The Washington Demon bowling team practices at Lebowski’s Rock N Bowl Tuesday morning. Photo by KCII’s Nate Gonner.

Starting this year, the Washington Demon bowling team will do much of their practice rounds in the morning. Lebowski’s Rock N Bowl has opened their doors to Washington’s bowling team again this season, giving nearly two hours of lane time to the squad weekday mornings.

Head bowling coach Sally Reighard says the change hasn’t been as difficult as she anticipated it would be, “Quite frankly, I am surprised that they all have been here and are chipper this early.” Reighard said, “Practice is scheduled to start at 6 a.m. and most of them are here are least 15 to 20 minutes early.”

The team opens every practice working with medicine balls prior to throwing practice frames. Reighard says this is her team’s version of weight training. “A bowler doesn’t need muscles, they need core strength,” Reighard said, “The exercises we use with the medicine balls are aimed at building their inner body core.”

The bowling team returns several contributors from last season, especially on the boys’ team. The boys’ bowling team has three athletes who recorded game averages above 150. Junior Colin Zear is the squad’s lone returning all-district bowler. Zear, a second team all-district selection last season, posted an average score of 186. Sophomore’s Kylan Gillette and Tucker Renoux each posted average scores of 154 last year.

The top returner on the girls’ side is sophomore Anna Marie Walter, who posted an average score of 125 in her first season of varsity bowling.

The Washington bowling teams open their regular season schedule on Wednesday, December 9, hosting the Sigourney Savages at Lebowski’s Rock N Bowl. Hear bowling coaches Reighard, Deb Tisor, and Chad Zear talk about the upcoming season on the PM Sports Page, debuting tonight at 6 p.m. on KCII.