When you hear the word bowling some may laugh and wonder why people do it or people will say they only do it once or twice a year with friends. Not for Winston, for Winston it’s a lifestyle.
Petri has been bowling for six years and is on the MHS varsity team. When he started bowling he realized the challenge and precision it takes to master the art of bowling, and he’s been hooked ever since.
“In practice, I like to be deliberate about what I do and what I feel,” he stated. Bowling is skill, talent, and some muscle memory. When bowling you want to maintain the same speed every single shot so your ball doesn’t do anything different and hit the pocket differently. “I can think back to what felt off and try to correct it,” he added. When bowling, if you even do one thing differently your whole shot could change and you could come up light or high in the pocket.“Bowling varsity is definitely an experience; it has its ups and downs, but overall it’s a good experience,” Petri said.
When Petri is bowling it is a sight to see, the way the ball just comes off his hand and the way the pins go down. Even if you are the best bowler you will only sometimes perform according to your expectations because every alley you go to is completely different. Sometimes you can have ten boards of miss room while you can also have one board of miss room and if you’re not precise with every single shot you’ll have to deal with making a lot of spares. For the varsity team, they have a conference and a chance at state which they made it to last year. “I think for the conference we’ll have a top-five finish,” Petri commented. If the team wants to go down to state this year they are going to have to bowl their very best every time they can to earn a spot down at state. “We’ll need to bowl the best we possibly can and focus on staying present.”
Petri plans to take his bowling outside of high school and even though he is a junior he already has thought about where he wants to go, Wichita State University. “They’ve got a program (bowling) second to none so I’m super excited for that,” Petri stated. Going to bowl after high school will massively increase the way he bowls with higher and more elite competition. When you’re not on your A game it can get frustrating, and bowling with a bad mindset is one of the hardest things to do because there is just so much to think about.
The MHS Varsity bowling team had their regional tournament at Fair Haven Bowling Alley and placed second advancing to regionals at Bertrand Bowling Alley on January 20th. “Having a bowler like Winston on the team is very beneficial,” said the varsity bowling coach, Coach Sweno, “Winston’s contribution to the team’s overall scores has helped us as a team win matches and place better in tournaments.” At the regional tournament, Pietri bowled in all six games and contributed in all games.
