"I got into bowling when I was somewhere between 8 and 11. It was because my brother was doing it and we would go every Saturday morning to Youth League and I would have to sit there and do nothing, and I just told my mom, “I want to do this. If we’re going to be here, I want to join in too.” When people normally go to a bowling alley, they use a ball that isn’t theirs, they throw it down the lane and they try to hit as many pins as they can without caring how they make it happen. But when you’re at a competitive level, you have your own equipment, there’s an oil pattern out on the lane, and it becomes more of a puzzle to solve than just merely trying to knock down pins. 

In high school, things start becoming more competitive. There’s a [championship tournament] called Junior Gold and you compete [in that] for a spot for Junior Team USA, so it’s high stakes. You go to certain lower tier tournaments and if you place high enough, you gain eligibility to compete in Junior Gold, and one year I did. I didn’t get onto Junior Team USA, but the trip and the experience I gained was worthwhile despite that. It was my first solo trip and I drove all the way to Buffalo, NY from Charlotte, NC. It was very exciting, yet very intimidating to be competing against some of the highest ranked bowlers in the country. It was also interesting because the following year [in college] when I tried out for the team at Bowling Green State University, the coach (his name is Kevin Taber and he was a professional bowler in his day) apparently was at that same Junior Gold tournament in Buffalo. The second I walked into tryouts, he said “you probably won’t believe this, but I know you” and went on to explain that I was bowling next to some of the older girls on the team. I had no idea [he was there coaching them]. I wasn’t even looking at colleges yet. He apparently saw me and knew I had potential, but wasn’t in the position to approach and recruit me because he had no scholarship money to give me from the bowling club. After that exchange, I just remember immediately thinking “Oh, I’m right where I’m supposed to be”. 

My best game is a 270 [out of 300], and it’s all because I choked in the last frame. We were bowling at our own home tournament; it was the middle of the day during individual games and it was very intense. I had never bowled that many strikes in a row in my life, and here I was, in the middle of our home bowling alley, it was the 9th frame, and I couldn’t even breathe. I had to force myself to move and the entire time I am repeating to myself in my head, “It’s your turn, go up there, you’re going to be fine no matter what happens, just go up there.” I strike in the 9th frame, and in the 10th frame I almost gutter it. I don’t know what happened, I just couldn’t move my body, and everything was off because of it. The ball went to the right and I went “oh my gosh, people are staring at me, they can see me and I’m about to gutter this ball!” And I didn’t, I hit 7 down and then I spared it, and then I chopped off the right three to finish the last frame. Imagine shooting 9 strikes in a row and then botching 10, 11, 12. With everyone in the bowling alley watching. It was the most intense situation. I actually placed second individually that day. But I don’t like pressure like that. I just like to bowl and whatever happens, happens." - Rachel Bianculli