Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen or thirteen. Bowling is the only sport that boasts a variety in the weights of the balls that players use. Having a personal ball means you can have it drilled to fit your hand, making it feel more comfortable and lessening the chance of injury.
“I really enjoy bowling,” senior Rebecca Rakauskas said. “I look forward to going to the bowling alley.”
But while their equipment may be personalized, this year a major change took place to erase a part of each player’s individuality. In the past only their shirts were uniform. This year, however, they were all required to wear their school uniform pants. But this decision was not made by Vinny Montaglia and Mike Marchese, coaches of the boys’ and girls’ bowling teams, it was brought about by the Staten Island Catholic High School Boy’s Bowling League.
“I feel that by having a uniform this year, we look more like a team,” sophomore Jonathan Caggiano said.
The boys’ bowling team was divided into three smaller teams: the blue team, the grey team and the white team. This division enabled their coaches to more accurately pair members of the team against other schools during a match.
“By dividing the team we have a better chance of winning our games against other teams,” senior Matt Kelly said.
The girls’ bowling team was smaller this year compared to any other team in the past. However they were determined to succeed no matter what the size of their team was.
“The size of the team was hard to deal with at first,” senior Sara Caban said, “but we were able to make the best out of the team members that we had.”