Competitive bowling involves no nachos, no pizza and, most certainly, no bumpers. This may be different from what the casual player is used to.

“Seeing how serious the upperclassmen took [bowling] when I was a sophomore, I quickly realized that I wanted to take it as seriously as they did,” senior Evan Wilson said.

According to Head Coach Todd Rubin, while bowling shares some similarities with other sports, it is also very unique. A major difference between bowling and many other sports is the required skillset. With competitive bowlers, there is a proper technique they are taught to try and repeat every time.

“The lanes are covered in oil, and [the oil is] different every time,” said senior Patrick Mulhern. “So when you throw your ball, you have no idea how much it is going to hook. And a casual player just throws it straight, but we hook [the ball], and we don’t know what’s going to happen. [The oil] changes throughout the day, continuously. So by the end of the day you are throwing completely differently than you were game one.”

Professional bowler Jason Belmonte has captured 12 titles while competing in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) and has the highest scoring average on tour for the 2015 PBA season. He said bowling is a game of both skill and athletic ability.

“To throw a heavy object down a lane repetitively while remaining accurate requires a lot of [talent],” said Belmonte. “Bowling also requires a huge amount of knowledge about the complexities of equipment, oils and lane surfaces, which is a skill you need to learn.”

According to Mulhern, some bowlers use the strategy of using a strike ball on the first shot, and then switching to a spare ball on the second shot. The strike balls hooks to create the best angle to knock down all the pins at once. The spare ball does not curve much because the bowler wants better precision to shoot at any remaining pins.

“The best bowlers have a great physical game, but they also have a great mental game,” said Rubin. “I’ve seen many bowlers throw seven or eight strikes in a row then they get a bad break, and the next shot they miss the spare. It’s a game of failure, and even when you do things perfectly, the result isn’t always going to be perfect.”

According to Belmonte, players have to treat each shot exactly the same, no matter the situation. He said he  keeps in mind that the pins are the same distance away, the lane is the same width and it is best to focus on the process of delivery rather than the result.

“I drink water and breathe,” said Belmonte. “I also keep my thoughts simple and focus on my processes. I also try to smile a little to relax myself.”

Bowling is an individual team sport, meaning bowlers compete as a team, but they can only control their own score.

“If I’m really doing poorly, we have the privilege of having six guys on the varsity team, but only five guys play at a time,” said Wilson. “So if the conditions aren’t suiting me, I can just put in one of my teammates as a replacement.”

The rules allow for up to eight players to travel with the team at a time. Rubin said this year’s team is the deepest he has had, which gives him the freedom to utilize eight guys at the varsity level without a large drop off if one of the starters is not performing up to their potential.

According to illinoisbowling.net, as of December 7th, Glenbrook North is ranked as the 12th best team in the state.

“In the past, [the goal] was just to make it to state,” said Mulhern. “We are hoping to get top 10 or even top five.”