Girls bowling headed down to state in Rockford this past Friday, Feb. 18 to finish off the season.

Placing 20th at the state finals, the girls did not make it to the second day of competition, but still valued their experience with coaches and team members.

The hours of practice and preparation throughout the season is what lead the team to the final test of their skills–the state meet.

“We practiced every single day leading up to it,” said Coach Turnbull. “Earlier in the season, our best score as a team was about a 5100, and we needed to score at least a 5400 or higher in order to qualify. We actually did that, and it was phenomenal.”

Though the team made it successfully down to Rockford, new challenges arose once they were there.

“For the state meet, they do a new oil pattern on the lanes so we did what we could to practice, and see how the balls would react on the lanes, and then made adjustments,” said Turnbull.

With the instruction of Coach Turnbull as well as Jim Hedman, the team worked hard throughout the day despite some mishaps.

“Unfortunately I had a bowling ball dropped on my foot, and I sprained the ankle on my other foot, so I did not do as well as I had hoped,” said Jessica Cwik, senior. “However, the team did well and we finished strong together.”

Thanks to the support of each other, nerves were controlled, and the team carried on.

“To stay calm we just cheer just as loud as other teams,” said Cwik. “We pick each other up even when we miss a shot.”

Some of the team members made coaches especially proud along with the many happy moments of the competition.

“In the afternoon, the oil on the lanes started to dry out more than we’ve seen all season,” said Turnbull. “The shot ended up being really difficult, but we had Lauren Gould shoot a 256 in the fifth game which was phenomenal.”

As the girls bowling season comes to a close, we congratulate the team for all their hard work and dedication.