A gutter, a split, and a strike. When people think of popular sports in Washingtonville, bowling doesn't usually come to mind. However, Washingtonville High School has had a bowling varsity team and club for years. As captain of the bowling team, I can say for certain it is one of the best clubs the school has to offer.
Jason Brown, bowling ever since high school, is a math teacher. He spends his time educating his students on the fundamentals of algebra and calculus and also teaches courses on robotics and coding. He’s loved bowling for a long time and still enjoys it today. This year, he is the coach of the bowling team.
In many years prior, Dawn Vandervloed was the coach of the bowling team. She's a history teacher who is passionate about educating students on world history and current events. She also runs our very own Academic World Quest Club, where our school competes against other schools on knowledge of current world affairs. This year, she’s letting Mr. Brown be the coach.
Currently, Coach Brown is in the process of recovering from a knee surgery from a few weeks ago. He won't be bowling this year. Don’t worry though, because in the absence of one hero always comes another.
Enter Brody! Bowling since 13 years old, he scores a minimum of 170 every game. “My highest score is a 269, with 10 strikes and 2 spares.”
Brody went on to explain why he bowls so often. "My grandfather, who passed away, was in a bowling league. He left me his bowling bag with his bowling balls when he passed. I started bowling at 13, but really started pursuing it a few months ago. I think bowling is underappreciated because a lot of schools do not offer it as a sport. I'm very proud of my hard work and the scores I've achieved.”
Coach Brown went on to add, "It would be a Saturday morning bowling league and we would go, and... it would be me and three of my best friends just choosing a team, choosing our team name, and then sticking together for all winter, really just bowling. And whether we won or lost, it was always fun.”
Everyone’s got their own reasons and passions for bowling. Something we all have in common is that we always have fun. That's what the game is all about. Coach Brown reflects on his first games and shares, "My favorite bowling story is just my every Saturday morning growing up, going to the alleys and, you know, meeting my friends there really. I met a lot of my best friends at the bowling alleys from, I would say, third grade until I was a senior in high school. That's my favorite bowling memory."
A more advanced technique most bowlers are familiar with is hooks. Brown suggests, “...get your hand underneath the bowling ball when you release it. So that way you can give it a little bit of a spin or a hook to allow it to hit the pins better. You have to be a little bit stronger in your wrist and kind of curl your wrist back. That way your hand is underneath the ball so that when you release it, you're spinning the ball on an axis that allows it to curve from left to right or right to left."
Brody’s already very familiar with the curves of these techniques. “I bowl with only two fingers, no thumb. I rest the bowling ball on my arm and throw it." Hooks like this allow the ball to hit the first pin right at the center of the triangle, called the head pin, at an angle. This makes it more probable that a strike will occur when the pins are knocked over. They strike each other differently than how they usually dance from a straight-on hit.
Understanding these elements can enhance both the competitive and recreational experiences of bowlers. It’s important to enjoy the game while trying to improve. Coach Brown refined himself this way too. “I can remember many times just being really impressed at how good I got after I would bowl over and over again.”
For someone who’s been bowling for so long, the coach has spectacular advice. "Some easy bowler etiquette is that as we go to bowl and we step up to the bowling alley, we generally look to the left and we look to the right and make sure that there's no one else that's more ready to bowl than us. And if that's the case, then we can bowl.” It would be terrible if you mess up someone else's shot or mess up your shot because you were bowling so close to them.
As hard as it is to bowl, even me, Coach Brown, and Brody get splits. Coach Brown reminds us, “the best bowlers in the world get 7-10 splits. So don't get discouraged when you also get a split.” We all have a difficult game sometimes!
One last thing our Coach wants every bowler to know is that "the easiest way to improve your bowling scores is to get your own shoes and ball. If you have your own shoes and ball, it builds consistency and allows you to improve your score.” Using the same ball over and over gets you accustomed to the ball’s weight and increments, along with throwing with the same posture and angle.
Going bowling for fun is the easiest way to improve your bowling score. That's really where you get to experiment and see what works and what doesn't work. “It doesn't matter if I get two strikes in a row or two gutters in a row; I'm just here for fun.” Just as Coach Brown explains, bowling for fun is always a great time. Improvement always comes naturally, down the road. Same as the balls coming down the alley.
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