Despite being a first-time state qualifier, Stevenson junior bowler Kaitlyn Rudy is well aware of all the distractions that come with the pageantry of the state tournament.
“I’m sure it’s going to be overwhelming, but I don’t think it’s going to be too much for me to chew on,” Rudy said. “I just need to make sure that some of the big scores don’t intimidate me. If someone puts up a big number, you tend to get a little worried. So the best thing to do is not look at the scores.
“Just focus on my own game, one frame at a time, and hopefully by the end there will be good results.”
Rudy is trending in the right direction. A slow and steady performer, Rudy’s 1,407 at last week’s Rolling Meadows Sectional was the second-best pin total in the state. It was nearly 200 pins better than her score that helped the Patriots win the Palatine Regional the week before.
The state tournament begins Friday at the Cherry Bowl in Rockford.
“I feel like she’s a very unemotional bowler,” Stevenson coach Gina Johnson said. “She said she wants to take it to the next level. She told me she came to the sectional to play for the top spots. Now she’s approaching state just like another tournament.”
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Rudy is using last year’s disappointment as motivation. She won the Buffalo Grove Regional but fell 23 pins short of qualifying for a trip to state.
“It doesn’t bother me anymore, but when it first happened I was bitter,” Rudy said. “I realized how much I accomplished on the way, and now is what matters. It taught me a lot. It makes you learn how every single frame counts. That’s how I looked at it last week. If you throw a split, you’ve just got to make the next two frames better.”
She heads into this week as a contender for an individual title. Only Oswego East’s Abby Ragsdale (1,434) posted a higher score at sectionals.
But bowling has become much more to Rudy than just a medal or a trophy. She’s hoping that her performance, along with her focus, will ensure the sport is a part of the rest of her life.
“I think in the last year I’ve realized what bowling means to me and how it’s something I want to continue to do beyond high school,” she said. “That’s why I’m working so hard now. It’s my junior year, and I’m looking at colleges. So this is the year to try and impress.
“If I’m going to do something, now is the time. I’ve been working really hard. Now I’m hoping it really pays off.”