As junior bowler Cooper Sturges was growing up, his dad was always in bowling leagues, and that inspired him to get into the sport himself.
“I started bowling because of my dad,” Sturges said. “He was always in a league when I was younger, so he encouraged me to try it for myself.”
Despite this only being Sturges’s second year bowling, he is one of the top bowlers on the team.
“I started bowling last year and had success, so I decided to keep playing and try to get even better,” Sturges said.
Sturges has received a lot of praise from teammates for being one of Baldwin’s standout bowlers.
“Cooper stands out by being a top bowler on our team and always coming through in big situations,” junior Tyler Geary said.
Most of Sturges’s favorite memories come from his best games.
“One memory that stands out to me is when I bowled a 252, which was my best round to date,” Sturges said. “I kind of shocked myself with how good I bowled that day.”
Another thing that stands out about Sturges is his consistency in every match.
“Cooper is a very consistent and composed bowler who really doesn’t get upset,” junior Michael Quallich said. “He is consistently a key factor for the team with his good scores.”
What Sturges enjoys most about bowling is bowling a good game and helping his team win.
“I always try to do my part for the team,” Sturges said. “It is a great feeling when I can bowl a good game and we come out with a win.”
Geary said Sturges is a great leader and always has a positive vibe to him.
“He’s a leader mainly by encouraging us and keeping us going,” Geary said. “If we’re having a bad day, he can always make us laugh.”
One specific moment that stood out to Geary took place during a section match against Carlynton.
“We were playing Carlynton and I needed to strike out to win,” Geary said. “After I did, I turned around and he was yelling my name. It was a good moment that we will always remember.”
Last year, the Baldwin bowling team won the section championship. The team has found some early success this season, by putting themselves in the running for the title again.
The team’s section record is 4-2 and they sit in a three-way tie for first along with Thomas Jefferson and Seton LaSalle.
“It feels great to get out to a hot start to give us some momentum to hopefully finish strong at the end of the season,” Sturges said. “My main goal this season is to win another section championship because it would be pretty cool to go back to back.”
