The Florida A&M bowling team may be a legitimate threat to the competition as they look to gather momentum in their pursuit to capture a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title.
The Florida A&M Rattlers won their first ever division title finishing number one in the Mid-Eastern Athletic southern division with a record of (19-5) and an overall record of (29-12).
As a result of earning a No. 1 seeding in the Mid-Eastern Athletic southern division, the Florida A&M bowling team is one of the eight teams who have clinched a spot in the 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Bowling Championship, March 19-21.
Junior Gina Davis who is averaging 170 plus pin falls during the season, mentioned the importance of earning a number one seeding in the southern division.
“I guess people were kind of sleeping on us, it’s like making a name for ourselves,” Davis said. “We are trying to finish first throughout the entire Mid-Eastern Athletic Division instead of just settling. Going into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship puts us in a better position because we will be expected to compete against the better teams like Delaware State and Maryland Eastern Shore and playing to their potential will push us.”
Second year Florida A&M head coach Sheila Martin, has put her stamp on the team’s blue-collar work ethic.
“We have morning workouts so we have to be in shape because we bowl so many games, coach tells us we have to get physically fit as well as mentally fit and our mindset is to try and eliminate outside distractions,” Davis said.
“As soon as we get in the bowling alley it has to just be about bowling where we should focus on one goal only.”
The Florida A&M bowling team led the Mid-Eastern Athletic southern division with a .714 average in bakers.
“Bakers” is a team method used in a game where player No. 1 bowls the first and sixth frame and player No. 2 bowls the second and the seventh frame in a strategy where all five players bowl together to make one game.
“One team may not be good in Bakers. For example, I’ll bowl the first and the six frame and someone else will bowl the second and the seventh and we’ll try to dominate in that,” said freshman player Janell Dykes.
“Bakers is one of our strengths because a lot of people do good in individual play but not as good in bakers. We’re not perfect and we have low points, but we’re so quick to pick it back up.”
Dykes admits that creating a cushion with their overall (19-5) record as leaders of the southern conference was important, which allowed the Florida A&M bowling team to gain more consistency and remain above the competition as a cohesive unit.
“We focused on pin counts, kept our scores high, we knocked a lot of pins down and were able to make our spares and strikes. Just staying the same and keeping our spirits up and our confidence high. I know we at least have a chance to take home the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship,” Dykes said.