Nixa High School’s Bowling team has been making swift progress recently. From practices to games, they perform their best, showing off their skills. The bowling team is the 2024 state champion and continues to compete for its title.

   “A lot of people don’t know [that] the varsity team is the defending 2024 champions,” Head coach David Evans said. “They have a target on their back.”

   The bowling team members have been working to master their skills to perfect their bowling.  There are certain things that bowlers have to consider to offer their best work.

   “You have to have hand-eye coordination, balance, and muscle memory,” Evans said. “You have to use your brain, and you have to think a lot more… with bowling.”

  Whether it’s learning the ways of the lanes and how to make your ball go certain directions, these bowlers have those skills down.

   “The difficulty of bowling is really… being able to get that repetitive motion, and release to the same spot or to be able to adjust to the lane conditions,” Evans said. “A lot of people don’t understand that there is oil on these lanes … that doesn’t go the entire lane. It’s in different places. So you have to be able to get the ball into the right location.”

   There are many different incentives for an individual on a team to bowl. For example, some bowl for scholarships, while others bowl for the competition and opportunities.

   “I bowl because with bowling, there is always something to improve on,” Varsity team member senior Travis Hoskinson said. “Bowling is very challenging, and I am very competitive, so I always strive to win and be the best.”

   “I really like just being part of the team… [and] you get a better chance to get more scholarships,” Varsity team member junior Nikolas Platt said.

    The bowling team recently hosted their 6th annual 9 Pin No Tap fundraiser on Dec. 14, 2024. They raised money for the Nixa and Ozark teams to get uniforms and equipment. The team practices every Monday and Thursday from 4:00 to 5:30 in the evenings at Century Lanes in Nixa, Mo. The majority of their competitions are on Fridays at various bowling lanes in the area.

   “I don’t think people realize how much effort that these kids… put into [bowling] from day one,” Evans said. “The program itself has won four total state championships… which is the most in the state.”