“Bowling is a sport,” declared Sadie Bassitt, a first-year student athlete on the university’s women’s bowling team. This fall is the program’s inaugural season.
Bassitt said there are many misconceptions about bowling, particularly that it is not a sport. But she explained that bowlers must use their legs and arms to gain momentum for their swings.
“Posture is key, and we develop skills and techniques,” Bassitt said. “It’s more a mental game than it is physical.”
Bassitt has been bowling since she was three years old, and the sport runs in her family. Her desire to continue her family’s legacy influenced her decision to commit to the university.
“I’m excited that Capital started a bowling program because I was going to go to Ohio Dominican [University].”
Bassitt was drawn to the program once she received the news that Lance Gordon was the head coach. She has known Gordon since she was young and enjoys his coaching style.
Gordon has been the head coach for various teams around the greater Columbus area. He coached the varsity and junior varsity teams at Hilliard Bradley High School, and was a private coach at Holiday Lanes in Whitehall, Ohio.
Dr. Darrell Bailey, head athletic director, spoke highly of Gordon.
Bailey said, “Lance [Gordon] stepped in for us at a crucial point for our bowling program and we are looking forward to beginning the program under his guidance.”
Bassitt and her teammate, Cassidi Johnson, are also excited to see where their coach takes the program.
Johnson, a first-year criminology major, shares the sentiment that bowling is a mental and physical game.
She said that bowling is not as easy as rolling a ball down a lane because “understanding and the willingness to learn” make the sport hard.
Johnson bowls two-handed, which is a unique approach for the sport. She said that she invests many hours perfecting her technique and making adjustments when necessary.
The teams will compete in the Ohio Bowling Conference alongside notable schools like University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, Robert Morris University (Pennsylvania) and 15 others.
The tournaments are structured with individual play and team competitions.
The university’s teams are preparing for the upcoming competitions using many strategies.
Johnson explained that the team starts practice with warm-ups. Then, they transition into bowling on collegiate oil patterns.
Oil patterns are petroleum, mineral or synthetically based oils that are applied to lanes to affect the ball’s reaction.
Depending on the center, tournament and level of competition, specific patterns are layered. Patterns vary because of location and amount of oil.
They also incorporate game simulations like aiming for corner pins and spare shooting into practice. The teams end practice with variations of baker’s games, which is when athletes will bowl a game together, alternating frames.
The men’s and women’s bowling teams are still looking for more members. No experience is needed to join.
The teams’ first tournament is the Ohio Bowling Conference #1 tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
Later in the season, they will travel to Tennessee, Michigan and Kentucky.
