EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
The Liberal Unified Bowling team saved its best for last — twice.
Last year, the team bowled its best at the State Tournament and took second, and this year the team set a new high at the end of the season to finish third in the state.
Liberal finished second with a score of 843 last year, and this year the Redskins bowled 936 for third.
The Western Athletic Conference dominated State. Great Bend won the title with 1,110 pins, Hays took second with 945, Liberal was third with 936, and last year’s champion Garden City was fourth with 857.
“It’s great,” Liberal coach Andrew Potter said. “It shows the dedication and the drive these guys have. They want to be competitive and successful and represent the school and the community.”
Bowling in the most competitive conference prepared the Redskins.
“Watching the numbers throughout the year in the WAC, and also throughout the state, I knew it was going to be a strong regional, and we would need a good performance there,” Potter said. “I knew State would be competitive, and we would have a pretty good shot.”
After last year’s runner-up performance, Potter said he and fellow coach Erica Arnold put the teams together in certain roles for a return to State.
“Coach Arnold and I strategically set the teams up during the season,” Potter said. “We knew if we did that, by the end of the year we would be able to perform our best. We let them know that. The goal is to be in the top five at Regionals. Wer told them, ‘Get us a chance to get to state.’ That was the mind set. Thats the adage the pros use is to qualify for the playoffs. If we get in we will be mentally be strong and focused. We talked with them about those aspects.”
This time State wasn’t new, and the return came with experience. Last year the team was so excited and supportive through chants and positive feedback that they were asked to settle down, but that didn’t happen this year.
“We were calmer,” Potter said. “There were some big shots that happened. Logan picked up a really big spare shot. I went wild with that. I jumped up — it was a really big shot and a crucial moment. I think this year they were there to be strong and be successful. They were focused on the goal.”
Unified Bowling is a new way to form a team by taking classmates with certain challenges and combining them with other teammates. In the two years of the program, Liberal has a second and third-place State finish.
“We can continue to build on this and take it into the winter competitive season,” Potter said. “We want to continuously move forward. This was a been there, done that situation. I say that a lot when it could be nervous situation. I try to reinforce that they’ve been there and done that. All the shots that could happen, they’ve seen it. It’s nothing new. We had a strong mind set, and we told them that even if you are agitated with yourself, continue to have a strong mind set. Focus.”
The support for the program has been solid and growing, according to Potter.
“We want to thank Billy’s Ayr Lanes for all they do for our program,” he said. “We also want to thank the parents and supporters of our program. We couldn’t do it without them.”
