With the loss of a bowling coach who has been at the helm for the past two years, finding a new coach has been an imperative mission for the FHC athletics department. However, after searching for what has felt like forever, Jerry Tarabek has been hired to take on the role. Unfortunately, it isn’t just a new role he’s taking on, for last year’s team only winning two matches through the entire season, it’s also an incredible challenge.

“I’m really excited this year,” junior Wes Baldwin exclaims. “I heard that his [coach Tarabek] coaching style is very different from that of our last coach, so I’m curious as to how this season will go and how our team will grow.” Wes played a key role on the team last year, making his way to the fourth spot in the line-up, which is essentially a position for the second best player. He was able to improve last year by only having help from himself and another bowler, so a new coach who is determined to turn this team around should have a monumental impact on Wes’s game.

Coach Tarabek isn’t new to the coaching experience, having already coached for over thirty-five years. Throughout his life, he has built up a long list of respectable experiences which include being a USBC Silver Level certified coach in 1986, running the junior program at Gold Crown Lanes for four years in the early 80s, coaching youth bowlers for eighteen years in Detroit, being head coach at Warren Mott High School from 1999-2004, being the Executive Director of Michigan Junior Masters Association since 2004, coaching over thirty girls that went on to achieve partial or full scholarships at NCAA schools, and currently coaching at Spectrum Lanes on Saturdays.

There is no doubt that he has plenty of experience in coaching but just as important is the motivation behind it. “I got back into coaching for multiple reasons,” coach Tarabek explained to me. “I have recently retired which gives me extra time to coach. I love giving back to youth bowling and building team environments. My interviews with Mr. Goei displayed a great fit with the culture and the direction of the program, and most importantly, I’m looking to build a winning program for years to come.”

Knowing that he is willing to work through the inexperience of this team gives returning bowlers optimism about the season. “I think it’s going to be refreshing having a new coach. Last year, we had more of an advisor due to our coach practically isolating himself from the team when we needed him most. He always talked about the coaching experience he had but never truly proved it to us,” returning bowler Luke Stiles mentions. “That’s why I’m very excited to have a new coach who has even more experience and has already declared his mission to build up our team to potentially being the best in the conference.”

With the three returning bowlers having an abundance of talent and who are willing to learn and be coached, a coach like Jerry Tarabek should have more than enough wisdom and experience to coach his team to success on many different levels.