By Cleavant Ong (21S03H), Vice-Captain, Lim Kai Jie (21S06L), Boys’ Captain, and Roxanna Koh (21S03L), Girls’ Captain

Bowling is often perceived as a casual activity one does with friends and family rather than a sport. After all, think of all the ridiculous antics that one can get up to on the lanes while enjoying the blessed comfort of air-conditioning. However, the bowling we do during CCA is much more complex than that.

From learning to read the various oiling patterns to practicing consistent throws within a game, bowling encapsulates much more than raw power. There are many factors that come into play during a single shot. For starters, there are many different types of bowling balls that we use, each serving different purposes to suit our needs on the lane. Unlike equipment used in other sports, each bowling ball is unique. Lanes also have different types of oiling patterns, and depending on length and thickness, that affects how your ball travels down the lane. A bowler needs to make adjustments, such as changing your target, moving your standing position, etc., to adapt to these situations. The bowler who is able to best adapt to varying lane conditions will come out victorious. 

As a team, we are constantly striving to foster a culture of support and enthusiasm. Believe it or not, nobody becomes a successful bowler on their own. A team is what keeps you smiling throughout every training session and drives you to endure the most arduous of competitions. This is what has pushed us to achieve so much in our biggest annual competition, the A Divisions (A Divs), over the years. Typically, there are three separate events during A Divs—Singles, Doubles and Team (made up of 4 bowlers per team), and the scores from each event adds up to the final all-events placing.

Despite the cancellation of the 2020 competition season, we remain optimistic for this year’s A Divs where we will come back better than ever. We see this as an opportunity for us to further strengthen the ties between each and everyone of us to gain an edge over our competitors. 

Training for A Divs, which takes place in April, begins around November of the previous year. Training is usually held at Orchid Country Club (OCC) and occurs three times a week: Mondays and Fridays from 6 to 8pm and Wednesdays from 3 to 5pm (depending on our schedules and availability). We train at the competition venue as the competition date approaches to familiarise ourselves with the environment. Training usually starts with basic warm-up exercises, like simple stretches and jumping jacks, before we move onto drills. They are meant to help us become stronger and more accurate, each drill targeting different skills to improve our overall abilities. In 2020, we transitioned to online CCA sessions to maintain our skills over the long break. 

Apart from our fun training sessions (that our Coach is always switching up) and the annual A Divisions, some exciting events that we look forward to include the March Holiday Camp, Post A-Div Party, and Y6 Farewell. 

The March Holiday Camp seeks to encourage inter-batch bonding and provide new bowlers a warm introduction into the CCA. During the camp, we play fun games like floorball and football which helps build tenacity, improves teamwork, and acts as a form of physical and mental preparation for the upcoming A Divs.

The Post A-Div Party is an opportunity for us to celebrate every bowler’s hard work regardless of the results, and to express our gratitude and best wishes to the graduating seniors.

If you are interested or even slightly curious about bowling, please do sign up for the trials! We welcome everyone with a positive and participative attitude (no prior experience required) who wants to be a part of our inclusive and encouraging Bowling family!