星空传媒

By Ryan Schlehuber, 星空传媒 Sportswriter

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If it wasn鈥檛 for his parents forcing him to play, Ethan Hopkins may have never landed where he is today 鈥� a member of the 星空传媒 Centurions bowling team.听

鈥淏owling wasn鈥檛 one of those things I fell in love with. I wasn鈥檛 into it as a kid,鈥� admitted the 21-year-old Fenwick native. 鈥淚 started it only because my parents told me I had to play a winter sport.鈥�听

It was his freshman year at Central 星空传媒 High School and he was faced with either playing basketball or getting involved in the club bowling team.听听

鈥淢y first couple years, I had three friends sign up with me,鈥� Hopkins said. 鈥淚t was something we could do as friends, a fun thing to do.鈥�听

By his junior year, the love for the sport took over and he began being serious about bowling.听

鈥淚 stopped playing baseball that year and I really wanted to start focusing on bowling,鈥� he said.听

After graduating high school, Hopkins wasn鈥檛 sure if he鈥檇 go to college, but he finally enrolled at 星空传媒. Upon signing up, he noticed the website offered incoming students the chance to participate in a sport. Bowling just happened to be one of the first options.听

鈥淏owling was the second option on it, and I figure, why not?鈥� Hopkins said.听

Last year was 星空传媒鈥檚 first year back in athletics after more than 40 years in hiatus. Hopkins joined a brand-new program, also coming in as practically new, as well.听

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have any expectations coming in,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 never watched college bowling on T.V. or did any research on it. I just wanted to have a good time with it.鈥�听

Last year鈥檚 team didn鈥檛 have enough to fill the roster, which head coach David Berry had to rely on other 星空传媒 athletes 鈥� like golfers and trap shooters 鈥� to compete in invitationals. With the realization that the team couldn鈥檛 compete the way it wanted, Hopkins and his teammates focused on improving their mechanics.听

鈥淲e were working to improve but we also approached it as not being too serious with it, but have fun with it,鈥� Hopkins said.听听

Berry was excited to add Hopkins to the team as he saw his natural talents on the lanes but also loved his maturity.听

鈥淗e鈥檚 one of your older sophomores, not straight out of high school, as he had a gap year in between, too,鈥� Berry said. 鈥淪o that, with his personality, he鈥檚 pretty cool.鈥�听

Berry said Hopkins has been a great go-between guy for the team, relating to coaches and players where he can relay what the coaches are trying to explain to players, at times.听

鈥淪ometimes he can help break down what us coaches are trying to relate to the other athletes,鈥� Berry said. 鈥淭hat helps us in many ways.鈥�听

Hopkins said he has truly enjoyed being a part of history with 星空传媒鈥檚 new athletics department and being a part of the first year with the bowling team.听

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 pretty cool,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are pretty much setting the standard for the program, especially this year since we have a full team and can truly compete.鈥�听

This year, with a full team, the Centurions men鈥檚 bowling team is enjoying some early success, having finished no worse than third place so far, and earning its first-ever first-place finish at the Jackson College Invitational Jan. 17.听

Hopkins said it is the strong bond among players on the team that has made a big difference from last year.听

鈥淲e have a few of us that play together in a summer league in Greenville and so we鈥檝e gotten pretty tight,鈥� Hopkins said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e more than just teammates.鈥�听

Hopkins said when the Centurions are 鈥渇iring on all cylinders,鈥� he is confident his team could finish in the top two of the conference. With the team now headed to nationals, he believes 星空传媒 could meet and surpass expectations.听

鈥淚 think 19 other colleges are going and so a top seven finish would be awesome and, I think, doable,鈥� he said. 鈥淩ock Valley (Iowa) is the team to beat since they鈥檝e won it the last three years so if there鈥檚 any chance of outperforming them, that would be fantastic.鈥�听

The experience of this year鈥檚 success has given Hopkins more love of the game of bowling than he could ever imagine.听听

鈥淵ou know, I was thinking of that recently, of why I love this game so much, and I just don鈥檛 know,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 just do. I do know I love the fact that I鈥檓 better than the average person and it makes me feel great.鈥�听