Robarge graduates to U.S. Open field
October 26, 2018
WICHITA, Kan. - High school sophomore Spencer Robarge has spent his recent evenings making sure his schoolwork is complete so he could spend his days outside the walls of Kickapoo High School and on the lanes at the 2018 U.S. Open.
The 16-year-old from Springfield, Missouri, earned a spot in the U.S. Open field at Wednesday's pre-tournament qualifier at Northrock Lanes. Now, he looks to collect some real-world experience with the best bowlers in the world.
Robarge looks to build his growing resume as qualifying kicks off Friday, and he hopes his hall pass will get him all the way to the live televised finals on CBS Sports Network on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. Eastern.
"I talked to my teachers about a month before to let them know I might bowl," Robarge said. "When I knew I was going to go, I made sure to find out what homework I needed to take with me, so I wouldn't miss anything.
"My school always has been supportive with letting me bowl and pursue my dreams. They recognize that this is something I can see myself doing in the real world, and they really support it. When I called to let them know I qualified and would be missing a few more days, they were really happy for me."
The talented two-hander is familiar with the bright lights of CBS Sports Network as he burst onto the scene at the 2015 Junior Gold Championships, winning the 12-and-under division. He also was on the team that captured the 15-and-under USA Bowling National Championships titles in 2017 and 2018.
But Robarge nearly was back at school Thursday, finding himself out of the cut number with one game left to go on Wednesday. He buckled down in the eighth and final game of the PTQ, showing the poise of a seasoned veteran as he finished with 237 to jump into 24th place with a 1,631 total. The top 28 in the 73-player PTQ advanced.
"I had 159 in Game 7 and thought I threw three really good shots in the eighth, ninth and 10th frames, but the pins said otherwise," Robarge said. "I knew I was going to need a big game, and I threw five really good ones to get to the 10th frame. The first shot of the 10th wasn't my best shot, and I'll admit I was a little nervous. But, I made the spare and got nine on my fill to make it."
Robarge has enjoyed challenging himself against stronger competition as his game has progressed and believes events such as Junior Gold have helped prepare him for his time this week in Wichita.
Much like the U.S. Open in 2018, Junior Gold features different oil patterns throughout qualifying and limits competitors on how many bowling balls they can use.
This week at Northrock Lanes, three different lane conditions will be used during the first three rounds of qualifying, and a fourth oil pattern will be introduced starting with Monday's cashers' round and be used for the remainder of the tournament.
Robarge feels prepared and hopes to experience that fourth lane condition. Regardless of the final result, he hopes to continue his learning process.
Qualifying will consist of three eight-game blocks over three days before the field is cut to the top 36 players for the cashers' round. An additional eight games will determine the 24 players advancing to round-robin match play.
"I'm not too worried about where I finish," Robarge said. "I just want to gain as much knowledge and expertise as I can and then apply it to the next tournament I bowl. It would be awesome to make it to the cashers' round, and really awesome to make match play. But if I don't, it's OK. I got here, which is really what I wanted to do."
At the end of the event, Robarge will return to class at Kickapoo High School and be ready to continue where he left off. On the lanes, he'll continue to learn from some of his favorite teachers.
"My brother Blake (Demore) has been an unbelievable influence on me," Robarge said. "He's taught me so much about the game. Rhino Page also has worked with me quite a bit, and I attribute a lot of my success to those two."
The 16-year-old from Springfield, Missouri, earned a spot in the U.S. Open field at Wednesday's pre-tournament qualifier at Northrock Lanes. Now, he looks to collect some real-world experience with the best bowlers in the world.
Robarge looks to build his growing resume as qualifying kicks off Friday, and he hopes his hall pass will get him all the way to the live televised finals on CBS Sports Network on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. Eastern.
"I talked to my teachers about a month before to let them know I might bowl," Robarge said. "When I knew I was going to go, I made sure to find out what homework I needed to take with me, so I wouldn't miss anything.
"My school always has been supportive with letting me bowl and pursue my dreams. They recognize that this is something I can see myself doing in the real world, and they really support it. When I called to let them know I qualified and would be missing a few more days, they were really happy for me."
The talented two-hander is familiar with the bright lights of CBS Sports Network as he burst onto the scene at the 2015 Junior Gold Championships, winning the 12-and-under division. He also was on the team that captured the 15-and-under USA Bowling National Championships titles in 2017 and 2018.
But Robarge nearly was back at school Thursday, finding himself out of the cut number with one game left to go on Wednesday. He buckled down in the eighth and final game of the PTQ, showing the poise of a seasoned veteran as he finished with 237 to jump into 24th place with a 1,631 total. The top 28 in the 73-player PTQ advanced.
"I had 159 in Game 7 and thought I threw three really good shots in the eighth, ninth and 10th frames, but the pins said otherwise," Robarge said. "I knew I was going to need a big game, and I threw five really good ones to get to the 10th frame. The first shot of the 10th wasn't my best shot, and I'll admit I was a little nervous. But, I made the spare and got nine on my fill to make it."
Robarge has enjoyed challenging himself against stronger competition as his game has progressed and believes events such as Junior Gold have helped prepare him for his time this week in Wichita.
Much like the U.S. Open in 2018, Junior Gold features different oil patterns throughout qualifying and limits competitors on how many bowling balls they can use.
This week at Northrock Lanes, three different lane conditions will be used during the first three rounds of qualifying, and a fourth oil pattern will be introduced starting with Monday's cashers' round and be used for the remainder of the tournament.
Robarge feels prepared and hopes to experience that fourth lane condition. Regardless of the final result, he hopes to continue his learning process.
Qualifying will consist of three eight-game blocks over three days before the field is cut to the top 36 players for the cashers' round. An additional eight games will determine the 24 players advancing to round-robin match play.
"I'm not too worried about where I finish," Robarge said. "I just want to gain as much knowledge and expertise as I can and then apply it to the next tournament I bowl. It would be awesome to make it to the cashers' round, and really awesome to make match play. But if I don't, it's OK. I got here, which is really what I wanted to do."
At the end of the event, Robarge will return to class at Kickapoo High School and be ready to continue where he left off. On the lanes, he'll continue to learn from some of his favorite teachers.
"My brother Blake (Demore) has been an unbelievable influence on me," Robarge said. "He's taught me so much about the game. Rhino Page also has worked with me quite a bit, and I attribute a lot of my success to those two."