Anmol Sidhu spent the fall juggling soccer, marching band and Madagascar: A Musical Adventure, but this winter turned his focus solely to bowling.
It has paid off for the Bordentown Regional High School senior who made an enormous jump in one year to put himself in position to help the Scotties earn the Burlington County Scholastic League Tournament championship on Feb. 1.
“There was a little bit of pressure because we talked as a team that we wanted to take that home,” said Sidhu. “We came so close last year. The year before we did well too. But we weren’t able to take it home. As a team, we talked about how much we wanted that win. I wanted to step up for my team and put up a good game and a good series.”
Sidhu had the top boys series at Laurel Lanes of 660, including a career-best 246 in Game 3. Right behind him was junior Lucien Carr with a second-best 654 series and a 240 high game. Bordentown finished with 2,910 pins to blow away Westhampton Tech’s 2,746 and third-place and defending champion Burlington Township’s 2,693. Bordentown placed seventh on the girls’ side with 1,750 pins.
“It meant a lot, especially since Burlington Township has had a big dominance over the conference for the past few years,” Sidhu said. “So to be able to have me and Lucien put up a really big performance in that tournament, putting up the No. 1 and 2 series, it meant a lot to be able to take the win home.”
The Bordentown boys fashioned a 16-2-1 record heading into the new-look state tournament. Instead of all teams in a sectional bowling at one site as in the past, the state tournament now follows the bracket-style format of most other state sports. The fourth-seeded Scotties were set to host No. 5 seed Wall in the quarterfinals of the Central Jersey Group 2 bracket as they look to close the season on a high note.
“No matter what happens it was an overall success,” Sidhu said. “We talked to our coach and we actually had a better overall pin count than we did last year. I remember last year we always thought that team was so good and there was no way we could be this good next year. We were back-to-back division champs. We kept saying we need to try to keep that to get that three-peat as division champs. I remember how happy we were when we heard we beat our pin count from last year, we have higher averages, and that we got that division championship again. It’s an overall success no matter what happens next, although we’re going to put up a fight no matter who we’re versing.”
Bordentown graduated top bowlers John Murphy and John Bassett from last year’s team that also won 16 matches. This year they duplicated that win total in the regular season and added a BCSL tournament title thanks to big improvements from the returning players.
“We finished with the same exact record as last year,” said Bordentown coach Ron Jones. “They were excited as all heck because we lost No. 1 and 2 in the lineup, they graduated. They were scrambling to see who was going to be No. 1 and No. 2 and they all stepped up and some days it was Grant Pillik, some days it was Anmol, some days it was one of the other guys. Luc Carr had his turn in the barrel being the head dog. They all put up.”
Pillik, a junior, narrowly had the team’s top average of 186.32, barely one pin ahead of Carr’s 185.29 average. Carr has improved from last year, and Pillik’s jump of 28 pins is astounding. Then there’s Sidhu, who in just his second year bowling for Bordentown climbed from a 144.77 average as a bowler who bounced back and forth between varsity and JV to this year’s 174.88 average.
“Grant’s put it all together,” Jones said. “Anmol, this was only his second year. He came into us new last year and he was a big surprise. We were counting on him. Luc Carr has been bowling a 180 average since he came to us as a freshman three years ago. When they both came, Grant was the low man on the pole and Luc was the top dog. Right now they’re going neck-to-neck for top average in the BCSL.”
Sidhu has taken off in his second season. He grew up fond of bowling with his family, but when he got to high school he tried to pursue another love, basketball. He didn’t make the team his freshman or sophomore year and he turned his attention in the winter to bowling. It was a learning experience his first year, but he has improved dramatically in his second season.
“A little bit of it is maturity and a little is experience,” Sidhu explained. “I remember last year, I would bowl on varsity and I would kind of get nervous and get all these feelings and get in my own head. This year it was a lot less mental. I was able to have a mental toughness. I knew I can do this, I can put up the numbers I need to, I was able to execute. Last year, I would bowl bad on varsity, they would move me to JV and I’d put up a 200 game. It was always mental with me, but I was able to get over that this year.”
The improvements of Sidhu and Pillik reflect the work put in by the pair over the last year. They have gone from trying to contribute to the varsity a year ago to fighting to lead the team along with Carr. For Sidhu, it has meant bowling twice as many games this year with almost three times as many pins.
“It was always back and forth last year,” Sidhu said. “One day, Grant Pillik, who’s having a great year this year – he bumped his average up 10-20 pins – we were friends off the lanes but when we were on the lanes we were always fighting for that last spot (on varsity). It was a little bit of a competition between us.”
Sidhu knew from the outset of the season that this year would be better. He came out of the gates with a 639 series against Westhampton in the first match of the year and followed with a 626 series against Egypt. It set the groundwork for a huge jump this year.
