Lani Breedlove: Talent to spare

Lani Breedlove is a name that no one at Oswego High School should be a stranger to today. Frequently making Athlete of the Week titles along with having her name presented on the school sign outside the main entrance, this senior has impacted the bowling community at OHS like no one else.

It’s no secret that within student spaces, bowling is often ignored with more popular sports- such as football- generally taking up the majority of the community’s mind.        

“I do feel like it is [ignored], I feel like we got more recognition last year when we won the first state trophy since ‘97, but I definitely think it’s often misrepresented,” says Lani Breedlove.

Misrepresentation in the sport has been an uphill battle ever since Breedlove joined the bowling team in her freshman year. But according to Breedlove, that is a battle she has been willing to fight.

“A lot of people just aren’t educated on it and kind of just don’t take it seriously,” she explained.

However, this diminished reputation hasn’t stopped the bowling team from growing even more this year. The team has seen at least five people join, and with a team captain like Breedlove, practice is not a light matter.

“When we’re in season I practice team, but for me, I don’t really have an off season. I practice in bowling tournaments all year long,” says Breedlove.

With a training regimen stretching so far into her time in order to keep up with her athletic goals, the question of how she handles balancing sports with personal and academic life arises.

Breedlove clears the confusion responding, “It’s definitely hard on school days. You’re up early for school, you’re here all day, and go straight to practice. On weekdays you’re not home until maybe 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. You got to find time for homework and other stuff like working out. It’s definitely hard, but I feel like just managing your time, not procrastinating is the best option.”

Not only must she stick to her and her team’s regime, the added responsibility of being the team captain is a hard task. But with her strong personality and positive outlook, she reports only being grateful.

“It’s a great opportunity for sure, I think it’s really great to be able to inspire and lead my teammates to the success that we’ve had. I definitely feel that we’ve been building this team since I got in this team as a freshman and I just have really seen their love for this grow a lot since taking on that leadership role,” says Breedlove.

You can tell that all that training and leading has paid off incredibly, as the super striker recently rolled a feat none but the most practiced of bowlers can claim they have achieved.

“Tuesday the 10th with a series of 806 and I also shot my second 300, but my first one in high school, and I also broke some IHSA records. I’m now 5th in the top series for IHSA,” according to Breedlove.

Lani Breedlove played a perfect game with 12 strikes in a row: nine strikes for the first nine frames, and three more strikes for the 10th and final frame. More impressive, is the fact that this is the second time she has achieved this.

With such consistent performance and leadership prowess, it wouldn’t be out of the gutter to claim that the bowling team may not perform as well as they have been in the near future as Breedlove graduates. However, Lani Breedlove herself has no concerns about the future of her team after she graduates.

“I do [feel confident], we have some very strong juniors this year and some upcoming lowerclassmen, I think if they keep working they’ll be just fine.”