On Jan. 31, the girls’ bowling team competed at the MSL conference at Arlington Lanes. They won the MSL East title and will be competing in Regionals Feb. 6-7 in Morton Grove.
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Senior Lucy Theiss talks about how joining bowling was unexpected, but worth it.
What was your reaction to winning MSL East?
I was very happy that we won the east division. My team and I had been working hard all season, and it was very awesome that we got to end the conference with a bang.
Did you expect to win?
I expected it, honestly, because my team is so fun and determined, and I just knew we’d be able to pull through and win.
What was the competition like?
We had been having a great day the whole time, and our final game is where we pulled out all the stops. We cheered as loud as we could for each other. We gave so much support and tried to keep our energy up and it worked. We bowled great games and ended up being champions.
How has bowling affected your life?
Bowling has let me meet new people and learn how to adapt to different environments. It’s helped me learn how to always pick people up if they’re having a rough time, and to be a good sport. It’s not just a casual game, it really is an actual sport, and it affects me in other areas too.
What friendships have you made?
I’ve met so many new people and strengthened my bonds with so many others. I’ve gotten much closer with my co-captain, Siya, as well as meeting new incoming players. I love all the girls and it’s great to have these new friendships.
What friendships have you made?
My goal for this season was to have fun above all else. I’m not planning to do it in college, so my goal was to just have a good time and finish my high school career as strong as I could.
Why did you decide to join?
I decided to join bowling because I wasn’t involved in a winter sport, and I thought it would be a cool thing to try. I ended up loving it and I stuck with it ever since.
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Coach Chad Froeschle talks about how coaching has affected his life.
How long have you been coaching bowling?
I have been coaching bowling for 4 years.
Why did you decide to start coaching?
Back in the day, I used to be in a league, and so I used to bowl back in Wisconsin when I was younger. I’ve always bowled in my free time with my kids, and then the job opportunity came available here at Prospect. It was a way for me to connect with students, and also a way to continue with my passion of bowling.
What is your favorite part about coaching?
It’s fun to watch each bowler kind of overcome some of those things and watch. It’s very rewarding to watch them advance throughout the school year, and just seeing the improvements and being a part of that. We have a great group of gals that are very cohesive and have a lot of fun and we joke around a lot.
What are some of the ways that the girls have grown from the beginning of the season today?
We’ve seen some huge increases from all of our girls, whether it’s JV2 to varsity, increasing an overall average based on their bowling. One of my other rewarding and favorite parts is girls that have never bowled before, maybe bowled at a birthday party, realizing that it’s a sport, and there’s a lot that you can do to improve your game.
What was your reaction to the team winning MSL East?
It was really, really close. We needed to bowl well the last few games and we did, and we also needed a little help from Rolling Meadows. They helped us out by beating Wheeling. So that helped us secure that position. But, our girls were very excited.
How is your team affected by not practicing at Prospect?
I think visibility is huge. I’m a marketing teacher, so having your product or your brand visible by the public always helps. I think that’s one of the things that kind of hurts us. I don’t know how many Prospect students know that we have a bowling team. It would be nice for visibility. I wish it was something that students could see and participate more on a regular basis. It’s very competitive, and you can have a lot of fun doing it.
What are some memorable moments from this season?
This is a season that we have eight seniors, so it was exciting to come into the season because we have that leadership. I felt that our girls did a great job being leaders on and off the lanes, and doing a great job kind of coaching the girls throughout. That’s been my favorite part is just seeing it from the beginning of the season, and then having people step up and continue to bowl really well all the way to the end. The cohesiveness of the girls throughout the season, and then just their enthusiasm and just the individual improvement that led to overall team improvement that led to winning the conference.
