Bowling strikes up fun

Sharing laughs, hanging with friends, and having fun are attributes that make up memorable moments. With a healthy dose of lanes and pins, these attributes can be found in the boys’ and girls’ bowling teams. The small size of the team doubles as the ideal size to build community. 

Bowling is often overlooked in the wide range of fall sports to draw in crowds. Despite a limited student section, bowling matches and tournaments still manage to pack a lot of enjoyment, even though that enjoyment is more so felt within the team itself. 

“My favorite thing about bowling is the fact that other teams cheer for each other 24/7 and we only cheer when we do terrible,” senior Natalie Gutierrez said. “Also the fact that it’s only five of us and we still have a blast.”

To improve their skills, the teams hold regular practices from 3:30 to 5:00 at Airport Lanes. These practices are crucial to growing both the players’ bonds and skills. 

“When we get there, we bowl one game, then the coach goes over some skills we can work on, and then we bowl more practice games and learn more from those,” senior Soor Hansalia said. “I like how the practices help me be able to build new relationships with my teammates and to get better at bowling.”

The teams both compete in matches around the county and outside, facing competitors such as Lake Mary and Lyman. Along the way, the team is able to learn from their mistakes and carry those improvements into practice and beyond. 

“This season I’ve done okay,” Gutierrez said. “I have my good days and my bad days but I’m definitely improving, and I plan to continue being a happy face for the team.”

With a little over half of the season still left to practice and improve, the teams are bound to continue their pursuit of success and have fun while doing it. 

“I felt that I could build a strong team and I have always enjoyed bowling,” bowling coach Sonia Lenhof said. “I want to continue to work with the teams to improve their records.”