JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Just four months removed from winning their first state championship, the Steele High School girls’ bowling team can now count themselves among the nation’s elite.
The girls’ team, which practices at the Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Bowling Center and is coached by Steve Barinque, the bowling center’s manager and longtime instructor, placed fourth at the 2016 U.S. High School Bowling National Championship July 30-31 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We’re really proud of the kids,” Barinque said. “The reasons for their success are their commitment to their sport along with the support of their parents and coaches.
“They’ve dedicated many hours to their sport,” he said. “You can’t even begin to add all those hours together.”
The Steele girls were led by a pair of 18-year-old seniors, Sydney Strohm and Megan Eaglehouse, both bound for Stephen F. Austin State University this month.
“Going to the nationals was really great and really surprising,” said Strohm, whose father, Bill, a retired Air Force master sergeant, is one of the team’s assistant coaches. “It was cool that we ended up competing with the best high school teams from other states.”
Eaglehouse, who won the state singles title a year ago and will be attending college on a bowling scholarship, said that competing at the national championship was an amazing experience.
“It was pretty exciting to know that we could accomplish more than winning the state championship,” she said. “I was pretty confident of our chances because we work well together. It was really exciting for me to see all our hard work pay off.”
Since 2010, either the Steele boys’ or girls’ team has qualified for the state tournament, Barinque said. Last year, both teams qualified for the state tournament.
Two years ago, the girls placed 12th at state, following that up with an eighth-place finish last year. This year, the girls, who were seeded fifth, defeated second-seeded and two-time state champion Harker Heights to win state, rallying from a 1-0 deficit to win the next two games. In addition to Strohm and Eaglehouse, the team consisted of Ashley Devine, Megan Causey, Amber Perez, Shelby Kundinger, Alyssa Patterson and Lillian Carson.
“Winning state was the highlight,” said Strohm, who has bowled since she was 7 years old. “The last round was really intense. It was so neck and neck. I knew we could do it; we just had to go out and get it done.”
Training, teamwork and trust were key factors in the Steele girls’ success, Eaglehouse said.
“We stayed dedicated to practice time and working together as a team,” she said. “That made a huge difference. We also could depend on each other, so it was more of a trust factor.”
Other local bowlers qualified for nationals. Jordan Dawkins and Mark Frankhouser of Steele and Angelica Anthony of Randolph High School, who also practice at the bowling center, competed in singles.
“All of these kids did very well,” Barinque said. “I’m really proud of their accomplishments in bowling and in the classroom. Their commitment really paid off.”