EAGAN, Minn. — Nick Pate was on a roll Wednesday afternoon at the Cedarvale Lanes in Eagan.
"I come here four or five times a week, depending on if I have a travel day. I will practice for a little over an hour. I know some people like practicing a little longer or so but that's what works for me," he said.
The Inver Grover Heights native took home a gold and bronze medal while competing with Team USA at the 2023 PANAM Bowling Male Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
"It's cool to wear that gold medal and wear it proudly. We were battling 14 other countries who send their best, and there are some good bowlers out there. I have been selected four or five times now to compete internationally," he said.
The 2013 Simley High Graduate comes from a family of bowlers. In fact, he started hitting the lanes when he was just 3 years old.
"I was just always around it. My family bowled; my dad bowled in one league for 20-plus years while my mom bowled at least 10 years-plus in a league," he said.
Pate's success in the sport continued after competing in college at Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska. It has taken him to the Professional Bowlers Tour, where he's spent the last five years.
"In the summertime, it's a little slow, so I'm able to pick and choose events I'd like to bowl. It's a little more sporadic. I would say that I'm on the road eight to nine months a year and I love all the traveling," he said.
Nick and a number of his fellow bowlers on the tour have taken to social media to give a behind-the-scenes look in a segment called "The House" which is available on YouTube and Instagram.
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