Great art can inspire people to do anything. From career choices to outfits, art and media can push people in all kinds of new directions. For Miami Palmetto Senior High junior Bowen Young, the big screen led him down an unexpected path: joining the bowling team.
“My passion for the character of ‘The Big Lebowski’ made me want to bowl,” Young said. “And now, I just love bowling in general.”
The bowling team has been a stellar source of school pride for years. Ranked number one for both boys and girls, the Panthers have been dominating the alleys of Miami-Dade County.
According to United States History teacher and bowling coach Javier Ruiz-Gil, despite the team’s success, the current season has not been their greatest so far.
“This has not been our strongest year, but we also have a very young team,” Ruiz-Gil said. “But we’re doing very well for our district. We’re number one.”
The team’s success is partially because they have the top-ranked bowler in the district, senior Evan Viener. Two years ago at state championships, Viener bowled a 300 – a perfect game. He broke a record for the youngest person to bowl a 300.
Viener’s talent has not only been helpful to the team’s ranking but also their motivation.
“We see that strike, it inspires all of us,” junior and bowler Adam Olster said.
Ruiz-Gil highlights senior Halle Meltzer as a star bowler as well, along with her sister, freshman Sunny Meltzer, as an up-and-coming standout player.
“For the girl’s team, we have Halle Meltzer, and she has a little sister that’s coming up, also with a very promising future,” Ruiz-Gil said.
For students considering trying out for the team next season, Ruiz-Gil is looking for one main thing: experience. With a competitive team already, aspiring bowlers are encouraged to work on getting as much of it as possible in the offseason to keep up with the current players.
“I have a lot of juniors, that means that they are all coming back. If I do get a better bowler, I will take them, but I already have juniors on the team, so it depends,” Ruiz-Gil said. “[Aspiring players] should definitely have some experience bowling and at least a decent average for Bird Bowl.”
