A Fall Championships sport that I’m so excited to write about is bowling! (Fun fact: Depending on a person’s weight and skill, people who bowl can burn between 170 to 300 calories.) With that trivia fact out of the way, let’s talk about an extraordinary interview I had with Special Olympics Virginia Area 2 bowling coach Cindy Wells, an extremely nice and knowledgeable woman. I was honored to interview her.
Now in her third year as a Special Olympics bowling coach, Wells typically tries to give her teams the pep talks and energy they need to be mentally prepared for a bowling match. She stresses mental preparation, more than physical preparation, as the highest priority. Her teams have bowled at the Indian River Lanes for the past 3½ years. She works with 64 bowlers, separated into teams of four with creative names like Bowling Queens, Diamond Rollers, Kingpins and my favorite, Strike Force. Wells must possess a lot of patience, endurance and flexibility to be coaching 64 bowlers, as I’m sure each bowling event is pretty loud. She must possess the strength and time management skills to have the ability to both coach that many athletes and endure all the noise happening around her.
One thing that Wells stresses with her athletes is nutrition. Bowling alleys have a lot of junk food and sweets in their concession stands, so it is an easy temptation for athletes to eat poorly. But she wants to help make sure her athletes are improving their health through better food choices. She ensures that her players are not eating a lot of sugar to help her team avoid crashing, which can be detrimental both mentally and physically. She wants to ensure that her athletes have their heads in the game and aren’t feeling distracted before they start bowling.
Wells also happens to be a mother. Her son Tyler suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury when he was 6 months old. The only sport Tyler was interested in was bowling, the same sport all of her kids compete in.
Wells also stresses fitness and the importance of staying in shape. She has encouraged her players to lift weights in order to help them increase their upper arm strength. She has one athlete who has begun lifting weights so he can improve at getting the ball down the lane faster. She also works with the parents of her athletes, so they can help with exercises at home. As such, her fitness advice benefits both athletes and families.
During bowling competitions, Wells stays productive. She is in charge of paperwork, schedules, and all of her team's routines and mental preparations. Her favorite aspect of her job is meeting inexperienced bowlers, so she can help them learn the ropes.
Bottom line? Wells is a phenomenal coach who knows the importance of fitness, preparation and flexibility.
