General | July 10, 2024 | 7:52

Sterling Heights native Rochelle Ferris is set to participate in her first Junior Gold Championships from July 12-20. This prestigious event will bring together some of the nation's top young bowlers to the Detroit metro area, showcasing exceptional talent and fierce competition.
 
Ferris, 17, a recent graduate of Sterling Heights Stevenson, is approaching the tournament with a sense of personal pride and fulfillment.
 
"I don't have much to prove anymore," Ferris shared. "This is just about making myself proud at this moment. I've achieved several big goals already. If I'm making anyone proud, it's my dad, Shane Ferris. Making him the proudest he has ever been is my only goal in life, whether it's bowling, work, school, or anything else I do."
 
Competing in the girls' Under-18 division, Ferris will bowl on the following dates and locations:
 

• July 15 at 4 p.m. at Oak Lanes
• July 16 at 11:30 a.m. at Merri-Bowl
• July 17 at 7 a.m. at Oak Lanes
• July 18 at 8:30 p.m. at Merri-Bowl

 
The tournament will be spread across several locations:
 

• Under-12 boys and Under-15 boys will compete at Sterling Lanes and Five Star Lanes in Sterling Heights.
• Under-12 girls and Under-18 girls will compete at Merri-Bowl Lanes in Livonia and Oak Lanes in Westland.
• Under-15 girls and Under-18 boys will compete at four sites: Super Bowl in Canton, Skore Lanes in Taylor, Century Bowl in Waterford, and Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park.

 
The finals for each of the six divisions will be held at these locations on July 20.
 
Ferris has earned a scholarship to bowl collegiately at Valparaiso University, where she will major in nursing. According to her father, Shane, she was the team's top recruit. She will bowl under first-year coach John Martin, father of women's PBA phenom Jillian Martin, a 17-year-old who has already won on tour. Valparaiso is currently ranked 19th in the country.
 
"I loved their nursing program," said Rochelle. "That initially attracted me to the school. Once I visited, I saw it was a wonderful place."
 
Rochelle finished second in the Junior Masters in March at Thunderbowl Lanes and comes from a family of bowlers. Her father, Shane, is an accomplished bowler with numerous trophies, and her younger sister, Shayda, 12, is already proving to be a formidable bowler. Even her youngest brother, Sebastian, 5, shows potential for the future.
 
"I started taking bowling seriously my freshman year in high school," said Rochelle, a left-handed bowler who completed virtual schooling throughout high school. "I've been bowling since I was little, but I realized it could take me places."
 
The opening ceremonies for the Junior Gold Championships will be held on July 14 at the Eastern Michigan University George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti. The Junior Gold annual trade show and registration will take place on July 13 at the Suburban Collection Showplace.