The girls varsity bowling team has won the Central Buckeye League and is breaking records this season.
The girls team played in the CBL tournament Saturday, Feb. 1, where they placed third, clinching the CBL for the first time in school history.
The team is certified with the Ohio Athletic Club Association, and they operate in tandem with the BHS Athletic Department, girls head coach Jeremey Jay explained.
Additionally, the girls bowling team has broken a number of school records this year, senior team captain Samantha Jay said.
“We’ve set most of the records, and we’ve broken them,” she explained.
Samantha has surpassed some records of her own: she has the highest score at the high school for three-, two- and one-game-series, she said.
The first two records were both broken during the same match on Tuesday, Jan. 14, against Grandview Heights, Samantha added.
For this achievement, she was nominated for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Athlete of the Week award in The Columbus Dispatch. When the vote was finalized on Friday, Jan. 24, Samantha won the title over seven other nominees with a total of 2,201 votes, according to Dispatch reporter Brian White.
The girls bowling team had fewer numbers in previous years, Jeremey said. However, he added the girls team is the largest it’s ever been this year, with six players. Since they still have less depth, the girls try to support each other as much as possible, Jeremey added.
Although the girls team has increasing numbers, the boys team decreased to six players this year, making it the smallest it’s ever been, Jeremey said.
“We’re not a powerhouse team,” he said. “We focused on small goals this year.”
Samantha explained the boys are mostly first-year bowlers, and they have had a slow season, since a majority of them are still learning the sport.
“All except for Reed; he’s the senior boys captain and a four-year varsity award winner,” she explained. “He is the only returning boy, and the rest are feeding off his energy.”
The girls season started slow as well, but the team has improved significantly as the season has progressed, Samantha said.
“Recently it’s just taken off,” she added. “It’s really cool to be able to do that my senior year.”
Jeremey said he agreed the team has improved greatly, especially since the start of the new year.
“They came out of the winter break and have been fired up ever since,” he explained. “I don’t know what got into them, I really don’t. These girls are bowling really, really well.”
Samantha said she believes the reason they’re doing so well is their dedication and willingness to work hard and get better.
Even the girls who are first-year bowlers or seniors are putting in the effort at each practice and game, she explained.
However, progress isn’t always linear, and Samantha said she can still make mistakes.
“You can do something for so long and still not be perfect at it,” she added. “I can be 80 years old, bowling for 75 years and still struggle with certain things. As long as I put the effort in, I know that I’ll get there.”
