Youth Bowling

  Ana Koff
Stats

• Medaled in every event at 2008 Tournament of the Americas
• Named to Miami Herald's Girls First Bowling Team
• Outstanding Scholar Award for Excellence, Gulliver Prep. High School (Miami, FL)

Being the sister of the youngest bowler ever to finish in the top 25 at the U.S. Open and perhaps the most sought-after player in college bowling is not easy. But Ana Koff is as thankful for her brother Andrew's inspiration as she is for his friendship. "My brother and I have a great relationship and I am actually proud to be known as 'Andrew's sister,'" Ana Koff says. "Bowling has brought us together and I honestly think that we have a very close relationship because of it. I would never have gotten started in the sport had it not been for his support contagious love of bowling."
But if you think this means that Ana does not have a competitive streak when it comes to her brother, think again. "I wouldn't go down without a fight," she says when asked who would win a best of five match between herself and her brother—though she does concede that Andrew would be more likely to win because of his 3-hour-a-day practice regimen. When she credits Andrew as an inspiration for her successes as a bowler, Ana undoubtedly has in mind the experience that she calls the best of her life. "To me, all of the awards and trophies that I received are only secondary to the two awards that I won at the Tournament of the Americas," Ana says of representing her country. Like her brother, Ana may be interested in bowling for Wichita State collegiately and shares a great friendship with the PBA's Chris Loschetter and his family. "I love to paint and to make greeting cards. In fact, it was Mrs. Loschetter that got me into making cards," Ana says. "Chris is very kindhearted, always willing to help youth bowlers." One pleasure Ana has discovered on her own, though, is roller coasters. "Best roller coasters ever," she says of Cedar point in Sandusky, Ohio. "The Dragster is about 420 straight up and then down. This morning I got 1st row!"