By Staff Writer: James Edwards
Joel Halstead is a junior at Howell High School and is a part of the varsity bowling team. He hopes to be a major contributor on the bowling team as he is in his first year on the varsity squad.
“It feels great to finally make the team. I’m going to do whatever coach asks me to and I’m going to try my hardest,” says Halstead.
Halstead dealt with a lot of adversity in his first few years of high school that prevented him from even bowling at the junior varsity level. One of these obstacles that he had to overcome was the academic side of being a student-athlete, failing to be academically eligible to bowl. His junior year was the year he turned it around though, maintaining a grade point average of at least a 3.0 for most of the year and guaranteeing himself a shot of making varsity. As was expected, he showed up to tryouts and bowled a couple 200 games and made it on to the team easily. “It feels great to be back on track,” says Halstead.
Halstead is following in the footsteps of his older brother, Justin, who was an exceptional bowler at Howell High. Justin led his JV team to a state championship when he was a junior and was a key component of a great 2012 HHS bowling squad. Although he is impressed by his brother’s accolades, he is not the least bit motivated to live up to his legacy.
“I am not motivated by Justin. I just want to go out and be the best bowler I can be every time,” says Halstead.
He has credited his father and stepfather, both pretty good bowlers, for his success at the sport. “They take me bowling whenever I want and always give me the feedback and support that I need,” says Halstead.
Being on a star-studded bowling team is also beneficial for his maturation as a bowler. He will be practicing side by side with bowlers Steven Golm and Jack Herndel, both seniors and seasoned veterans who can mentor him throughout the season.
Halstead’s biggest goal this year is to help out his team in whatever way possible. “I’m going to try and impact the team as much as I can and if I feel like that is not enough, that means I will have to practice harder,” says Halstead.
