Even at practice junior Teresa Duffrin of Central’s girls bowling is still giving it her all. She waits her turn to bowl and grabs her ball. As she walks down to the lane she eyes down the pins. She readies herself and then rolls the ball. It swerves towards the center and then hits all of the pins down. She celebrates, yelling, “Can I get a Redhawks!”

Duffrin began bowling seven years ago when she joined Saturday Morning Youth League.. She had a lot of fun and decided to continue even after she moved.

“One of my best friends was in the league so I mainly did it for social reasons, but then I kept improving and it gave me something to do,” Duffrin said. “I just enjoyed it a lot. And I was noticing that I was getting better, so I just kept going.

Beginning her career with an average of 80 pins, each year she would improve by about 10 pins. Her quick improvement has also been in part due to private lessons. Duffrin has taken lessons for four years, which have kept her more motivated.

“I would definitely say if you want to improve your game try a private coach and continuously work hard,” Duffrin said.

Now, Duffrin bowls as part of Central’s girls’ bowling team. She joined the team freshman year, and it gave her a chance to make more friends.

“As a freshman during COVID it was kind of the start of my friend group, the whole team, and it just helped me branch out and learn how to be more sociable,” said Duffrin.

One of the friends Duffrin made from the team was junior Sydney Hurst.

“Teresa is a nice, kind, caring person, and she is more unique than other people I know,” Hurst said.

Duffrin’s competitive nature and drive to reach an average of 160 pins make her a natural role model to others around her, specifically Hurst.

“I’ve learned to not give up, from her, and just to continue what I’m doing, and everyone will pick each other up whenever it is needed,” Hurst said.

On Jan. 14, Duffrin nearly broke school records by becoming the second-highest six-game scorer in program history.

“It was a lot of focus, a lot of talking to the coach and making sure that I was adjusting the way I needed to. And my third game was over two hundred points,” Duffrin said.

Moving forward, Duffrin hopes to continue to bowl into college and maybe further into adulthood. Her eye is set on McKendree University, which has the number one bowling team according to the NCAA.  

However, right now, Duffrin is focusing on finishing out the current season. She hopes to make it to sectionals and improve her own leadership skills. Bowling began as just something she did for social reasons, Duffrin has found a passion that she hopes to carry with her throughout her life.

“It motivates me a lot to go to school, and it gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day, and it just makes me happy,” Duffrin said.