Athlete of the Week | Matthew Swanson | Bowling

 For you, what was a highlight of your most recent competition?

The highlights of State were getting 3rd as a team and 5th individually. The field was really packed this year, so to get 3rd was a really great accomplishment.

How long have you been into this sport, and what were the early days of your participation in this sport like?

I’ve been bowling almost for my whole life. I took a two year gap in middle school, but other than that, I’ve been bowling for as long as I can remember. A funny story I remember is when I was bowling in a tournament when I was really young, and I won with a score of 17!

What is the hardest part about your sport?

The hardest thing about bowling is the repetition. You could miss your mark by just a board and have a completely different result than the previous ball.

How did you cope with any setbacks/losses you’ve experienced in your sport?

After Maple burned down, the team used a “We do this for Maple” mentality for the rest of the season, and it worked because we bowled some of our best meets after the fire.

7 What makes your sport special and different?  

In bowling, there are hundreds of different ways to get a strike. So, even if your shot doesn’t look like one of a professional, if you can find a standing point and a mark to consistently get a strike, you can take it and run.

What motivates you to do better? 

At the beginning of the season, I set a bar for myself on where I’d like my average to be. I hit it early, but later in the season, I wasn’t reaching the goal anymore. After a couple bad meets in a row, I thought to myself, “OK, you’ve been there before. How can I get back?” I worked on the core fundamentals of the game, and I eventually got back to where I wanted to be.

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