Creating My Own Lane

Ever since I first met Nebraska's bowling coaches, I knew there was something special about the Husker bowling program.

As an uncertain high schooler, I had plenty of doubts about whether I truly belonged in collegiate bowling. 

But when Bill Straub and Paul Klempa spoke to me, they made me feel I had a future in bowling. And it might be cliche, but when I took my visit to Lincoln, it was like no place I'd ever been before; it felt like my second home.

Now, I'm fortunate enough to call Lincoln my permanent home. 

From a player to a coach, this place has meant so much to me – and I'm not done giving back, either.

My first pair of shoes

 

Growing up, I loved playing a variety of sports. 

Truthfully, bowling wasn't really on my radar as a 'competitive sport'. As a little girl, I mostly associated bowling with something you do at a birthday party with your friends.

But once my dad joined a bowling league, and I began to tag along, things changed. 

My dad grew up bowling with his parents and it's always been a part of our family, so he made sure to take this league seriously. I was 11 years old when he picked out his own bowling shoes, his own bowling ball, and started to spend more nights at the alley.

The more I went, the more me and my dad grew to appreciate the sport. He'd point out the mechanics of other bowlers, and I'd try to imitate them myself.

Eventually, the pro shop owner in the alley noticed that we'd bowled together quite a bit over the last few months and asked if I'd ever thought about taking lessons before.

Truthfully, I hadn't. It was just a fun activity for me and my dad to share together, but the idea of being on a team intrigued me.

We took him up on his offer and just like my dad, I had to get my own pair of shoes. 

The more I bowled, the more I loved the sport.

No doubt about it – I had found my passion.

Overcoming doubt

 

I grew up in Aurora, Illinois, and I'm thankful for all the great bowlers in the area who offered me advice and support along my journey.

When my family met people who had bowled in college or whose kids had done the same, it helped us realize that was a path available to me. You see, neither of my parents went to college, and college wasn't always what I envisioned myself doing either.

Without my support system, I never would have bowled at certain tournaments or known about different scholarship opportunities. When I won a junior national tournament in 2013, Coach Straub and Klempa were there to cheer me on, and that support meant the world to me.

Eventually, I knew I wanted to be a Husker, but I still had my personal doubts to overcome once I committed and stepped foot on campus.

I suppose you could call it fate that one of the hardest moments of my life helped me do just that.

During my freshman year, I got a phone call from my dad saying he needed to talk. It scared me, and I just knew something was wrong.

My grandfather had passed away.

When I arrived at our athletic facility, my coaches just gave me the biggest hug. With my dad hundreds of miles away, it was like he was the one hugging me and telling me it was going to be okay.

My coaches asked me if I wanted to go home or play the tournament on our schedule. I thought it might be a good distraction to compete. While I don't remember much about the outcome of the event, I do remember feeling safe and loved by my entire team. 

And that sparked a ton of confidence.

After the tournament was over, I got to fly home and see my family.

I wish my grandfather had lived a bit longer so he could see his granddaughter win a national championship a few months later.

But, when I think about how much that experience shaped the person I am today and how I continue to overcome adversity, I know my grandfather's presence stays with me to this day.

From player to coach

Winning a national title as a freshman was truly unforgettable, but there's actually a different tournament experience that I believe was even more memorable.

And I don't talk much about this, so I'm excited to share this story.

In 2018, we were competing against Maryland Eastern Shore at the NCAA Championships and had just wrapped up a win when Coach Straub floored us with some surprising news. We'd made an unintentional illegal substitution during the match and had tied rather than win as a result. 

The solution was to go into a five-frame roll-off, but we also had to take a zero in one of the frames because of the illegal substitution.

If you don't know how bowling is scored, this was basically like a mountain to overcome. If our opponents took care of business, we'd have no chance. We all had this overwhelming feeling of despair, but Coach Straub just pulled us aside and said to take it one frame at a time.

Our opponents slipped up, and I stepped up in the tenth frame.

After the first strike, I stayed focused.

The second strike? Maybe a little smile.

When the pins fell down on the third strike, I let it all out.

Without a doubt, that was the most emotional I've ever been at a tournament. The feeling of all of us coming together to achieve our goal against the odds was just incredible.

It's moments like these that I hope I can communicate to the next generation of Husker bowlers. After graduation, I went on tour and bowled professionally while Coach Klempa became the next head coach.

I was actually in the middle of my season when he offered me an assistant coaching job, but there was no hesitation in my answer – I was all in.

It hasn't been that long since I was a student-athlete, so there's a lot of experiences these bowlers are going through that I've had too. I'm so grateful for everyone's trust in me, because I'm learning lessons along the way just like these girls are.

After winning a national title as a player, there is only one goal I have now — to do it again as a coach.