Jojo Advances to Sectionals
Bowling at Regionals was an exciting yet bittersweet experience for the team, as for most of us, this tournament marked the end of our high school bowling journey. Personally, I wish I had started earlier—if I had, I believe I could have gone much further in the sport. Starting in junior year only allowed me to make it to Regionals, which is a bit depressing, but this isn’t the end of my bowling career. I plan to continue competing in leagues and at college. However, this article isn’t about me—it’s about the last tournament for 90% of the team, except for one person: Georgio, also known as Jojo, who advanced to Sectionals. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it to state, but at least he has another year to try again, unlike me.
As for the Regional competition, I don’t know Jojo’s exact score, but a friend who attended told me he did fine—just not well enough to progress further.
One of my teammates, Sean Hill, shared his thoughts on the tournament: “In the beginning of regionals, it was cool. My line was good, I got a couple of strikes here and there. I made a lot of mistakes that cost me, though, and my thumb kept getting stuck in my ball, so it messed me up a lot. But at the end, it was terrible. No oil was on the lanes, and my ball wouldn’t hook as much. I had to completely readjust, and I hated it.”
Honestly, I think if Sean had played more games, he could have cracked the top 10. Even with just a few games, he was only a few places behind me on the leaderboard, which is insane because it shows both how badly I bowled and how well he was doing—especially as a sophomore in only his second year of bowling. This was my second year as well, but I had done a lot of practicing and played in a league over the summer and the start of the school year.
The Games Begin
At the start of the tournament, the first game went pretty well for me—I bowled around a 180, and everyone else was doing solid too. However, I struggled with my equipment because my fingers were swollen, probably from back-to-back games and playing an instrument in band that requires a lot of finger use. The second game was rough for me—I only scored a 110, while Jojo bowled a 190, and Adrian put up a 140.
By the third game, Jojo bowled a 177, and I finished with a 127. At the halfway mark, Jojo was placed 23rd, I was 52nd, Adrian was 46th, Sean was 62nd, and David and Ahmod were 60th and 61st. As a team, we were in 8th place out of 13 teams. Despite my personal frustrations with my performance, the atmosphere was upbeat. The team we played against was fun and chill, making the competition enjoyable.
One standout bowler caught my attention—a two-hander who had crazy good reactions after every shot. I started calling him “LeBron” because of how skilled he was at the sport and the art of two-handed bowling.
The Final Games
Coming back from the lunch break, we found ourselves playing against “LeBron” and his team. I had a strong game, throwing the ball down the lane at Mach Jesus speed and ending with a 185. I could have done better if I had closed out my last frame more effectively, but the energy was high. Both teams were hyping each other up, making for a fun and competitive match. Sean had a great game as well, though I don’t remember his exact score.
Games five and six weren’t my best, but the rest of the team performed decently. Jojo especially stood out, finishing the tournament in 7th place and earning a spot at sectionals. As for what happened at sectionals—I have no clue. I didn’t go.
Final Thoughts
Regionals were a mix of highs and lows. While I’m disappointed that I didn’t advance further, I’m proud of the team’s efforts and the fun moments we shared. Jojo’s performance was a highlight, and I’m excited to see how he does next year. As for me, my high school bowling career might be over, but I’m not done with the sport. Bowling is something I plan to keep doing for a long time, whether in leagues or in college.
For those interested, a link to the official scores: 2025 Regionals
