The Pinheads Leave No Pin Standing

Following an incredibly strong season in 2018, the Stuyvesant girls’ varsity bowling team resumed their reign over the Manhattan Division once again in 2019. Finishing 9-1 in the regular season, the Pinheads once again found themselves in first place in the Manhattan Division, beating out rivals Beacon and Louis Brandeis.

They started the season with a loss to Louis Brandeis in a close match. While Brandeis took the first game, the Pinheads fought back to take the second, but ultimately dropped the third game by a score of 457-438.

This loss only fueled the Pinheads, and from that point on, they never looked back. That loss was their only one of the regular season, and they went on a nine-game winning streak to close out the regular season. While there were a few close matches throughout the season that finished two games to one, the Pinheads were generally dominant, winning five games this season by sweeping their opponents.

The team as a whole excelled throughout the year, propelled by a few star players who led the team to victory. Senior and co-captain Ruo Yan Chen was one of their most prolific bowlers, averaging an impressive 136.20 pins per game through 10 games bowled. She was even more efficient in the playoffs, averaging 148 pins in each game that she bowled in. Senior and captain Stephanie Liu was their most impressive player throughout the regular season, bowling in 10 games as well, while boasting an astonishing average of 139.40 pins per game.

The Pinheads moved on in the first round of the playoffs, easily defeating Grover Cleveland by a score of three games to none. Senior Umama Rahman bowled an impressive 159 in Game One, and that momentum carried on to the finish line; the Pinheads were able to go home with a mark in the win column, and it seemed like they were bound to go far this year.

But at the Whitestone Lanes of Queens on November 12, the Pinheads ultimately fell in the second round of the playoffs to Leon M Goldstein High School for Science, narrowly losing by a score of 439-421 in the third and decisive game. The Pinheads were the team to beat throughout the regular season, and they have a lot to be proud of despite their playoff exit. Junior Michelle Chen scored a total of 173, her high score for the season and the highest total for any individual on either team. Chen also had an impressive game with a score of 145, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough to oust the Leon M Goldstein Dolphins.

Despite their early exit, the Pinheads have had an incredibly successful season. Chen reflected on the team’s season, saying that “The season went great this year. We defeated Beacon, [our] biggest competitor twice, and had only one loss the entire season. All the returning members did great in games and maintained their skill level throughout the season.”

Next year, with many departing seniors, a primary concern for the Pinheads is their depth. They look to add and recruit new players for next season, and make sure the points are spread evenly across the board, as players will have to step into leading roles.

The team may have fallen in two close games, but they have a lot to be proud of when looking at this past season. Now, the attention turns to next season, as they look to pass on the torch and maintain their winning culture.