By Kiana Caranto

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The boys and girls bowling teams were brought together as result of placing second in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) State Bowling Championship. This event was held at Kauai Bowl on Nov. 1 and 2, in which their participation allowed them to build stronger relationships within the team.

“As a team they have kind of bonded and so the team chemistry has gotten better,” said assistant coach Corey Zukeran, continuing, “I think the camaraderie and the kind of team, as a whole, has gotten better and that has helped toward the later part of the season.”

At the Oahu Interscholastic Association Championship, the girls placed second and the boys placed third, both qualifying for the state tournament. At the HHSAA State Bowling Championship both the girls and boys teams were runners-up, leaving the bowlers satisfied with the results. “For them to just be there was an amazing thing, but to come in second that was totally amazing,” stated head coach Bruce Inafuku.

The outcome of this tournament was a result of much preparation on part of both the bowlers and the coaches. “We just practiced the basics and the fundamentals to prepare ourselves. We focused on picking up spares more than trying to get the highest score possible,” explained Senior Ronson Dagdag, who has been on the bowling team since his freshman year.

All the physical training that went into this competition was not the only thing that led them to their success; support from fellow teammates played a part as well. “My teammates supported me and tried to get me through the times where I wasn’t doing so well, and tried to keep me motivated to keep going,” stated Dagdag.

By putting their positive attitudes together, the team caused a successful outcome and improvement in teamwork. “You know, as a whole they’re a really close group and they pick each other up and like I said, the teamwork is really good,” said Zukeran, adding, “I’m most proud of their attitude towards their goals and being successful.”

Because this tournament was held on Kauai it offered the bowlers a chance to experience something unique. “Neighbor islands always have a good experience on kids because it’s different,” said Inafuku, continuing, “Along with having fun, we have a competition.”

Being away on a neighbor island, the members were required to be away from their families for a few days, and in place of their families they had their teammates. “This tournament helped us to bond as a team, really, and it helped show us that we together are always family in bowling,” said Dagdag.

In addition to giving the bowlers a chance to get to know each other, it also gave the coaches an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the bowlers as well. “My favorite part, I guess was just kind of you know, getting to know some of the bowlers a little bit more,” explained Zukeran.

This experience helped strengthen their friendships within the team while allowing them to enjoy themselves. “They had fun as a team and they really gelled together,” said Inafuku. Dagdag added, “During the season we did bond really well, but during the tournament all we did was hang out together and have really fun times and I’m gonna miss that about this season.”

These opportunities made the tournament satisfactory for the whole team and they hope to come back even stronger next year.