Bowling Star

From Never Bowling to Practice Everyday

Sophomore year, Mike Ruddell roamed the halls of HSE bowling only a couple times a year. After meeting some bowlers on the team and being inspired, Ruddell decided to join the bowling and begin his journey.

“I never really bowled a lot before I joined the team,” Ruddell said. “But I slowly worked my way up on the team and learned from the best.”

There was no JV or Varsity for the bowling team, it was all one big team just different spots based on how good you were. Ruddell got better and better everyday his sophomore year but decided to take off his Junior year to focus on school work and simply got too busy throughout the bowling season.

“Bowling keeps Mike very busy every week,” Mike’s mom said. “Generally I don’t watch all of Mike’s matches because there are so many but I try to make it to most of them.”

The bowling season lasts from September-February, and in those long months of the season the team will face a lot of practices and a lot of matches. The long season gives Ruddell a lot of time to fix his mistakes throughout each practice and match and critique his game.

“Bowling became a big part of my life,” Ruddell said. “I was at the bowling alley a lot, supporting my teammates, working on my game, and simply getting better.”

Mike came back for his senior year to be a leading figure for the bowling team. Mike played the role of lifting his teammates up and keeping the energy alive within the team. He worked his way up over the years to be the best bowler he could and to be the best teammate he could.   Story by Gavin Thomas