SophiaReinhardt
The Crusader bowling season is in full swing. Since the beginning of the season, Marian has a record of 3-11. They are continuing to practice every day and are preparing to finish the season strong. The team practices and hosts home meets at Maplewood Lanes.
Junior Kaylene Bialas, in her second year on the team, is working to improve her throwing form and continue to hit her personal best.
“We are working towards curving the ball instead of just throwing it straight,” Bialas said. Bowlers use the curving throw to help knock down a pin and cause a waterfall effect on the other pins.
“We start practice with foul line drills,” Bialas said. “We go up to the line and practice how to throw the ball,” she said. The most important part of the game is the ball throwing technique. Therefore, the team has been strongly focused on throwing.
Another thing the bowlers have been working on is closing out their frames. “Coach always reminds us to close out our frames either with a spare or strike,” Bialas said. Ending the game with a strike or a spare allows the bowler to have another turn in their final frame. If you get a strike, you have two more chances to get extra points. If you have a spare, you get one more chance to get extra points.
Bialas has also been working through the mental challenges that come with the sport. “My biggest challenge is I sometimes get frustrated when I don’t do as well as I think I should,” Bialas said. “But knowing my team is always there supporting each other really helps.”
Photo illustration by MayaZier.
ARTIST STATEMENT: To make my bowling photo illustration, I found an outline of bowling pins, a bowling ball, and the letters. From there, I outlined everything to erase the background. I made a collage of photos that I took throughout the bowling season. I layed the cutout above the collage and inverted the cutout so the collage would peak through. Then, I had to make adjustments to the collage so the correct photos would be seen through the cutout. This was printed in the paper in black and white, but created in color for this web version. The process of creation took 30+ minutes after deciding what to do.
Senior Emma Pane is competing for her second season. This season, she is also working on “spinning the ball and being accurate,” Pane said. One of the main goals of the team overall is to have good spin techniques.
Pane also is working on hitting her goals and achieving a personal best. So far, she has hit many accomplishments. “My biggest achievement so far was scoring 160 when we faced off against Gretna,” Pane said.
Pane wants to finish her season strong. “I am really just enjoying the rest of my senior season,” Pane said. She really values the emotional connection that she has made on the team as well as winning a meet. “I’m so glad that I joined bowling,” Pane said. “I’ve made so many memories and new friends.”
They competed Jan. 26 against Millard South in the Metro tournament and a JV tournament on Jan. 27.
They also competed in the District bowling meet Jan. 29, and for the second year in a row became district runner up. Juniors Sami McCormack and Gabby Birkel will compete in the State meet on Feb. 5.
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