Bowling often flies under the radar of many; most think that competitive bowling is just what their dad does on Tuesday nights with his buddies when there’s a discount on wings. In reality, there are a lot of intricacies that lie in bowling, much like other skillful sports such as basketball or golf; there is this underlying technicality that baffles many. Earlier this month, our very own Wildcat bowling team’s hard work came to fruition in Weston, Wisconsin for the Wisconsin High School Bowling Club State Championships. Although they boasted the best record in their conference, our Wildcat bowlers have undergone a variety of challenges throughout the year, mostly revolving around consistency. Coach Matthew Mead, who won individual state in 2009 for West, which is also the last time the team won conference, reflected on how the team made it as far as they did.

“The team improved in every aspect of the game,” he said. “Mentally, our understanding of lane play and the proper preparation needed to compete at a high level improved substantially. Physically, our bowlers all became more diverse and consistent. Finally, we learned how to compete as a team which is the number one ingredient to success in team sports.

Team play also propelled two members of the club to qualify for the individual tournament. Sophomore Xavier Gauthier was sixth in the state for individual statistics and credits the intense pressure that pushed the group to overcome these challenges as a pivotal reason why the team made state.

“Many teams bowled well up until the final weeks of the season so every time we bowled it was extremely important,” he said. “We had to stay consistent and bowl our best all season to give us a chance to be where we got to.”

Others on the team have placed a stress on consistency as well, such as Senior Callie Schwerin. Schwerin made it to individual girls state and even made it past the first round, which only took the top 25% of scores. To get here, Schwerin has had to reduce her amount of opens (the amount of frames without a spare or strike) and constantly practice on spare shooting.

“I personally have faced several challenges throughout the year like trying to keep my opens down and being consistent,” she said.

The club has spent their Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays practicing scenarios with the team as well as many spending up to six out of seven days on the lanes per week. Like most sports teams, bonding as a team often comes with challenges of the season. Junior Steven Reigh has found this season far beyond any other he has been a part of.

“Our team this year has so much chemistry and we really care about each other and we want each other to do well,” he said. “In past years, we didn't have this same chemistry and it really stood out this year.”

The ups and downs of bowling have created a tight-knit group of individuals ready to conquer any challenge they come across. This familial aspect has set this year's team apart from others and Schwerin has seen first hand how close this team has gotten.

“I feel like this year our boy’s team has bonded more than other years and is working more together,” she said.

Oshkosh West is yet to recognize bowling as a sport yet the members of the team unanimously agree that it should be. Many are ashamed at the treatment bowling receives from the administration. Gauthier believes that bowling deserves more recognition and believes the team’s accomplishments should not be looked down upon.

“Bowling deserves to be recognized more, it should be considered a sport like everything else at West,” he said. “After winning conference this season we had received a trophy that sadly won't be in the building, instead it will be at Revs. West should want to have these trophies in their own building because it is a symbol of what their wildcats have accomplished and it would mean more to the kids that were a part of those teams.”

Despite bowling not getting the recognition it may deserve, the team is looking back at the accomplishments they made and forward to making state next year. Mead has seen incredible growth from all of his bowlers this year and says he will fondly remember this year’s squad.

“To me, coaching is all about helping everyone on the team become a better version of themselves,” he said. “Possibly more than any other season, I was able to witness incredible growth in every kid and now that I’ve had the time to reflect on the season, I couldn’t be more proud of the collective effort our team put forth all season long. It’s a season that I will cherish for a long time.”

by Joe Mayo and William Engedal

Published March 23rd 2020

Oshkosh West Index Volume 116 Issue 6

Bowling team wraps up season with new hardware