The sounds of pins tumbling down and rolling bowling balls are all too familiar for the Lincoln East bowling team. With a 9-15 record this season, the relatively new sport at Lincoln East High School is increasing in popularity this winter. The team at Lincoln East High School has not only proven its skill on the lanes, but has also shown what dedication and hard work can achieve.
Bowling officially became an NSAA sport in 2022 and has since become a fun sport to be a part of. With districts taking place on February 13, East almost qualified for the top 8 bracket. While the overall team just fell short, three people on the boys team and three people from the girls team still qualified for the individual State competition. Lincoln East junior, Tristan Yates, is one of the three from the girls team who qualified.
“For individual State, we all bowl four games, then the top eight highest scores will go on to face each other in head-to-head matches,” Yates said. “State was very intense and pretty nerve racking, but overall it was a lot of fun.”
State Bowling was an enjoyable experience for the team. However, with State comes a lot of hardwork and practice behind the scenes.
“Practices are around two hours where we start with warmups,” Yates said. “Normally we do a one step drill to work on our release and then a corner pin drill to work on the 7 and 10 pin. After that we will go into a normal game and bowl for scores, most of the time these scores will determine who will bowl in the next duel or tournament.”
Consistency and working hard are all a part of being on the team. But that doesn’t mean it’s all work and no play. The team’s atmosphere is welcoming and fun with the teammates, and coaches always looking to help one another out.
“Coaching the bowling team is a lot of fun,” boys bowling coach Lee Plath said. “I enjoy getting out on the lanes with the guys and helping them improve. My favorite things about coaching the team is being around the guys and giving them some more knowledge of the sport. It’s not a sport that is so mainstream that you can always find someone with some knowledge about it, so giving our athletes some proper guidance is something I enjoy.”
With the bowling season coming to an end, plans for next year’s season are already being deliberated over as the team hopes to improve and possibly make State.
“I’ve done bowling for three years so far and it’s been absolutely amazing,” Yates said. “I’m planning on just getting more consistent overall and I’ll be preparing to make state again and advance into the top eight. I’m also planning on working hard with my team so we can hopefully make team State.”
It’s clear that the Lincoln East bowling team has a lot of potential and hardworking individuals on the team. With a great finish this year, make sure to cheer them on for an even more successful season next year!
