CRAFTSBURY – Head coach Ashley Gravel will have record numbers and more experience this season as her Craftsbury Academy (CA) bowling team readies for their season opener later this week.
Gravel enjoyed robust numbers last season in her second year leading the program, but her young team lacked competitive experience at the high school level. She had 13 student athletes from both CA and Hazen Union come out for the team this winter, and hopes to build on the development her team showed throughout the season last year.
This will be the fourth season CA will field a varsity bowling team. The Chargers put their program on the map in their first two years, featuring three of the top 12 bowlers in the state. Last season was a full reset for Gravel and her program, fielding a team of new faces made up of mostly sophomores. Her team was able to get invaluable experience in their first state tournament however, falling to seventh-seeded South Burlington in the first round. Kosmos Glestos, Arwen Alexander, Cyrus Graham and Tucker Holcomb showed vast improvement last winter, bowling some of their best games late in the season. Gravel hopes her mix of experienced returning bowlers, along with new faces, will lead to building a competitive program at CA for years to come.
“Our returning bowlers continue to progress off of their development from last year and I’m excited for the season. We have a lot of kids who put in the time to practice in the offseason and they’ve come in with a lot of enthusiasm. They’ve done a nice job welcoming in new players to the team with that same energy. It’s great to see kids continue to have interest in the sport, in the program here at CA and I’m excited to watch it grow,” said Gravel.
The Chargers are scheduled to officially open the season this Saturday at Gold Crown Lanes in St. Johnsbury.
