Dan Macha has been excited about his Ithaca girls varsity bowling team this season and for good reason.
The Yellow Jackets were state qualifiers and had an excellent experience at the state tournament Feb. 28-March 1.
“The girls struggled after being in sixth place after the bakers, Macha said of the state finals. “We started getting some momentum back and our lane broke down for 20 minutes in first Peterson. Not an excuse (but it) just did not help the cause. Especially when you had some momentum going. They were starting to make a move and this hurt as they came back after breakdown and struggled to get it going again…too many missed spares.”
The Jackets, Macha said, bowled better in the third game but weren’t able to stay in the top 8 and finished 10th about 70 pins off the cut.
“This is a young team, no seniors, and they just could not get a break after bakers,” Macha said. “I am happy with their efforts even though we came up short. We are a better team than the team that struggled this weekend.”
The Jackets bowled at M66 Lanes in Battle Creek.
“The middle of the road pattern is not a real friendly pattern,” Macha said. “The tournament committee really needs to look at another pattern. I takes just the right speed and hitting your mark together. If you are too fast it does not come back and too slow it takes off. Speed is very hard aspect for girls to be consistent. I just think it is time for a different pattern.”
But Macha likes the experience his team received.
“In singles, both my girls were freshman and they had first time jitters,” he said. “I am happy that they got better as the day progressed. That indicated they will be back and relaxed next time. Good season. This is a very good group of young ladies that will make some noise next year. I cannot wait.”
Experience has not been an issue for what Macha calls a “youth mature team.”
The squad has no seniors, but going into the postseason, they had a 16-2 overall record and 8-2 mark in the TVC West Conference.
“I have a unique group of very talented young ladies,” Macha said.
“They have all bowled in YABA since they were five or six and are always striving to make improvements on the lanes.”
The girls lost the conference championship to an 18-12 loss to a more experienced St Louis team the second weekend of February.
“We were down then up and then the Sharks KO’d us in the last Peterson Game with their season high 933 after we bowled our season high 891 the game prior,” said Macha. “It was a typical Ithaca-St Louis barn burner.”
The two juniors on the team, Chelsea MacLennan and Kristy Godley, have been pleasing Macha with their efforts at the fourth and fifth position in the line-up.
“Chelsea has come through time after time this year at anchor when games were teetering one way or the other,” he said. “Kristy is our never-give-up ambassador.”
Macha praised the efforts of freshmen Heidi Seeley and Haylee Sigafoose.
They both bowled in the individual state finals event.
“Ithaca had the tools they needed to be a strong team this year, with returning sophomores Channing Gulick and Arianna Woodrow, but these two freshman are very talented young bowlers,” Macha said. “I had Channing and Arianna with a years experience making the middle of my lineup strong and then these two freshman stepped in and wowed me as they bowl like they have no fear.”
Junior Kathryne Beck has also been in the top seven for Ithaca. “I brought Kat up in January to give us an extra sub and she just fit right in,” said Macha.
This was a team with potential that excited Macha.
“The 2010 state runner-up team was composed of more overall talented bowlers but this group of girls truly emphasize the team element of bowling and work together so well,” said Macha.