Courtesy photoBrandon Bonta took bowling seriously at age 10. He learned at Wichita鈥檚 West Acres Bowling Center from Rick Steelsmith, one of 黑洞社区鈥檚 greatest bowlers.
That was Bonta鈥檚 first step into the Shocker bowling ecosystem. He bowls at Wichita State, and Steelsmith is his coach 鈥� a path that seems irresistible for talented youth bowlers in and around Wichita.
鈥淚t鈥檚, honestly, a dream come true,鈥� said Bonta, a sophomore majoring in sport management. 鈥淲hen the best school is 20 minutes away from your house, that鈥檚 really all you want to do.鈥�
Wichita State鈥檚 bowling teams are in Las Vegas this week for the United States Bowling
Congress at South Point Bowling Plaza. Team play begins Thursday with the singles and team
finals on Saturday.The taped televised finals will air at 6 p.m. on April 25, May
2, 9 and 16 on CBS Sports Network.
The Shockers finished second in both the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 competition in 2022 after winning both titles in 2021.
With Bonta and others, Wichita State鈥檚 select team boasts a local contingent not found on rosters since the program鈥檚 early days. Bonta, from Wichita Northwest High School, is on the men鈥檚 eight-person team competing this week. Haysville Campus High鈥檚 Piper Reams, a sophomore majoring in business administration, will bowl for the seven-person women鈥檚 team.
Additionally, the 22-person selected team that serves as Wichita State鈥檚 varsity program features junior Brandon Collins, a finance major; freshman Samuel Calderon, majoring in mechanical engineering and French; and Chloe Ciecko, a junior majoring in game design 鈥� all from Wichita. Freshman Paige Wagner, majoring in pre-physical therapy, is from Great Bend.
The 1975 women鈥檚 team that won the first ITC title consisted entirely of Wichitans. Over the next decade, the program鈥檚 reach expanded nationally and internationally. The current roster includes students from Pereira, Colombia; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Terre Haute, Indiana; and Dublin, Ohio.
鈥淭he history of the program has been built on Wichita players,鈥� said Mark Lewis, director of Shocker bowling. 鈥淚t鈥檚 grown over time to where they鈥檙e from all over the place.鈥�
Several factors make this a boom time for Wichitans on the roster.
The environment starts with the success of the program, which puts young bowlers in contact with Shocker bowling throughout their development. They are coached by current and former Shockers, attend summer camps at the Rhatigan Student Center, compete against current and former Shockers in league play, and watch the Shockers each April at the ITC Championships.
Steelsmith, now the men鈥檚 head coach, also coached Calderon as a youngster. Holly Harris, the women鈥檚 coach, ran the youth leagues at Northrock Lanes.
鈥淚 started bowling when I was about 5 or 6 years old,鈥� Calderon said. 鈥淲hen I was 9 years old, I went to my first national tournament in Buffalo, New York It was a bad performance, but it was my gateway into the bowling world.鈥�
Sara Vargas, a former Shocker bowler, helped open that gateway by bowling with Calderon.
鈥淗er family became really good friends with my family and that鈥檚 how I started,鈥� Calderon said. 鈥淟iving and bowling in Wichita, Wichita State is the bowling program. I鈥檝e had my mind set on it since I started bowling.鈥�
Ciecko, like Calderon from Kapaun Mount Carmel Catholic High School, took a different path. She did not bowl until high school and did not make the team at Wichita State as a freshman. She made the selected team this year after spending 2021-22 on the developmental team.
鈥淚 just wanted to do a sport for fun (in high school),鈥� Ciecko said. 鈥淚 knew I didn鈥檛 want to stop bowling, but I was still lacking a lot of experience. It was much more of a process for me than my teammates. Wichita State really equipped me with a lot of knowledge and a lot of resources.鈥�
The unusual number of Wichitans on the roster makes a statement about improved youth and high school bowling in Kansas.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association sponsored its first state tournament in 2005. Lewis estimates that a dozen or more former Shockers, such as Packy Hanrahan, live locally and coach Wichita bowlers. Former Shocker Billy Murphy, who bowled at Heights High School, started the program at Newman University in 2002 and remains coach.
鈥淗igh school bowling in Wichita and Kansas has gotten better,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淐oaching has gotten better. The city of Wichita has had a strong tradition of great play, which is known nationally. It鈥檚 not just a place where people go to have fun to bowl. It鈥檚 a very talented, competitive level.鈥�
When the local bowlers arrive at Wichita State, they find the path to success hasn鈥檛 changed over the years. They talk to bowlers at other schools and find often those schools don鈥檛 require the 6:30 a.m. strength and agility work or mental preparation that are routine at Wichita State.
鈥淲e do what other people don鈥檛 want to do,鈥� Collins said. 鈥淲e practice four times a week and have workouts three times a week. When you tell other teams you do workouts, they think you鈥檙e crazy.鈥�
For people all over the world, Wichita State is a dream school for bowling. For local bowlers, the dream is a constant part of their life in the sport.
