My Favorite Sport
By Carly, age 16, Ohio
When you think typical sports, football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and even cheerleading come to mind. However bowling is my sport. Pull on some khakis and my team polo. Adding a black bandana or some under-eye paint completes the look. I'm pretty sure pumping up we could even put the football team to shame. We use geometry instead of calisthenics and think oil patterns instead of wind patterns.
Contrary to popular belief this sport is not a joke. Just imagine standing in a silent room. Even the crickets are watching you. This room is no ordinary room - it's an alley of at least fifteen lanes. Five people per lane make a pretty hefty number. Most of them are counting on you to screw up because it saves their butts. To top it off your arm is weighted down by fifteen pounds of beautifully crafted urethane and plastics. You'd better crack the pins, not crack under pressure.
I know a lot about bowling. Oil patterns probably run in my blood. I've learned from my parents, who in turn learned from theirs. It is expected of me, and one day my name will hang in the National Bowling Hall of Fame along with theirs. I've grown up around bowling, and the alley is practically my second home. I work there, train there, and hang out there. They are my family. My teammates are my sisters.
This winter my team will get organized and I will be the senior captain. These have been some of the best times of my life. Hopefully working hard along with the fun will pay off. If I'm lucky bowling can pave the way to my future. It will probably pay for college, and if I'm even luckier I can bowl my way through college. No, we're not a contact sport, but we have just as much, if not more drive, determination, and heart. One thing I know for certain - my children will learn to bowl.
