Nov. 17, 2011
VUcommodores.com’s Brittany Kogut visited Vanderbilt bowling practice last week to find out how the Commodores prepare for tournaments. 
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Head Coach John Williamson noted that the team spends two hours each practice working on a variety of drills, including strike shots and spare shooting. “They bowl anywhere from 300-500 shots per day,” Williamson said. “It’s more mental than physical, so you have to stay as mentally sharp as you can with each area because like most sports, it doesn’t take much to start a bad habit.”
Senior Samantha Hesley and freshman Natalie Goodman pointed out that collegiate practices are much different than league bowling and high school competitions.
“The length of practice and the things that we do at practice are a lot different than league bowling,” Hesley said. “As a league bowler, it’s not the same; you’re not consistently shooting hundreds and hundreds of spares every week. You also have to prepare for the different (lane) patterns.”
“Bowling has been so much more serious to me (in college) than it was in high school,” Goodman added. “It has definitely been a big change from just throwing the ball around to really a focused practice.
“It’s a nice transition into a program where everybody has the same level of passion.”
The Commodores will participate in the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawk Classic starting Friday in Millsboro, Del. Read Rocket’s tournament preview here.
