Of course it was deafening at the annual IHSA state girls bowling tournament held in Rockford last weekend. It's a tradition at Cherry Bowl to hear plenty of cheering and yelling.
"I don't think they ever imagined how loud it was going to be,'' said bowling coach Jean Tripam. "I think they were a bit overwhelmed at first and got off to a rough start. But we settled in after that first game. Having three girls advance to Saturday was exciting as well. I am very proud of all of them."
The Bison girls bowling team finished in 18th place on Friday night (5,365). That didn't qualify the team for another day of rolling on Saturday. But three bowlers managed to earn a spot in the finals.
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A pair of juniors led the way. Shana Rarick, who finished Friday with an excellent 231 game, led the Bison with her 64th place finish. Her second day was highlighted by games of 191, 197 and 201. Rarick knocked down 2,269 pins, good for a 189.1 average.
In 68th place came junior Mariah McVay. Her booming 257 game on Friday set the tone for her return on Saturday. On day two, she rolled games of 202 and 204. She finished with 2,234, or a 186.2 average.
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Senior Kara Zukoski finished 74th. Her best day was Friday with games of 236 and 200. She had a 182 average and a pinfall of 2,184.
This is a team that has had more than its fair share of hardships. Tripam noted the Bison team has been hit with the loss of family members in addition to some serious injuries and illness the past two years.
"Through all the challenges, on and off the lanes, the girls have remained
composed and determined to overcome all the adversity,'' she said. "And my entire
coaching staff is so very proud of their effort."
There was more help on Friday from senior Vicki Theodosopoulos. She had a 190 game on the way to a 464 series. Fellow 12th-grader Christina Kalaytowicz closed her career with a 220 game and a 516 series.
The future of this team looks bright. Freshman Anna Haller faced all the noise and distraction with consistency on Friday. She rolled two series of 456 and 458.
These Bison seemed to peak at the right time.
"The past three weeks, we have stressed the mental part of the game,'' Tripam said.
We broke down the game into the basic concepts. It seemed to help the team focus."
