The bowling alley is the perfect place for students to have their shot at glory. The bowling team was first introduced by the AHSAA four years ago.

“Homewood is really cool in the sense they want everybody to have an opportunity to find something that fits what they want,” Coach Carlson said.

With 15 sports, 30 clubs, and over 75 different electives, Homewood pushes students to find a place to do what they love and follow their interests. The bowling team attracts people from various sports, clubs, classes, and grade levels.

Tryouts are four days long, and everyone who wants to try out must play two games. The coaches take their top scores, and the top eight rollers get added to the lineup.

After making the lineup, practices start in October. The team practices at Vestavia Bowl on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Players often play full practice games, but they can also customize which pins are on the lane, enabling practice on particularly difficult formations, notably the notorious 7-10 split.

Bowling practices do not involve working out and running gassers. Even though players have a lot to work on, practices are more laid back, and players have ample opportunity to go and grab chicken fingers. 

Bowling is far more complex than simply rolling a ball. Each of the lanes is oiled to make it slick. As balls roll down the lane and pick up oil, the patterns of the oil change. As it disperses, the track becomes more grippy and more likely to catch the ball as it spins. The spin one puts on the ball is critical in determining where the ball goes.

 The matches surprisingly get very intense. “Me and Allison will get into it, if one of us is playing bad it gets emotional,” said senior and four-year team member Grace Studinka, who learned the sport and improved her game enough to be awarded a captain spot on the 2022-2023 bowling team.