By Timothy Leoncio

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After serving two years as an assistant coach, the continued excellence and commitment of MHS Japanese teacher Corey Zukeran on the lanes has rewarded him with the position of being this yearís head coach for the bowling team.

“Being a teacher here, I feel proud,” said Zukeran, “I’m a little bit anxious and nervous. I feel a little of the weight of the responsibility in terms of keeping what great things we have going.”

The torch was passed to Zukeran after the previous coach, Bruce Inafuku, retired from the position after many years of service. Since then, Zukeran has worked on building good systems of communication between himself and the players. “It actually feels cool that he works here so he’s easily available to talk to and ask questions if you have any questions,” stated fourth-year bowler Senior Danielle August, “I kind of like the new change.”

Zukeran also focused on the fundamentals of bowling, ensuring that all the players would have them as a part of their arsenal when it came time to compete. “I expect that he will always teach us the right way of picking up spares, reading the lanes, oil patterns,” said third-year bowler Senior Nicole Cox. “We’ll work with some of the mechanics and stuff but our focus will, and always has been to be pretty consistent with our spare shooting,” added Zukeran.

In addition to emphasizing the mechanics of bowling, Zukeran strove to create a unified team. “Last year it was really cohesive and they were really supportive and I think that helped to make them successful last year,” Zukeran said, “We’d like to continue that.”

Zukeran’s personal connection with the players has helped to develop the teamís sense of camaraderie and respect as well. Cox stated, ìI think heís the greatest coach ever. He understands the kids, he understands all of us, and he just loves being there.î

All the players now have to focus on now is the season ahead of them. “I expect (this season) to go really well,” said August. “I believe we have a really strong team and our ethics have gotten a lot better, so I feel like we have a very strong chance of winning this year.” Zukeran said, “As a team, we’re looking forward to the season. It’s already upon us. We’re looking forward to that and hopefully weíll have a successful season.”

With Zukeran’s tutelage, the bowling team hopes to reach even higher levels of accomplishment this season.