UK to USA
By Verity Crawley
Leaving home to go to University is extremely difficult. Especially when that University is over 4000 miles away, you cannot just drive home for the weekend to see your friends and family. I would love to be able to do that. Social networking becomes your best friend, without Skype and FaceTime, being so far away would be even harder. But it’s not all bad; you make new friends who are in the exact same boat as you. Especially here at Webber, there are students who live even further away from their families such as Latvia and Lithuania, it makes you realize that you are not the only one who may feel home sick every once in a while.
The bowling is different. But I love it. I had never really experienced the baker format before I got to Webber and now it is something I do all the time. All college tournaments are baker format, with some having team games also. You have to be such a good team player and trust each and every one of your team mates. You could be the best bowler in the world, and yet not succeed in college bowling because you do not get on with your team mates. A lot of people drop out because of this.
Unfortunately not everyone that is part of the Webber bowling program gets to travel to the tournaments; we have try outs to determine who goes. They get extremely competitive, especially when you have 30 guys fighting for 6 spots. Normally the top 6 finishers from the try outs automatically go and then the coaches get to pick two other people. I think the tryouts are definitely needed, it keeps the team competitive and it is a fair way of choosing who goes to tournaments. My first ever college tournament was weird, I walked into the bowling centre expecting to see the usual English bowlers that are always at tournaments and yet I didn’t know anyone. But everyone was so friendly; they of course loved the English accent! Now tournaments back home in England seem different because I don’t see any college bowlers or have my Webber team mates with me.
I couldn’t be happier here in America, of course I miss my family and friends. But I get to do what I love the most- bowl. At the best training centre in the world. And my family is only a flight away!
If anyone has any questions feel free to email me: [email protected]
