On Monday Feb. 20, 2017, both the girls’ and boys’ bowling teams at Pleasant Valley high school loaded up their equipment and travelled to the state tournament. The Spartans made school history by being the first teams from PV to go to the state tournament. The Iowa State Bowling Championship was held in Des Moines, Iowa at Plaza Lanes Bowling Alley. Both of the Spartan teams decided to travel a day before the tournament in order to practice before they officially competed. After a practice round and a full night of sleep, the bowlers were refreshed and ready to go. Senior bowler, Ali Staver, said, “State was really fun! Going into the meet, I never expected how loud it would be. But while walking in with the team it seemed like the alley was packed and everyone was cheering.”
The Spartans started off game one with top boys’ bowler Cory LaBarge shooting a 236 and top girls’ bowler Takera Martinez shooting a 193. On the second day, Martinez fired a 210, bringing her state tournament total to 403. That score awarded her a medal for tenth place, individually.
To end the tournament, the Spartan boys finished in fifth place after a devastating loss for a higher placement. Senior bowler, Mason Rosenboon, said, “It was sad losing to Urbandale, but it was still a great experience being at the state tournament.” The Spartan girls finished seventh as a team. “Overall, it was a great experience with the team and it was a very fun time to get to know everyone on the team better!” said Staver. Although the Spartans didn’t place as high as they wanted, they still made school history and had a successful season.
