The Falcons’ First Season on the Lanes:
“We wanted to create more opportunities for more students to participate in sports – it’s so valuable for young people to have the opportunity to represent their school, be a part of a team, and learn the lessons about themselves that are taught through athletic participation. I’m thrilled that the bowling program has come to fruition, and I’m incredibly proud of Coach Custer and the team’s progress in its first year.”
-Anthony Jones, Athletic Director
For the first time in the history of Lutheran East, Falcons have completed a season of competitive OHSAA bowling.
The bowling program, the newest addition to Lutheran East’s athletic offerings, is available to both girls and boys at all grade levels.
Athletic Director Anthony Jones says, “For several years, we’ve talked about how and when we can expand the athletic programs we offer at Lutheran East. We wanted to create more opportunities for more students to participate in sports – it’s so valuable for young people to have the opportunity to represent their school, be a part of a team, and learn the lessons about themselves that are taught through athletic participation. I’m thrilled that the bowling program has come to fruition, and I’m incredibly proud of Coach Custer and the team’s progress in its first year.”
Recently, we sat down with two bowling team members, along with their coach, to discuss their first season in retrospect.
We’d like to share some of the interview that was done with Paul Walton ‘27 and Savannah Lee ‘25, as well as Head Coach Gavin Custer, who also teaches physics and physical science at Lutheran East. Below is a text version of the interview questions and responses, and below that, you’ll find a video (jump to video).
In reading the below Q&A, we hope you’ll keep in mind that this interview was conducted as a video conversation with the students who were answering questions off the cuff – many of their responses reflect the conversational, casual nature of this interaction.
Lutheran East: What was it like being on a team that was in its very first year of existence at Lutheran East?
Paul: Being a part of the bowling team this year for the first time, I was nervous and I was around people I don’t normally talk to much during school. So I got to meet new people and most of them got to try bowling for the first time, because I’ve been bowling for a minute. So yeah, it was very fun actually, and hilarious at times.
Savannah: It [ being on the team ] also kind of helped me to step out of my comfort zone because when I first came to Lutheran East, I didn’t do any sports at all. So once they started the bowling team, I used it as an opportunity to kind of just do it, have fun, and see how it goes. I really only did bowling as a hobby with my family. So doing it as a sport, it was definitely something different, but it also showed me how to work with a whole bunch of males. It was only me and one other female on the team. So it was definitely a good chance to persevere and work through.
Lutheran East: Paul, had you two ever bowled before – other than for fun?
Paul: I’ve been bowling since I was four. My dad is a bowler, my sister is too. So my dad started getting me to bowl when I was four. When I first started, I was terrible. Now my average is almost a 300. I have all my own gear now: shoes, bowling balls, I think I have seven bowling balls now. My dad got me and my sister into the sport. I also bowl with my dad in our free time. So he teaches me how to throw the ball, how to rotate it, where to step, where to aim, all of that technique. And it’s fun. It’s fun to do it with him and my family members.
Lutheran East: How has being part of the bowling team this year impacted you?
Paul: With bowling, I’ve been stepping out of my comfort zone more than I did my freshman year. I haven’t really bowled with a full team before; I [ typically ] only bowl with two other people. So it’s been me just stepping out instead of closing myself in, holding into a bubble, just staying still, not stepping out, not talking more. And it’s been a great change, like I said before – meeting new people, you create new friendships, like I’ve made with Savannah.
Savannah: Being a part of the bowling team helped me to stop being so hard on myself. I remember when I first started out and started going to all of the tournaments, I didn’t know if this is the right team for me, or the best time for me to start playing. I thought, “maybe I should have just left it as a hobby instead of trying to make it into a sport.” I saw that everyone’s better [ than I was ] and I kept getting gutter balls and everything. So I was very hard on myself, but then my dad told me, “Just go and have fun. Don’t try to make it into too competitive a thing. Because if you take the fun out of it, you’re going to be too focused on trying to do well that you’re going to do badly” So it showed me to just take my time and to pace myself in that I’m not like Paul, who’s been doing it for a long time. So I can’t expect myself to just be the best at it just from a couple of practices and tournaments.
