The women’s bowling team will be competing in their first official meet as a new Augustana team on Saturday, Oct. 21 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
For many of the members, this will be their first time competing at a college bowling meet. While being nervous is definitely a feeling the team has, they are also extremely excited to get a start to the season.
Coach Martin Resner, who led the club co-ed bowling team last year, wants this first meet to be a learning experience for the team.
“I expect them to go out there and learn, adjust, listen, be coachable and perform,” Resner said.
Resner knows the girls have the capability of performing their best, but their adjustment to their endurance both physically and mentally might first be an obstacle. The tournament lasts two days, and the girls will be bowling for a majority of the day.
The team only started practicing in week eight, but their energy and positivity has already clearly been shown.
“They are very excited that this is a brand new program and they’ve been waiting a long time now to finally compete,” Resner said.
In their practices, the team has been focusing on skill improvement. Tournaments are set up slightly different in college than high school, so Resner helps them learn how to adjust. Also, each girl is allowed to bowl using their individual styles, which is comforting for the team.
To have better teamwork, Resner drafted the team goals early in the season so the team knows what to strive for. He encourages measurable goals, so there is always a number attached to it whether it be about the team’s ranking or average scoring.
Each member then creates their individual goals to go with the team’s overall goals. Freshman, Taylor Kies wants to help her team improve as the season goes on.
“I want to be able to help the team make our goals,” Kies said.
This helpful mindset for the girls is clear even in the early part of the season. The upperclassmen have especially taken leadership roles when it comes to helping one another.
“They barely know each other, but they’re already there for each other to pick each other up,” Resner said. “It’s a very positive, uplifting group of women to be around.”
However, one of the main goals for this team is to get noticed. Since this is the first year Augustana has had a women’s bowling team, there isn’t a reputation previously made for them. This recognition is needed to expand and improve the program.
“I hope they have a couple breakout tournaments, get known, have the girls get experience and create a nice, solid foundation for this program to continue to grow and get better in the future,” Resner said.
Sophomore Kasia Mucha, who competed on the club team last year, is hoping the word gets out to as many students to join or support the team in the future.
“I’m hoping we set a good representation of Augie for our first year, so we can maybe get more people next year,” Mucha said.