Last winter, the Lake Orion girls? bowling squad made the school’s first appearance in the state finals. This year, Coach Kevin Crowther hopes both the girls? and boys? teams will visit Northway Lanes in Muskegon in late February.
‘Both of our teams have the potential to be very good,? Crowther said. ‘They’re both very young.?
The boys are off to a 2-2 start in Northern Lakes Conference play, including a 18-12 loss to Oxford last weekend.
The team is led by juniors Rob Bondon and Jeff Suma, with seniors Eric Ramaekers and John Frye and sophomore Shawn Ramaekers among others scoring regularly.
‘Really, our entire boys? team is competitive with each other from top to bottom,? Crowther said.
The team lost just one top player from a year ago to graduation.
‘We actually have more guys than we can use,? Crowther said.
As a team, the coach said their goal is to have a strong showing at the county meet, the weekend of Jan. 20.
‘Oakland County has got some pretty good programs,? he said. ‘If we can do well there, then we know we have a shot.?
Crowther, who is working more exclusively with the younger players in the program this season, has turned over much of the varsity leadership to Steve Ramaekers, who said his team’s good mix of age is their biggest strength.
He, too, considers the county meet to be a big ‘test,? but added that still very early in the season.
In any event, the team appears to be in some uncharted waters with their newfound success this year.
‘This is kind of new for us,? Ramaekers said. ‘Up until now, we’ve been kind of feeling our way.?
On the girls? side, the team lost four players to graduation, including Kelli Skarritt, a two-time individual state qualifier.
Replacements on the varsity level, however, have come from the junior varsity squad, which won the ‘unofficial? state title last season.
‘They’ve improved tremendously already this season,? noted Crowther, who said that in spite of the team’s 1-3 record in Northern Lakes Conference play, the team had a strong showing at an invitational in Bay City over the holiday break.
The team’s lone league win came last weekend in a 27-3 rout of Oxford.
Crowther said second-year bowler Danielle Geiger, a senior, is the team’s most improved player. She is joined at the top of the rotation by senior Kelsey Smedley and sophomore Carlye Dalkert, among others.
‘I don’t think we’ve done it with just one person,? Crowther said of replacing Skarritt.
‘Most teams have one really good bowler,? he added. ‘It’s the teams that have five or six consistent bowlers that do well.?
To help the team achieve that goal, Denny O’Neill, who is working with the girls? team much like Ramaekers is with the boys, has preached the development of a consistent routine that helps in analyzing how a particular lane is playing.
‘The girls are really excited about the game,? O’Neill said. ‘It’s a life-long sport that they’ll be able to take past high school.?