Back For More: Falls Bowlers Surprise Coach in Return to State Finals

This was not going to be the year to hang another banner at Village Bowl.

Menomonee Falls won the state high school girls bowling crown in 2010, but the graduation of individual state champion Ashley Bell, among numerous other losses, had coach Scott Ahrens thinking of the future.

But the girls had other ideas.

“It’s gone a lot better than what I was expecting,” he said Wednesday, as the Indians practiced for a return trip to this weekend’s Wisconsin High School Bowling Club state tournament in Ashwaubenon. “I was looking for a rebuilding year, but they just all gelled together and refused to lose.”

The Indians finished 13-4 this season, then took fifth in the conference tournament, earning the last state qualifying berth. Jessica Kickbush, the only senior and the team’s anchor bowler, said this year’s journey for the team was tremendous fun.

“From the first practice, we were friends almost immediately,” she said, adding that the girls take part in team sleepovers and bowling outings outside of practice.

Kickbush finished second in District 1 with an 83.75 fill percentage, which measures the number of frames that bowlers register a spare or strike. That earned her a spot in the state individual tournament.

“Jess has been a real big leader for us this year,” Ahrens said. “She’s pulled the young girls along with her.”

One of those young bowlers is sophomore Justine Laubusch, who last year at this time was wrestling, not bowling.

“I didn’t want to get hurt anymore in wrestling,” she said wryly. “I decided to do something safer.”

She bowled last summer in a youth league, and said this year she’s improved tremendously in her bowling while making good friends on the team.

Only Kickbush and sophomore Mychaela McMenamin are back from last year’s championship squad. Kickbush has advice for her teammates when they arrive at Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley this weekend.

“You don’t pay attention to any of the other teams,” she said. “It’s basically about making your spares.”

Competition begins Friday with the first round of individual singles. After a three-game series, the top 19 girls advance to Saturday night’s semifinals. From there, the top 5 go to a stepladder “TV finals” format on Sunday. Menomonee Falls bowls in Squad B of the team event beginning Saturday.

Also qualifying for the individual tournament were Melanie Kuntz of Hamilton on the girls side, and boys bowlers James Wesolowski and Mitchell Zierer of Menomonee Falls and Adam Todd of Hamilton.