Pinheads Finish Proud

After defeating Richmond Hill High School in the second round of the playoffs, Stuyvesant’s girls’ bowling team, the Pinheads, faced off against the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology (Telecomm). However, the game got off to a rough start for the Pinheads. “We called a timeout after the sixth frame. There wasn’t much time left in the game and both our A and B teams were down by a lot of pins. At that point, it was time for us to stop worrying about the other team and just do the best we [could],” senior and co-captain Sonal Parab said.

Her attitude re-energized the team, but it was too little too late for a comeback. Despite demolishing their opponent in game C with a score of 502-378, games A and B both ended in defeats for the Pinheads, effectively ending their season.

“The thought of losing was already looming over our heads and the tension was palpable,” senior and co-captain Emily Lee said. “One of our flaws was probably underestimating our opponents.” During the first two games, each Telecomm player bowled in triple digits and never allowed the Pinheads to climb back into the game. Parab did her best to bring her team back by bowling a 142 in game A and 150 in game C, but the team as a whole was unable to keep pace with Telecomm, losing game A with a score of 586-458 and game B with a score of 435-406.

Despite the difficult loss, the Pinheads had a largely successful season. The team finished their regular season with a 12-0 record in the Manhattan II division and entered the playoffs as the seventh seed (out of 40). They also had many impressive individual accomplishments, with Parab, senior Valerie Ng, and Lee finishing second through fourth in average pins per game in their division, with 148.36, 139.71, and 131.07, respectively.

One of the main reasons for the team’s regular season success was its chemistry and ability to remain upbeat. “My players constantly communicate with each other in practices and games and listen to one another to improve their skills. They offer each other support,” Coach Manuel Simon said. “We will always have each other’s backs,” Lee said. Daily practices and months worth of events created close-knit bonds that continue to the end of the season.

Next year will be a trying one for the Pinheads, since the team is losing five key seniors, all of whom averaged more than 117 pins per game and collectively made up three-quarters of the game A quartet and game C’s entire team in the Telecomm match. Furthermore, their unquantifiable leadership will especially be missed. “I also have great and efficient captains in Sonal Parab, Emily Lee, and Valerie Ng, who have exemplified great leadership skills since the beginning of the season,” Simon said. Junior Sylvia Li will be one of the players expected to take a larger role on the team, already bowling with the game A team this year and dominating to the tune of 121.5 pins per game, despite some playoff struggles (86.67 pins per game).

Though the Pinheads’ season ended a game or two before they would have liked, they kept their heads up in the end. “After the game, it was clear that the team had fun. Even though we lost, there were smiles all around,” Parab said. “We’ve had a good season and I’m proud to say that we were able to end off on a happy note.”