An Underrated Team Here at Pennridge: Girls Bowling

In the sport of bowling, the object of the game is to knock down as many pins as you can with a large ball in the stretch of 10 frames. Each frame contains two possible throws, with different resulting scores based on the number of pins knocked down. A player’s score is the sum of the pins they can hit with the ball in those throws unless he/she hits all ten. If all ten are collectively hit in two throws, the player is awarded a spare. This means that the frame contains 10 points plus the number of pins they have knocked down on the second throw. If all ten pins are hit on the first throw, the player is awarded a strike. This means that the frame contains 10 points plus the number of pins they have knocked down in the next two throws.

At Pennridge High School, an underrated sports program is the Women’s Bowling Team. Managed by new head coach Kristen Detweiler the girls managed to finish in first place, with a record of 49-7 becoming the Suburban One League Champions. This was achieved with their most recent victory over the Quakertown Girls Varsity team. Leading for the Rams at the end of the first round was Maribeth Baker, with a total of 182 points. Behind Baker came Flexer with 139 points, Mott with 113 points, Smith with 127 points, and Vass with 91. Pennridge won all four rounds and crowned themselves SOL champions.

Behind the success of the program is head Coach Kristen Detweiler. Detweiler claims that she’s had a love for the game her whole life, and has been an avid bowler since the age of six. This past year, former head Coach Brain Laiacona stepped down from the position and asked Detweiler if she would be his replacement. Of course, she accepted. This would be her second experience coaching, having assisted in coaching the junior league at Earl Bowl. She also has been a devoted competitor, having bowled in various youth league competitions all the way up until her graduation. Despite not participating in as many head-to-head matches, she still bowls today! Coach Detweiler is lucky to have such a talented group of athletes, but still holds tips for her newer players entering the lanes. “We always teach our players to use the arrows or boards to find their shot. From the gutter to the first arrow equals five boards. If your ball is not getting to the pocket we have them move right with their feet. If the ball is going past the pocket they move left.” She also adds the importance of repetition, practice, and hitting the same spots on the floor each and every time.

According to varsity player Megan Smith, training commences with 8-10 practices before the games “roll” in. The players do their best to round out their skills before the competition and continue to improve throughout the season. One of the additional keys to their success is the attitude on the team. “All players get along well and we are all friendly towards each other,” states Smith. Bowling is scheduled to start again next November, with many returning key players and coaches looking to once again take the league by storm. Keep an eye out for the Pennridge Women’s Bowling Team!

Sources:
https://www.playerssports.net/page/bowling-rules
https://www.bowl.com/rules/
https://pennridgerams.org/
http://media.specialolympics.org/soi/files/sports/Bowling/edvymjxz/Bowling_.pdf