SINGAPORE-RAISED and up-and-coming Filipino bowler Zach Sales Ramin has begun his compulsory two-year enlistment with the Singapore military and won’t be available to compete for the country in international meets until his service ends.
“Yes, he started his 24-month military service last October. But he will still be able to bowl since he doesn’t have to stay at the camp during his service and goes home after 5 p.m. daily,” said the athlete’s father, Rudi Ramin.
“Zach will only have weekends off so it would be tough for him to join international competitions,” added the elder Ramin, who attended his son’s enlistment rites together with his wife Grace and the bowler’s grandmother, Annie Sales.
The bowler’s father said that because of “his (Sales’) constraints, the Philippine Bowling Federation has decided to take him out of the national team pool in the meantime.
“The PBF views this as a unique opportunity for Zach to gain both personal and professional growth during his service.”
This means that Zach won’t be able to represent the country in the 33rd Thailand Southeast Asian Games in December next year and other international meets during the two-year duration of his service with the Singapore military until September 2026, the elder Ramin said.
However, the younger Ramin will be able to bowl in the Sonic Open in Singapore in April next year and the Singapore International Open, his father said, adding that “my son just needs to get in competition-ready mode.”
The elder Sales said the military stint would be time well spent for “Zach’s journey reflects his dedication to personal growth and his determination to elevate Philippine bowling to new heights.”
Born in Manila but raised in Singapore since 2003, the younger Sales served notice of his talent and skills when, at 17, he became the youngest champion of the prestigious men’s masters’ event of the Singapore International Open Bowling championships in June 2023.
He also won a team gold with Art Barrientos, Stephen Luke Diwa and Marc Dylan Custodio in the Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships in Bangkok, Thailand two months later.
Last February, Sales served as a calming presence for Custodio, who took pointers from his national teammate on the way to bagging the Dubai International Bowling Center-Delta Open men’s title in the United Arab Emirates.
