Sophomore Joe Kleven lays his hands and head against the wall in agony. “That was terrible,” he declared after missing a pin. This is the first moment he hasn’t gotten a spare or strike during practice. He backs away from the wall, his face portraying confidence once again.

Kleven entered Benilde-St. Margaret’s last year as a freshman and has already been a varsity bowler for two years. Although it is required to be in ninth grade to be eligible for the varsity team, Kleven has been a highly skilled player for years.

“I got on a teenage league when I was five and I’ve been bowling every Saturday since,” Kleven said. Kleven decided to join a bowling team after attending a friend’s birthday party at the age of four. “I went to the party and it made me love bowling. Plus, it came naturally to me.”

With Kleven and the rest of BSM’s dedicated bowlers, the bowling team is ready to take down their undefeated rival, Hopkins, in the All-Conference meet on November 24. Winning five out of their eight meets this year, they are ranked second in the Metro-West league.

Many of this year’s top scoring players are sophomores and juniors, which will be beneficial for next year’s season. The team will likely be able to continue at a high placement level in the league with their top performing players.

Junior Ryan Kelly takes bowling seriously and is one of the top players on the Benilde-St. Margaret’s bowling team. Not only is he a captain, but he sets the record of reaching the highest score possible. “My best single game is a 300, which is 12 strikes in a row and I reached this in January of my freshmen year,” Kelly said.

Kelly not only participates on the BSM team, but also is a part of a Saturday morning league with a few other teammates from BSM, including Joe Kleven. Being a captain, Kelly loves to help other people improve their game; he especially has enjoyed coaching junior Christian Pedersen by helping him with his one-handed throw.

Kelly also has someone to look up to, his coach and mentor Anthony Rhines, who taught him everything he knows about bowling. “Anthony Rhines is one of the most selfless people I know; he is always happy. He is always willing to help me improve my game, which to this day still helps me because I still have room for improvement,” Kelly said.

Although the team is competitive and the players are constantly striving to obtain greatness, the practices are about getting together to bowl and have fun. “I really like being part of the bowling team because I think it’s fun. I have some good friends that participate in it with me. We all just have a good time,” Kelly said.