GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Kailua bowler Bronson Teramoto, winner of two OIA bowling championships, is a favorite at this year's state tournament, which begins tomorrow.

Unfinished
business

Kailua's Teramoto is
looking for the ultimate
deadline -- a state title

---

By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com

The walls and shelves of Bronson Teramoto's home in Waimanalo are adorned with trophies, plaques and medals he and his family members have won during their years of bowling.

But the award that means the most to the Kailua senior is one that's missing from his collection.

Teramoto, the reigning Oahu Interscholastic Association boys bowling champion, left for Kauai yesterday to prepare for the state tournament in hopes of adding a state high school title to his family's list of bowling achievements.

"I'm really excited," Teramoto said. "Last year I came in third and I want to win it, especially for my family.

"My grandpa's the one who started me bowling and I want to do it for him and for my family because they supported me all the way."

The AT&T Wireless/Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Bowling championships open tomorrow at Lihue Lanes on Kauai.

The girls competition begins at 8 a.m., while the boys get started at 11:15 tomorrow and Friday.

Teramoto left for Kauai a day ahead of his Kailua teammates to get in some extra practice before tomorrow's opening ceremonies.

"I can get used to the lanes," he said. "That way when you bowl you know what to play and how the lanes are."

Teramoto began bowling at age 8 under the tutelage of his grandfather, Fred Teramoto. The youngster quickly grew to love the game during his family's trips to Pali Lanes.

"My whole family used to bowl, so I figured I'd follow them," Teramoto said.

Nine years later, Bronson is a two-time OIA champion and among the favorites to win the state crown. He also hopes to lead the Surfrider boys team, the OIA runner-up, to its first team championship.

"I've practiced really hard for it and I want to win it," said Teramoto, whose grandfather and uncles will be in attendance at this week's tournament. "I just go to win, concentrate hard and try my best."

Teramoto won his first OIA title as a junior and finished third in last year's state tournament. Although he was pleased to finish among the best in the state, he was less than satisfied with the experience.

Teramoto began the tournament with games of 222 and 223, but hit a rough spot in the third game, finishing with a 153. He recovered to roll a 255 in the eighth game and a 212 in the ninth, but it wasn't enough to catch Pearl City's Ryan Chang for the title.

Chang finished 36 pins ahead of Teramoto at 1,947. Hilo's Sakae Watanabe was second at 1,921.

"I was real happy, but I could have won," Teramoto said.

The discontent of coming up short fueled his preparations for this year's state tournament.

He successfully defended his OIA title on Halloween at Schofield Lanes by holding off Mililani's Colin Yoshimoto by a scant four pins. The close call reminded Teramoto that although he enters the state tournament with momentum and confidence, the road to the title won't be nearly as smooth as the well-oiled lanes he'll bowl on this week.

"Anybody can win," he said. "Whoever is on is going to win it."

Teramoto knows bowling doesn't garner much attention on a campus focused on the Kailua football team's quest for the OIA championship. Still, he gets ample support from his friends and classmates, particularly the Manana Street boys, the group of teens he grew up with in his neighborhood just past Waimanalo Beach Park.

In addition to finishing his high school career with a state championship, Teramoto said his dreams include recording a 300 game. A plaque in the Teramotos' home commemorates the 300 his grandfather rolled in 1966.

Bronson's personal high is 289, and he said an aunt has promised to give him $1,000 if he does reach 300. But the inspiration his family provides extends beyond the monetary.

"When I see them I want to try even more to win and make them happy," he said. "Especially my grandpa, because he's the one who brought me up."

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