Most freshmen are new to high school sports, but not Rachael Johnson and Aryiah Bowdry, who have already spent 2 years on the varsity bowling team.

Both girls started bowling competitively in middle school and joined the high school team early. Now, as freshmen, they’re helping recruit more people to join the team and leading it, proving that experience doesn’t always come with age.

“My first year, I was still learning how to be better and trying to fit in with the older players. I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect, but in my second year, I felt more confident with my teammates cheering me on and us setting goals for ourselves during the game,” Johnson said.

This year, the team feels more connected both freshmen say that teamwork has made a big difference in how they play.

“Since I was new and had to get comfortable with everyone, I felt like the older players would always cheer me on no matter what, but this year I feel a lot more confident in what I can do with them cheering me on,” Bowdry said.

Even though the season was fun, it came with some challenges, Still, we worked through them together and came out stronger as a team.

“One challenge was staying motivated after I was doing badly. It was hard at first, but we kept practicing and started focusing more on teamwork and having fun instead of winning,” Johnson said.

Since joining the team, both players have seen improvements in their bowling techniques from accuracy to consistency,  thanks to a lot of practice and support from coaches and teammates.

“ I feel like my form has gotten better, and I’ve gotten a lot better at going slow and taking my time,” Bowdry said.

The season has been over for a while now, but both players are still focused on the future. Setting personal goals and thinking about how they can come back stronger next year.

“Since it’s my second year, my goal is to keep learning and improving with every game. I want to work on my technique and stay focused,” Bowdry said.