BY JACOB EISENBERG

In a culture in which Larry David refers to bowling as a “third option for things to do at night” behind karaoke and going to the movies, it is obvious that bowling is not taken seriously by many. Though some consider bowling an artificial sport for the lazy, it has gained immense popularity over the past years in high school athletics.

MHS has noticeably witnessed the rise of talented bowlers in recent years and has assembled one of the finest teams in the section.

The majority of the Boys’ Varsity Bowling Team first found interest in competitive bowling though a similar process: the athletes enjoyed the sport so much recreationally that they decided to bowl competitively. The entire team loves going to the alley.

“It’s a great way to feel like you’re representing the school,” senior captain Eric Strumwasser stated. “The bowling alley is just a place where we get to go after school to hang out and enjoy ourselves bowling,” junior Sam Wallach said. “It's a sport where you don't have to change your personality or your clothes to fit in to the atmosphere.”

Most of the bowlers play a second sport. They see bowling in part as an opportunity to refine their competitive edge.

“I realized that after football was over, I would never play a competitive sport for the high school again,” senior Zach Plesent lamented. “With this in mind, I decided to try out for bowling.”

Also, bowling actually helps these athletes stay in shape. “For the baseball players, who comprise the majority of the boys bowling team, it keeps our arms in shape for baseball season,” Wallach explained.

The sport of bowling attracts baseball players for one distinct reason outside of keeping their arms in shape. Most of the bowlers played freshman baseball, a team that is coincidentally coached by the same man, William Byron.

“You can talk about anything with Mr. Byron,” Wallach said. “He’s not one of those weird coaches [with whom] you have to talk only about the sport you are playing.”

The reason that the players feel Byron is so easy to talk to is they share a lot in common with their coach. Byron himself enjoyed bowling recreationally as a child enough to play competitively. It was more than mere chance that Byron became the head coach of the team.

“Soon after I began teaching in Mamaroneck, the position opened up, and it seemed like a great opportunity,” Byron said. “I had the experience to get the program going.”

And once bowling started, bowlers have undergone immense growth. “I have definitely seen great improvements within our team on both the girls’ and the boys’ sides,” Byron said. “Some of the boys who are now seniors and started out as freshmen have improved immensely. Making sectionals is a real possibility for these guys.”

While it may appear that there is no downside to bowling competitively, the bowling alley is where a true athlete’s patience and frustrations are tried. In baseball, a hitter can fail seven out of ten times and still be considered successful. In bowling, however, one folly puts your entire game in jeopardy. Missing a strike or simply getting an unlucky, uncontrollable ricochet can result in a great difference in one’s final score.

Though it is easy to find frustration in the sport, the ones who persevere are the ones that benefit in the long run. Bowling is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and is only starting to get the recognition it deserves.