Being that every meet is an away meet for the WHS varsity bowling team, many of us get no closer to the team’s action than hearing the results on the morning announcements.

But that doesn’t mean they aren’t important. It’s also a testament to the devotion these bowlers have to their sport.

Head Coach Ralph Corey describes last winter’s 10-7 season as a “growth year” for the WHS bowling team, as they moved from ninth place to fourth place in their conference. With growth comes maturity, and the question is whether the bowling team will use this experience to do big things this year.

“Now we’re really looking to take our team to that next level where we compete for the conference, county and sectional titles,” Corey said.

Senior co-captain Jonathan Silva also has big goals for this season, and feels that the senior-heavy team will help in achieving them. “The added experience and skill will help carry the team far this year,” he said.

But there are some changes this year. The county tournament has been changed to a different format called a “Baker Format.” In a typical match, there would be 5 bowlers bowling all 10 frames, for 3 games total. A Baker Format also consists of five players, but they split one game, so each bowler will only take two frames.

“This creates pressure and more of a challenge to the bowler, but at the same time it can give us an advantage against some of the teams we need to beat,” said Corey.

Senior co-captain Jake Varakian describes the atmosphere of the matches as competitive, yet friendly. “Teams are very nice to each other and congratulate other bowlers when they do well even if they are on different teams,” he said.

When matches begin, the bowling team gets to practice two days in between their matches that are scheduled throughout the week. Corey formats the practices like a tournament, so that the players get used to the pressure of having to score when games are tight. “We want us to be able to thrive in those moments,” said Corey.

The bond shared among the teammates will ultimately make them successful this season. “Whenever you go up to bowl, you know you have your whole team behind you cheering you on,” said Varakian.

The Blue Devil bowling team will open its season on Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. against Roselle Park at Jersey Lanes, Linden.