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After being in the state tournament the previous year, the pressure was on for the bowling team to repeat success.
Concept & words by Taylor Ratliff | Design by Allison Traylor | Photography by Taylor Ratliff
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< ALLEY CAT STRIKE| State runner-up Kyle Abell (11) stood at the head of the lane to watch the resulting strike. Waiting for the ball to hit the pins feels like forever, Abell said. 1 THE FINGER | Coach Tom Shulak pulled Spencer Kincaid (10) aside while at the regional boys singles game on Jan. 27. He usually gives me advice about my follow-through and speed. Im really open to trying to learn, Kincaid said. 2 THIS IS SPARTA | While bowlers used several balls for matches, Ben Santinis (11) favorite was his Michigan State Spartans spare ball. Im from Michigan and theyve been my favorite teams for years. My dad got me the bowling ball two years ago, and its great because its practical and personalized at the same time, Santini said.

g tterly embarrassing
I did fall a couple of times. The team is great, and we all just laughed about it. Megan Young (12) Multiple times I forgot which alley our practice was at. One time I got to practice and wondered where all of our cars were. I called my coach and found out that my practice was on the opposite side of town from where I had thought it was. Amber Kleitz (12) When I approached, the ball didnt come out of my hand, and I almost flew forward. Elias Oxendine (9)

The sound of bowling balls rolling across the wooden floor. The crash of pins tumbling. It all echoed in the ears of the bowling team at the end of yet another practice. Since their appearance at the 2012 state tournament, the team was more determined than ever to succeed. The whole season, every ball we threw was in preparation for [the state] tournament, Benjamin Santini (11) said. We put every ounce of effort into making our team on top. So when we got in the bowling alley, we knew what our goal was and how to accomplish it. At the alley for the regional tournament, they felt the heat. Down the lanes, the colors of bowling balls and uniforms rushed past, resulting in either resounding cheers or heads hung low. I wouldnt say I was nervous, Victoria Hill (11) said, just excited and ready to play. The tournament was do or die. Either we made excuses for why we lost, or we went out there and destroyed every team that tried to get in the way of us winning, Santini said. Despite concerns, the countless hours of practice paid off when the team crushed Male at regionals on Jan. 28. The team couldnt afford to celebrate for long, however, and they immediately began to prepare for the state tournament, training both during the official practices and on the team members own time. In the end, however, the team was defeated in the second round by Simon Kenton High School on Feb. 8but the loss didnt stop them from thinking ahead about building a stronger team. As always, the team is working on getting strikes and picking up what is left behind when we miss, Owen Cardwell Copenhefer (11) said. Were working on how to be consistent.
< BASH EM | In the Regional Girls team match on Jan. 28, Jessica Basham (10) was selected as one of the bowlers to compete. Its really nerve-racking, especially since everything you do affects the outcome of the tournament, Basham said. > IN A DARK ALLEYWAY | Charles Showalter (11) prepares to make his shot in the match against Walden on Nov. 8. It was important to use the matches that we bowled in during the year as another opportunity to prepare, and to get better for when it really counted, on the road to state championship, Showalter said. Photo by Kelsi White

An interview with state-champion bowler Kiefer Hillerich (12).

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Q: When and why did you get into bowling? A: I started bowling when I was about 10 years old. I had a few cousins of mine that were older and that were bowlers, and its something I thought would be cool to do. Q: Do you plan to continue bowling after high school? A: Yes, Im going to bowl for U of L in college, and Im continuing to work towards my dream of making the Junior Team USA [age 20 and under Team USA]. Q: Roughly how much time do

hill

you spend bowling in a week? A: It depends on how much I work, but I prefer around 10 to 15 hours a week, plus another few studying the game with my coach. Q: Since youve been bowling for quite a few years, youve probably gotten quite a few bowling balls. How many do you have? A: At any given time, I only keep six or seven in my arsenal, but since Ive started bowling, somewhere around 20. I rotate them in and out, depending on which ones serve the correct purpose.

Ten Pin Pride

Even though we didnt meet our pre-season goal of winning state, Im still proud of our team. Charles Showalter (11). Our team is very talented. We are one of the best; we won first and second in state. Im looking forward to winning next year. Kyle Abell (11). I think we had a good season. I was a little disappointed that we didnt win state, but we are going to work hard and hopefully we will win it next year. Matthew Moermond (11).

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