Cedar Rapids Kennedy girls aim to bring good energy to the lanes in state bowling pursuit

CEDAR RAPIDS — The vibes just weren’t right.

Despite leading all Class 3A girls' bowling teams in pins per match last season, Cedar Rapids Kennedy fell short of making it to the state tournament.

What happened?

“When it came to the state qualifier, I think a couple of us girls just weren't on point that day,” Cougars’ first-team all-stater Kaylee Harris said. “We were close to qualifying, but we just came short. There was a lot of good competition, and we just weren't 100 percent that day.”

Only the top two teams from each qualifier make it to state. Kennedy placed third, finishing just 44 pins shy of second.

“We weren’t supporting each other as much as we could have been last year,” sophomore Elaina Chesmore said.

Now, the Cougars are determined to right the ship.

How?

“We’re going to focus more on team bonding and team building,” Harris said. “We’re going to do more team dinners and outings so that we can come closer. Because it’s not all about the bowling, we all have to be there for each other.”

While Harris and Chesmore return, the Cougars lose Abby Hume and Ariana Chesmore, who finished second and third on the team in pins per game, respectively.

Harris anticipates returning underclassmen, including Chesmore, will step up and take on leadership roles to make up for the key losses.

“Elaina has been right here with me, helping plan our team activities and figuring things out,” Harris said. “Her sister was a senior last year, and I expect Elaina to step up.”

“I feel like this year I'm going to have to start being a team leader, especially with some freshmen coming in,” Chesmore said. “Lily (Bader) and Daisy (Slater) are going to help with it, too.”

Chesmore hopes to learn leadership from Harris’ example.

“She’s a very good leader,” Chesmore said. “She steps up to the plate and with her being the strongest bowler that we have, she influences others. People look up to Kaylee, like ‘I want to be as good as her.’

“And she just helps people. If they’re having a bad day, she’ll tell them, ‘It’s OK.’”

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Harris qualified for state as an individual in 2023 and finished 18th. She had the third-highest per-game average (206.8) in 3A.

Individually, Harris is working on the mental aspect of her game.

“This year, I am focusing more on like my mental health and staying positive, because during any sport you can get hard on yourself and get down,” Harris said. “But I want to stay as positive as I can and not fight against myself.”

It's a mindset she hopes will rub off on her younger teammates.

“I want us to have positive motivation going into every meet and every tournament,” Harris said. “Never be too hard ourselves, or us as a team.”

Kennedy will open its season Nov. 30 at the Cedar Rapids Bowling Center in a triangular with Cedar Rapids Prairie and Cedar Rapids Jefferson.