By Halah Anwaar, Social Media Manager

     Both bowling teams have had a strong season marked by consistent scores and steady improvement. With hard work in practice, translating to results in matches, the team continues to compete with confidence.

     With bowling there are specific factors that stand out to individuals, motivating them to keep playing. These interests can vary from person to person and for junior Olivia Kolczynski, who has been bowling competitively for three years.

   “Within bowling there are a lot of different types of people, and us as a team definitely get together well. Most teams we compete against are also incredibly kind and supportive. I also like that bowling is a less physical sport and more mental,” Kolczynski said.

     With every new season comes different obstacles. The team can push past those obstacles by building resilience, supporting one another, and staying focused on shared goals. 

     “I would say our biggest challenge this year is focusing. Many of us on the team lose focus fast due to either others on the team or just the general environment of the alleys. We overcome this by making sure we focus on the approach and just zone out the environment by focusing on our mechanics and making good shots,” Kolczynski said.

     A type of play the team encounters during the season is something called a Baker game. Baker games are a team format where five players combine to bowl a single 10-frame game, with each player responsible for two frames in a specific rotation. Teamwork is the most important aspect along with skill, but this year, the players are struggling.

     “Teamwork is really important. I want to bring back team chants and reactions for strikes and spares to boost morale. We do well individually, but Baker games are where we struggle the most, so improving teamwork there is key,” senior captain Dillin Rogers said.

     Growth is a given when working hard. With a sport, growth for an individual as well as for a team can come in various different forms. Senior Olyvia Janka, who has been bowling with the team for the past two years, believes that the team has seen improvement. 

     “The team has grown to not only bowl better, but also to communicate with each other better and be there for each other,” Janka said.

     Boys’ head coach, Paul Tucholski, explained how this season he wants to focus on growing the students to have more confidence in themselves. The bowling team is suffering a bad mental wave where they allow past frames which affects how they play. Tucholski hopes to fix that.

     “I want them to listen to the coaches, not what other team members think. I want my team members to always forget what they did in the last frame and focus on doing better in the next one,” Tucholski said.

      Along with Tucholski, Rogers agrees there is an issue with team work, stating the problem does not come from dislike of players, but they themselves getting upset which brings down team morale.

     “Some players have big egos and get upset about being benched, which affects the whole team,” Rogers said.

     Being a team captain can mean a lot of different things. For Kolczynski, it means being a helping hand for her team.

     “As a captain, I help organize the team together for matches and tournaments, figure out lineups for bakers and assist in ways the coaches need such as giving advice, going to assist in JV events and just being a reliable person for the team,” Kolczynski said.

     Progress can be a key factor to performing better in sports. Players can not only improve upon skills but also in their mindset. Junior Violet Shall believes this has greatly affected their team.

     “I see a lot of improvements especially in the structure of the team, last year felt unstructured due to coaching changes and a lack of people. This year we have way more people and everything moves more smoothly,” Shall said.