Nothing but strikes. After hours of practice, junior Dylan Harnden becomes the state’s top bowler. Next year, he hopes to do as well as he did last season and continue to improve.

Five years of bowling pays off with hours of practice and dedication to earn the title of Michigan’s top bowler.

“I first went out with my friends to bowl, and it was just an activity and a way for us to hang out and when I did it, I just found it a lot of fun doing it and it was just a way of taking a lot of stress out,” Harnden said.

Harnden has been on the team since his freshman year. This year, he practiced twice a week with his team and then on his own time he would fit in extra practices. During practices he works on his form and touches up on the small things.

“My greatest strength is probably being able to cheer on everyone on the team and being able to strike a lot,” Harnden said. “I was also able to bring everybody closer to finals and far into the tournaments.”

After winning the Regional Tournament he qualified for states. Harnden practiced at Thunderbowl to see how the lanes play. During state’s he used three different bowling balls in order to keep striking since the lanes transitioned quickly.

“I felt amazing when I won states. I never really expected myself to be at the very top. I mean, it was always a big goal of mine to reach there,” Harnden said. “It was something that I’ve always dreamed about and really worked hard towards getting there.” 

According to Varsity Coach Mark Harnden [Dylans’ father] Harnden did a great job manipulating his ball roll and making a ball change at the right moments. He took one frame at a time and he kept his composure well which allowed them to talk through what was happening and react accordingly.

“It was a very proud moment, as a coach and father, to see Dylan accomplish his goal of winning a division 1 Boys Singles State Championship, ” Coach Harnden said. “It’s nice to see the results of all the hard work Dylan puts into improving his game pay off.”

As this season comes to an end, next year Harnden wants to work on his mental game because he struggled trying to be positive with himself and sometimes let the negativity get to him.

“Dylan is a very talented bowler and had an incredible season as a junior. It’ll be hard to match,” Coach Harnden said. “With continued hard work and a little bit of luck, I think these are all achievable for Dylan.”