The Boys and Girls Bowling Team kicked off their 2020 season in late November. Both teams started their season off strong, each achieving a victory against Manhasset High School.

The boys varsity team followed this up with two losses against Roslyn and Great Neck North, however, they were able to even out their record when they achieved a win against Great Neck South.

The varsity girls team, however, have been undefeated.  Although both the girls and boys teams lost seniors who were all starters in previous years, the teams believe that they can make great strides throughout their season and be just as competitive.  Both squads look forward to approaching this season with the same aggression they did last year.

There were six returning players and six new ones on the girls team, five of whom are sophomores and freshmen.

Improvement is already being seen from the newer players and one of them is already stepping up to compete at the varsity level.  This is especially impressive since, according to junior and new team member Jessica Siciliano, none of the new members have played competitive bowling before, and most of their experience has come from recreational bowling.

 “Practice makes perfect. If you do something a lot, you get better at it. Plus, the girls on the team with more experience give each other tips on how to improve,” said junior Samantha Fried.

The varsity and junior varsity bowling lineups for the boys and girls are a different situation.  There is no predetermined junior varsity and varsity team.  This means that one week a player competes on junior varsity, and the next they might compete on the varsity team.  The practice allows each player to be given the opportunity to play on either team against new competition.

Each week, bowlers average out their performance in their competitive matches. These averages are then compared to those of other players on the team, and bowlers are picked to play in both junior varsity and varsity matches based on their average at the preceding match.  Those who aren’t picked use the opportunity to practice their form in practice lanes during the matches.  Another upside to this is that it is a great source of motivation and competitiveness between teammates to keep improving.

“[It] definitely motivates me to get the highest average I possibly can,” said junior David Weiner.

Despite being behind throughout their game versus Roslyn, the boys were able to gain points back towards the end, allowing them to win some recognition for having the highest total pin count.  The boys’ team almost entirely consists of juniors this season.

“ I see that as a strength actually, especially since [most juniors] have been on the team since freshman year. We have improved so much and all the skills we learned can now be shown in our matches,” said Weiner.

As for practices, both teams practice Monday through Thursday on the days when there isn’t a match. Practice consists of playing three games just like how it would be in a match (matches are determined by the best of three games).  This gives players to simulate a real match situation which gives them even more experience for the matches.

“A chance to work on our forms and [fix] the mistakes we made in matches… Coach tells us many tips to help,” said Weiner.

Crucial to helping lead the team to their victories are team captains Trevor Capps, David Weiner, Jacob Schupack, and Chris Schroyer, who said that being captain comes with the responsibility of making sure the team is staying on track during practices and matches and helping keep morale and enthusiasm high between the teammates.  If someone is having a bad day or practice, the team captains will be there to help pick them up and encourage them.

Additionally, the captains offer expertise to less experienced players.  Although the individual nature of bowling may lead to one thinking there’s intense competition between the players, this is not the case; they all want to see each other succeed.

The varsity girl team, meanwhile, has gone undefeated, winning their matches 3-0 against Manhasset, Roslyn, Great Neck North, and Great Neck South.  Last season, they went to the County Championships and went 3-3 to finish in fourth place.  The girls have hope that this season, they will be able to achieve this again, especially given their current undefeated record.

“I actually didn’t know if we would be able to perform well this season.  But we’re doing well. I think it’s because we all help each other to improve, and we really want to succeed as a team, not just as individuals,” said Fried.

Due to the girls’ excellent performance, it isn’t a stretch to expect great things from them in the rest of the upcoming season.

Many people tend to forget about bowling when thinking about Schreiber’s winter sports, despite the hard work that the players put into the team and the amazing job the boys and girls teams did in representing Schreiber last season.

He and many other players enforce the hard work that goes into bowling since it requires great skill and technical ability that is difficult to master. Bowling is more than a recreational activity for birthday parties; it can be highly competitive and stressful for players.

“Nobody can really come into a bowling alley for the first time and get a 200,” said junior Trevor Capps.  “Although we’re able to have fun and joke around during our sport.  It still takes a lot of practice and skill to be able to succeed.”

It is clear that both the girls and the boys are putting in that work due to their great records so far.  Bowling is an underlooked sport, but the teams’ power and determination continue to bring great success back to Schreiber.