The season of strikes and spares has arrived with the Milford boys bowling team competing in full force as winter sports begin. These boys are more than ready to kick this season off with tournaments and matches
As there are only three returning bowlers, there is a significant amount of new members that make up the boy’s team this season. Freshman Josh Chamin has been bowling for three years, but this is his first time in a competitive bowling league, and he feels pretty good about joining the team this season. His cousin, junior Jaelyn Carlson, was his inspiration to bowl for the Milford team, being that she is a bowler as well.
While a majority of the team is made up of new members, there are also some seasoned bowlers, including Senior Bryan Shaw, who will be bowling for his fourth consecutive year. Shaw says that what he is looking forward to the most this season is making it to States. Shaw stated that he has been “Bowling since I was four and I’ve always enjoyed it.” The boys seem to feel pretty confident about their team’s collective skills this season. Shaw noted that the new players are doing well, “We have a lot of good, new bowlers.” They seem ambitious to learn, just as the coaches are about helping these boys succeed.
Another of the returning bowlers is sophomore Norman Grant, who is in his second year of bowling on the MHS team. Grant is most excited about all of the tournaments they get to do throughout the season, which will be a total of four along with 14 matches (not including Regionals or States). Grant said that he plans on continuing to bowl after high school, whether it’s in college or just a competitive league. Grant has a long history with the sport. “I’ve been bowling since I was little, and my family’s always been bowlers,” he noted. He is hoping that this year will consist of lots of progress for the bowlers “Training and helping them to be better.”
One of the boys bowling coaches, Greg Ratliff, said he loves, “Watching the improvement of the bowlers year after year.” Ratliff teaches strategies to help the players grow in their skills and confidence at the alleys. He wants these boys to be known for consistency this season and would like to “Make a push for the state tournament, individually and as a team.” He believes that the Milford boys bowling team’s record will improve overall, stating, “We’ll have more wins this year than we did last year,” being that they won many of their matches but didn’t make it to States.
This season will be keeping the team busy, as the first fundraiser consisted of selling water bottles on Nov. 26th, as well as a fundraiser at For Feet’s Sake in downtown Milford on Nov. 30th. These fundraisers are essential for the success of the team. Their first official match will be against South Lyon East, kicking off the season with some
good competition. Between parents, coaches, and players, everyone is excited to see what this season holds for these bowlers.