On Jan. 5, the bowlers headed to Brunswick Zone in Mt. Prospect for the Prospect Invitational.
As a result, the team placed 8th, accumulating a total of 5,520 points. As for the individual place winners, junior Kayleigh Duff placed 4th with a total of 903 points.
Bowling does not only require hard work and dedication but also a mental readiness to do well.
“Bowling is such a mental game,” Duff said. “And when we’re not positive or not trying to pick each other up, it shows it in our game.”
However, as of now the bowling team has done well. They placed 7th in The Gold Division over winter break. Varsity is 2nd place in conference with 62.5 points won and 18.5 points lost.
“I feel like we were very underestimated [this year]–but I say that were proving those people wrong,” Duff said.
This kind of attitude helps the team stay strong and perform better. Therefore, the team relies heavily on the only two returning varsity members, Duff and senior Abby Nix.
“Being a leader isn’t an easy thing, and sometimes the best thing you can do it is to lead by example,” head coach Jason Svehla said.
For Duff to be a leader means helping bowlers when they need it but also giving moral support and comfort.
“I have tried my best to take on the role as a leader, myself and other on the team gets the team going before our meets with the pump up pep talks and throughout the meets,” Duff said.
“I always do my best to help out my teammates by picking them up not only mentally but also helping them adjust to different lane conditions.”
With that said, if one bowler falls, the rest of the team falls as well.
“Our teams feeds of each other a lot which is a good thing when were doing well, but when one of us gets down, its like a domino effect,” Duff said.
Overall, if the team stays focused, nothing can stop them from going to conference, sectionals and state.
“I am really proud of how the girls have handled themselves so far this season,” Svehla said. “There have been some rocky times, but we have pushed through it and come out ahead.”
By: Yesenia Cruz
