Iowa City High’s Kendra Schwarting rolls first 300 game of girls’ bowling season

There was commotion, then silence followed by jubilation — and finally, fanfare.

It was the natural progression of the atmosphere inside a bowling alley during a perfect game.

Iowa City High senior Kendra Schwarting gave reason for the buzz inside May City Bowl in Cedar Rapids on Dec. 1 as she became the first to throw a 300 in this year’s Iowa high school girls’ bowling season.

“The energy was pretty different from a normal game,” Schwarting said. “As the game went on and more strikes piled on, more and more people were coming and watching.”

She embraced the hubbub.

“When the last frame came, it was super loud before my final throw,” Schwarting said. “As soon as my first foot hit the approach it went silent. When I let go of the ball, everyone started cheering and they cheered even louder when it hit the pins and I got the strike.”

It was Schwarting’s first perfect game.

“People started coming up to me right away and giving me hugs and congratulating me,” Schwarting said. “It felt like everyone was on my side and it felt really good to have everyone’s support.”

It’s a well-deserved achievement for one of Class 3A’s top bowlers over the past few seasons.

Schwarting was a first-team all-stater last year and finished second in 3A and third among all classes in score per game at 211.86. She also was a member of the City High teams that finished sixth in the state tournament in 2020-21 and qualified again in 2022-23.

What makes her special?

“It’s her drive,” City High Coach Dan Christensen said. “She loves to work at it and she's a great listener. She’ll take advice and with that advice she’ll work on her craft.

“You have to do that to get to the level she is.”

She’s a leader, too.

“(Younger bowlers) they all look up to her,” Christensen said. “Having them see how she performs at practice and works at it is a big help. She always reaches out to them and tries to help them if they have any questions.

“She's an all-around good person.”

While she can check a perfect game off her to-do list, there’s one accomplishment that’s eluded her to this point — qualifying for state as an individual.

“It’s something that’s fueled her big time,” Christensen said. “She just had an off day last year.”

She nearly made it as a sophomore.

“Two years ago, I was one pin from qualifying,” Schwarting said. “I wasn't too sad about it though, because the person ahead of me was one of our seniors (Elyse Rios).”

The tricky thing about individual qualification is it boils down to one day and two games.

“It's the whole season leading up to that moment,” Schwarting said. “And I think I just kind of got in my head a little bit last year.”

What’s Schwarting’s approach to putting her best foot forward at state this February? Staying consistent.

“I’ve really worked this year on setting a routine for each throw, doing the same thing leading up to every shot,” Schwarting said. “It helps me stay on track and keep my mindset good.”

Her good habits have certainly paid early dividends.