Standing tall, silent and still. An incoming force approaches and slides down the lane. The pins fall over, defeated, and the bowling team celebrates another victory.

“Our bowling team is ranked up with the top five teams in the region; therefore, we have a good chance for qualifying for State,” said Head Coach Burton Gepford.

When the bowling team competes in tournaments, they usually compete against four other schools, and this year both the boys and girls varsity teams have won three tournaments.

The bowling team practices every day for an hour and a half. Bri Martin and Chase Taylor have both scored the highest amount of points in a game which is 279.

“Whenever I focus, I seem to do worse so I was up moving and talking to my teammates, they help me stay calm,” Bri Martin said.

Fellow teammate Chase Taylor has a different approach to scoring high.

“That game I was on fire and I couldn’t miss,” Chase Taylor said. “While I do score fairly high, that game was helped by being super focused.”

For some people, bowling takes practice, but for others it just comes naturally.

“Lots of spares and strikes but never a gutterball,” Eric Glogau said as he looks back on his techniques.

Martin has had more opportunities to develop her techniques.

“I have been bowling since I was two, and my dad owns a bowling alley so I was always down there,” Martin said.

“A little bit of both [practice and natural ability],” Taylor said. “There is some natural ability and coordination but much of it is through practicing and working with coaches to make me the most consistent and best bowler I can be.”

Bowling could also be considered one of the most frustrating sports out there because of the physical aspect. A successful bowler must learn the basics of the game such as stance, arm swing, timing, releasing and finishing positions.

Even with all of those factors in mind, they stand strong and ready for anything.

“They always give one hundred percent and work as a team,” Gepford said.

Even though the team seems to constantly to be on a winning streak since they are one of the top five teams in the region, but there are times where luck is not on their side.

“We don’t mourn a loss,” Glogau said. “We correct our mistakes so they won’t happen again.”

The game comes to a close. Scores are forgotten. However, what’s not forgotten is the love of the game and the power of teamwork