Photo courtesy of SJSU Bowling
By John Culbertson (@JohnCulb3) — Reporter
In my four months of covering SJSU sports, I’ve never come across a team with chemistry as strong as theirs.
Who am I talking about, you might wonder?
I’ll give you a hint, they play on hardwood…alright, I’ll admit that’s kind of a misdirection, but I am referring to the Spartan Bowling team.
This close-knit group of people don’t just spend time together during practices, but they take it upon themselves to make efforts to be with each other outside of bowling.
““We all become like family,” said senior Michael Arguel. “We didn’t start off that way but it’s almost like tradition to go out, eat, or grab some drinks after practice…throughout the season we pretty much become the best of friends.”
The rest of the team I had the chance to speak to shared the exact same sentiment. They are as tight as a family.
As with all sports and activities the team also had their share of obstacles over the past two years with the Covid-19 Pandemic. While not being able to bowl or hang out in person, the team didn’t stop being a family. The team would often meet up with each other on zoom to play games or simply just talk and catch up.
Keeping up this internal camaraderie was important for them as they transitioned back into a semi-normal season in the fall.
Their season unfortunately didn’t start off quite the way they expected. They were consistently placing behind the same three or four teams at tournaments, and talent didn’t seem to be the main issue.
To explain better, let me start off with this: team bowling isn’t quite the same as bowling individually at your local alley.
When you go to the alley in the summer to blow off some steam, you’ll most likely be bowling on what is referred to as a “house-shot.” This refers to the amount of oil and pattern of oil on the lanes.
You’ll also likely be bowling with the alley’s plastic balls, which do not absorb any of the oil on the lanes as you throw it. In a competitive setting, bowlers use their own equipment which has a drastically different effect on the lane.
““When you’re in a team setting and you’re having five people per team throw bowling balls down the lane, the oil is getting absorbed and the lane is drying up,” said Arguel. “Over the course of multiple games, the conditions of the lane change and get more difficult.”
In a team setting, there are individual games and there are “baker” games. A baker game is when a multiple bowlers combine to play one game, each one bowling 2 frames eg. frame one and five.
This is where their team chemistry begins to play a factor. Being able to accurately convey information about how the lane pattern is changing can be critical in a tournament setting. After their lackluster first half of the year, the team began to reflect on how to improve.
“The first half of the year we just weren’t really performing up to the level or expectation we had [for ourselves],” said head coach Lindsey Wong.
“About halfway through the year we had some meetings and discussions about things we wanted to change and do differently … we focused on better communication, better ways to help each other and better information when we’re on the lanes.”
Another turnaround point for the team was their trip to Las Vegas in December. Unfortunately the reason it was memorable had nothing to do with their tournament placings, rather they had the opportunity to absorb some knowledge from a professional.
SJSU alumni, Darren Tang is a player in the Professional Bowlers Association who won a national title in 2021, and luckily for the Spartans, he just so happened to live in Las Vegas. Tang came out to give some direction and advice to the team between their two events of the trip.
The improvements were instantly apparent as the men’s team started the event with some of their best performances of the season.
“It was massive,” said junior Sean Mei on Tang’s coaching. “There were a lot of things we realized we could be doing differently that could have changed the results of the first few tournaments.”
They had the talent, the communication and the chemistry, but they just needed to put it all together. Two months later, the perfect storm occurred at the West Coast Collegiate Team Championships hosted by Fresno State.
The Spartan men’s team earned their first win of the season after putting together multiple impressive games as a team.
“This particular event, it just all came together,” said coach Wong. “Everybody as a team really worked well together, performed well, had confidence, good communication and made good decisions. It was great to see them put it all together and be rewarded by winning the event.”
Ultimately their season ended at the sectional qualifiers, as they were unable to move on to the championships, although the last baker game of the season may have been the most memorable for the men’s team. Their combined efforts led to a 278 baker game, only missing a strike, but picking up a spare in the seventh frame.
While the season may not have been picture perfect throughout the year, the impact the team had on its players was not lessened. Every member is thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the family, and the bonds they make will likely go beyond the lanes.
“This team is really important to me,” said junior Jonisha Cross. “Even though sometimes it can be hard or stressful, it’s a great experience. The bowling team is a great community”