There was a combination of team chemistry and experience that helped the Florida A&M bowling team to the number one spot in the first day of the 2010 NCAA Bowling Classic. Among the four teams that participated in the tournament were the following universities: Florida A&M, Florida State, Bethune-Cookman and Winston-Salem State.
The FAMU bowling team finished the night with an overall record of (3-0) and an NCAA record of (2-0). Florida A&M was able to win all four games in the three baker matches with a total of 2,219 pin falls and earned the team one more win over second-ranked Florida State University, who had an overall record of (2-1).Team play was the key factor to win the three-baker match. Florida A&M scored 700’s in all three matches in order to stay ahead of the competition.
In Florida A&M’s first match, they outscored opponent Bethune Cookman 726-652 in the four game baker, this strong performance was witnessed by Lady Rattler bowling fans as the team made a constant progression through the remainder of the matches.The team also had two errors throughout the matches, but looked for leadership from team captain Jazmin Bingham in order to keep their composure and gain a high level of confidence.“We were able to keep our composure just by staying focused, cutting down on errors and keeping ourselves pumped up,” Bingham said. “We just kept pushing each other, letting every teammate know that we were there for one another when one of us was falling down and we knew that we had to stay in good spirit.”Freshman Janell Dykes was a leader by example boosting her teammates confidence when an error occurred, showing a sense of team cohesion that led to a successful rally by Florida A&M.“We all play a role together as a team in building our confidence level, everyone is focused on the goal of winning this tournament and we are able to continue to pick each other up,” Dykes said. “This tournament is obviously about pin falls so each pin counts and we have to pace ourselves so we can stay on top.”In order for Florida A&M to be successful throughout the remainder of the tournament, sophomore Samantha A. Mights, said that the team has to know they are the best team regardless of the competition.“We definitely have more initiative every time we go out there and in order to be the best you have to first believe that you are,” Mights said. “When people ask us if we are the best, we are going to say we are, because I think (we) have to be in that state of mind to actually accomplish your goal.”Mights stressed the importance of trying to find her mark throughout the match, so she could be a key contributor to the shared success of Florida A&M.“I just try to focus on finding my marker a lot quicker, sometimes the conditions are not going to agree with you so it’s just a matter of making the right adjustments and I was able to get into my comfort level after that.”