While teams and spectators cheer and pins continuously fall during tournaments, the women of Portage Northern’s bowling team stay calm and collected, encouraging each other to perform their best and not be too harsh on themselves. At the center of this support and the bowling team is senior Maddy Slocum, who’s been bowling for 4 years. “I got involved in bowling because my brother did it in high school and I saw how much fun he had doing it,” she shared.
Slocum’s 4 years on the women’s team has left an undeniable impact on the program, her teammates, and her coach. “I’ve loved seeing the growth of her game and her as a wonderful young lady,” coach Michael Schneider shared. “[She has stepped] up as a leader and became more outgoing in her personality.” Her teammates felt the extent of her encouragement and support on the team, with sophomore Kristyne Schuring saying, “She just has a good way of being supportive and funny, and bringing a lot of happy moments.” Sophomore bowler Micaila Tyler added,“She always brings energy and fun to bowling. I laugh so much whenever she is around because she is very funny.”
“What I value most in a teammate is someone who is encouraging and uplifts people during competitions,” Slocum said about her vision for the bowling team.
According to her teammates, she’s exemplified this during various tournaments when her teammates aren’t doing too well. While in the alley, Slocum constantly steps up as a leader to the rest of her team. “Bowling was very mental, and if you got down on yourself, you’d start doing bad,” said Schuring, “but then [she’d] just bring everybody up.” Slocum shared that the tournaments can mean long days in the alley, but the team constantly tries to cheer for each other and keep the energy up throughout the day.
The teammate bond the women share extends far beyond the alley, where their partnerships turn into real friendships. “I just met [Maddy] going into [bowling] and I had her in a couple of my other classes,” shared Schuring, “and yeah, she’s just really…easy to talk to.” Other teammates felt her support too, with Tyler adding, “Maddy has made me want to be a more cheerful person because she is so kind to me and just uplifts my mood.” Slocum didn’t just emphasize strong leadership and the importance of being teammates while on the team, but also the importance of building real relationships outside of tournaments. “I do my best to talk to them outside of practice,” said Slocum. Giving them words of encouragement and tips outside of practice, added Slocum, helps her lift others up.
Although Schuring added that the regional tournament didn’t end in the way the team wanted it to, other teammates, including Slocum, believe other students should join the team to build it up for the next year.
“People should get involved with the bowling team because it is a really great community and it is a great way to meet new people,” Slocum shared. It didn’t just give Slocum personal gain in a sport, but rather allowed her to develop leadership skills and introduced her to a new group of friends.