All around the world, bowling is seen as a Friday Fun Night event. But to junior Chelsie Cleaves and the rest of the Spartan team, bowling is a sport to be taken seriously. The bowling team prepared for the state tournament with two hour practices twice a week throughout the season. These practices prepared the players by teaching them to watch each other and learn from each other’s different techniques. The practices also helped the players learn to bowl under pressure.

Coach Bernell Jones started coaching high school bowling two years ago. He started coaching because he loves bowling. Coach Jones has also been sponsoring the White Station Middle School bowling team for four years. His favorite part about coaching is seeing his bowlers improve. Coach Jones’ love for bowling has transferred to his son, who also bowls here at White Station High School.

Cleaves (11) has been bowling for nine years.”My favorite part of bowling is the competition,” she said.
Chelsie has since made her way to the top, earning the number one ranking in the state. She started bowling because her mom coached, and she fell in love with the sport. “Bowling is life. You know? Like ballin is life? I can’t live without it,” she said.

At the Tennessee state tournament, the Spartans finished third in the state. Cleaves finished fifth individually in the state, and she is still number one in the state based on her average. Cleaves is Tennessee’s Miss Bowler of the Year. Also, Cleaves has been offered full academic and bowling scholarships from the following universities: Bethel University, Victory University, Robert Morris University, and The University of Louisville.