A national championship – one in which no member thought they would win. But, after three years, they have won the title of victor in a tense battle with the thought of either walking away in glory or despair. Not to mention the stress of being watched by a purple sea… and broadcast for all to see.
“I tried to relax before the tournament, but winning didn’t matter as much since this will be my last championship regardless, so I wanted to enjoy the moment as much as possible,” said president Hunter Pomije.
He prepared for this championship like a normal tournament and spent hours practicing while keeping a relaxed mindset.
“In the moment, it was rewarding since we not only won the trophy, but created a strong bond in and out of the alley,” said Pomije.
It was a moment he will not forget, winning nationals, he didn’t believe it was happening. But after a couple of weeks, he gained a sense of what happened and a sense of accomplishment in the team as a whole, since not one person on the team could take the credit for the win.
He wasn’t the only one to experience this win for the last time, as the next team player was at the very first championship in 2022.
“This was a different experience than the first win, there wasn’t an ego battle, instead, there was an unbreakable bond that formed in the process of the win,” said Garrett Meadows.
The main thing he focused on during preparations for the big moment was his mental sharpness, making sure he would be able to turn off his brain and trust his training.
“If you were to ask me in the middle of the year if the club would be able to win the championship, I would tell you we wouldn’t be able to make it to nationals,” said Meadows.
His goal was to win, and fortunately they were able to have a huge comeback. He described how in this championship he was able to soak in the moment and get to embrace the sense of winning instead of having the huge adrenaline rush block out major events from the first win.
Let’s shift the focus back to a first-time championship winner who is newer to the club and see how much of an impact this win had on him.
“Hard work gets you places and gives you the opportunity to beat big recruiters and top teams whose reputation is intimidating,” said Nate VanderBeek.
When the announcements of the winning results reached his ears, he broke down and hugged his fellow team members. Nervousness spread through his veins before the competition, and the bubbling concoction of emotions built up, leading up to the making of history.
“The reality of winning still hasn’t set in, but I do know how important this win is to not only myself, as adding another thing I did along with my goals, but to the club and team,” said VanderBeek.
He adds how much the club has improved from this huge accomplishment, from communication, and how focused everyone was on the prize throughout the season.
The last team member is a first-year college student at UW-Whitewater, like others, the win affected him.
“I was feeling nervous before the championship, not only for the importance of the event, but the fact that I would be bowling on television,” Dawson Peterson said.
He described his feelings in the moment as a mix of telling himself not to mess up, getting good shots in the alley, while trying to calm himself. Peterson didn’t feel like the team had a chance, but he still had the firing desire to beat the rest of the intimidating teams. With that hope of having a chance, they were able to beat the hardest team in the first game.
“The moment was so surreal, it felt like the championship was favoring the underdogs to win,” said Peterson.
He is excited to watch the championship with the rest of the team and replay the moment of surrealness with the sense of what they added to the history of not only the university, but the club.
This championship took place in the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas. As a celebration of the historic win, the team members ate a victorious dinner and explored the famous Strip. This will not be a memory that they will ever forget, from sharing hugs, calling close friends and family, to growing a brotherly bond that will go beyond college. This goes to show that anything is possible, even if it doesn’t seem like a plausible thought.
