It was the final home match of the season for Wellington bowling, and Whitney Kirschner made it count. The junior rolled a 289, just two pins off of a perfect game of 300 on Feb. 1.
Kirschner ended her game with 11 straight strikes, and threw as flawlessly a game that you can get without hitting 300. It was a career-high for her, surpassing her previous career high, which was in the 260s.
“I had a lot of adrenaline running through my veins,” said Kirschner. “I was shaking and just trying to keep my head up and do well. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s exciting to be that close.”
Whitney Kirschner hits her 11th strike in a row to cap off a 289 game. Just 2 pins away from a 300 perfect game! #ItTakesAVillage pic.twitter.com/qDdnXx7lTR
— Wellington Sports (@WEVSD_sports) February 1, 2023
There are some sports where the game gets easier after hitting a groove. For Kirschner, she thinks that bowling gets harder with the more strikes you get. The pressure was mounting despite playing so well, but that also describes how crucial mental toughness is in bowling.
Also a soccer goalie, as much as that position has a mental aspect of it, Kirschner said that it ramps up in bowling. Estimating, she says that soccer is 50% both physical and mental, but bowling is 80% mental.
“I didn’t get in my head too much that game, I stayed concentrated and just let the ball roll,” said Kirschner. “That’s the biggest part with bowling, you have to stay concentrated and not think. You don’t want to think about how well you’re doing.”
It may be difficult to think how playing goalie and soccer go hand-in-hand, but Kirschner said that she’s been able to take techniques from one sport to the other. Since last season, she has also become more consistent with her scoring. That consistency had helped with confidence and not thinking about underwhelming performances.
Before becoming a consistent player capable of a score like 289, Kirschner was struggling and had to go back to the basics to figure it out. From there, everything has come together to bowl a near-perfect game.
“You have to connect with the ball and the lane,” said Kirschner. “You just have to keep your head up and understand what you’re doing wrong and be considerate of it.”
