Many people remember the bowling alley fondly, the sticky floors and wildly uneven scores between them and their mercilessly competitive father. It is an unfortunate reality that many have not gone bowling since those days, but they should. High school bowling has provided a fun and unique experience for many MC students.
While bowling might not garner the recruits of other Caravan sports, MC bowlers still enjoy many of the benefits that team sports present. Making friends, having something to do, and getting better at something you care about are all reasons that many people decide to join the bowling team, with the added bonus of having a significant chance of receiving a scholarship. Aside from that, the team consistently finishes matches with an above average score for the Catholic League of 200. Team bowling scores are taken from the top three, and the scores of seniors Angelo Correa, Julian Avila, and Alberto Rodriguez are consistently there.
On November 9th, when the season kicks off against Saint Lawrence at Rolling Lanes in Lyons, those seniors will play a major role, as well as sophomore Myles Hankton and junior RJ Risos. They have both been on the team since their respective freshman years, and though MC bowling has not taken home any hardware recently, Avila believes this group has a decent chance of changing that this year.
“Realistically, I feel like we could beat any team in the league,” he said. “We haven’t won anything big yet, but I feel like this year could be our year.”
Three MC bowlers of a team of just twelve have a chance of getting money off for their capabilities.
“Alberto and me are both talking to the university of St. Francis,” said Correa. “And Alberto got his scholarship. If I get on their team, they’ll help me cover a little bit of tuition.” Colleges have seen them playing at Castaways Bowl in Calumet City against their biggest competitors, Brother Rice and Providence, and were quick to start talking to kids. Aside from that, bowling in itself poses other benefits outside of it being a school activity.
“It’s like golf,” said Correa. “You can play it your whole life.”
And like golf, bowling is played in a small group, which brings the most important value to most MC bowlers.
“It’s being part of a team,” said MC bowling coach Armando Gonzalez. “It might not be as big of a sport as football or baseball or something like that, but kids want to be a part of something, and bowling gives them that.”
While most join the bowling team because their parents wanted them to or they wanted to be a part of a team or just really enjoy the sport, there are some kids that do it because bowling is a fun alternative to some of the sports that get more attention.
“Anybody is welcome to do bowling, so it’s not a problem if you’re not as good of an athlete,” said Avila, the third bowler to get money off for college for his talents, this time from Valparaiso University. “If you want to do it, you can do it. You can go out there and have some fun, shoot a couple games you know, why not.”
Bowling, in a way, is a safe sport for some kids. If they want to get out of their shell and still compete without the pressure of the spotlight, they can. It creates a good environment to make new friends.
“Making new friends is a big part of why most kids do it,” said Correa. “I’ve noticed that a lot of freshmen aren’t very social, and the seniors really helped them get out of their comfort zone. It makes them better at talking to people.”
Bowling isn’t something that instantly comes to mind when you think of MC sports, but that’s kind of the beauty of it. They practice off campus, far away from where anyone might see them. No one that plays has ever gotten any attention for it, but it being different makes it special, not weird.
“We need some guys to come out next year because a few key guys are leaving this year,” said Avila. “I figure, why shouldn’t they try out. Why shouldn’t they come out and try something different.”
