth bowling’. “And I did, about ten years ago.”
Milan’s father has now put away the bowling balls and now forms the fanatical fan club together with mother. “I haven’t bowled at this level, he’s definitely better,” he says proudly. “It took a long time for him to improve my record. That has now happened, and that was really a goal for him.” In fact, Milan has now rolled a 300, so 12 strikes in a row. The highest score in bowling. “I’ve never been able to do that.”
It is therefore not surprising that the young Rolder belongs to the top in the Netherlands. At the beginning of December he was told that he had been selected for the European Championships in Finland. “That was a very beautiful moment. I am very happy with it,” says Milan. Now it’s time to raise money, through crowdfunding, among other things. Because bowling is not an Olympic sport, the trip to Finland will not be reimbursed by sports association NOC*NSF.
“My chances at the European Championship? The Scandinavian countries are much better. But we will do our best to fight with those guys. That is possible, although it will be difficult. But we can do it,” he sounds hopeful.
And there are also dreams to be realized after the European Championship. “America is my dream, to train there. That really is the bowling country.” The sport is small in the Netherlands. “It’s a shame it’s not that popular. It would be nice to be able to train with more boys.”
What makes bowling so much fun? Milan: “It’s something different every time, a different challenge. The tensions are different everywhere, that’s what I like about the sport.”