Discovering their deepest passions shape people into who they are today. The interests that people grow fond of make every person unique in their own way.

Bowling captivates sophomore Gage Slagor.

Slagor discovered his passion when he was in elementary school after his friend introduced him to the sport.

“(My friend) Aidan Fisackerly got me into bowling,” Slagor said. “One day I went to his house and saw his collection of bowling balls. I became interested and started bowling all the time.”

Slagor hit the lanes after school for years.

When high school came around, Slagor tried out for the varisty team.

“I was nervous,” Slagor said. “I really wanted to make varsity. I work hard on bowling and it paid off in tryouts.”

Slagor bowled a perfect game at tryouts, all but sealing his spot on the team.

Slagor made the varsity boys bowling team when he was a freshman, a feat that shows his true talent.

The team warmly welcomed Slagor despite his youth.

“It was pretty cool (making the team),” Slagor said. “I was the only freshman on the boys team. I was nervous, but I felt like I belonged.”

Slagor’s parents supported him through thick and thin after he unearthed his love of bowling.

“(My biggest supporters are) my mom and dad,” Slagor said. “They push me to be better.”

His parents help pay the high costs of bowling.

“They pay for a lot. Bowling is expensive,” Slagor said. “They pay for tournaments, which gets me scholarship points if I win. Scholarship points help me out in the long run.”

Hard work for more than five years has paid off for Slagor as he has earned scholarship points.

Though, he doesn’t know which college he will attend, Slagor is set on a medical career.

“I would like to go into nursing because my mom is a nurse,” Slagor said. “I want to help people as much as possible.”

Slagor’s passion for medicine came after someone close to him become critically ill.

High school isn’t all about bowling and the future for Slagor. He also enjoys participating in other activities, including the Future Problem Solving team.

Slagor became interested in FPS at Armstrong Middle School. He enjoys the way he can spend his time at practices.

“I like to hang out with my friends and make it to states,” Slagor said. “We work really hard and it pays off to see the results when we do good.”

Slagor’s work ethic doesn’t just come out in sports and teams, but it comes out in the way he treats his friends.

His friends always feel like they can look for support from Slagor, including sophomore Cuyler Yager.

“He is always there for you,” Yager said. “He is very supportive of his friends and the people he appreciates.”

No matter what Slagor puts his mind to, he has the drive to work hard and do everything to his best ability.

“Doing things you love and working hard for those things will give you the results you want,” Slagor said. “Stay positive and keep working hard for what you want, even when it gets tough.”