By Jake Kauderer
Bowling balls were rolled, pins were scattered and competition was steep Wednesday night as students competed for a $50 prize at the STAMP Student Union.
The Terpzone bowling tournament was structured so everyone was put into a group of four where they bowled two games, then the highest eight scorers of the games advanced. From there, they bowled single elimination games until there was a winner.
Jonathan Rotman, a graduate student who formerly worked at TerpZone, was one of the volunteers who helped arrange and run the event.
“I’m hoping people have fun, are respectful to one another and want to come back to TerpZone,” Rotman said.
The tournament featured some hardcore bowlers who displayed confidence right away by articulating their self-belief and an abundance of casual players who did not know what to expect.
David Liu, a sophomore computer science major, participated in one tournament prior to this one and was unable to make it to the semi-finals, which affected his confidence, he said.
The beginning rounds featured tons of excitement, with the highest scorers reaching nearly 200 points in some games, with the highest score possible per game being 300 points. Ethan Yen, a freshman computer science major, led the first two rounds with a total of 369 points.
“I warmed up consistently,” Yen said during the first two rounds. “I wasn’t really thinking about doing good which I think helped me stay focused.”
The third and fourth rounds took place shortly after these first rounds and showcased some masterful bowlers facing off one-on-one. However, there could only be two remaining for the fifth and final round.
Andrew Gable, the president of the bowling club at the University of Maryland, defeated fellow club member John Dinkel, a sophomore computer science major, in the highly anticipated championship round.
“I’m disappointed but I’m glad I made it this far,” Dinkel said.
He attributed his performance in the loss to his lack of adjustments during the first five frames. He also credited Gable for getting him into bowling through the club.
“I’m just glad I’m in the position where I could go up against him,” he said.
Gable won $50 for his first place finish while Dinkel walked out with a TerpZone bag filled with merchandise such as TerpZone-themed socks and free bowling game cards.
“I would say the number one thing is trying to keep your hand under the ball and hooking the ball rather than throwing it right down the lane,” Gable, an operations management and business analytics major, said.
The TerpZone bowling tournament sparked a lot of excitement and competition. The next tournament will be on April 29 in TerpZone.
“Just staying calm, believing in what you’re doing, looking at what the lane is doing, and making adjustments,” Gable said. “I was really happy that John was able to be here because he’s one of the people that helps run my bowling club.”
Featured image: a blowing ball makes its way down a lane during the tournament. Photo by Jake Kauderer.