Strike after strike, senior Pacey Larka built himself into one of the most under-the-radar athletes in the Foran community. As a senior in high school, he is a decorated bowler, with some of his accomplishments including All-American, 5-time State Champion, and 5-time top 4 finisher at the National Duckpin Youth Championship.
Larka had started bowling at 18 months old, visiting the Woodlawn Duckpin Bowling Alley in West Haven with his family frequently.
When he was five years old, Larka decided to start competitively bowling in a league at Johnson’s Duckpin Lanes in Hamden.
After starting the sport at such a young age, Larka’s interest and skill began to rapidly increase.
“I’ve built connections with many duckpin bowling alley owners, tournament directors, and professional bowlers, which helped me gain knowledge about the sport,” Larka remarks.
While Larka constantly finds success in different bowling tournaments, he credits much of his success to his biggest support system, his mother, Denise Larka.
“For the past 12 years, she has brought me to league every week, driven me to different states every month for tournaments, spent ridiculous amounts of money on hotels and tournament fees, and has been there for almost every competitive game of bowling I’ve ever thrown,” Larka states.
Along with his mother, Larka looks up to Jeff Perreault. Considered a mentor to Larka, Perreault is a skilled bowler who has paved the way for Larka to improve his skills and dominate the lanes.
“That kid has such a passion for duckpins, and his interest and desire to push himself is rare to see,” Perreault emphasizes.
Larka’s passion for duckpin is shared with many other students, including his teammate Carter Abramson.
“On our team, he’s basically the backbone as he’s the anchor. Can’t fold when the pressure gets tough and overall has to continuously bowl good,” Abramson states.
Pacey has bowled with Abramson since 2022, competing in numerous tournaments and competitions alongside him.
Though bowling is not a well-known high school sport, Larka will continue his passion and love for the sport, taking over lanes and filling his trophy case with well-deserved hardware.
