On Wednesday, Feb. 2, the crowd of parents, relatives, and friends gathered at Bowl-Hi Lanes. They focused their attention on the shiny, smooth bowling ball that was accelerating on the long, glistening floor. Klump! Klump! Klump! was the sound of the bowling ball knocking down all the pins. The crowd roared and cheered saying, “Let’s go!” This happened throughout the evening when the varsity girls bowling team played against Belvidere High School. 

Varsity won with a score of 2582-2309 points, with freshman Erica DeBello scoring the highest that night. DeBello scored a total of 612 points. The second-highest scorer was freshman Prianca Waters, who scored 545 points. 

“Both of these girls are doing amazing, and by the time they are seniors they will be rocking it,” Coach Kim Fekete said.

Both of these freshmen had many consecutive strikes and spares during their frame. Overall, all the girls played fantastically that evening and acted as a cohesive unit. The girls brought each other’s spirits up with catchy and fun chants. Even when a person did not do well in their frame, the group was supportive of that team member.

“Bowling is so fun, because we have such a tight-knit group. We are all just good friends, even outside of bowling,” senior Riley Hill said.

Hill, who had the third-highest score on the team, scored a total of 493 points. 

“I have really improved in bowling. When I started bowling I didn’t even own my ball, and I don’t even think I even knew how to throw a ball,” Hill said.

The team displayed wonderful moral support for one another by giving each other high fives and fist bumps when a player would get a spare or strike. 

“It’s really nice how we have a mini sisterhood,” senior Kayla Sass said.

Before this year, the girls bowling team had only a few members but has now grown a ton. The girls are now preparing for regionals on Feb. 5, at Liberty Lanes. 

“For regionals, we are going to prepare by going down to the bowling alley that is hosting regionals, and we’re going to practice there to try and get used to the bowling conditions,” Fekete said.

Overall, the varsity girls bowling team had a phenomenal bowling season this year, winning the majority of their meets, and will hopefully do well at regionals on Saturday.