The boys bowling team is bringing on a lot of new faces this year, including senior Charlie Afman. Afman is not just joining bowling to bowl; he is joining it for bigger factors that will help him draw a greater connection to the sport.
“I’m looking forward to spending time with the team,” Afman said. “And bowling on a team for the first time ever.”
The new season will come with challenges for Afman’s first season because they don’t have an experienced bowling coach. Afman is very optimistic about the challenge.
“We were all nervous about not being sure who would coach us,” Afman said. “But the volleyball assistant coach, Julian, has stepped in and done an excellent job of handling the team.”
Unofficial “interim” head coaches can pose problems sometimes. A lot of the time, they have a hard time adjusting to the new sport or game, which can sometimes hurt the team. Afman, however, is very confident that the new interim coach Julian can help lead them to being a good team.
“I think he can definitely help out our team and help lead us to a good successful season,” Afman said. “As well as Julian’s help, we have some other help at times, like the Northern coach will help with our varsity team occasionally as well.”
Every season brings new goals, and this year, there are a lot of big goals from a couple of players, including Afman. They look to have these goals help propel them to more victories, all while helping them get better and perform at a higher pace this year.
“A lot of our bowlers like Luke [Stiles] and Wes [Baldwin] all hope to earn all-conference and even all-regional awards,” Afman said. “I hope to score a 200-plus point game and consistently bowl above a 150.”
With each season, there’s a little rivalry with one team. For Afman, there’s one team in particular that he really hopes to beat and make a statement against. This is one of the games that Afman is eager to bowl in.
“Northview is just better competition for us compared to the other teams, ” Afman said. “I believe it’s because some of the players on our team have had some relations with players on their team. That has sparked some beef, but we are excited to play them and hopefully beat them.”
Afman was motivated to bowl for a few reasons. He is hoping bowling can bring that all to him while having some fun.
“I was motivated to join by my friends that had previously played on the team,” Afman said. “[I] just [wanted] have something to do over the winter. It is fairly laid back, and with practice only three times a week, it isn’t too big of a commitment.”
