Ten things College Bowlers know are true

While it may not be the most popular or glamorous sport, bowling is one of the fastest growing sports in collegiate athletics. While many see it as a fun night out with friends, college players take it very seriously. The time spent in a bowling center is hard work, and while practices and training can be fun with your team around this sport is far from the recreational activity so many people enjoy. Here are 10 things that are true to people who understand the struggle of Collegiate Bowling.

1. The days are long! 

The schedule goes a little like this: get up and get dressed, if the tournament is close to school its usually around 6am, when you get to the lanes its 8am, then you are on your feet for up to 5 games every day, but could feel like an eternity. When you finally get to leave the lanes its close to 5pm, and then you get to do it all again the next day! Sounds like fun right? Many of the tournaments that college players last 2-3 days, unlike the majority of other NCAA sports that last for a couple hours maximum. The standing alone is enough to make anyone exhausted, but then add on the cheering and actual game play, and you have yourself a very long day. (Classes at 8am on Monday can be really hard to focus in, so plan accordingly.)

2. You are always hungry. 

Since the days are so long, it can be easy to miss lunch time, and where you are stopping for dinner as a team can be a serious motivator. If you are lucky enough, you have some awesome parents and fans who are constantly bringing food and sandwiches (shout out to my mom who actually had my team make a cheer for her when sandwich supplies came out, see point 3 for explanation.)

3. The cheers get crazy! 

No pom-poms here, but getting loud and pumped is a staple in the collegiate bowling world. Every team has their own cheers for everything from a single pin spare, to any number of strikes strung together. Be prepared when going to a tournament to hear a million different popular songs reworded to include bowling terms, school mascots, and players' names. Bowling teams take their team cheers very seriously. And do NOT, whatever you do, steal another team's cheer!

4. The season is never-ending. 

Instead of having a few weeks of pre-season and then the official start of competition, this sport starts the minute you get to school and ends just before the end of the year. Bowling season starts October 1 and goes until the end of March or beginning of April depending on what post-season championships your team qualifies for. That is the longest season of any collegiate sport. While all the other teams have fall or spring seasons, bowling overlaps both semesters deeming it a "winter" sport even though its really just "year-round". Even when the competition season isn't going on there are still practices, team workouts, and school sanctioned events that are mandatory for all team members.

5. Do NOT make any weekend plans. 

The majority of tournaments begin on Friday and end on Sunday. In some cases they start on Saturday and go to Sunday, so you have a small chance of getting a Friday to yourself, but that's only if you are lucky. Don't forget practice sessions the night before and travel prior to the tournament. (So scratch what I said about having Fridays off.) Saturdays are for the Boys? Try Saturdays are for the Lanes.

6. Time management becomes crucial.

Balancing classwork, practice, and workouts becomes a sport in itself. Since you don't get the weekends to catch up on classwork, you have to make sure that you are on top of your schedule at all times. Time management is a skill that all college athletes (and really all college students) should learn to master. Knowing exactly what needs to be done, and for when, is a key part to being a successful student-athlete. Always remember the first part of the title is student and the second part is athlete, so keep on studying.

7. You spend a lot of time with the same group of people.

They say you can't choose your family, and you can't choose your teammates either. Bowlers have to get used to spending just about every waking moment with the same 10 people. Between practices, workouts, tournaments, and van rides, these people are about to be your new best friends. Being around these people all day long makes you realize that you're more like a family than just a team.

8. Paddocks are the worst part of tournament weekends. 

There is no good paddock setup at ANY tournament. Every tournament will have a crowded room with only one entrance which doubles as the exit. Good luck getting in there in the morning or at the end of the tournament. (Time to perfect your Jenga skills by pulling out bags that have been stacked up to save space. These rooms are just never big enough.) Even though they are the worst part of the weekend there are usually a couple good laughs shared watching other teams try to figure out the best storage system.

9. You have the craziest (and coolest) jerseys of your entire school.

Bowling jerseys will most definitely be the most colorful and fun of your entire school. Other sports have the same standard jersey style across the board. Bowling jerseys on the other hand always have fun patterns and designs. Not to mention that many teams have skorts that match their sublimated jerseys.

10. You are friends with the rival teams. 

Yes, you read that right. Your opponent is your rival, or maybe your friend? The bowling community is so small that you are bound to know at least one person on the other team. Maybe you went to high school with them, or you met in college, sharing the same experience is what most friendships are made of. You see these teams often enough, (and spend enough time in the bowling centers) to get to know most of your competition. There is also a high chance you will learn other teams' cheers and say it with them. This gives "friendly competition" a whole new meaning. 

Bowling is unlike most other sports. It's an individual game, but you play with a team. You play against rival schools, but then hang out with them in the hotel lobby at the end of the day. You play all year round without questioning it. Every day is an adventure with your teammates. When you're on the lanes you can't wait to be finished, but you can't wait for the next competition. You complain how exhausting it is, but when it all ends you would go back in a second.

This post is a modified version of the article published on The Odyssey Online from November 2018 which can be found here.