The Amherst bowling team started the season off with a 1-0-1 result, tying one of the team’s chief rivals, Iola, in a well-fought match. The team now has a record of 3-0-1, which they earned by beating Waupaca and Merrill. They also went on to win their Bye, which is when a team bowls nine games and gets their average put against the whole division. This average is taken and subtracted by 10, and the team who then bowled the Bye has to beat the division average. This year, Amherst team went 9-0 on their Bye.
The team has a very tough upcoming meet on December 15. Not only are they bowling on a short and very difficult 37-foot pattern (the average oil pattern length is 41 to 42 feet), they are also bowling two tough opponents — Wittenberg and Rhinelander. This next meet is huge, as Coach Brad Cieslewicz has burnt into the heads of his team. Amherst hopes to pull off two wins and go into Christmas Break with a 5-0-1 record.
As an Amherst bowler, I believe the team has started off well, but there are always things we need to work on, which we do in practice. We are a great team this year and have a lot of potential to go far. We all have our strengths and they all interlink with each other’s strengths on the team. That’s what makes us a great team and a very difficult team to beat. We have had our highs and our lows, but we persevere through it all. We fight to be better, and we always fight to win the match. When we need to have a big game, we somehow find a way to pull it out against all odds.
We also have tough matchups scheduled for Jan. 12 and Feb. 2. The team will definitely be ready for these matches thanks to all of the time and practice we have been putting in. On Feb. 2, we bowl against Antigo, which is one of the powerhouses of Division 2 and has always been a great team. Last year they took runner-up at State, so they will be a tough second match for the Amherst team. Our first match of that day will be against Iola again. Not only are they good, but they are most definitely worthy of going to State. Iola is one of three powerhouses in Division 2 (along with Antigo) and will be a great first match of that February afternoon.
