Jade Sharman (left) and Taylor Lindberg (right) are excited for the opportunity to be the first two Battle Ground High School bowlers to play in the unified state bowling tournament at 9 a.m. Saturday at Skyway Park Bowl in Seattle.
Head coach Jason Otto instructs Jade Shaman on where to aim her next throw during practice at Tiger Bowl in Battle Ground.
Taylor Lindberg leans to the right hoping her bowling ball will head that way toward the pins.
Jade Sharman and Taylor Lindberg love knocking down pins, and picking up strikes and spares.
At 9 a.m. Saturday, the two Battle Ground High School unified bowlers will compete in the state tournament at Skyway Park Bowl in Seattle.
According to Special Olympics Washington, unified sports unites people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. Training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.
Head coach Jason Otto said Sharman, 18, and Lindberg, 16, were randomly selected from a group of 1,500 bowlers at the regional tournament Oct. 21, at Allen Crosley Lanes in Vancouver. They are going to be the first two Tigers to play in the unified state bowling tournament.
“This opportunity is big for these girls and for our school,” Otto said. “For these two girls to be the first ones selected from Battle Ground is quite an accomplishment. This is something they will remember for the rest of their lives.”