“It really shocked me the first week,” Sidhu said. “I think I bowled about a 630 series and 640 series in the same week and I got BCSL Bowler of the Week for our conference. I was shocked. I think that the first two 600 series I ever bowled and it was the first week back. You obviously can’t sustain that 200 average always, but it was a nice start to the year. It showed me even if I can’t hold this, I can hold a good average and I keep bowling well and come up in those big moments like at the tournament.”
It was Pillik and Sidhu who started a mini celebration at the BCSL Tournament when they saw their team score and realized that Westhampton was too far behind to catch the Scotties. The official scores weren’t known until the very end, but Bordentown knew they had the title and Sidhu was thrilled to play such a big part of it in his final tournament as a senior.
“I definitely felt it especially since that was our last real tournament since they changed the sectional and state tournaments to bracket-style,” Sidhu said. “So that was our last real tournament. We had the winter tournament and the invitational. We did well in both of those, but we weren’t able to win either of them. To get that one big tournament win in my high school career was really nice.”
Bordentown reached the second qualifying round of the Burlington Township Invitational and placed ninth at the Olympic Conference Holiday Bowl Tournament at Laurel Lanes earlier in the year. But they put it together when it counted the most relying on the balance that has helped all year.
Along with the top trio are junior Joey Klama, sophomore Tyler Brown, freshman Ken Teague, senior Aidan Bramley and sophomore Ryan Wood. All carry averages over 152 in part because of the way the upperclassmen have passed down pointers particularly on the art of two-handed bowling.
“The two that graduated last year, John Murphy and John Bassett, they would take the other kids and show them,” Jones said. “That’s what’s going on now. There are two kids that are in the top seven now that at the beginning of the year, they were one-handed straight ball bowlers at the beginning of the year. The both of them now are two-handed curve ballers and they’re both pushing their averages into 160-170 whereas they were 130-140 as a straight baller. It’s all because Grant and Luc and Anmol showing them this is how you do it.”
Sidhu spent last year adjusting to two-handed bowling. It was something he had dabbled with, but never too seriously.
“Since I started on the bowling team I have been a two-handed bowler,” Sidhu said. “Growing up, I always watched ‘Dude Perfect,’ and they made a video with the famous bowler Jason Belmonte, he’s like 12-time world champion. He pioneered the two-handed bowling technique. I remember with my family I would try it and they would all make fun of me and joke around with me, ‘Oh, you need two hands to bowl.’ I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was sowing the seed for my future.”
Sidhu didn’t need a hard sell last year to take it up. He was looking for a way to be the most consistent bowler possible, and it clicked for him.
“I wanted to figure it out,” said Sidhu. “You can be a good bowler bowling with two hands, you don’t need to bowl traditionally. It’s really about what works for you as a person. There are people on our team where we talk to them about switching, they try it, and it doesn’t work for everybody. It’s something where you work at one and it’s kind of natural what you feel more comfortable with.”
He’s proud to now be carrying on the Bordentown tradition of passing along all that he knows to younger team members. The mentoring dynamic has helped the Scotties improve and develop into a championship team.
“I definitely feel it,” Sidhu said. “I remember last year with John Murphy, he was one of the seniors, he was a two-handed bowler and he really sold it. He would work with us and show us the tricks. Now I see myself doing it. I’ll say move over a board, open up their line, switch how many revs they’re getting, switch their speed. It feels nice mentoring, it feels nice mentoring and leading the team as one of the captains.”
Sidhu’s interests go beyond the lanes. His fall was ridiculously busy. He practiced Mondays and Tuesdays with the Bordentown marching band, spent Tuesday-Saturdays practicing and playing defense for the Scotties soccer team, and then fit in Madagascar practices immediately after school for their November shows.
“It was a lot of working things around with the different teachers and they really worked with me to let me do everything that I love to do,” Sidhu said.
Sidhu is cutting back from multi-tasking as much as he prepares for college and his future. He plans to study chemistry with a minor in forensics with hopes of pursing a profession in forensics of chemical engineering. He will turn his athletic attention to his final year of spring track and field where he throws shot put and discus, but he has thoroughly enjoyed his development and being able to contribute heavily to Bordentown’s memorable bowling season.
“I always loved bowling with my family so it always had a special place in my heart,” said Sidhu. “I really enjoy bowling more than track. I grew up playing soccer since I was about 5 so they’re about equal to me. I just love doing both. Bowling is a little easier to do recreationally. I can just go out with my friends or family to a lane. They all don’t like it because I beat them now but we still have fun.”
Bowler Anmol Sidhu in action for Bordentown. (Photo by Kimberly Fithen.),