Lutheran East: What’s one thing that you’ve learned either just about bowling, or about yourself, since starting this journey on the bowling team?
Paul: One thing I learned about bowling is that what comes with [ having ] patience with people who haven’t bowled before. One of our teammates, Johnny Wells, wanted to bowl with me before we even started – before we even had the bowling team. And he told me, what he learned from me is my patience with people. And I [ thought ], “I don’t have a lot of patience,” but from hearing him say I have a lot of patience, it means a lot.
Savannah: One thing that I learned is definitely paying attention. Because when I would bowl, I would just look at the pins and then just throw the ball and hope for the best. But now, I notice a lot more things like that there are dots on the floor where you can stand, and that there are also arrows on the lane that show wherever you stand and aim the ball. Also the oil, I never knew that they oiled the lanes so much and that there was a certain part where there was oil and [ a certain part ] where it stopped. That also helps because then if you want to hook the ball or curve it or anything, then you know when it would actually curve. At the end of this season, they [ my teammates and coach ] tried to teach me how to curve the ball. I got it in the gutter, but it was okay – sometimes I get in the gutter whether or not I’m trying to curve the ball!
Lutheran East: There was a match when your team beat four other teams. How did that feel?
Paul: We beat four other teams. It was great. We had fun. It was like, hearing Mr. Custer tell us that we beat four other teams and showed that we were improving; that we improved from how we were in our first tournament.
Savannah: Yeah, it was definitely an eye opener because I think at first, a lot of us were hard on ourselves because we would see other teams next to us have a score of like, 600, or just constantly getting strikes, and then our scores would be lower. [ Beating ] four teams is a good improvement instead of always being last because at least that shows that we’re improving – and we’re also a team that just started. So we can’t also be too hard on ourselves, because we didn’t have much practice and we kind of just jumped right into tournaments. So we had to kind of just find a way for ourselves, find our own tactics and strategies. So beating four teams, it was a surprise, but it was a good feeling.
Lutheran East: Did you have a moment when you were really proud of yourself this season?
Paul: A moment I was really proud of myself was when I got four strikes in a row and it was, yeah, it was great.
Savannah – One moment that I was part of myself was when we were at one tournament and I actually mastered how to keep the ball going straight and so I kept getting a good score over and over again and they even posted on the page saying new high score. So I was really proud of myself that time.
Lutheran East: What was something that was super exciting to you or something pleasantly surprising?
Coach Custer: This was our first year having bowling here at Lutheran East, but I coached bowling in Cleveland for six years prior. So I’m really excited to bring a program here to Lutheran East. It’s exciting to give kids who don’t normally compete in sports a chance to shine, a chance to be celebrated, and a chance to show what they can do.
Lutheran East: So what was the biggest area of growth you saw in the kids or something that really evolved in a positive way throughout the season?
Coach Custer: I think the biggest thing that evolved with the kids was their bowling knowledge, like how to take steps, when to let go of the ball, and how to spin the ball. From where we started back in November to where we finished up in February, it’s incredible to see how much they’ve grown.
Lutheran East: What other traits do you see coming out in the kids as they’re being part of this program?
Coach Custer: Definitely leadership. Paul has stepped up as a leader, being the captain of our team. And he has stepped up being a leader of the younger students. They definitely look up to him. So for the kids to get a chance to show that they can act in that role is awesome to see.
Lutheran East: What are your hopes for next season?
Coach Custer: I hope that we can just keep improving. I know we’re not going to win every tournament, but like Paul and Savannah have said, as long as we’re improving every tournament, that’s good for me.
Lutheran East: What would you say to a student who is considering joining the bowling team next year?
Coach Custer: Give it a try. Even if you’ve only bowled with your family for fun, I think you can still give it a try.