Senior Ian and sophomore Genevieve Giguere have been bowling together for seven years. 

“It all started with our dad who bowled through college for fun and continued bowling a bit after,” Ian said, “However, I truly began taking bowling seriously over the summer between fifth and sixth grade and joined a league.”

After joining a club league and discovering his passion for bowling, Ian joined the West Shore bowling team in 7th grade. Genevieve also started bowling in 7th grade.

“About two years after I had started bowling, I wasn’t doing it competitively but more as pass time, then I started gymnastics,” Genevieve said.

Since they began playing for fun seven years ago, they have improved their scores and placed highly in competitions.

“I have managed to earn a berth to the high school state competition in 2022, I qualified for Junior Gold, and participated in the national competition in 2022,” Ian said.  “Just last week, I took second at Cape Coast Conference.”

After injuring herself doing gymnastics, Genevieve decided to stick with bowling due to opportunities for scholarship money and friendships she made while bowling.

“The joy I find in the sport and the friends that I bowl with are two of the biggest reasons I have continued to do the sport,” she said. “It is also one of the only sports that you can get scholarship money for, and having more money set aside for college is always nice.”

The siblings practice up to six times a week during the season and three times a week out of season. 

“We are always there on Friday unless something comes up, Genevieve said. “I also do a league, so I am there on Saturdays. In terms of free time, bowling is my free time. I am always trying to get better, especially since I am trying to bowl in college.”

Oct. 26 they played in the District 1A Championship at Shore Lanes, Palm Bay. Ian scored 631, placing fifth. Genevieve scored 592, placing third.

The siblings said the stability that comes with bowling together helps boost their performance. 

“Having someone there, especially at a tournament that you are not as familiar with, someone that knows how you bowl and can help you adjust to have a better game is really important,” Genevieve said. 

Genevieve said comparing her scores with her brother fosters a competitive environment.

“[Playing together] makes for a high amount of competition,” she said. “With this I believe that we both definitely gain in performance, as we push each other to the top of our game.”

Ian said there are some problems with playing on the same team but overall, it is a positive experience.

“One of the negatives that comes with doing the same sport as a sibling is that there is the added competitiveness that tends to cause one, or both of us, to get upset or angry with the other,” Ian said. “However, this is far outweighed by the fact that we both understand each other, the struggles that are associated with bowling and having to balance school with bowling.”