Bowling team offers route to camaraderie and competition
Sumanth Myeni (11) rolls in a regular season match against Manassas. The Spartans have only lost two matches this season, and are looking to make state.
Bowling is considered to be a recreational activity by many, but to the Spartan Bowling team, it is much more than that. To them, bowling serves as an outlet for competition, camaraderie and accomplishment.
Since bowling is not a sport that can be easily practiced at home, members of the team flock to Billy Hardwick’s All-Star Lanes every Thursday to hone their skills together.
“We practice hitting the seven and ten pins, which are all the way to the left and all the way to right, and if you miss, you do some sort of physical activity, like pushups,” bowler Daniel Palmer (10) said. “It’s great a way of pushing yourself and saying ‘If I don’t get this, I’ll do something.’”
This practice has paid off, as the bowling team has won all but two of their games, only losing to Central and Craigmont.
Growth has also been a big factor in the team’s success this year. Not only have more students joined the team, but existing members have improved in the offseason.
“We definitely have more members [than the previous year]. People from last year that didn’t have their own equipment got their own equipment, and things like that have helped them improve their scores,” team captain Kalen McFadden (12) said.
The bowling team team has also remained resilient in the face of change. After the previous sponsor left, marketing teacher Andrew Bell took over the vacant position. The overall togetherness of the sport and team has been a pleasant surprise and a point of pride for him.
“It seems that the guys all get along and treat each other very well, which you don’t see on all sports teams,” Mr Bell said. “And when you see the other teams [doing this] as well, there’s a lot of inclusiveness in the sport of bowling and that’s very nice too see.”
The team still has several games remaining in the regular season, but the spirit of camaraderie among team members makes the long season worthwhile.
“There’s a great feel of connection with everyone, even if you’ve just joined the team,” Palmer said. “They immediately just welcome you and you all become like a family.”
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