So yesterday the Kennedy Girls bowling team went to state in
Des Moines, Iowa. We made it there by shooting our season high score of 2695 in
our regional competition last Friday in Waterloo. You can read one of my
earlier blog posts about it.
Anyways, I would like to share with you about how our state competition
went.
First of all, my day started off bad because I found out that
the school had a 2 hour delay. Of course they would have this on the day that I
wouldn’t be in school! Plus, we were supposed to have a sendoff and everything,
but we had to leave at 8:30 which was before anyone was even at school.
I woke up at 6 and got Panera bagels for the team, so we
could all start to wake up. We took the 6 of us plus our two coaches in one of
the school vans all the way up to Des Moines. The trip up was fun, but I think
we drove our coaches insane with all of the loud music and the awful singing we
were doing.
We got to Des Moines at about 10:30 and went to Subway for
lunch, then arrived at the bowling alley. The bowlers we took to state were:
1.
Niki Dean (soph.)
2.
Jessi Schoettmer (jr.)
3.
Amanda Gaffey (sr.)
4.
Mackenzie Dickerman (sr.)
5.
Ashley Hoppe (sr.)
6.
ME- Amanda Wiedemeier (jr.)
Only Hoppe and I have ever been to state before and knew what
to expect. When you first get there you have to drop your equipment off in a
really crowded hallway, and it is hard to maneuver around. Everyone that I know
says hi to me or says good luck or things like that. Some of the coaches from
other teams come up to me and give me a hug and congratulate me and wish me
good luck. Then it's time to take our stuff out to the lanes while all the coaches go into a meeting. None of the parents are even allowed in the bowling alley yet, so when you go out it is just the bowlers. We drop off our balls and shoes and go and prepare for the parade.
We line up in the back and get ready to walk out in front of all the parents. All of the girls and guys bowlers walk out on the lanes while the entire crowd goes crazy, the loud speaker announces all of our names as we walk by.
As this is going on I remember the speech that Stecker gives us every year. I have heard it for 3 now so I can remember it and recite it word for word. It goes like this:
"Girls first I want to offer my big congratulations on making it to state. Not a lot of people get to do this. Your team has been to state every year since the team has started, so you have made quite a name for yourselves. I want you to do something for me: as soon as you walk out there and everyone is cheering for you, I want you to take a deep breath and just enjoy the moment. You are one of the very few athletes that gets to be apart of a state tournament, so soak it up and remember this for the rest of your life. I was a four sport athlete when I grew up and not once did I get to go to state. For you guys it is a possibility because you are a Kennedy Cougar, and we work hard in everything we do. All bowling aside I just want you girls to go out there and have fun, and have good sportsmanship. But feel free to kick some ass for me too!"
-Aaron Stecker
Okay so I was up on the lane thinking of that and I did what he said, while the national anthem was playing I just thought to myself 'oh my god I'm here, I am going to make this better than last year and just have fun.'
So that it what we did, I gave my team a peptalk and we started bowling. We all had a rough start because we didn't know the lane condition, but it wasn't long before we were bowling strikes. A couple of us found our groove and had really good first games. I had a 215 and Hoppe had a 210. The rest of the girls did really well with their first games too, better than we have all season. In the second game, I started my game with 7 strikes! Five more and I could have got a 300, but in the 8th frame I threw a nine count.
Before that, every time I got a strike the crowd would roar, and all I could do was smile. My family was clapping and yelling like crazy and I could hear my dad scream "WHEATIE" at the top of his lungs. Dr. W. was even into it, yelling for us and getting excited because our whole team was doing so good.
I ended up with a 232 for my second game and I honestly couldn't have been any happier. Mac also did a great job with her highest game ever, a 215.
We went into the baker round with over an 1800 which was by far our highest score of the season. Baker's are where you bowl two frames of a game and I am the anchor which means I bowl the 5th and 10th frames.
Our entire team fell apart in the Baker games, and we dropped from second to 5th. It was kind of bitter sweet because I got to go bowl a third game after everyone was done, since my series was one of the top 10.
I was so scared to go bowl my third game, because all of the coaches, parents, and kids I know were all there gathered around watching. All 900 people that were spread across 32 lanes during competition now moved and watched one pair of lanes, MINE!
