By Ian Wong (Boys’ Captain), Su Tong (Girls’ Captain), Zephryn Goh (Vice-Captain)
When you think of bowling, you would probably think of laughing with friends and family members while chucking a ball down a lane, enjoying the cool air-conditioning and hoping that the ball doesn’t tumble into the gutter. However, this only scratches the tip of the iceberg of what we do in Tenpin Bowling.
What are training sessions like?
Training sessions are usually held at either the Orchid Country Club or the Temasek Club, up to three times a week: Mondays (5-7 pm), Wednesdays (4-6 pm) and Fridays (4-6 pm). Return transportation is provided between Temasek Club and the school.
During training, we would perform warm-up exercises before conducting drills to develop our skills. Sometimes, we will have friendly games to foster camaraderie among our members and to put the various skills that we have learnt into practice. At other times, we will have intra-team competitions to simulate competition conditions to help our members become accustomed to the National School Games (NSG) environment.
What do you gain from joining?
Bowling trains both your physical and mental resilience and challenges you to analyse the different lane oiling patterns and adapt your play based on the lane conditions. The lanes are oiled with varying thicknesses and lengths, and different bowling balls react to these oiling patterns in specific ways. With so many factors that can affect a single shot, your bowling knowledge and skills are always put to the test. In training, you will learn how to adapt to these changing conditions by adjusting the standing position, target area, release, etc.
In addition, we also conduct team-bonding activities such as outings and after-training dinners in school. We also have the annual March-holiday camp that encourages inter-batch bonding and inducts new members into our CCA through fun games and interesting icebreakers! Expect to form lasting friendships in our tight-knit community as we help one another during and outside of CCA sessions. The bowling team is a family that you can rely on, and every training session promises to be an enjoyable learning experience for all.
Some things you can look forward to!
The biggest event of the year would be the National School Games (NSG), which is usually held in the months of April and May. Typically, there are 3 events – Singles, Doubles, and Team (consisting of 4 bowlers per team). The scores from the events across three days will be tallied to determine the final placing. There is also an overall school category, in which the placings of each school’s players are compared. The 3 days of NSG are guaranteed to be filled with excitement – it isn’t often that you get to represent the school at competitions. The opportunity to compete and bowl with your teammates is truly an unparalleled one.
Join Us!
If you’re interested in being part of a close-knit family bonded by our common love for bowling, and would like to further your bowling skills, you should give Tenpin Bowling a shot! We will *Strike* an impact on your lives! We welcome everyone. See you at trials!
