If you were to go to a bowling alley on any day of the week, you would be likely to see Danyell Chupp (‘17). As a nationally ranked bowler, Chupp is committed to her sport. She bowls at least five days a week. Her organized practices for her team are on Wednesdays, and matches are on Thursdays and Saturdays. She confesses that she usually bowls more than that: “if I’m bored, I’ll just go up to the bowling alley.”
Bowling is a significant part in Chupp’s life – it’s been her whole life. Her grandfather first got her into bowling. When she was young, she would always be at the bowling alley watching her grandparents on leagues. At the age of five, she started a league of her own.
Chupp currently bowls on a league and New Berlin Eisenhower’s team. Although her team isn’t affiliated with her own school, Chupp has made long lasting friendships with her teammates.
Bowling isn’t typically thought of as a sport; however, if a person were to see the commotion of a game, they would think otherwise. The smell of hot dogs, the thunderous sound of the balls hitting the pins, the powerful cheering, and the hard work bowlers put into each game solidifies bowling’s place as a legitimate sport. “It’s pretty chaotic,” Chupp comments and continues as she points out that bowling for fun differs from competing. “You have to have a good physical game and a good mental game. When you bowl twenty games, it gets tiring.”
One of the most important things Chupp has learned throughout her career has been that attitude matters. “Attitude has a lot to do with it. Staying calm and knowing what you’re doing is such a big thing. Like I see people who flip out that they start kicking the ball returns, I’ve heard people swearing at their parents. It gets very bad, but if you have that mental game to keep yourself calm, you’ll bowl a hundred times better,” Chupp says.
Recently, Chupp has earned first place in her district and her team has gone undefeated this season. At her last conference Feb. 12, Chupp bowled an average of 205 as a District 1 Girls Top Performer (MVP). This past month, Chupp increased her high game to 289.
Her life will continue after high school with bowling at the forefront. Chupp received a bowling scholarship from Robert Morris University Illinois and she will be attending there in the fall. She’s very excited about the opportunities that the university will offer her. “Combined with academics, I should be all set!”