Striking out COVID
Loralei Forgette and Lucy Hettinger in their bowling uniforms and masks.
With resilience and a full roster, Hutchison’s bowling team starts a new season during a pandemic. This year COVID has put new regulations on high school sports. Hutchison has continued to have sports practice and compete. The bowling team has seen an increase in participation this year. This season there are thirteen girls, which is two times last year’s team. Even though COVID has brought about new challenges for sports, the bowling team continues to gain in popularity and become successful.
“It’s exciting we have a full team this year,” said sophomore Loralei Forgette. “Six bowlers play in a match, and everyone else can sub in or cheer on their team for the side.” The majority of the team this year is new to bowling. They play two matches a week against other high school girls teams.
“It’s the highlight of my week to try to get better at bowling,” said Forgette. “One of the main misconceptions is that it’s not a real sport and just anyone can do it.” Bowling requires practice and muscle memory. There is more to it than throwing a ball down the lane.
“Bowling is about angles and spin. It’s very mathematical,” said bowling coach and math teacher Adrian Lester. “The math geek in me loves that it’s almost like a puzzle.” With the physical aspect of the sport, bowling is also mentally challenging. “It’s not always easy to figure out where you are going wrong, but you have to try to stay out of your head,” said Lester. Bowling can be frustrating and competitive, but is a rewarding, individualized team sport.
Team spirit is at a high this season and is always encouraging. There are many life lessons and takeaways from being on the bowling team. “The biggest life lesson is resilience and the ability to overcome,” said Lester. Bowling has a very strong community, inside and outside of Hutchison even during the COVID pandemic.
“We have been very careful at following guidelines and rescheduling games and practices when needed,” said Coach Lester. The team is not allowed to high five and must wear masks at all times. The workers at the alleys sanitize everything and help enforce the regulations. Hutchison girls each have their own balls and shoes, which helps to minimize the spread. Even with the regulations, “the spirit of bowling is still there,” said Forgette.
