Girls bowling: Yorkville's Jaros sets sights on top finish at state

Hannah Jaros wasn't born with a bowling ball cradled in her hand.

It only seems that way.

Jaros, a Yorkville senior, is the daughter of professional bowler Steve Jaros. He has seven PBA tour titles on his resume, including one major.

Hannah and her twin brother, Evan, grew up around bowling.

Like, literally.

"We traveled with our dad to tournaments when we were young in a motor home. My brother walked for the first time in that motor home," Jaros remembered. "I was probably three years old when I started playing."

Jaros' game has grown, for sure. So has bowling at Yorkville.

She'll be representing the Foxes for the second time this weekend at the state tournament at The Cherry Bowl in Rockford. The meet starts Friday.

Jaros, 29th in the state last year, is targeting a top 12 finish this time. Her head coach, Julie Renda, thinks she could go even higher.

"She's absolutely capable of top 10," Renda said.

Yorkville's bowling program started from scratch three years ago, with Jaros' arrival. Freshman year it was just her, twin brother Evan and one other girl. The Foxes had a whole team by the next year. This season Yorkville was up to 13 bowlers and qualified its team for sectionals for the first time, despite losing two of its top bowlers to a torn ACL and broken hand (non-bowling related).

"We're always looking to get the word out, looking for more and more people," Renda said.

Jaros is a special case.

Self-described as "very shy," that could be chalked up to how focused Jaros is. She's bowled to a 214 average this season, and bowled a program record 806 three-game series in December. Jaros won a regional championship with a 1,373 six-game total and rolled a 1,259 at sectionals.

"Her face is the same if she makes a strike or leaves the 10 pin," Renda said. "She's calm and level-headed. She doesn't let a bad shot get in her head."

Jaros hasn't made her college decision yet, but she does plan on bowling competitively wherever she goes. She's deciding between Central Missouri and Pikeville University in Kentucky. She's been down to watch a college tournament.

Jaros' commitment to the sport is clear to her coach.

"I joke that she came to us as a bowler fully-formed ," Renda said. "She has amazing form and technique that normally takes years to cultivate in a bowler."

Having one year of experience at the state meet is bound to help Jaros this weekend.

The noise and intensity at Cherry Bowl is not exactly a quiet weekend at the neighborhood lanes.

"I was not expecting what it was, actually. There are so many people there," Jaros said. "When we first walked in and all these people were cheering, it was a little overwhelming. Going back, it's fun to be a part of."