[wpbvideo id=’302569′]
SPRINGFIELD — It is not hard to spot the Stacye name at a local bowling tournament. Just look for the director’s chair.
The red and black throne, brandished with the family name and bowling pins on the back, was a Christmas present from Terrance Stacye to his mother, Becky.
“When you bowl collegiately, it is 10 times worse than this, like shoulder to shoulder,” he said.
It’s safe to say Becky is well-equipped to watch her son compete next season for Grand View University in Iowa. The recruitment of the Central senior is notable since he drew interest as a sophomore after stepping away from the sport for nearly a decade.
“The coaches have a lake house down at (Lake) TaneyCoMo and they stopped by our league, sat down at my table, and started talking to me. That’s how it happened.”
Stacye is on a first-name basis (or simply first initial) with a chunk of the city’s bowling fraternity. Those who speak of him have nothing but praise, both for his character and his skill. First-year Central Head Coach Brenden Williams said it was difficult to find the exact adjectives to describe Stacye.
“He’s somebody that, if I’ve got a team together, I want him on my team simply because of his leadership qualities,” Williams added.
“Anything that we see where maybe he can make a change, all we have to do is mention it and he’ll do it. He doesn’t ever question it an very rarely do we have to tell him twice.”
Folks beyond Southwest Missouri have started to know the Eagle Scout who has rolled in Oklahoma, Texas, and Ohio. Over the summer, he bowled his first and only perfect game in St. Louis.
For all the sounds that echo from lane-to-lane amidst raucous cheering sections, everything gets very quiet when Stacye lines up.
“It’s pretty much me, myself, and I when I get up there,” he said. “My mental game is one of my strongest attributes. I approach it like I need to get a strike every time.”
Central took second behind Ozark at the City Bowling Championship at Enterprise Park Lanes on Tuesday. Stacye was the team’s anchor in the event’s Baker format, meaning five members bowl a frame at a time, then repeat after everyone has had a turn. Typically, the strongest bowler goes last in case a strong tenth frame is needed to seal a win.
After the Bulldogs took third the previous two years, Stacye chose to focus on the improvement.
Central took ninth at state his sophomore year and took the bronze a season ago. Both instances left the team “shocked”, according to the senior. No Springfield city team has captured a state title since Glendale in 2010.
The standings left Central in a virtual lock to reach state again even before the finish of the city championship, and Stacye confirmed the Bulldogs have a different mentality this year.
“Now, our goal is No. 1. That dedication and drive that you have is what makes you want to go out and fight for it at the very end.”
The state championships will be held in Union, Mo. on the last weekend of May.
