Performance: St Charles' Kyle Tuttle
March 11, 2016
Kyle Tuttle
St. Charles junior – Bowling
Only one bowler has won multiple singles championships during the 13 years of MHSAA Boys Bowling Finals. Tuttle also became the first to win three straight when he claimed Division 4 again Saturday with a 418-381 victory over Genesee’s Luke Cantrell at Royal Scot in Lansing. His three-peat win earned Tuttle the Michigan National Guard Performance of the Week and set him up to further make history next year as a senior.
Tuttle's latest Finals run differed greatly from his first two. He squeaked out a nine-pin win in the Semifinals as a freshman to set up his first title, and won his championship match as a sophomore by a mere pin. This time, Tuttle finished second in qualifying to Vandercook Lake freshman Korey Reichard, only 16 pins off the pace, and then won his matches by 126, 31 and 46 to set up his deciding match against Cantrell.
Tuttle, who also carries a 3.87 grade-point average, practices five days a week and two to three hours each session. He’s served as St. Charles’ anchor all three seasons, and coach Mark Faupel noted his leader continues to work on his craft by studying video of professional bowlers and participating in a sport shot singles league during the summer that allows him to compete on tougher lane conditions. St. Charles has won two Regional championships during Tuttle’s high school career and kicked off this year’s Finals by finishing team runner-up to Sandusky on Friday.
Coach Mark Faupel said: Kyle works harder than anyone else on the team and is so knowledgeable about the sport. He is constantly thinking about not only the next shot, but the next game. He knows the lanes continuously go through transition, and he wants to be in the best position to score when that transition occurs. He knows exactly what he wants to do when he steps up on the approach. All the thinking and preparation has taken place between shots. He lives for making the clutch shot in the 10th frame, although he is not demonstrative. He has a very quiet approach to the game and hardly ever shows emotion. If he makes a bad shot, he will quickly get over it and move on to the next shot. If he makes a really good shot, he will acknowledge his teammates and show very little emotion. I always tell my team members that when you strike, act like you have done if before, and he definitely displays this. … Kyle is the type of athlete that comes around once in a lifetime. He is dedicated, hard-working, athletic, and extremely talented. The only goal left for Kyle is to get that elusive first team tournament title for St. Charles and win an unprecedented four singles titles.”
Performance Point: "I never really struggled (Saturday). Just how calm I was the whole time, I never was under too much stress. Compared to the last two years, that was rare. I think I enjoyed it more because I was more relaxed. ... I think I surprised myself with the first (title); as a freshman I didn't really expect to win. (Last year) I had more confidence from the previous year."
Same way, every day: "I'm really consistent, and that helps. Anybody can have a good day and make it to the Finals. If you consistently do well, you're expected to be there and normally do well. I just like to pride myself on consistency."
Drive for 4: "I haven't really thought about it all too much. I'm taking it as it comes. ... A lot of people have brought it up. I wanted to win this year so I have the opportunity to do that. It's pretty cool."
Right choice after all: "When I was 5, I didn't do a whole lot. My parents wanted me to do something, and there's a bowling alley in St. Charles so it was convenient. They threw me in a league and I didn't want to. I had bowled when I was younger, and I didn't want to do it every Saturday. I was kinda scared. I remember crying the night before the first day; that's how badly I didn't want to do it. But after the first day, I loved it. It was just fun. Now it's 12 years later."
Scientific strategy: "I think I'll get a bachelor's in the engineering field and then think about med school. If I end up not wanting to be a doctor, I can fall back on the engineering degree. I like real-world application stuff; I love physics. It's interesting to make the connections (between physics and bowling.)
– Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2015-16 school year, Second Half and the Michigan National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our Nation's freedom, or protecting lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2015-16 honorees
March 2: Brittney Schnicke, Caledonia girls bowling - Read
Feb. 24: Kamari Newman, Detroit East English boys basketball - Read
Feb. 17: Jason Whitens, Powers North Central boys basketball - Read
Feb. 10: Rachel Hogan, Grand Ledge gymnastics - Read
Feb. 3: Nehemiah Mork, Midland Dow swimming & diving - Read
Jan. 27: Mardrekia Cook, Muskegon girls basketball - Read
Jan. 20: Sage Castillo, Hartland wrestling - Read
Jan. 13: Rob Zofchak, Dexter swimming & diving - Read
Jan. 6: Tyler Deming, Caro wrestling – Read
Dec. 15: Jordan Weber, East Jordan boys basketball – Read
Dec. 8: Kaitlyn Geers, Kent City girls basketball – Read
PHOTO: (Top) Bowlers prepare for the start of the MHSAA Division 4 Team Finals on March 3 at Royal Scot in Lansing.
Division 3 Champions Ride Fast Starts to Historic Finishes
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
March 5, 2022
JACKSON — Slow and steady wins the race, the saying goes.
But in Saturday’s Division 3 Singles Bowling Finals, a fast start proved key.
Croswell-Lexington’s Brooklyn Butler started her championship match with seven consecutive strikes, had a spare, and threw three more strikes to finish with a 279 en route to a 481-408 victory over 2021 champion Elizabeth Teuber of Flint Powers Catholic at Jax 60.
“This was my first time at states,” Butler said, “so I wasn’t sure of how it would turn out.”
At the suggestion of Pioneers coach Fred Kautz, Butler switched to a lighter ball during the semifinals.
“It felt comfortable,” she said.
It was the second time in as many weeks Butler and Teuber had met in a tournament final. They squared off in a Regional at Richmond on Feb. 26, with Teuber edging Butler by 14 pins to finish first.
But on Saturday, it was Butler’s day.
“Bowling a 279 is going to be hard to beat,” Teuber said. “She had a 70-pin lead going into the second game, so I knew I had a chance, but it was going to be tough to beat.”
Teuber bowled well in defeat. Her 408 would have been enough to win in three of the previous five years.
A sophomore, Teuber said she would work on converting spares in preparation for next season.
For Butler, a senior, her first trip to the Finals was a bit of a whirlwind.
“I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out,” she said. “I was a little nervous going in, but that first game helped.”
“She’s a level-headed lady,” Kautz said. “Does her job, is easy-going, and the mental game is there.”
You could say the same about Cheboygan’s Cole Swanberg, a junior who was making his third trip to the Finals and became the Chiefs’ second individual champion, after Dawson Campbell in 2019.
“I don’t smile when I’m bowling, because I’m focused, zoned in,” he said after defeating Tyler Downs of Ogemaw Heights 471-337.
His 259 in the first game allowed him to cruise to the victory.
“I was just planning on bowling the best I can do,” Swanberg said. “Don’t leave any open frames and hit my mark. I went 259. It gave me a 60-pin lead after the first game, and I could relax in the second.”
He admits his concentration does rattle some of his fans, including his mother.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, chuckling. “They tell me to try to smile at least part of the time.”
But it’s that focus that led to victory.
“He has good mechanics and good form,” Chiefs coach Brian Taylor said. “Nothing rattles him. It doesn’t matter if he throws a bad split or 4-5 strikes in a row. He’s the same way going into every frame. He takes his time, one frame at a time, and does his job. He doesn’t pay attention to anything else but what he needs to do, and that works for him.”
And the process worked Saturday.
“It feels awesome,” he said. “I’ve been working since my freshman year to do it, so it means a lot.’
Both Swanberg and Downs are juniors, meaning they could meet again next year.
“That’s the goal every year,” Taylor said. “You’ve got to show up and do what you can, and sometimes things play out and sometimes they don’t.”
PHOTOS (Top) Croswell-Lexington’s Brooklyn Butler warms up for Saturday's Division 3 championship match. (Middle) Cheboygan's Cole Swanberg celebrates with his coaches. (Click for more from Champions Photography.)