Anticipation hangs in the air. Cheers subside and teammates huddle together, waiting. In a break of tension, the ball strikes the pins. Ovations erupt, and smiles and high fives are passed around. Now that is what they call bowling.

Many students have gone bowling with family or friends, but few understand the skill and focus that goes into competitive bowling, according to Brett Schnur, senior varsity boys bowling team member.

“Everyone [has a sense of seriousness] in their respective sport or their respective interests, but as far as bowling goes, it’s really not well known a lot of the things that we have to take into account,” Schnur said.

Rotations, oil patterns, and lane adjustments are just some of the technicalities to the sport the bowling team learns. Freshmen Emma Roscoe and Rogue Foppe are new to the girls bowling team this year and have just begun to learn such skills required to play the sport competitively.

“There are a lot of people who don’t take bowling seriously, I’ll tell you that,” Foppe said. “But people on the team, they’re on the team for a reason—because they [do] take it seriously,” Roscoe said.

The more serious approach to bowling means players are more focused, according to Schnur, meaning “you really think about every shot you take,” he said.

Bowling is not all business, though. 

“I’ve seen [professional bowling] on TV a couple times. [Players are] really concentrating, and it’s mostly silent,” Roscoe said. “But for us, we cheer on our teammates. We actually have cheers written down for tournaments and games. I love it a lot more because I have support from my teammates and support from my coaches.”

The lively competition atmosphere is supported by the teams’ coaches who encourage skill, but also a good time.

“Our coaches always say to get out there, have fun, try your best,” Roscoe said. “But also, it’s about getting better because you want to repeat the same motion every time.”

Schnur says he enjoys both the more social practices and the serious but enjoyable competitions. The difference between bowling for fun and competitively has a lot to do with the score, Schnur said.

“Competitively, your scores really matter, and there’s a lot more thought that goes into it, whereas just for fun, you’re playing mainly to hang out with people,” Schnur said. “You also do [so] competitively, but it’s more so that your results really matter.”

The biggest difference according to Roscoe, however, has to do with the collaborative piece to the game.

“For fun, you’re just [bowling] with family, it’s just to spend time with people,” Roscoe said. “This is a little more where you want to work together as a team and help each other.”

Team spirit on the girls bowling team is a result of that value, according to Foppe.

“Our team has the best sportsmanship,” Foppe said.