Picking the right ball, watching your form and trying to calculate how the lane is going to help you are all components to bowling well. The San Jose State University bowling club knows all about this.
The bowling club, which according to its Web site is fully supported by the bowlers themselves, has been around for more than 20 years.
"Basically, (the club is) just a bunch of people who bowl competitively on their own," said senior Phil Campit, the club's coach. "We compete nationally with other schools who do the same things as (we do)."
Though any student can join the club, Campit said that there are requirements that must be fulfilled.
"There's a limitation to who we actually choose," he said, "because the truth is, (we're) competing and there are people who just aren't as prepared as others. We can't start them in a competition and it kind of discourages them from sticking around because it does take a long time to get relatively good."
Campit said that bowling is more complicated than it may seem.
"The thing that always is the worst about being associated with bowling is that it's sort of that whole eat pizza, drink beer, funny shirts, funny shoes sort of thing," he said. "The truth is, it's a lot more complicated than that sort of stuff and that's what people don't understand."
According to Campit, bowling has to do with the way you roll the ball, the type of lanes you play on and the type of ball you use. He said it is like golf.
"(Golf courses) have different types of grass and golfers will accordingly choose different clubs," he said. "Bowling is the same way. You have to change the way you throw the ball and change your equipment as far as which type of bowling ball (you use.)"
According to its Web site, the team's philosophy said that, "We try to encourage everyone to work together as a team and have pride in being a member of the San Jose State Bowling Team. An important element is always a positive team atmosphere and attitude."
Campit said that he had bowled with the team for four years and now, as he finishes up with college, he needed something to do, and helping the alumni out seemed only natural.
Many of the club members have experience in bowling, such as Donovan Conway, a junior majoring in art animation, who has been with the club for three years.
"I joined because I've been bowling for 13 years," he said. "So when I came to San Jose it was the thing to do."
Jonathan Kajihara, a junior majoring in business accounting, had been bowling for just as long as Conway and has been with the team for a year. He said that his father also bowled on SJSU's team and was part of the reason he was part of the club.
"I've been bowling for about 14 years on my own," Kajihara said. "My dad actually came to San Jose State and bowled for the team, so he kind of got me to bowl as well as getting recruited by some of these guys."
Campit said that the bowling season runs throughout the school year from September to April.
"We usually bowl at least 10 tournaments a year," Campit said. "They're spaced throughout the whole school year. It just depends on what the schedule is, as far as the other schools that host the events."
Tournaments take place each month. Kajihara said that their last tournament this year will be in Austin, Texas.
"We have tournaments approximately once or twice a month," he said. "We go to the East Coast, (Las) Vegas and Reno. We're actually taking off to Austin, Texas during spring break (for our last tournament)."
Mary Phung, the Student Union Bowling Center coordinator, said that the team will be traveling to Austin, Texas this weekend for the Sectional Qualifier. If the team does well, they will move on to the Intercollegiate Bowling Championship Nationals.
According to its Web site, SJSU's team has been a nationally ranked team by the Bowling Writers Association of America, and part of the top 20 in the nation for six out of eight years.
Kajihara said that he believes the team has chemistry.
"We all have a good chemistry with each other," he said. "We all like hangout out with each other, so that (makes this team special) and it's just fun."
Conway said that he agreed.
"We have a great crew," he said. "We just work so well together. Some of us have been together for three years."
In terms of support, Kajihara said he wants students to get involved.
"You should come out and watch," he said, "or even come out and join."
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.