Bengal bowling opened the season at the Plainfield Central Invite Nov. 29. Led by brand new head coach, Jordan Tiritilli, the team has an ever growing roster as the sport of girls bowling expands.
Tiritilli has already made changes to bowling operations such as moving the home of the Bengals from Bowlero in Romeoville to Joliet Town & Country Lanes. She wants to bring a sense of comradery among teammates while also building up the team.
“I would just like to get the team together and get that chemistry, that vibe of the team,” said Tiritilli, “and then get our name out there with the school to make it more known that again that’s a sport that we offer here.”
The team has created a welcoming environment that embraces newcomers to the world of bowling, all in an effort to make a stronger team in the coming years.
“Even though you don’t know how to bowl, just keep trying,” Amber Bozych said, “I’m not perfect, if you ever need advice or help, always ask someone around you, never be scared to get out there. You always have to stay positive, everyone is there to cheer you on.”
This is Bozych’s fourth season with the team after previously bowling since four years old. She recently placed 9th individually at the Plainfield Central invite, shooting 1156.
Despite being in a recruitment phase of the program, Tiritilli still hopes for postseason success later in the year.
“I would like to see an individual or two, or maybe even our team make it to state which would be amazing, but if not I’d love to see some individuals recognized at that level,” said Tiritilli.
The team wants to emphasize the ever changing culture of the game and its level of competitiveness when it comes to competition.
“If you look around, there’s multiple ways it can be a sport, you can be on TV, you have to learn to do different styles of bowling, different ways to do it,” said Bozych, “you can compete, other sports are competitive, bowling is competitive.”
Overall, girl’s bowling is in a position of growth and development in hopes to establish a real future with a strong sense of community.
“[The] mindset for sure is rebuild, regrow, and create a prosperous team, a team that people want to be apart of, grow our team a lot more,” said Tititilli.
