It is a select few at New Trier who do not immediately associate bowling with fourth grade birthday parties. But think, instead, of competition, athleticism, and hard work.
This group includes junior Andrew Textor, who, since joining the bowling team in his freshman year, has gained recognition for his individual prowess in the sport.
On Friday, Jan. 25, Textor represented New Trier in the Illinois High School Association Bowling State Series. To qualify for State, a school must place in the top two teams in their final sectional tournament.
While New Trier did not qualify as a team, the state competition also accepts the two highest scoring individuals from each sectional to participate, and Textor was one of them. In his first state competition as a single bowler, Textor placed 89th of 119 contestants.
Textor’s journey to his competitive bowling status has been unlike that of many other athletes. While sports like basketball and soccer are easily accessible to younger children in a competitive context, bowling is not.
When we wanted to bowl as kids, we had the options to either spend $30 to rent a lane for an hour or wait around until the next birthday party invitation came along.
Coming into New Trier, therefore, most students do not understand the concept of competitive bowling, let alone a bowling team.
In regard to his start with the bowling team, Textor said, “I started bowling freshman year. My friend had been bowling a couple years before that and he told me that I should go out for the bowling team because he was.”
Textor was placed on the junior varsity team, where he was taught the basics of bowling alongside other freshmen who were new to the sport. From his first moments with competitive bowling, he found his niche, dedicating his time to improving his skills, even practicing over the summer.
Textor moved up to the varsity team as a sophomore last year, where he remains today.
The system of recruiting for bowling is similar to that of New Trier Crew, where coaches advertise a new sport to freshman and then take on all applicants, allowing them to learn how to play before they start making cuts at tryouts.
The sport is divided into three teams for boys and three for girls, each with 5 players and additional substitutes. The bowling season begins in October, but ends in January with the State Series.
New Trier Bowling will resume next year, though there are summer programs provided if students wish to further their skills.
Textor bowls on his own time in the summer, to work on his game, according to one of his coaches, Scott Durkin.
“He is a very dedicated bowler. He’s always a student of the game; he wants to learn more and improve and do better. I was just looking at the statistics because we have our banquet tonight, and I think that Andrew improved his average over 20 pins from last year,” said the coach.
Durkin had only compliments for Textor’s skills and achievements saying,
“If he rolls a bad ball or has a bad frame, he knows what he did wrong, he knows how to adjust and do better the next time. He’s really a smart kid. He knows what he has to do and he’s a good listener.”
Bowling at New Trier is not only physically strenuous, but it requires a significant time commitment, given that practices are held at Morton Grove’s “Classic Bowl” each day after school. There, the team has many training procedures including running drills, bowling games, and holding mini-competitions.
When a competition approaches, each bowler resorts to his or her personal preparations. Textor has a specific routine before each game. After week long practices, he rests the day before the competition and thinks about his technique and goals. When the competition day arrives, Textor avoids nervousness.
“I try not to think about it. I try to just do what I know and keep calm,” he says.
At the end of the day, Textor just loves to bowl. “I like bowling with my friends. I like progressing and I just really like it because it’s a different experience each time,” Textor said.
Though bowling doesn’t leave much time for other activities, Textor still likes to hang-out with his friends when he gets the chance. He’s an average kid, even if his bowling skills are far above average.