The Metea Valley girls’ bowling team won their match against the Oswego Panthers last Wednesday, preparing them as they get ready for the rest of their season.
Throughout the season, the girls have been dominating in their matches due to their preparation in training. Head Coach Kristen Mansmith explained that doing a lot of drill work, especially on spares, will help them be successful in matches and the postseason.
“Striking a ball is great when it happens, but spares are the key to bowling,” Mansmith said. “You have to close what we call closed frames. Missing a 10-pin, seven-pin, or something in the middle, it’s costly.”
“We do a lot of drill work right now, a lot of time on task when we’re picking up spares and really shooting for those right sided ones, specifically to make sure we can close frames when the time comes.”
Coach Mansmith believes that consistency is the key to success in matches.
“[The girls] were really, super consistent [against Oswego]. There were two goals yesterday: to [not] drop any points and score 800, and we only dropped one point, which was good. But in addition to that, we were over 800 the whole day, and that was excellent,” Mansmith said. “If we can get over 800, that [gets us ready] for the postseason play, where we really have to [get] almost 900 a match.”
“Right now, we are leading in the DVC,” Mansmith said. “[Last night] was a big match because it would lead us into a conference match next week [against Waubonsie], [who have an] opportunity to [overtake] us.”
While the team has been great with their scores and wins, a struggle that can come with bowling is the mentality. Mansmith talks about the importance of not getting frustrated in bowling.
“I always tell my players, if you’re going to get beat, let [them] beat you, but don’t beat yourselves,” Mansmith said. “Keep your mental game and your mental composure the entire time. Make sure that you’re mentally tough and that you’re doing what you can do.”
Mansmith expressed her view on the girls’ successful season and the growth they’ve shown, even the players new to bowling.
“Most of my girls come in not really knowing how to bowl, so each year we have to really teach and instruct, and then they take it from there and continue to grow,” Mansmith said. “[Bowling] is different from a lot of club sports, which many have played throughout their youth. There’s been gigantic moves this year, with girls [improving their] scores [significantly] and really putting in the effort.”
“They’re driven, they’re a really motivated group of kids,” Mansmith said.
The girls will hope to keep the momentum going in their next match, where they will play in a decisive conference match against the Waubonsie Valley Warriors on Monday.
