Orange County is not exactly a bowling hotbed in the state. Ocoee’s Wanya Mitchell made his first state tournament last year and is looking to get back.
The FHSAA’s bowling season runs through the fall. There is nothing reminding you of autumn in it. Bowling is just one of those sports that everyone can do all throughout the year.
It does not get the notice throughout the state that high school football certainly does. It may not get even the notice that a drum major does.
For Ocoee junior, Wanya Mitchell, his job as a drum major takes a backseat to the bowling alleys this time of year. Yes, he is still there every Friday, but he is also making waves across the area and at state for his bowling prowess.
Mitchell qualified for the state tournament last year, finishing in 68th place in qualifying with a four round score of 796. He scored a strong 294 in his second game. He was the only bowler from the West Orange area to qualify.
The experience for Mitchell was a completely new one. He was disappointed to miss the individual tournament — the top 16 made it to the tournament. And, of course, he was the only member of his team to make the state tournament. There is a desire to do more.
Steven Ryzewski of the West Orange Times wrote a feature on Mitchell and his many roles at Ocoee:
“To miss the cut by the number of pins that I did was very interesting to me — it was a mental game, a mental fight, and I think I’ll overcome that this year,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell also went to Chicago for an international competition. His coach, Joe Amendola told Ryzewski he can see the maturity in Mitchell rubbing off on the rest of his teammates as he hopes to have others join him at state and maybe even compete for a team crown (the state champion last year was Apopka).
That is still a long way away.
