ROCKINGHAM — Senior bowler Katie Way has been named the Official Richmond County Female Student-Athlete of the Week presented by Rockingham NC Self Storage.
Competing on the bowling team for the first time in her high school career, Way was a key contributor in Richmond’s two wins entering the holiday break.
A three-sport student-athlete, this is Way’s third career recognition and first for bowling.
Athletic Profile
Year: Senior
Winter Sport: Bowling
Position: Bowler
Varsity Experience: 1 season
Other Sports: Volleyball, softball
CLASSROOM CREDITS WITH KATIE WAY
Way has been a varsity student-athlete since her freshman year and is nearing the halfway point of her senior campaign at Richmond. She’s a dual-enrollment student who is taking classes at the high school and at Richmond Community College.
Nearing the end of the fall semester, Way is taking two classes at Richmond and two RichmondCC courses.
At Richmond, she’s in Economics and Personal Finance Honors and serves as an Educational Intern for athletic director and softball coach Mike Way. Way’s two courses at RichmondCC are Biology 110 and English 112.
During the first grading period, Way was an A honor roll student and she currently has a 4.6 GPA. Outside of athletics, Way is also involved in the National Honor Society.
“The most challenging part of taking college classes and regular classes while playing sports year-round is finding the right amount of balance,” Way explained. “Of course school comes first but I like having time to be able to enjoy both.
“Being a student-athlete means putting academics first and then being an athlete second,” she added. “It’s exciting to be a student-athlete at Richmond because sports are a big part of our culture. And it means a lot to me to be a representative of my school in the classroom and on the field.”
“IN THE LANE” WITH KATIE WAY
The Lady Raider bowling team faced Scotland and Southern Lee high schools in its third Sandhills Athletic Conference dual meet of the season last Thursday.
Richmond snapped a three-match losing streak and got back in the win column with two victories. The Lady Raiders earned a pair of 4-1 wins and added eight points to the SAC standings.
Way was Richmond’s most consistent bowler between the two matches, while also posting season-highs in strikes and spares in single matches. Of the six bowlers who competed for the Lady Raiders, Way led the team with a .562 closing percentage.
Closing out 9-of-16 total frames, eight frames in each match, Way combined for two strikes and seven spares.
Against Scotland, Way was 5-for-8 (62.5%) in the match, rolling a season-high two strikes to go along with three helpers. She followed that by closing 50% of her frames against Southern Lee (4-for-8) with a season-high four spares.
Through six matches this season, Way has bowled four strikes and nine spares. The Lady Raiders (3-3) will return to action on Jan. 4 against Pinecrest and Scotland.
RAPID RESPONSES WITH KATIE WAY
The Richmond Observer: What led to your overall improvement during last week’s matches?
Way: Last week I was just much more competitive. Knowing that I wanted to win and beat Scotland really helped me focus. I also switched to a one-handed approach, which allows me to be more consistent and knock down more pins to help the team.
The Richmond Observer: How would you describe your mindset and approach during each frame?
Way: I think about how much knocking down pins will help my team. So I just go up there and do my best. I’m always trying for strikes and if not, I do my best to close out spares.
The Richmond Observer: What’s more difficult — rolling a perfect bowling ball or making a perfect dive into the pool?
Way: Making a perfect dive into the pool is more difficult because I’m not very good at that. And there’s more pressure when diving because it hurts more when you don’t do it right.
The Richmond Observer: If you could only listen to one holiday song for the rest of time, which would it be and why?
Way: I’d pick ‘It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas’ because it’s one of those songs that gets the Christmas spirit out and about.
The Richmond Observer: What is your favorite holiday tradition to do with family or friends?
Way: Every year we go to my Grandma Way’s house and spend time hanging out with my family. That’s definitely my favorite tradition.
The Richmond Observer will publish two more Official Richmond County Student-Athletes of the Week following winter break.
