The 2025-2026 high school bowling team is gearing up for its winter season, and the excitement is here. With star players Emily Grin and Blake Sherman, this team is lacing their shoes, dialing in their focus, and preparing for an amazing season. The bowling team at East Grand Rapids is unique and an exciting aspect of school athletics. This team blends individual concentration with a strong team bond that makes or breaks the competition.

Unlike traditional sports that require fields or courts and enthusiasm from fans, bowling offers a more intimate and focused environment where individual performance carries the team’s success. A bowler’s precision, focus, consistency, and mental toughness are just as essential in this sport as physical skill. 

This unique environment is something that makes the sport of bowling so compelling. Each frame, every spare, and all the strikes contribute to the team’s overall score. Although bowling is seen as an individual sport, each player’s hard work is important to the overall success of the team!

The East Grand Rapids bowling team is anything but a quiet or discouraged environment. This team is determined to be the best for both themselves and the team! Bowlers build strong bonds and share the common goal of being the best they can be. 

“I’m excited for this new season and new experiences with my teammates this year,” Mason Gessner ‘27 says. Each year, bowlers travel around the state to attend different matches. This grows the bond of the team. “Going to all-day tournaments is my favorite part, and spending time with the team is fun.” Gessner ‘27. His excitement reflects the spirit of this program. A combination of fun while also staying locked in for the season! Activities like these make being on the bowling team all the more fun. 

Bowling since his freshman year, senior Blake Sherman is an exceptional player this year. Winning the 2025 Clique Lanes Thanksgiving Youth Championship, Sherman averaged 226 pins in 7 games and started the season with a victory! 

The Pioneers are excited to see the continued success of the bowling team and can’t wait to see how their season turns out! Let’s go bowling!