All-Area Girls Bowler of the Year: Shelly Goodwin enjoyed season in the fast lane


Being part of Martin County's state runner-up bowling team last year didn't sit well with Shelly Goodwin.

She spent almost every day over the summer at Stuart Lanes with her coach Johnny Campbell, working on and improving her game.

"He just basically took me to the next level, to where I need to be," Goodwin said. "It was the best high school year ever."

Goodwin's statement isn't hyperbole.In addition to leading the Tigers to the state championship, the sophomore averaged 208.79 pins in 38 regular-season games. She also was the runner-up in the individual bracket at the state tournament. Goodwin is the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Girls Bowler of the Year."Shelly improved a lot. Last year, she averaged 177," Martin County coach Tom Baral said. "She came in and spent a lot of time this summer here and did a lot of bowling and it definitely showed.

"She just improved overall. She shot more consistently and was able to repeat shots time and time again. I can't tell you how many times she won games throwing doubles and triples in the last frame. Then she went to states and just tore it up."

As well as Goodwin bowled during the regular season, she took her game to another level at the state tournament.

Baral estimated that Goodwin averaged close to 247 pins per game during the tournament and came within 10 pins of being the individual champion. Goodwin said after losing to Port Orange-Atlantic in the state tournament last year, the Tigers were focused on getting revenge.

"Last year was very upsetting," Goodwin said. "We came back with the main goal to beat the people who beat us, and once we got that over with, our confidence level was very high.

"The whole time, I played the same line and used the same ball. I didn't switch once. I was in a zone and I didn't get out of it. It was intense, but it was a good feeling."

Baral said he never had seen Goodwin bowl the way she did at state.

"I can't tell you what exactly it was, but she was in the moment, she was ready to compete and able to execute all her shots. She made spares that were amazing and she didn't seem tired at all. She had the same drive and energy to execute the shot at the beginning of the day as she did at the end."

Considering how much Goodwin improved between her freshman and sophomore years, the future looks very bright. She already has the goal of helping the Tigers repeat as state champions and taking home the individual championship.

"I can't even begin to tell you how good she can be," Baral said. "She's improving more and more, and as good as she is for a sophomore, it's pretty amazing."