GHS Bowling Season Begins

The Boys Varsity Bowling team has had a successful season so far, winning their first two matches.

Junior Tyler Mouthey rolled 11 strikes, junior Connor Loeffler bowled all strikes and spares, and junior Robert Yaccarino scored 80 percent fill and 50 percent strikes in 26 games to lead the varsity team in winning  5 out of 7 games in their match versus Menomonee Falls.

“We all had a good attitude going into the match even though we hadn’t played these teams before,” said senior varsity bowler Garrett Mueller. “This year we are in a new division that is a bit easier.”

As for the girls, they haven’t had such a great start. They lost both matches and all the games within the match. Fortunately, the season just started and there is time for improvement and time to win!

The Girls Varsity team still has a positive attitude and enjoys being a part of the team.

“My favorite thing about our team is how loud we cheer at our matches. We may not be the best team in the league, but we sure do have fun with it,” senior Jamie Wage said.

Freshman Ellie Simmons is enjoying her time on the team so far.

“My experience with bowling has been exciting, even though we lost. I met a few new people and created stronger bonds with my teammates,” she said. “Everyone is super supportive and it’s a great environment to be around.  I got over the fear of my first match because of my teammate’s support.”

The girls and boys work hard during practices to improve their technique and enjoy being a part of the bowling team.

“It has been fun because most of my good friends are on Varsity as well. My favorite part is about being with all my friends and having fun,” Yaccarino said. “Matches can be really fun especially when we are winning and getting high games.”

“I like the fun competition and learning new techniques to improve my game,” Mueller said.

The coach explains how hard the kids work in practice.

“We generally work on technique based on errors that were made during the match.  We also work ate spare conversions,” said Boys Varsity Bowling Coach Robert Ligocki. “Most of the bowlers know how to bowl strikes and spares.”

The Varsity team has a few weaknesses.

“There are a lot of new players on Varsity, so it’s hard to get everyone a chance to bowl every match,” Mueller said.

Ligocki agrees. “They need to succeed under pressure. The bowlers also need to adapt to the changing lane conditions quickly before too many errant shots are rolled,” he said.

There are also some dislikes.

“My least favorite part is the really early matches on the weekend that last half the day,” Yaccarino said.

“Matches are super crowded, and the alley is very noisy as well,” Simmons said.

The bowlers enjoy practice as a time to improve.

“My favorite thing about bowling is improving and working on my skill. It takes work to get that perfect strike ball, but when you do it’s a great feeling of accomplishment,” Simmons said.

“I have gotten so much better throughout the season and the years on the bowling team at practice,” said Wage. “I’ve have met friends that I thought I would never talk to in high school.”

“I feel like I do improve during practice because bowling requires a lot of consistency and muscle memory, which we practice,” Yaccarino said.

Not all of the bowlers have been bowling for that long; they joined the sport for fun.

“I have been in Varsity Bowling since sophomore year. It has been a learning experience ever since,” Wage said.

“I started bowling last year on the middle school team. My sister Maddie Simmons has been bowling for three years and it looked like a lot of fun, so I started,” said Simmons. “It was hard at first because everyone was very good and I wasn’t the best. But, slowly I improved and I still am improving.”

“I started playing in 7th grade because my dad really likes bowling,” said Yaccarino. “My friends asked me to join their Saturday ‘Fun League’, I did, and we’ve been doing it ever since.”

Ligocki and Mueller describe their prime team goal: to improve throughout the season and make it to state again.