Beginning her second season on the bowling team, sophomore Ashley Lubkemen is looking to make a name for herself in this program. Lubkemen has found her path and the new sport she found to love. 

Lubkemen first decided to join bowling because she did not know anyone coming into highschool and she wanted to get involved with as much as possible to create friendships. She soon found love for her team, the long bus rides and all the memories she has created. 

“My favorite part about bowling is the long bus rides,” Lubkemen said. “The people I sit with are so much fun and we laugh the entire way there and back making the long matches worth it.”

Within sports, one of the most essential parts may be teamwork. In a sport like bowling, it is seen as an individual sport, as well as a team sport. As long as one player has a good game, that player could win individually. In order to win as a team, Lubkemen has to rely and trust every person competing to play their best in order to take home the gold. Lubkeman has found a bond with her team like no other. She looks up to every person on her team and she appreciates their support and motivation. With 16 teammates, Lubkemen believes she has a strong relationship with every single person. 

“The whole team has the same type of humor,” Lubkemen said. “It makes it very easy to laugh and have fun through practices and matches.”

Many people look up to a professional athlete, but Lubkemen is most inspired by one of her own teammates. Senior Lynn Michalec has been an idol for Lubkemen ever since she started bowling. Michalec not only helps Lubkemen with bowling, but she is also always there for Lubkemen with anything else she needs.

“She’s always super nice to everybody, always on top of everything by managing our team’s schedules, plans and goals, while also to keep her grades in tough classes,” Lubkemen said. “Whenever one of us needs help, we go to her whether it’s with bowling, how we feel about something on the team or just something we want to do as a team.”

Michalec feels as if it is her job to be a leader on the team and support each of her team members. She believes Lubkemen has great potential for her upcoming years of bowling. 

“I admire how quick Ashley was to pick up bowling,” Michalec said. “She has definitely come out of her shell, and her scores have improved.”

Many scholarships are difficult to receive, and they may even be out of the picture for some athletes. Lubkemen is seen to have a lot of potential within this sport. As an addition, she realized that bowling could give her great opportunities in the future. Bowling provides many amazing scholarships that Lubkemen may be interested in. Lubkemen’s original plan was not planned around bowling, but she may continue her athletic career through college. 

“Another reason I joined bowling, was because there are really good scholarships that come out of the sport so,” Lubkemen said. “If I get a scholarship and it aligns with a college that matches with my other college plans, then I’ll most likely play.”

Along with the physical aspect of bowling, Lubkemen strives to conquer the mental aspect of it as well. At matches, both the Antioch Sequoit bowling team and the opponents cheer for everyone. This motivation from everyone attending the matches gives Lubkemann the extra boost of confidence she needs. Being the least experienced player on the team, she often times ponders when she is having a bad day. Lubkemen tries her best to flip her mindset and think that she is an amazing athlete, and she tells herself she is doing great.

Lubkemen believes that a good teammate is one that always knows how to help whether the problem is related to bowling or not. One teammate of hers, senior captain Allison Kane, is one that fills this roll. 

“Ashley always works very hard at practices and matches,” Kane said. “She has grown so much from last season.”

Lubkemen believes that bowling has helped shaped her into the person she is today. She has learned new techniques and skills in bowling, as well as life lessons outside of the sport. Lubkemen has learned how to better improve someone’s mood, how to develop skills faster and learn new ways to deal with difficult situations. Lubkemen is thankful that bowling has helped her stay motivated and how it shaped her into the athlete she is today.