GREENFIELD — Qualifying for the national tournament in February, the Greenfield-Central girls’ bowling team knew it had plenty of time to practice for the big event, scheduled to be contested in Cincinnati, Ohio from June 20-22.
It just didn’t know the place to practice would be closed, the tournament would be postponed, then rescheduled and moved to a different city.
When Greenfield’s Strike Force Lanes got the go-ahead from the state to reopen doors last week, players from the Greenfield-Central team were some of the first to take advantage.
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The national tournament is still in Ohio, moving to Dayton’s Poelking Lanes South. The team still has time to hone their skills before the big weekend, now slated for July 25-27.
“It’s been hard for me going from bowling at least three to five times a week, if not more. As a team, we bowled twice a week together,” Greenfield-Central junior Tandess O’Neal said of the temporary halt due to the coronavirus pandemic. “It was kind of put on pause and we didn’t know what the future of nationals would be or if it would even happen. We are trying to get back into the swing of things. It’s rough.
“Even if I wasn’t out here bowling, I would come out and sit in the pro shop. I was used to being here every single day. Then it just stopped and I realized I couldn’t drive over here to the bowling alley just to say, ‘hi’. That was really hard.”
Junior Macy Huber felt the same way.
“I used to come out even during (the fall in my high school) soccer season, two or three times per week,” Huber said. “Whenever I had free time, or on the weekend, I would just come out here and practice. It was like, ‘Oh, no, what am I going to do.’
It wasn’t just missing bowling. There was also the uncertainty whether the national tournament would happen.
All of sudden, there isn’t as much time to get ready.
“I felt like it was kind of stressful, the not knowing,” Huber said. “A lot of stuff has been cancelled for a lot of other teams. We went through all four phases of bowling post season (sectional, regional, semistate and state) and then possibly not being able to go to nationals, it got you on edge.”
It’s the first time Greenfield-Central’s girls’ team has qualified for the national championships. Two years ago, as freshmen, O’Neal and Huber were part of a G-C co-ed team that made it. Last year, O’Neal qualified as an individual.
The state tournament was held on Feb. 1 in Anderson. The other three state postseason events were on preceding Saturdays in January.
G-C placed sixth in the state meet (the top 10 can compete in the national event). The Cougars were only eight pins behind fifth-place Crown Point. O’Neal placed third in the individual competition. The team won the sectional and regional and placed third at semistate.
Strike Force Lanes reopened its doors for bowling on June 16. Some of the Cougar bowlers began showing up that afternoon. Because it is a high school sport — though it is not sanctioned by the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) — rules prohibit the team from having an organized practice with their coach until July 1.
With the lanes open, the team has decided to get together on their own once a week. When July 1 comes, practice will be more frequent and with coach Dave Evans.
“I’m sore, but it’s a good sore,” O’Neal said about getting back to the bowling routine.
“I told my mom, the No. 1 thing I miss during this whole quarantine is not having a blister on my thumb,” Huber said.
Both admitted, though missing bowling, they believe the layoff has been good for their respective games.
“I almost feel like I am throwing the ball better,” O’Neal said. “I definitely needed that break. I’d talked about taking a little break for a while, but this was a little longer break that I had hoped for.”
Team competition will take place on Saturday, July 25. The individual portion of the event will happen on Sunday and Monday, July 26-27.
The Cougar team is youthful. There are no 2020 seniors. Elyssa Colwell, like O’Neal and Huber, is a junior. The remainder of the team is made up of sophomores (Cassie Knapp, Kayla Blaszak and Victoria Titus) and freshmen (Lauren Sherman and Kyliah Stewart).
They’ve already accomplished a lot as a young group, but they’d like to be able to finish off what has turned in to a historic season.
“It’s still stressful,” Huber admits, knowing the pandemic could still have a say on whether they play again or not. “This season we’ve worked really hard for it. We have a pretty young group, it’s a big accomplishment that we made it to nationals.”
