FIELD TWP- As a young kid, recent North Woods School graduate Haley Bogdan discovered bowling.
“I started when I was in third grade,” she said. “I have a fond memory of bringing home two flyers one night, one for soccer and one for bowling. After a lot of deliberation – as much as a third grader can have – I decided to try the youth bowling league in Virginia.”
Bogdan will be making a lot more fond bowling memories beginning this fall after signing a letter of intent to bowl for Viterbo University, a private Catholic college in La Crosse, Wis.
“I’m looking forward to new competition in college,” Bogdan said. “Although the tournament format is very similar to what we’re used to for the high school season there are new people, lanes, and experiences. As a college bowler you’re not only able to bowl in your required meets and tournaments but you can also go into nationals and Team USA trials if you choose.”
From her humble beginnings at the Plaza Bowl in Virginia, where her first teammates were three boys from North Woods School, Bogdan has made quite the mark on the lanes. The girls team she bowled with in 2016 went to their first state tournament and won. They stayed together, continued going to state, and won it all again in 2019.
But the championships don’t stand out as much for Bogdan as does creating a brand new high school team in Virginia in 2019.
“Virginia hadn’t had a team in many years, so it was a new start,” Bogdan said. “Our first season was a little rough trying to learn the new rules and formats of the events.”
This year Bogdan qualified for the Minnesota State High School League girls state tournament.
“It was a little scary for me because I had never bowled with only girls before,” she said. “It was a lot of fun, and I finished tenth.”
“I think the thing I like most about bowling is the friendships and connections you can make,” Bogdan said. “A lot of other high school sports don’t allow you to do that and still be a good competitor, but with bowling you’re able to be friends and enemies at the same time.”
New connections are also something she’s excited about when she heads off to Viterbo.
“It’s a smaller school, and from what I’ve heard everyone is very connected. I will be studying sports business management and leadership, and will hopefully come back to Minnesota with my degree to work with youth bowling,” Bogdan said.