Pizl helps jumpstart V-Hawk bowling

Lumen sat down with freshman bowler Greg Pizl to look back on Viterbo's bowling inaugural season, which ended on Jan. 24.

Lumen: Your team recently finished up the season. How did the last couple of competitions go?

Pizl: First off, the last two tourneys we bowled were the NAIA Baker Challenge in West Chicago, Ill., and the BlueGold Classic in South Bend, Ind. The NAIA Baker challenge was, just as it states, a challenge. Not just for us but for everyone. Bowling only baker games the whole weekend really put an emphasis on spare shooting and staying focused as a team. I believe bowling in this format really showcases just how good a team really is, because you can't just rely on one guy to carry the team, all five guys need to be on the same page.  But as for the results, the men's A/(Cardinal) team finished in sixth out of 20 teams and our girls team finished in seventh out of 16 teams.

As for our final one of the season, the BlueGold Classic, our guys' team went in with high hopes and had a decent first day, but as the second all-baker game Sunday rolled around we had some troubles. But we did make a decent showing, finishing 26th out of the 66 men's teams there.  Our girls, unfortunately, struggled both days and ended up 32nd out of the 44 women's teams.

Lumen: How does the college bowling experience compare to other collegiate athletics in terms of practice, competition, training, recruiting, etc?

Pizl: I believe bowling gets a bit of a bad rap because of the ever-so-popular "beer frame" and amount of overweight un-athletic people who partake in the sport. But here at Viterbo, and any other university for that matter, bowling is approached like any other sport, with training, conditioning, and practice, and all this is taken into consideration during the recruiting process.  You really don't see many teams out there with out of shape, non-athletic individuals, or at least not the "top" teams anyway. Our college in particular is full of athletes here on the bowling team with most of us having played or are still playing other sports. 

We practice three times a week; we'd do it more if it were feasible with lane availability down at our home house, PlaMor Lanes here in La Crosse. And as far as the competition goes, I believe bowling is one of those sports that, if done in a team setting, is one of the hardest to consistently be at the top. Since bowling is a mental sport, it takes a lot out of someone to bowl from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and stay focused, much less having all five or six guys do that the whole time. But we go prepared and ready to meet our challenges at each and every event in any way we can.

Lumen: What does it mean to you to be part of jumpstarting a new program and having the success you've had immediately (both as an individual and team-wise)?

Pizl: To jump in and be a part of this new program here at Viterbo really has been a dream. Ever since the day I came here I knew there was no turning back, and to this day I have absolutely no regrets because I know I made the right choice. As with most teams starting a new program, it's very difficult and success usually doesn't come until years down the road. But here we have started something, something I don't know of any other school doing. We have put together such a great group of high character people, as well as great bowlers, in one recruiting year. It's really remarkable.

This team has a unique ability to bring out the best in each other. I know the guys on my team sure do if for me. Just knowing that you have someone who is not only a qualified bowler, but also a great friend to back you up is what I believe to be a building block to a highly successful team.  I have never bowled on a team that brings so much excitement to the sport and having gone through most of our first season now I know it's only going to get better.  I am very proud to be a part of this groundbreaking season and look forward to our bright and hopeful future.