The Reeths-Puffer girls bowling team had a lot of close calls last year, and the big ones did not break their way.
In conference competition, the Rockets finished one point behind Zeeland East in the championship race.
In regionals, the top eight teams qualified for the state finals, and R-P finished ninth by two pins.
On top of all of that, the team’s top bowler, Bianca Kammers, missed qualifying for state as an individual by less than 10 pins.
Bianca Kammers
The great news is that most of the girls from that team are back this season and are ready to get over the hurdles that they didn’t quite scale last season.
“I think we’re going to have a great season this year,” said Dan Kammers, who coaches both the R-P girls and boys teams, which will kick off the 2022-23 season on Saturday.
Bianca Kammers, a junior, has been the team’s top bowler since her freshman season and has narrowly missed qualifying for the state finals in each of her two varsity campaigns.
Coach Kammers fully expects his daughter to break through this season and have her best year yet.
Brenna Ackerman
"She started as a freshman averaging around 158 to around 175 or 180 now," the coach said. "I think she will be able to bowl in the 220s more often or higher. I can see her going to state and doing very well there, as well as the other young ladies on the team."
Also bringing a lot of experience to the team is junior Brenna Ackerman, who has continued to improve over her two years of varsity.
Interestingly, Ackerman really didn’t want to join the team as a freshman, but the Rockets needed another bowler, she was close friends with Bianca Kammers, and was talked into coming out for the squad.
“She really didn’t want to do it at first,” Coach Kammers said. “Her highest score back then that she wanted to beat was around 110. Now she has the capability of shooting in the 190s.”
Also returning is sophomore Haley Johnsen, who was a first-time bowler last year. When she started she battled the issue of being a right-hander who throws like a left-hander, but Coach Kammers addressed that problem by drilling a left-handed ball for her.
Haley Johnsen
“Now she’s throwing in the 150s and 160s,” the coach said. “That made all the difference in the world.”
Sophomore Brook Buchan, another first-year bowler last year, did not know how to throw a hook (putting the proper rotation on the ball so it curves to the left). One night last season Buchen and the Kammers attended a hockey game, then went bowling afterward. The coach gave her a little extra instruction and she turned a corner in her game.
“Something just clicked for her that night and she started throwing a hook,” he said. “Ever since then she’s been throwing the ball very well.”
Sophomore Ella Mattson was a real come-from-nowhere success story last season.
Brook Buchan
“When she came in she couldn’t keep the ball on the lane,” Coach Kammers said. “It went in the gutter almost every time. I remember she bowled a 59 and was getting a little depressed. Then I started giving her a little more instruction and she was starting to get it.”
Mattson started bowling much better when the Rockets allowed her to compete for another team that needed one more person at a tournament. She rolled a 135 and a 140, well above her norm, and reported her good results back to her coach.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’ve got to start doing that for us!'” said Coach Kammers, who added that Mattson is now shooting in the 170s.
The three newcomers on the team are Rowan Bluhm, Makenze Carr and Morgan Rekeny.
R-P BOYS
The Rocket boys finished third in conference competition last season, but will be kicking off the 2022-23 campaign in a rebuilding mode with only two of the nine bowlers having varsity experience.
The top returner is sophomore Quinn Alderink, who showed a lot of promise last season and finished among the top 15 bowlers at regionals. Alderink is a fast developer in several sports – in the fall he was the No. 1 singles player on the R-P tennis team – and Coach Kammers thinks he could have a very good bowling season, as well.
Quinn Alderink
“He did really good last year,” the coach said. “He missed the cut to quality for state, but he threw one of his highest scores of the season at regionals. He can have a great season this year.”
The other returner is senior Colin Wozny, who was a bit of a slow developer last season but has gained a lot of confidence and should perform well this year, according to Coach Kammers.
Liam Copenhaver
Of the seven new players, the coach thinks sophomore Liam Copenhaver could develop quickly, and the plan is to have all of the new guys on an upward trajectory very soon.
The other new bowlers on the team are Tanner Bahr, Ryleigh Beebe, Karsen Boeskool, Carter Hekkema, Sam Herrygers, Chase Quillin and Aiden Simonelli.
“I have high hopes for every one of these boys, but most of them are fresh starters,” the coach said. “I’m just trying to get all of them over 100 right now.”