To some, the bowling club might just be another sports team or another club, but through determination and genuine growing passion for the art of bowling, it’s becoming more than people ever thought it would be. 

“I came up with the idea when I was registering for the SAT. There was a section for sports I play and I saw bowling. I thought that it was weird that that was a sport and our school didn’t have it, and so I thought why not make a club,” commented the club’s president, Christopher Filip. According to Chris, the club was started out of simple interest to try something new in the school, and through pure curiosity, he looked for people to join. 

It turned out that although not many people knew how to bowl beforehand (the president of the club included), Christopher quickly gathered more than enough people to seriously consider running the club, and from there they realized that in order to make the club a reality, they needed an advisor. 

Officer Seidell is the school’s resource officer and even in his first year here at WSHS he is already looking at ways to connect with the students past the badge. When Christopher Filip asked him if he would want to advise the bowling club, Officer Seidell not only became the club’s advisor but the bowling coach.  Officer Seidell had no trouble moving into the club as according to the club’s current vice president Kelsy Louis, “When he is at bowling club he isn’t Officer Seidell, he is just the coach.” Through the club’s once-a-week practices at Shaker Bowl, Seidell has worked with individual bowlers and has already been seen making a positive impact on the team. 

Along with Officer Seidell, Stra. Lugo has joined the club as its direct supervisor. “There are so many sports and there are so many extracurricular activities and clubs, I think that we should strive to move towards their [the members’] likes and inclinations,” said Lugo. Both Lugo and Officer Seidell noted the passion behind all of the bowlers, and that passion brings the team together not only as a competitive club but in friendship and interpersonal relationships.

“It’s fun, it’s a cool experience getting to go to the bowling alley,” Kelsy Louis spoke about her enjoyment in the club, and commented that even only practicing once a week, there isn’t another club community like it. Since the bowling club has been seen as an anomaly by the student body, its underdog quality has only made the members bond over their newfound community. “They are good-hearted people, they seem like a good team and I hope they will bring back the league title,” commented sophomore Rodrigo Meranda. Overall the team has garnered support from many of their fans and they hope to use that support to compete within the league (and possibly state) level. 

The league is made up of 8 school teams, with each school having. Our school has three teams with two being jv and one variety. So far our bowling teams have competed in two separate tournaments, both of which the team has surpassed their own goals. As with the first one they tied with Pope Francis, a team that our club thought would be impossible to beat. 

The West Springfield High School bowling club is one of the most special clubs that the school can have, taking something that might seem mediocre on paper and turning it into a notable product of the passion and hard work of everyone involved. The bowling club competes at a variety of places, but more recently you can cheer on a tournament at Bowlero this Thursday at 3:30.