TAMPA, Fla. — The boys and girls bowling teams from Cambridge Christian School are the first teams in school history that will compete at the national level. Both teams qualified for this weekend's U.S. High School Bowling Foundation National Championship in Beavercreek, Ohio.
“Be that team and just bowl,” said Julinda Gallogly. "And that’s what they do. They’ve been that team, and they just bowl."
They were, and they did. Now, the Lancers are the first team from their school—in any sport—to compete on a national level.
”We didn’t expect to go this far. We had a grit, and we just wanted it so badly,” said senior James Elliott. "We just kept pushing, and pushing, and pushing. Now that we’re here and we’re ready to go, we’re just so excited. We can’t wait.”
The team had to wait… more than six months. Their season ends in the fall, but most northern schools end in the spring. But the waiting hasn’t been a problem, and the team said they’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to pile up the practice time.
”We’ve been helping each other out. We’ve been looking at ourselves individually,” Ava Binder said. She just finished eighth grade, but she's eligible to bowl as a freshman. "Seeing how we can improve. Then we look around at our teammates, and we give them tips."
Coach Gallogly said one of the things that make this team so good is the fact that they can handle some of the coaching duties themselves.
“They may be bowling, and they’ll see somebody, 'Ah, why don’t you move over a little bit this way. Why don’t you use this ball for that shot?’” she explained. "They are ready to help at any given time, for any reason that they need to.”
This weekend’s tournament includes 100 of the best teams in the country from 20 states, so it’ll be a massive stage. But the Lancers embrace the pressure that comes along with the bright lights.
"We’re not bowling against the other teams, we’re just bowling by ourselves,” said junior Giovanni Scanio. "It’s not a contact sport. We’re just doing our own thing.”
The team’s motto this season has been each team member putting others before themselves, and they’ve been able to live it all season.
”You can only go so far by yourself,” Elliott added. "Everything has to be done through teamwork.”
The national competition runs from Saturday through Monday.