All top ten girls bowlers competed for the top spot and I ended up placing 6th. The most embarrassing moment of my life happened during that third game because my first ball of my second frame I threw right in the gutter! Oh my god that was mortifying! All 900 of those people let out a big gasp. I couldn't believe I had just did that.
After that I threw a couple more opens and got really frustrated... Now the college recruiters that had just wanted me two games ago wouldn't even be looking at me anymore because of my third game. I got it back together and finished the game out strong but still only ended with a 169. That was pathetic compared to my first two games, and i dropped tow spots down to sixth.
After the individuals were done bowling it was time for the award ceremony. Since we bowled bad in our Baker games, as a team we dropped in rankings from 2nd to 6th. We didn't get a trophy to present to Kennedy. I was called up for individuals and received a medal for getting sixth place in the state. It was a really proud moment for me and I will remember it for the rest of my life.
Overall, I still have next year to make it to state and bowl for the Cougars. Hopefully I can make individual again and as a team we can do better than this year!
We line up in the back and get ready to walk out in front of all the parents. All of the girls and guys bowlers walk out on the lanes while the entire crowd goes crazy, the loud speaker announces all of our names as we walk by.
As this is going on I remember the speech that Stecker gives us every year. I have heard it for 3 now so I can remember it and recite it word for word. It goes like this:
"Girls first I want to offer my big congratulations on making it to state. Not a lot of people get to do this. Your team has been to state every year since the team has started, so you have made quite a name for yourselves. I want you to do something for me: as soon as you walk out there and everyone is cheering for you, I want you to take a deep breath and just enjoy the moment. You are one of the very few athletes that gets to be apart of a state tournament, so soak it up and remember this for the rest of your life. I was a four sport athlete when I grew up and not once did I get to go to state. For you guys it is a possibility because you are a Kennedy Cougar, and we work hard in everything we do. All bowling aside I just want you girls to go out there and have fun, and have good sportsmanship. But feel free to kick some ass for me too!"
-Aaron Stecker
Okay so I was up on the lane thinking of that and I did what he said, while the national anthem was playing I just thought to myself 'oh my god I'm here, I am going to make this better than last year and just have fun.'
So that it what we did, I gave my team a peptalk and we started bowling. We all had a rough start because we didn't know the lane condition, but it wasn't long before we were bowling strikes. A couple of us found our groove and had really good first games. I had a 215 and Hoppe had a 210. The rest of the girls did really well with their first games too, better than we have all season. In the second game, I started my game with 7 strikes! Five more and I could have got a 300, but in the 8th frame I threw a nine count.
Before that, every time I got a strike the crowd would roar, and all I could do was smile. My family was clapping and yelling like crazy and I could hear my dad scream "WHEATIE" at the top of his lungs. Dr. W. was even into it, yelling for us and getting excited because our whole team was doing so good.
I ended up with a 232 for my second game and I honestly couldn't have been any happier. Mac also did a great job with her highest game ever, a 215.
We went into the baker round with over an 1800 which was by far our highest score of the season. Baker's are where you bowl two frames of a game and I am the anchor which means I bowl the 5th and 10th frames.
Our entire team fell apart in the Baker games, and we dropped from second to 5th. It was kind of bitter sweet because I got to go bowl a third game after everyone was done, since my series was one of the top 10.
I was so scared to go bowl my third game, because all of the coaches, parents, and kids I know were all there gathered around watching. All 900 people that were spread across 32 lanes during competition now moved and watched one pair of lanes, MINE!
All top ten girls bowlers competed for the top spot and I ended up placing 6th. The most embarrassing moment of my life happened during that third game because my first ball of my second frame I threw right in the gutter! Oh my god that was mortifying! All 900 of those people let out a big gasp. I couldn't believe I had just did that.
After that I threw a couple more opens and got really frustrated... Now the college recruiters that had just wanted me two games ago wouldn't even be looking at me anymore because of my third game. I got it back together and finished the game out strong but still only ended with a 169. That was pathetic compared to my first two games, and i dropped tow spots down to sixth.
After the individuals were done bowling it was time for the award ceremony. Since we bowled bad in our Baker games, as a team we dropped in rankings from 2nd to 6th. We didn't get a trophy to present to Kennedy. I was called up for individuals and received a medal for getting sixth place in the state. It was a really proud moment for me and I will remember it for the rest of my life.
Overall, I still have next year to make it to state and bowl for the Cougars. Hopefully I can make individual again and as a team we can do better than this year!
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