STRAIGHT TO STATE

     While beginning his Southside bowling career, freshman Carter Traywick has shown traits of an outstanding bowler this season. Traywick began his bowling career with a summer program in Conway, known as “Kids Bowl Free.” He began bowling in the summer of 2017, this year being his seventh year in the sport. The program consists of each kid getting to play two free games after signing up, which Carter did everyday. 

     “I bowled two games everyday, and Pat, the owner of the bowling alley, told my parents about the bowling league and that’s how I got started,” Traywick stated. 

     He expressed that a typical practice for him is just to get out there and have fun while bowling. Carter explained that the mental aspect of bowling is to focus and not worry about the people around you. He said the most important part is your feet placement and to watch where you are throwing the ball. 

     “I like to bowl, but it’s not easy. You have to worry about where you hit on the lane and where it hits the pins, which a lot of people don’t think about,” he expressed. 

     Carter has brought home many victories for the Southside Bowling Team, including finishing top in the state with a three-game total of 724, and averaging 241 per game. Traywick described the feeling of getting a strike as “very satisfying, because you know you hit all the pins, and you get to have a higher score. It has changed because when I was younger it was a lot harder to get a strike, so it was a lot more exciting, but now it’s an everyday thing.”

     Carter described that his preparation before a game is to put on his bowling shoes, and make sure the alley isn’t too slick. A key part to his preparation is his warm ups. 

     Reflecting on his season, Carter explained that the best part of bowling is “winning, but then also making friends from the other competitions and getting help from others and also helping others.”

     While Traywick has already accomplished so much within his first year on the team, he plans to continue his time with the Southside Bowling Team. Traywick expressed, “my end goal in bowling would probably be the PBA, or getting my 300 in the sanction league, so it actually counts.”