BREANA TAN, freshman

The best way to bowl a perfect game is by keeping your mind — and your bowling
ball — out of the gutter. Scoring spares, strikes, and even turkeys (which occur
when three consecutive strikes are bowled) are essential to bowling success, as our very own JP bowling team has displayed amid their early season dominance. The Hawks consistently prove that bowling is not just a casual game to play on a lonely Friday night, but a competitive sport involving plenty of practice, great focus, and a valiant team effort. A c c o r d i n g to the boys’ captain, senior Shikhar Shah, “The amount of variables, including ball speed, ball height, oil
condition, and breakpoints, that you have to take into account when you are bowling is insane Bowlers don’t just lounge around between shots; we think a lot. It keeps the game interesting.” Under the guidance of Coach Canova, both the boys’ and girls’ bowling teams are not willing to “spare” any of their competition.

So far, the Lady Hawks have opened up the season with a record of 1–10–1. A rising star on the team is sophomore Victoria Sabo, who has accumulated the highest scores of the season thus far. With a high game of 196, Victoria has knocked down a total of 1741, 1704, and 1720 pins in the three games respectively, with a cumulative total of 5165 pins this season. Right behind Victoria is senior captain Laina Magnani, who has bowled a high game of 185 and a total of 4341
pins. Adding on to the impressive statistics is senior Indhu Velishala, who boasts a high game of 160 and has bowled 3857 pins in the last few games. Said Victoria, “Although the team isn’t full of 200–point bowlers, we are full of determination and heart. As long as we push to try our best and challenge ourselves, I believe we have the chance to make it far in the GMCs.”

The boys’ bowling team started off the season with great momentum and is hoping to carry it through until the end. This team’s path to victory is paved by the leadership of senior captain Shikhar Shah. Defeating Perth Amboy, South Plainfield, Carteret, and St. Joseph, the boys’ team has opened the season with a record of 6–6. The key to the Hawks’ success has been the vital contributions from the extremely skilled bowlers on the team; several n o t a b l e players on
the squad have put up s e e m i n g l y collegiate and professional numbers and have easily scored over 600 points in any given match. Senior Joey Mack, with a high game of 246, the greatest on the team, and senior Curtis Ford, with a high game of 245, are key contributors to the team’s winning performances. Although it is difficult to attain a perfect score of 300, these boys definitely come very close. A large part of their success can be attributed to the team’s spirit and cooperation that senior captain Shikhar Shah recalls was not present during his previous years. Looking ahead to the rest of the season, the members of the team will find a way to have fun while advancing in the GMCs and other competitions such as the Woodbridge Classic and Joe Romar Memorial Tournament. They have faith in each other, and so does Coach Canova. “A unique aspect to our sport is that even as the teams bowl simultaneously next to one another, the boys and girls are able to cheer their teammates on,” he said. “Regardless of the score, we are always encouraging one another to give all that we have for the game that we’re in — a true sign of teamwork and sportsmanship.”