The Benilde-St. Margaret’s bowling team has been around for some years now, but this fall the number of people participating skyrocketed. More specifically the participation of senior girls. As some would argue, bowling is a sport, here at BSM the bowling team is a club because it is not part of the Minnesota State High School League. With 21 new members, two Junior Varsity teams and one Varsity team, the BSM bowling team is ready and geared up for the season.
Last year, BSM math teacher and head bowling coach Max Johnson went into each math class during each period recruiting members for the bowling team and hyping up the sport. Senior Frances Steichen is one of many who was swayed by Johnson’s convincing statements and decided to jump upon the opportunity. From learning the proper way to bowl, competing for championships, hanging out with friends, and eating food, Steichen thoroughly enjoys her time at the bowling alley. “I learned the proper walk to tumble my ball, the four steps, and also proper bowling etiquette…[Mr. Johnson] gets very excited about bowling and encourages people to do their best,” Steichen said.
I learned the proper walk to tumble my ball, the four steps, and also proper bowling etiquette…[Mr. Johnson] gets very excited about bowling and encourages people to do their best.”
— Frances Steichen
As the bowling team gained more attention, the flexible schedule was a huge pull for many students who were busy. Practices are Mondays and Thursdays right after school from 3:00-4:00 P.M. with games on Fridays. During a bowling game, competitors play two different matches with five games per match. Players bowl in a specific order and switch lanes after every frame. Senior Olivia Kinney was hearing more and more people talk about bowling and how it might be a fun activity to join. While bowling is a new sport to many, Kinney had no clue what she was doing at the first couple of practices. Finding the perfect angle for the ball to go down the lane, having the perfect stance, and the ability to calculate scores, is not an easy task at first. “I did not know what I was doing my first few times but learned along the way through Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Smith’s teachings improving my bowling skills,” Kinney said.
There is also quite a bit of math involved in bowling. Bowling requires the calculations of scores, angeling the perfect bowl for a strike, and finding the minimum and maximum scores of each frame. Luckily BSM’s bowling coaches are both highly intelligent math teachers who make learning the correct calculations easy. “I was doing the score sheet, I had to add it all up. So the ball had to be bowled at a certain angle. And you’re supposed to angle it like a triangle… you hit the second triangle from the inside and like stand on the certain side,” Kinney said.
With seven senior girls, which is seven more than last year, the bowling team is on the rise and on a constant lookout for more participating members. “It is very fun and I love it…we also get pretty cool jerseys,” Steichen said.